Expert: Pat G - 6/27/2010

Question
I have heard this all over and its now getting to the point that its becoming annoying haha. The only place I have found it being used inthe background is about 6:32 in this documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K5LnuMP5jc

I would love to know what this piece of music is, any help would be much appreciated thanks

Andrew

Answer
Hello, Andrew,

It gives us very little to go on, just a few seconds. I have not heard it before. But I can tell you this much: it is not a classical piece. It is some kind of folk music, possibly from the region. One of the clues is that it starts out modal. While Renaissance music was highly modal, very little music from the Baroque period onward was. Instead, people used major and minor scales. Modal music is in a scale other than major or minor. I don't know how much you know about music, but if you have any questions about this, please ask. The first few notes consist of 1, 4, 5. Those are numbered from the first (lowest) note in a scale. The 4 is sharp, which means it doesn't fit either major or minor scales. The rest of the melody is in a minor key (because 3 is flattened). The instrument may or may not be a guitar; there were other stringed instruments at the time. This particular music would be a blending of traditional Spanish plus the Moorish influence, and I think the Moorish influence clearly shows. Since it is some kind of folk music, it is outside the area of my expertise. Your question on YouTube is one of your best bets. Also, see if you can find out from the BBC. Although it is likely they took a traditional folk performance, it is also possible the music was composed especially for the show. I think the BBC often uses specially composed music. I don't know if this helps, but it's the best I can do.