Mystery Ostinato (I think?)

Hello, friends!

A longer and longer interval of time goes by between blog posts here, but, rest assured, I still get songs stuck in my head (and still love getting them stuck in yours!)

This classical or operatic melody came to me this morning. I still know as little about music theory as ever, but a cursory search online tells me this repeating sequence of four notes that change only slightly might be called an ostinato. It's super famous; I'm sure you know it, too. No idea what piece of popculture I know it from, though odds are Looney Tunes, as usual.

I used this virtual piano tool to tenuously suss out the notes, starting with a mid-range G, which was close to the tone I had in my head.

Please help me identify this tune, and where you know it from!

Rock Lobster

Came through loud and clear upon waking this morning. One of the most epic songs of my early days. It cracks me up that someone on the YouTube message board for this video says:

"such an underrated song. i would of (sic!) never found this gem had it not been for family guy."

I mean, really? This comment instantly reminded Amber of when we saw a singer in a bar a couple years ago who played a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and admitted to the audience that he'd first heard it on the Shrek soundtrack (covered by Rufus Wainwright). I guess the youth have gotta learn about music somehow (i.e. opera music from Looney Tunes. Yes, I'm implicating myself.)

Artist: B-52's
Year: 1978
Rating: Pass the tanning butter!

Infernal Gallop

My dear friend Buffy, whom I've known since the sixth grade, musical era of Thriller and Madonna's first album, has cracked the case of the mystery classical song rather brilliantly. From the rudimentary schematic of musical notes I offered in that entry, Buffy deduced, correctly, that the song was a 19th Century composition by Jacques Offenbach from his operetta Orpheus in the Underworld. I imagine many of us know it as a song that Bugs Bunny can-canned to. The part that was in my head starts at 1:28.

 

Here's the comment thread from my Facebook page in which the revelation was made: 

 
Lisa
What instrument(s) are playing? If you want to call and sing it in to my cell phone I might be able to figure it out :)

about an hour ago ·  

Buffy

I know exactly what song you're talking about (great description btw!). Now am checking my Looney Tunes dvd to hear the rest and figure out who/what it is....

44 minutes ago · 

Buffy

Hmmmmm... wasn't on the episode I thought it was on. Pretty sure it's all strings. Vivaldi maybe? I'll keep lookin'

34 minutes ago ·

 

Jon ahhh i know exactly what you're talking about too but i don't know what or who it is. you're definitely right about strings.

28 minutes ago ·
Buffy Phew! Found it: The composer is Jacques Levy Offenbach. The song is "Infernal Gallup" from the opera Orpheus in the Underworld

21 minutes ago ·

Jon

wow nice work.

17 minutes ago ·

Buffy

Thanks! Had to figure it out before it drove me crazy too! :) Now if I can only find a job that will pay me for my superb research skills... lol

15 minutes ago ·

Sooze Buffy - pure genius!! That's totally it! I'll post a follow up. Wow, y'all got it quicker than I thought you would. Any chance we could reproduce this conversation in the comments on the blog?

11 minutes ago ·

Buffy

Can't ya copy/paste it? ;)

Hmm...I can do that! Just another one of Buffy's brillllliant ideas! Thanks, Buff!
Artist: Jacques Offenbach
Year: 1858
Rating: Warm