Yesterday I posted about the twilight of the cavalry at the beginning of World War I. As it turns out there is a very famous classical piece that goes with this. Franz von Suppé was an Austrian composer from the high romantic era. He made his living writing operas and operettas for the Vienna upper classes. While he wrote over 100 pieces, this is without doubt his most famous composition; you very well may recognize it.
It is said that the theme music for Dudley Do-Right from the old Bullwinkle cartoon. I'll let you be the judge.
Great post today -- does von Suppe capture the nature of cavalry in that piece, or is our association with horse operas that does it? As for Dudley DoRight, looks like that was inspired by it.
ReplyDeleteGreat fun.
libertyman, it may be that this music was used in many. many films for cavalry scenes and we just associate it with that.
ReplyDeleteI think the rhythm of the music matches so well with horses cantering or galloping that the association is made. It is , after all the Light Cavalry Overture, so von Suppe was quite deliberate in the pace and choice of brass for the instruments.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I am reading D-Day Through German Eyes and the Germans were amazed that the US troops didn't use horses. Everything was mechanized. A very interesting book by the way.
Von Suppé: Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna, about 3/4 of the way through.
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