Help identifying classical music clip

September 2, 2008 5:29 PM

What is the classical piece used in this Monty Python episode? There are two brief snippets of it, one starting around 2:37 and the other around 3:32.

It sounds a little like Shostakovich, but I'm not familiar enough with his works to know for sure.

posted by Johnny Assay to media & arts (10 comments total)

Great clip. thanks.
posted by JimN2TAW at 6:32 PM on September 2, 2008

It's either the 8th or 5th symphony, from the scant attention I have been able to give it while simultaneously watching a video about Mike Monsoor on PBS.
posted by billtron at 6:40 PM on September 2, 2008

Is it Shostakovich's 8th symphony, Allegro non troppo?
posted by billtron at 6:42 PM on September 2, 2008

10th symphony, 2nd movement?
posted by billtron at 6:45 PM on September 2, 2008

I think it may be Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 in D Minor which he wrote in memory of Lenin; I've not listened to the piece the whole way through so I couldn't tell you which movement, but the first part of this YouTube video contains very similar phrases to the Monty Python piece.
posted by highrise at 11:08 PM on September 2, 2008

It's not the 5th or the 10th. I don't think it's the 8th, but I don't know it all that well. I don't know the 12th at all, so that's a possible -- it's definitely neither 11 nor 13.

Definitely sounds like Shosta, though, and I reckon 12 sounds about right.
posted by coriolisdave at 11:39 PM on September 2, 2008

yes, it's definitely the one in highrises' youtube clip, starting at 6.24.
posted by leibniz at 1:55 AM on September 3, 2008

Definitely the 12th.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 2:59 AM on September 3, 2008

Yep, Shostakovich 12 - I went to the link from the front page, and came in to note this only to find that others got there first.
posted by altolinguistic at 3:42 AM on September 3, 2008

Thanks, everyone! This had bugged me every time I watched that episode.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:05 AM on September 3, 2008