OT: Classical Music

[Baron Munchausen]

Now that's an interesting insight. Music therapy!

Brooding? Only parts of the O Fortuna chorus strike me as 'brooding'. The rest of it is so strident that it's frequently used as battle music. Surely you've seen some of the WW II movies that use O Fortuna during some big shoot-out? There are several. So in my mind 'similar' music to O Fortuna would be 'Classical Thunder' type pieces.

The "infamous" William Tell Overture by Rossini
(Hint: The Lone Ranger theme. )

The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky (with cannons!

The 'Mars' movement from The Planets by Holst
(Now there is a famous piece of battle music!)
I think the 'Jupiter' movement from this work is also very stirring. It's more on the 'positive' side like the victory celebration after the battle though -- so it's only useful if there is a victory in this story.

Montagues and Capulets from the Opera 'Romeo and Juliet' by Prokoviev

Tchaikovsy is also supposed to have made a pretty fierce 'Montagues and Capulets' piece in his Romeo & Juliet Opera but I've never heard it.

In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

The Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner
(Yet another 'infamous' piece of classical music )

There are more. Rather than type them all out I'll point you to the URL where you an order the CD:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/...al+Thunder.htm

And then after 'classic' classical music there are things like movie and game soundtracks. You might try the Starship Troopers soundtrack. Very 'military' stuff.

[AgentZero]

I tells ya music therapy can do wonders for you. I suppose 'brooding' isn't quite the right word for it, but there is something almost tragic about it. After all, whenever it's been used in WWII films, it's been when the good guys are losing, or during scenes that demonstrate the horrors of war. Hardly cheerful stuff, at any rate. Although if you want something that really brings tears to your eyes, try witnessing O Fortuna as the music for a dishwasher powder ad. I weep for the future, I really do.

As for the rest, I'll have a look into them, but thanks in advance!

[Hugh Manatee]

I don't recall the actual o fortuna piece, I can't place the music with that name in me head but, there's this chopin piece I really like called Revolution or something like that, I forget what number it was though, but usually searching chopin+revolution will find. It's pretty agressive anda little broody when played right and I find it good "conquest" music. Chopin in general rocks like that.

EDIT: I found an old compilation album with it on it, I've attached a low quality sample, it's Etude No.12 for piano in C minor, AKA 'Revolutionary' - 'Fall of Warsaw'

[Baron Munchausen]

Agent Zero wrote:

As for the rest, I'll have a look into them, but thanks in advance!

Let me know what you find 'works' to set the mood for writing. I'm curious.