Hire Only
This item is available from our hire library.
Please contact our Hire Department to enquire about pricing and obtain this item.
Work Overview
Pop Culture Parody was written in homage to the
entertaining orchestral music heard in shows like The
Simpsons and Family Guy. Much of the humour in
these animated comedies is based on referential parodies of
people, characters and events involved in popular culture.
Furthermore, the music in such shows feature amusing references
to the musical clichés and tropes found in popular media.
Accordingly, Pop Culture Parody is a kind of
film-music-pastiche, drawing on almost a century of film
composers, ranging from Eric Korngold and Max Steiner to Jerry
Goldsmith and John Williams. Additionally, this work makes
reference to other styles of music in pop culture, including big
band jazz, as well as songs by Lady Gaga, as tunes from
Paparazzi and Telephone are embedded into the
thematic language of this orchestral work. However, despite the
clear cinematic and pop influences, Pop Culture Parody
demonstrates many musical connections to the classical tradition,
including the music of Ravel, Holst, Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky.
However, another less obvious but very important influence is the
music of Arnold Schoenberg, demonstrated by the central theme of
the short work, comprising a series of all of the twelve
chromatic pitches, often referred to as a 'tone row' or 'series',
which also appears in inversion throughout.
Work Details
Year: 2011
Instrumentation: Piccolo (doubling on flute), 2 flutes (2nd doubling alto flute), 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet in B flat, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (3 players) celeste, 2 harps, strings.
Duration: 4 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
Dedication note: Dedicated to John Curro, Queensland Youth Symphony
Commission note: Commissioned by Queensland Youth Symphony.. Commissioned for "Romantic Impressions"
First performance: by Queensland Youth Symphony, John Curro at QYO Masterpiece 2 - Romantic Impressions (QPAC Concert Hall) on 28 May 2011
Subjects
- Influenced by: Popular culture
- Influenced by: Jazz
- Has as subject/About: Film & TV Music
- Influenced by: Popular music
Performances of this work
28 May 2011: at QYO Masterpiece 2 - Romantic Impressions (QPAC Concert Hall). Featuring Queensland Youth Symphony, John Curro.
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.