The most famous tune in 5/4 time.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

"Famous" to whom? The "Westminster Chimes" on a neighbour's doorbell is in 5/4: is the original?

CONGRATULATIONS to ferneyhoughgeliebte. That's it

And yes, it is in the "original" HIPP Westminster version.

[Don Petter]

Ah well, we're a Whittington house!

[gurnemanz]

Like many people I would also name Brubeck's Take Five as "most famous".

The only other example I could think of off the top of my head was a much more obscure example. It's a song by Brahms called Mädchenlied which no doubt only comes to mind because I have just got to know it for the first time on the marvellous Jessye Norman Brahms Lieder Twofer with Daniel Barenboim which I bought recently. My attention was drawn to the 5/4 time sig by Eric Sams in his book on Brahms Lieder. I found a lovely performance of this appealing little song on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SxOBcvO3Ms

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh what an anticlimax!

[teamsaint]

on the subject of slightly odd times, I think that both "Heart of Glass" by Blondie and The Stranglers "Golden Brown" have bars with an extra beat, or else are in some odd time signature. I have been too idle to actually work it out but I think in both cases its just the odd bar with an extra beat. Anyone know or care?

(I think Golden Brown may be 3 bars of 3 followed by one of 4 or could that be the unwieldy and unpopular 13/4 ?!)

[MrGongGong]

"Golden Brown" does have the occasional bar of 4 and a harpsichord
not sure that "Heart of Glass" has that ? will have a listen later
but all this pales into insignificance compared to Beefheart (or Primus for that matter ) or Crimson

[teamsaint]

"Golden Brown" does have the occasional bar of 4 and a harpsichord
not sure that "Heart of Glass" has that ? will have a listen later
but all this pales into insignificance compared to Beefheart (or Primus for that matter ) or Crimson

well the odd thing about the two songs that I mentioned is that they are SO famous, and yet I have never seem this rhythmic interest mentioned elsewhere. (especially notable in a disco classic like HoG).

As for Beefheart.....not even going there for rhythmic oddities in TMR..........that way madness lies !!

[MrGongGong]

Definitely not "Heart of Glass" though
having just had a wee listen

cracking stuff though ..............

embrace the madness

[rubbernecker]

on the subject of slightly odd times, I think that both "Heart of Glass" by Blondie and The Stranglers "Golden Brown" have bars with an extra beat, or else are in some odd time signature. I have been too idle to actually work it out but I think in both cases its just the odd bar with an extra beat. Anyone know or care?

(I think Golden Brown may be 3 bars of 3 followed by one of 4 or could that be the unwieldy and unpopular 13/4 ?!)

Quite correct. I was going to mention this yesterday in the context of "What's the most famous piece in 7/4 or 7/8" but I thought it would be too arcane.

The bridge passages in Heart of Glass comprise an alternate 3/4 and 4/4 giving the effect of 7/8 which was quite novel for a disco-style song.

Joe has Gone Fishing from Peter Grimes is in 7/4.

The last movement of Shostakovitch's 2nd Piano Concerto contains 7/8 measures.

Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance is in 7/4

Those would be my top contenders for septuple time hall of fame.

[cloughie]

"Golden Brown" does have the occasional bar of 4 and a harpsichord
not sure that "Heart of Glass" has that ? will have a listen later
but all this pales into insignificance compared to Beefheart (or Primus for that matter ) or Crimson

The instrumental bit in 21st Century Schizoid Man!

[Dilbert]

Money by Pink Floyd starts in 7/4.

[Pabmusic]

...in the context of "What's the most famous piece in 7/4 or 7/8" ...Those would be my top contenders for septuple time hall of fame.

You've overlooked "O, my warriors!" from Elgar's Caractacus, which is in 7/4. And "Sensemaya" by Silvestre Revueltas, which is in 7/8.

[teamsaint]

Definitely not "Heart of Glass" though
having just had a wee listen

cracking stuff though ..............

embrace the madness

embracing the madness is one thing...there is always a time when Beefheart is just what the Doc ordered(!).........but figuring it all out is another matter.

still, at least i was right about HoG, well, a little bit anyway .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

You've overlooked "O, my warriors!" from Elgar's Caractacus, which is in 7/4. And "Sensemaya" by Silvestre Revueltas, which is in 7/8.

Ah! I was coming to that one.

[rauschwerk]

Like many people I would also name Brubeck's Take Five as "most famous".

The composer was in fact Paul Desmond.