B.Mus (Hons), L.G.S.M., Q.T.S.
Trombonist, conductor, teacher and arranger.
Site updated 20/4/2025
Part 2
This music comes from the first Pomp and Circumstance March written by Elgar in 1901. The Proms began in 1895 and Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 was performed there in 1901 (without the words which were added the following year by A. C. Benson). It has subsequently become the traditional way to end the Last Night of the Proms. Watch the video from 7:55 to the end.
In Part 1 we saw how song writers used Classical music and added new lyrics (and changed the musical style) to create pop songs. You then created a chorus for a song you are composing over these few weeks using one of the options of Classical music and music styles I provided for you.
This week we are going to look at another way in which pop artists have used Classical music in their songs and you are to write the first verse for your own song.
Watch (and listen to) the video on the left which it a song by the group S Club 7 called "Natural", released in 2000. Then watch (and listen to) the video on the right which is the original version of this classical piece by the French composer Faure, written in 1887. Notice that this time instead of using the original melody and simply adding lyrics to it, an additional musical line has been added on top of the classical piece (in the chorus section of the song: "Baby, Loving you...").
S Club 7 were not the only group to be influenced by Faure's Pavane. X Factor winners and one of the world's biggest girl bands, Little Mix, are also massive fans of Faure and their 2013 hit "Little Me" uses the tune of his Pavane and turns it into a R&B anthem.
The world of hip-hop and classical music might not seem like they go together, but Nas has turned a sample of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" into a rap smash. The original music is in 3 time but this has convincingly been turned into 4 time.
Your task this week is:
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to choose from the options below the classical theme for your verses (e.g. Ode To Joy).
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to choose from the options below the musical style for your verses (e.g. Funk).
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to add words (lyrics) to your chosen classical theme for your first verse. Your song will eventually have several verses (each followed by the chorus you composed last week) and the music for each needs to be the same but the words should be different.
Choosing your classical melody and musical style for your verses.
As before, here are a choice of classical pieces in a variety of musical styles to choose from. Choose a different melody to the one you chose for you chorus. You can either stay with the same musical style (e.g. Funk) as your chorus or choose a different one.
Ode To Joy by Beethoven
This music is the theme used in the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (known as the Choral Symphony) completed in 1824. His tune (but not words) was adopted as the Anthem of Europe by the Council of Europe in 1972 and then by the European Union. This video from March 2020 shows an orchestra playing whilst isolating due to the Coronavirus.
New World Symphony by Dvorak
This music is the theme from the final movement of Dvorak's 9th Symphony (known as The New World Symphony) completed in 1893. It is a musical portrait of "the New World" (i.e. America), a country he emigrated to from Czechoslovakia in 1892 (one year earlier). Listen to at least the first minute of this video (all of it would be even better!).
In The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
This music comes from the final movement of the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 written by Edvard Grieg in 1875. It is probably most known in the UK as the music used for the Alton Towers advert! Listen in the video how both the tempo and dynamics gradually increase throughout the movement.