Expert: David Froom - 3/19/2005

Question
I overheard an orchestral/choral (male voices ... I think) piece on classical radio which used the same tune as Dixit Dominus from Sound of Music. Of course, I missed the DJ's identification of the piece. I have listened to Dixit Dominus tracks from Handel, Benevolo, Vivaldi, Biber, Satie, Mozart, Scarlatti and none of them uses the tune from Sound of Music's chant. Can you help?
Thanks.

Answer
I'm sorry.  I can't help with this.

The story goes that Rogers wrote this after getting "help" from a group of nuns who sang some ecclesiastical music for him.  I don't know what they sang, and I don't know the Sound of Music well enough to recognize Rogers's tune when I hear it.  But it evidently (from what I read) is not really so close to a "real" one as to have been commented on.

The obvious one missing from your list of possibles is Haydn.  I believe he has one.  Maybe that is it?

Or you could call the radio station?  They do keep track of their playlists.  If you know when you heard it, even approximately, you may be able to get help from them.

Good luck,
David Froom