Tracks sampling 20th Century classical music

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Simple subquestion: What tracks do you know of that sample 20th (or 21st) music in the classical tradition? (Of course, which parts of especially post-war music belong in this tradition may be a matter of discussion in itself, so feel free to use your own definitions). A few examples:

i) The intro to Coil's "The Anal Staircase" uses a bite of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
ii) The B-side to Laibach's "Die Liebe" 12-inch, entitled "Grösste Kraft", starts off with the drums-and-organ intro of Stockhausen's Momente.
iii) Holger Hiller's "Sur la tête" from the album As Is contains a sample of Stockhausen's Gesang der Jünglinge.

But what about others? Any samples of Webern? Shostakovich? Schönberg? Xenakis? Bartók?

Less simple subquestion: Why do you think the artists chose to sample what they did? Possible reasons include
-- simply the way the sample sounds (timbre, harmony, rhythm and/or melody);
-- honouring one's heroes by quotation;
-- the sample forms a more or less relevant addition, point of reference or juxtaposition to the track itself (example: The first lines of Momente are "Hört die Momente / Musik der Liebe, damit sich in uns allen die Liebe erneuere / die Liebe, die das ganze Universum zusammenhält", which ties in nicely with the Laibach disc's title);
-- just wanting to appear well-cultured (and at the same time giving the listener the chance to feel the same, in the cases where he/she spots the connection).

― OleM (OleM), Monday, 13 October 2003 11:35 (twenty-two years ago)

The original Heavenly records version of You Love Us by the Manic Street Preachers samples Krzysztof Penderecki's Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima. Sampling something like that was probably just a case of them wanting to appear musically literate, and edgy by association, considering that their song itself has nothing to do with WWII or its aftermath (although later Manics songs would deal with this).

― Damian (Damian), Monday, 13 October 2003 11:47 (twenty-two years ago)

there was a CD of remixes of xenakis' 'persepolis' but i can't remember whether bits were actually sampled or whether the ppl who did the remixes used 'persepolis' as an inspiration.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

an obvious one is Lamb's sampling of Gorecki, in which case the sound fits perfectly with Lamb's aesthetic.

― Baaderist (Fabfunk), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Stockhausen sampled himself (and Beethoven) on "Stockhoven-Beethausen" - but then that sort of thing has been going on for years

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:27 (twenty-two years ago)

is the intro to 'The Love Below' an original piece? (pardon my ignoramus)

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:34 (twenty-two years ago)

an obvious one is Lamb's sampling of Gorecki, in which case the sound fits perfectly with Lamb's aesthetic

bloody marvellous it is an all

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:35 (twenty-two years ago)

There's that Biosphere CD, Shenzhou, that samples lots of Debussy.

The Young Gods? Not sure who they sampled though - mostly Wagner and Strauss I think from what I can figure out.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

BTW Isn't there a guy called David Shea who uses lots of samples of modern classical stuff? He *sounds* pretty intriguing from what little I've read, but I don't think I've ever actually heard a single solitary fart of what he's done.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 13 October 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Mike Ladd samples Gorecki on "Welcome to the AfterFuture."

Why? Because I told him to.

luv,
Ted Nugent

― gage o (gage o), Monday, 13 October 2003 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds" samples Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint."

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 13 October 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh What A World, the magnificent first track of the new Rufus Wainwright album, Want One, samples Maurice Ravels' Boléro, which is from 1928.

― JoB (JoB), Monday, 13 October 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Nurse With Wound - Dada X

Samples Luciano Berio's "Visage" (I think) and John Cage's "The Credo In Us" (definitely). I imagine by no means the only time NWW sampled 20th century classical hits and foot-tappers.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 13 October 2003 13:34 (twenty-two years ago)

While we're on it, can somebody tell me what is the sample used on Lil Kim's 'Notorious KIM' (is that the title) album? It's been troubling me for ages

― Baaderist (Fabfunk), Monday, 13 October 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Good answers so far!

Sampling something like that was probably just a case of them wanting to appear musically literate, and edgy by association

I guess that unless there is good reason to think otherwise, this assumption is easy to make by default... :) But then, as important as the question of the artist's intentions may be this one (which Baaderist answered in his reply): Does it sound good/fitting? I'd say "yes" in the three cases I mentioned originally, btw.

Also: The Shea post above (never heard of him) reminded me of John Oswald, who I'm pretty sure belongs here.

― OleM (OleM), Monday, 13 October 2003 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

KMFDM sampled Orff's Carmina Burana on the Naive album, but it was withdrawn because of sample clearance problems and re-emerged, remixed and suckier, as Naive/Hell To Go, a few years later.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 13 October 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I think if someone gave the RZA a copy of Elliott Carter's Four String Quartets double-CD, some of the greatest tracks in the history of man would likely result.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 13 October 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Beastie Boys use a Rite of Spring sample on the video intro to "intergalatic."

― gage o (gage o), Monday, 13 October 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Ole, you mentioning John Oswald reminded me of another John that works in the same ballpark, John Wall, who basically builds ALL his music out of samples of Xenakis, Nono, Schnittke, Feldman etc.

There's a little interview with him about his motivation for doing this right here.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 13 October 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks for the pointer, Nick. May have to check this guy out.

(It was not raining, indeed -- one of my favourite quotes on occasions. )

― OleM (OleM), Monday, 13 October 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

premier sampled stockhausen on a jeru track, name forgotten by me.

― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 13 October 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr. Octagon - "Blue Flowers" - The Automator samples Bartók's 2nd Violin Concerto.

― you will be shot, Monday, 13 October 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Stockhausen sampled himself (and Beethoven) on "Stockhoven-Beethausen" - but then that sort of thing has been going on for years
see also Berio's "Sinfonia", third movement - full of 'samples'

The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds" samples Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint."
and they weren't the only ones. RJD2 is one of many other acts who've ripped off a piece

"The Rite Of Spring" has been sampled many times also. Especially that slow section about 10 minutes in.

Sibelius -
(i) I'm pretty sure the big orchestral chord in The Beatles' "Revolution No.9" is one of his symphonies (No.7?)
(ii) the start of "Since Yesterday" by Strawberry Switchblade is the big horn theme from the fifth symphony (albeit not a sample, but replayed)

more to come when they spring to mind...

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 13 October 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

nice wall interview! thanks nick. good to see the man has a sense of humor.

I was nonplussed by his stuff at first (sampling 20th century classical to create music that structurally and sonically resembles 20th century classical?) but his style comes through when you actually listen, and as he goes on his range increases, I've grown to enjoy his music a great deal.

― (Jon L), Monday, 13 October 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

(ii) the start of "Since Yesterday" by Strawberry Switchblade is the big horn theme from the fifth symphony (albeit not a sample, but replayed)

OK, this was sufficiently intriguing that quotations will also do.

― OleM (OleM), Monday, 13 October 2003 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Ekkehard Ehlers' album Betrieb is based on samples of Ives, Shoenberg, some others. I've also wondered about those first 3 Gas records, what the sources are.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 13 October 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The Gas records were just old laquer copies of Wagner run through a lot of reverb with a submerged kick drum. I have an old laquer of Tristan Und Isolde on RCA that is probably 60 years old or so and I played it on a regular turntable, sampled it on an MPC2000xl and processed it and I had instant Pop/Konigsforst/Zauberberg. The unique texture on the Gas records comes from the interaction between the hisses and crackles of the old laquers and the post-processing of the samples.

Once you figure out Wolfgang's methodology on those records you can crank them out in your sleep.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Monday, 13 October 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Jeru's "Come Clean" samples Stockhausen (I think), "Intergalactic" samples "Night on Bald Mountain", Beck's "High 5" samples something by Stravinsky.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Monday, 13 October 2003 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

murcof's album martes is minimal electronic with samples from various 20th century composers...i haven't recognised any of the samples,but i've read that they include gorecki and arvo part...

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe I was better off not knowing ;-)

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 02:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Severed Heads ' Acme Instant Dehydrated Boulder Kit' sampled Stockhausen. I think there was a little bit of Stockhausen in many an early 'Heads track.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Stockhausen sampled himself (and Beethoven) on "Stockhoven-Beethausen" - but then that sort of thing has been going on for years

see also Berio's "Sinfonia", third movement - full of 'samples'

and luc ferrari 'collaged' (well, more like clunky 'adjoining' iirc) stravinsky & beethoven, into a piece called 'strathoven'...but that wasn't until 1985

I'm fairly sure Chris & Cosey's 'Synesthesia' uses a sample of Pierre Henry's 'Voile d'Orphee' at intro - it is short enough and far enough down in the mix, though, to make me wonder whether the motivation was a spot-the-sample game or in-joke or hero-reference by them...

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

largely unrelated

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Not 20th century (mid 1890s actually), but The Streets samples Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 on "Same Old Thing".

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Murcof's Martes is a whole album of Arvo Part-sampling electronica. I think it samples other people as well, but Part's the one I remember.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

there are of course loads and loads of metal bands using classical samples/themes/etc but some things that come to mind:

Bathory playing "Mars" from Holst's "Planets" (with lyrics of his own)
Samael sampling Ravel (and Mussorgsky but that doesn't count as 20th century obv) on the "Ceremony Of Opposites" album
Mekong Delta playing shitloads of 20th century classical stuff including Khachaturian.
I believe Dødheimsgard did a Satie piece on one of their albums but I'm not sure.

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

William Orbit to thread

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

eight months pass...

Borneo and Sporenburg's Schaffel classic "boys in shorts" samples Steve Reich's "electric Counterpoint"

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 28 June 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Janet Jackson's "Someone to Call My Lover" samples Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 28 June 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

RJD2 nicked a bunch of Steve Reich/Pat Metheny "Electric Counterpoint" for a tune on his first record.

― earlnash, Monday, 28 June 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

David Shea's An Eastern Western Collected Works (with Jim Pugliese and Dave Douglas) is pretty good but doesn't sample anything AFAIK. Has some good drones and overtone singing.

Christian Marclay's More Encores is also entirely samples, with each track named after the artist sampled in it.

"Idioteque" samples Paul Lansky, right? Doesn't Radelescu come up on Kid A too.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 28 June 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

frank zappa performed snippets from stravinsky MANY times. of course, edgard varese was also one of his inspirations.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 28 June 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Jay z - Big pimpin

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 28 June 2004 04:40 (twenty-one years ago)

six years pass...

I was listening to Shostakovich's 5th and I've heard the main theme in the opening "sampled" and looped in a pop song. I thought it was Radiohead, but I'm not sure now. What song is it?

― bamcquern, Sunday, 22 August 2010 05:09 (fifteen years ago)

Oh shit, it's Morrissey.

― bamcquern, Sunday, 22 August 2010 05:10 (fifteen years ago)

tip of the tongue moment.

― bamcquern, Sunday, 22 August 2010 05:10 (fifteen years ago)

somethin on Madblib Beat Konducta In Africa sampled Steve Reich's "Come Out" and I smiled a smile.

― travis markers (Whiney G. Weingarten), Sunday, 22 August 2010 05:20 (fifteen years ago)

Samples "White Man Sleeps #1" (Kevin Volans) perf. by Kronos Quartet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_6ozSFSwTc

― Bag Smart, Street Stupid (Eazy), Sunday, 22 August 2010 05:43 (fifteen years ago)

(i) I'm pretty sure the big orchestral chord in The Beatles' "Revolution No.9" is one of his symphonies (No.7?)

Yeah, totally. Glad I'm not the only one that hears it.

― Count Scrofula (corey), Sunday, 22 August 2010 06:11 (fifteen years ago)

The Amazing Sounds of Orgy - A radiohead B-Side has a loop from some classical piece, some spooky descending chords. I can't seem to find out who it is on the net anywhere, it drives me nuts when I think on it.

― disastrous sixth series (MaresNest), Sunday, 22 August 2010 18:07 (fifteen years ago)

somethin on Madblib Beat Konducta In Africa sampled Steve Reich's "Come Out" and I smiled a smile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jytxkJUM_7U

I don't have any of the beat konducta albums, but I will check it out.

― Fellini.Kuti, Sunday, 22 August 2010 18:55 (fifteen years ago)

Idioteque samples not only Lansky (noted above) but also a tape piece by Arthur Krieger.

Venetian Snares samples Bartok and other modernist classics in several tracks; Szerencsétlen is one of the best.

― hearing-impaired leppard (Paul in Santa Cruz), Sunday, 22 August 2010 19:18 (fifteen years ago)

el-p once sampled philip glass (north star i think)

― sisilafami, Sunday, 22 August 2010 22:57 (fifteen years ago)

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