Expert: David Froom - 7/5/2009

Question
I heard this song remixed in a club once and was too shy to ask the DJ what it was called so I tried looking for the original song online by spending about an hour listening to samples of popular classical tracks but still couldn't find it!

So...as I only know the tune, I had to use my voice to get across what it sounded like [so sorry for the voice]: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=54ES357H

It's mainly a stringed instrument composition and ascends and descends in notes really close to each other [forgotten the music term] very often and it's got a relaxed slow tempo and probably has a 2/4 time signature.

If you could help me, that would be awesome!

x

Answer
You sang it great -- the description didn't help, but you had it accurate in your singing to the point that I got it in about 1/2 a second.

It is from a ballet, Romeo and Juliet, by Serge Prokofiev.  That ballet has a few "suites" drawn from it (that is, orchestral pieces that are intended for concert performance without dancing).  In the suites, it is called "Montagues and Capulets."  In the full ballet, it is called "Dance of the Knights."

Here is a YouTube (with a picture of the composer).  The bit you are looking for starts at 1:35.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljOMXgfflRI

Here are some Wikipedia articles, in case you want to know something more about this great bit of music:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montagues_and_Capulets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet_(Prokofiev)

The whole ballet is wonderful -- and you might recognize some of the music.  You can probably check out a CD of the ballet (maybe a DVD), or a CD with a suite on it, from your local public library.

Happy listening,

David Froom