Music identification is hard

[andrewducker]

Julie hummed something at me and asked me what it was called. I hummed it at a couple of music recognition sites and they failed to cope with my lack of musical talent.

Eventually I used MelodyCatcher and it told me it was the same as this midi file. Which would be more useful if that file had a meaningful name.

At which point I went on to IM and started pinging people I knew who might be able to help. Went through a John Wilson (recognised it, didn't know the name), Lizzie, Ari and Erin (couldn't quite place it) and Hannah (also didn't know) - and apparently it drove them crazy too, to the point where Ari called her brother to ask, Lizzie called her mother and sang it at her, and _she_ sang it to her sister to see if they could track it down, before resorting to SoundHound for suggestions, which came up with the correct answer as a "maybe", so they YouTubed it to see if it was right. And they would have won it too if Hannah hadn't had a brainwave (and a bit of googling) and beaten them to it by 47 seconds.

See if you know, and I'll stick the answer under a cut to make it more fun.

It's the Turkish March (Turkish Rondo/ Alla Turca) by Mozart. Or as Julie said, once I played it on Spotify, "The music from Lemmings".

Comments

[voldsom]

Thank you. I just had to go out and buy a copy of this, to prevent getting it stuck in my head again. :)

[andrewducker]

If you'd like a Spotify invite then shout...

[gominokouhai]

I got Mozart, but it's been so long since I heard Alla Turca that I wouldn't have got that without your help. I thought it was a string piece. I used to be really quite disturbingly good at identifying music, but these days I'm getting old.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I got it. I'm a bit surprised it's drifted that far out of public consciousness.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since there was a good Lemmings game.

[call-waiting.livejournal.com]

Um. I knew that one.

I'm shocked by that.

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

I knew it, and I could hear an orchestra playing it in my head, but I'd _never_ be able to have named it!

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

It's a piano piece :p

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

I can hear it in my head with a big orchestra, doesn't mean I've ever heard it outside of my head with a big orchestra :P

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

This is the first result in youtube for Turkish March & is exactly what was playing in my head :)

[andrewducker]

This was what I had:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4xqyjurJ80

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

:D

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Evil bad wrong: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alla_turca

I didn't even know an orchestral version existed. Another one to add to the heap along with the dreadful watering down of Pictures at an Exhibition, grumble grumble.

[andrewducker]

I rather liked it.

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

It's limp and insipid. The piano ornaments that imitate Turkish music of the era just don't come off with the orchestra music.

Yes I'm being snobbish. Don't care.

[andrewducker]

I'm sorry you can't appreciate it.

:->

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

what can I say but I've really been enjoying Dubstep lately

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

I still don't know what dubstep is. Not sure I want to.

[kerrypolka.livejournal.com]

A+++

[erratio.livejournal.com]

Ditto. Instant recognition but not the type useful to anyone else :P

[pigwotflies.livejournal.com]

Me too. I could almost, but not quite remember how the music developed from there. I knew it was something orchestral, but not what exactly.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

I couldn't get the midi to play, but I'd have guessed Rondo Alla Turca in a heartbeat.

I learnt to play that piece on the piano after hearing it as the background music for Lemmings.

[diotina.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking this morning that music identification is one of those useless talents I seem to have--and yes, I would have got this in a second.

[zz]

recognised it, couldn't name it. however i can't hear it now without thinking of http://youtu.be/NMhPdjN1APQ?t=3m47s

[luckylove.livejournal.com]

I could have told you that in seconds. I'm surprised it took so long to get it.

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Knew it! It's actually one of the few piano pieces I can still remember all the way through (although I lose the left hand in the final movement).

[andrewducker]

You would _totally_ have been my first port of call if you'd not been "away" when I went on to IM :->

[chuma.livejournal.com]

Yup, knew it, have it in various versions in my classical music folder.