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The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

We all know it, it gets sung to people who are demanding too much sympathy, it's been used in loads of cartoons and comedy programmes. I assume it's a fragment of a classical piece, anyone know what it is? (Nothing ITM about it, but surely the wise folk here will know the answer.)

Something like....
X:1
M: 4/4
L: 1/4
K: Cmaj
E|cBA2|GDE2|

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by TomB-R

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Yes I know exactly what you mean but don't know where it comes from...Anyone??...

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by RichardB

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Can anyone link the dots for this?

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by jfiddlerh

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Isn't it called "Hearts and Flowers"?

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Paul_draper

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

I think Paul gets the prize - it's Hearts and Flowers by Theodore Moses Tobani: http://forum.classicalarchives.com/messages/2/hrtsflrs_1_-6728.mid

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by RichardB

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Good man, that's the one.

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by TomB-R

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

It's Zigeunerweisen, by Sarasate. Here's a link- fast forward to 4:53

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM8MbCIphMw

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Greg the Piano Tuner

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Oh yes, it sounds like that too - must be an Irish tune!

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by RichardB

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Some facts and dates:

Sarasate (1844-1908), an eminent violinist. His "Zigeunerweisen" for violin and orchestra was composed in 1878. You can hear a rare recording of Sarasate himself playing it on his Stradivari (with gut strings, of course) in 1904, on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABm7nMVyNh4

Tobani (1855-1933), also a violinist, and a prolific composer and arranger. He composed his most famous work "Hearts and Flowers" in 1893. You can read the score on http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn3563567

Question: Was Hearts and Flowers "inspired" by Zigeunerweisen, or was there a common source? All water under the bridge, of course, after well over a century.

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Trevor Jennings

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

I think Sarasate might have borrowed that theme from the Hungarians. "Zigeunerweisen" literally means "Gypsy Airs".

My Hungarian grandmother used to say that her father would cry every time he heard that melody, as it reminded him of home.

Jeno Hubay was another (Hungarian) violinist and contemporary of Sarasate and Tobani that wrote a piece with the same theme: http://www.musipedia.org/edit.html?&no_cache=1&tx_detedit_pi1[tid]=522e1ea43810e90242942ccc0995dae1

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Georgi

Re: The "traditional" sadness & sympathy violin melody

Great research, lazyhound and Georgi. Thanks for those posts.

# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Greg the Piano Tuner

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