Comments on: On Music: thievery

By: CJ Casey

CJ Casey — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:11:09 +0000

The Bernstein example is nothing… check out the second movement of the “Pathetique” sonata (Op. 8) and try not to sing the words to “Somewhere Out There”.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:08:51 +0000

“Good artists borrow, but great artists steal.” – attributed to Picasso, among others…

By: Jason!

Jason! — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 16:46:01 +0000

Yay!

By: David

David — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:59:39 +0000

Right on Jason!

By: Jason!

Jason! — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:22:02 +0000

Swan Lake?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:21:46 +0000

I’d say it’s homage. Eric Carmen used large passages of Rachmaninof, Barry Manilow patched in Chopin, and Procol Harum stole from Bach. I loved the themes from Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony used in the movie “Babe.” (Yes, the one about the pig.)

So maybe it’ll give the uneducated a better appreciation of the classics if they happen to hear a familiar bit by accident.

By: WizardBoy

WizardBoy — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:00:39 +0000

Despite Trivial Pursuit, Mozart did not write “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” but only “Variations…” later in life.

See Wikipedia entry on “Twinkle….” for some info that may or may not be accurate.

By: plannerben

plannerben — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:34:29 +0000

In grammar school, we used to play a game called “Wonderball,” where we all stood in a circle and passed a red rubber gym ball from person to person while singing “The wonderball goes ’round and ’round.”

Years later, I heard that tune again. It was the theme from Beethoven’s Symphony #3, the Eroica. I’m told it’s a great piece of music, written in honor of Napoleon and then nearly destroyed when Luddy van B. changed his mind about the Corsican.

But to me, I think it’s a ripoff of “Wonderball.”

By: Scott from Cincy

Scott from Cincy — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:25:44 +0000

I can’t believe you forgot to mention how Vanilla Ice borrowed music from David Bowie and Queen!