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Radio 3 presenters sometime mention earworms. These are pieces of music that one keeps hearing in their head. The music is not intentionally summoned but just happens. Likely as not it is a piece of music that one has heard for the first time and been impressed by it. Such an earworm is regularly in my head just lately. It will eventually go away.

The music that keeps popping up in my mind is part of what is below. It is from the Love Duet by Wagner from his opera Tristan and Isolde. It's not enough that the finale to Act 3 has the most beautiful piece of music ever composed, it is complemented by this two-and-a-half minute segment. Unfortunately I cannot separate it from the rest of the recording below.

The piece in question begins at the time 5.20 and ends at 8.00. Move the time bar to 5.15 and then let it play. The two singers are not performing here - it is an off-stage choir. Old Wagner knew how to tug at the heart strings. If you want to fondly remember someone you have loved and lost, then this is for you.

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I do experience this from time to time. Either a short guitar riff or drum sequence, often prompted by a similar riff in a modern track.

And it's bleddy annoying when you can't remember what it is from!

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On a more serious note. Beautiful stuff Chulla, even though opera is not my favourite genre. Hard not to like Wagner.

I guess one of my favourite "earworms" is the adagio from Mahler's 5th symphony. Speaking of loved and lost. I find that I cannot listen to this movement of the symphony without a tear or two. Yet one comes back and listens to it time after time.

Please take the 11 minutes or so to listen to all of it, I'm sure you will be moved by it even if symphonic music is not you usual favourite.

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Nice one LL. Nice to know there is another sentimental old sod on the forum.

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Thanks for posting that loppylugs, touched my soul and brought back memories......

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Glad you liked it Smiffy, Chulla, and Tompa. I guess I am somewhat melancholic by nature. You may like some of the brooding works by Sibelius and Bruckner, especially if heavy brass sections turn your crank. :-)

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Didn't 'Eminem' do a better version,'M##### F###### Wagner Rap Dude' or something similarly obnoxious.

It's operatic arias that earwig me, I can never remember which operas they come from unless it's my favourite 'Madam Butterfly'.

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When I was expecting our son I did not have any strange food cravings. Instead it was a piece of music. The music from the Lloyds bank advert. It would not go away. I asked a friend what the piece was and she said "Wachet Auf" by Bach and she lent me a recording. I played it in the house and in the car. My husband thought it was dreadful! I was hooked and could not get the tune out of my head. Thanks for the term earworm. It describes very well how this music wormed its way into my head. Our son is now a professional musician and loves the works of J S Bach. He plays them very loud on a large church organ.

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Watchet Auf was one of the first pieces of Bach's music that I learned for the organ. It is very catchy, actually means Sleepers Awake. Now working on a much harder version. Bach was a genius.

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  • 1 year later...

When I wake in the morning I like to lie in bed and listen to the radio for a while and this came on. It is one of those songs that once heard you cannot get out of your head.

Any one else got one they would like to share?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've always detested so called 'novelty songs'. Mostly they're musically non existent, and only appeal to people totally devoid of any appreciation of music. It gets ingrained in ones head, and can then cause them to keep repeating themselves whilst in a trance !

For instance, The Birdie Song, Grandad, ...... I can't recall any more, as it's too early for me to get fired up.

Oh, and I never liked the Goons. It went way over my head.

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Bolero by Ravel is one of those pieces that reverberates for hours. I detest it! When it rose to prominence with Torvill & Dean, it nearly drove me potty. It was everywhere! Good old Maurice wrote much better works so why everyone seems to like that one escapes me!

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