“Dream of Witches’ Sabbath” in modern day music
by copej
About three minutes into Mvt. V “Dream of Witches’ Sabbath” of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, I realized I had heard the tune before. But it was not because I am very familiar with classical music of the 19th century. Rather, it was because I recognized a snippet that had been sampled in a more recent track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHYk301kjI8
This commercial was aired in early 2007 as a Nike basketball promo and features “The Second Coming” by Juelz Santana and Just Blaze. They created the rap song specifically for a Nike campaign that promoted the Nike basketball family (by family, I mean the biggest NBA superstars that the shoe and athletic gear company sponsored).
“The family that prays together, stays together/and one that walks apart, just falls apart… together we stand, divided we fall,” raps Santana. “… If you fall, get up and try again.”
Intrigued, I checked the Internet to see if Berlioz had been sampled another time in recent years.
Sure enough, I found this track. This song is explicit
I find this pretty amazing. A program symphony written in 1830 can be completely reinterpreted and made relevant 180 years later. Many see classical and rap as genres on completely different sides of the music spectrum. Looking deeper, however, there are similarities among all three pieces; maybe they are not that different. The arts are our humanity, and to me art equals emotion. These artists use the same music to evoke strong emotions: Berlioz’s piece is one of lust and desire while Santana’s is one of brotherhood and perseverance while 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, well, you can interpret those lyrics how you want.
The Thousand-Year Ears 
It is really cool that contemporary artists use a melody from Berlioz’s piece. The 2 Chainz song and Nike Ad used the melody very differently then how Berlioz intended. The rap song gives an intense feeling whereas Symphonie Fantastique is more weird and creepy.
Your post was immensely insightful! I pride myself in accepting a variety of music (except metal) and this post truly shows the extent of how all music is connected in one way or another. I am a huge fan of both rap and classical music and when rap samples/incorporates classical tunes into it, it just blows my mind. I would encourage rappers and artists alike to try out more of the classical repertoire because it is basically a treasure trove waiting to be dug up. Rap would definitely benefit in pursuing a relationship with classical music.
This is really cool! There are many critics of rap who find it to be culturally abhorrent. I love finding and listening to rap songs that are full of cultural references or use techniques normally reserved for classical music. As a French horn player, I was greatly excited when I heard Kanye West’s “All of the Lights.” If you look up the video, it begins with cello and piano, and then song changes with an epic French horn line. Great music is rarely made in a cultural vacuum; historical context gives it extra significance.
Thank you for sharing this! After reading your post, I became curious about other pop or hip hop songs sampling Romantic/Classical/Baroque music and found this: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/top-ten-classical-music-samples-in-hip-hop.htm
I will definitely be taking a listen to all of the listed titles. I find that learning how to appreciate one genre of music leads me to appreciate other genres so much more, too.
I’m personally a really big Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz fan, so I think that this post is quite interesting! I appreciate how modern day music samples from older musical traditions because I think it helps keep them alive and relevant. While the lyrics may be explicit, I think that sampling Berlioz’s symphony helps preserve it and introduce it to an entirely new audience who may not have listened to Berlioz otherwise. Reading your post has made me want to look and see if other pieces we have listened to have been sampled in modern day music. (Also, thanks for posting this song — I actually like it!)
These are some really interesting finds. It would be cool to say what other rap songs and other modern day genres of music also sampled or took musical ideas directly from some of the composers that we’ve studied in class so far.
I think it’s incredible that you were able to identify that! Shows that you are a close listener who is able to pick up on snippets here and there.
Thanks for sharing this. I had watched the NIKE ad before but I didn’t notice that the was the song. I bet there must be many more ads like this that planted classical music in them.
I really liked this post! I also have seen this Nike ad before but never thought twice about the music they were using. This class is definitely making me pick up more on little elements of classical music in modern media.
I agree with all the comments above! Hearing themes from Classical music in current day music, such as hip hop and rap always reminds that music is a part of history that never dies and is constantly reincarnated to live in the present. This post actually reminds me of an earlier one created this semester in which we heard the main themes from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in a Robin Thicke song. Hearing these remixes and recreations proves that artists are constantly reinventing old music and keep the past a part of our musical future.
The idea of the music tapping into our emotions is very interesting. Just as the Janissary Corp used their grotesque music to inflict fear on their opposing armies, composers elicted certain emotions from the audience with their symphonies, so does the rap music for modern day athletes (hence the Nike Ad). Back in Berlioz’s day, it was just the symphony, but today even the lyrics complement the mood of the music to inflict passion and emotion.
It’s really interesting to see that music in the past has such contagious power that they are used in contemporary compositions, even advertisement music, as well. I really like this post!