# What music do you associate with this art work?



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

An employee of the University of Groningen contacted my wife (professional artist) to use one of her works in an experiment. The above art work was shown to dozens of professional musicians, and they responded to the question what music they associated with it. I though it was fun to try here as well.

So... what do you think of first?


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Phantom of the opera


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2018)

Something by Penderecki?


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## classical yorkist (Jun 29, 2017)

Arnold Schoenberg specifically Verklarte Nacht


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Johann Sebastian Bach at the keyboard, Ladies and Gentlemen.......


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I think this is kind of obscure, but it reminds me of Nachstuck from Schrecker's opera Der Ferne Klang: it's not so much dark as it is mysterious.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Something by Chopin...

EDIT: to be more specific, I'd say his Etudes, opus 10...


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## WildThing (Feb 21, 2017)

With the light fixture and what almost looks like an outline of a banister it makes me think something 19th century Victorian gothic. The Symphonie fantastique, perhaps...


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Korngold: The Dead City


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## Score reader (Mar 18, 2018)

Moonlight Sonata 1st Mov.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Looks like the background of the Mozart Don Giovanni Commendatore scene with the devil.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Something late-late-romantic like Zemlinsky.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

It's interesting to see the reactions, knowing what music the target group came up with. I'll share that once the response here dries up.....


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

A stage work, because the work looks like an empty stage set. Also, modern. Ish. Composition modern, opera setting approx-19th century because of the balustrade motif. Colours and mood make me think - Russian

Prokofiev - War and Peace


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

First thing off the top of my head, without thinking about it ~ 
the Adagio from Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez. 
It's really interesting what a wide range of ideas everyone has here! 

Your wife is quite an artist, Art Rock ... I love this painting!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

The Impressionists, more specifically, Clair de Lune.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I to love the painting. Beautiful work!


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Schoenberg's Piano Concerto - but - I'm listening to it, so that may not be fair. I do think the image fits with the piece, however.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Mario painting Tosca in church.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

The steady stream of light through the timeless ancient window...

View attachment 102353


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

Something by Schnittke or Pettersson. I'll say Pettersson's Symphony no. 7.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Bartok 'Bluebeards Castle' !!!


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I'm seeing late Strauss for some reason. Perhaps the Four Last Songs or Metamorphoses.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

One of Shostakovich's symphonies


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Didn't come up with an answer right away, so I looked at the others. It gave me an early 20th century vibe. Maybe Symphony of Psalmes (or something I haven't heard ) I like the painting!


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

The artwork seems to have two aspects to it. There appears to be a more or less traditional picture and then an abstract post-modern image superimposed on it. For this reason it makes me think of something bitonal. It reminds me of some music on the soundtrack to Lynch's _Mulholland Drive_. There is a scene that has music that sounds as if it is two pieces superimposed on each other creating a feel of two world's colliding.

You can hear it from 14:46-16:00 here:


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

First thought?

Claude Debussy Book I - Prelude No.10 - La cathedrale engloutie.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Interesting reactions, thanks all.

The professional musicians that were polled by the University came up with:

[classical] Bach, Bartok, Berg, Boulez, Donizetti, Froberger, Hindemith, Honegger, Kreisler, Messiaen, Orff, Prokofiev, Puccini, Schnittke, Schoenberg

[other] Mother Earth (acid jazz), Armenian church music, Paulo de Carvalho, Tom Waits, John Hopkins, Sia, Joni Mitchell, Mount Erie

Interesting to see two trends confirmed by your answers: lots of 20th century composers and opera.


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## Beet131 (Mar 24, 2018)

Dvorak's Othello


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## Razumovskymas (Sep 20, 2016)

Shostakovich 8th symphony


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Prokofiev Symphony No.3. Apocalyptic.


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

Moussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (sorry perhaps I am too literal-minded but that is the first thing I thought of).

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

classical yorkist said:


> Arnold Schoenberg specifically Verklarte Nacht


I decided to think of something before looking at any other posts, and that is immediately what came to mind. I'm not even sure why. But you know what they say about great minds.


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

Art Rock said:


> Interesting reactions, thanks all.
> 
> The professional musicians that were polled by the University came up with:
> 
> ...


This thread was really interesting to me, the wide variety of responses .... the narrative for this artwork that I had in_ my_ head was miles away from many of these! I'm very curious to know how your wife (the talented artist) describes her piece?

(Also, does she have a website, & does she sell prints of any of her work?)


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks laurie. My wife usually refuses to 'clarify' her work, she likes to give the observer the chance to make their own interpretation. In that sense, this exercise was fun for her as well. I also played snippets of all music she did not recognize.

We have a web site (www.galerielus.com) but updating her art is a bit of a hassle. I usually have to wait for 6-12 months after she finishes a painting before she supplies me with a picture of the work - it has to be a perfect match with the original in terms of colours.

We sell her work occasionally in the gallery (typically 500-2000 euro per piece), but not via the internet. We do not sell (limited edition) prints of her work.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Art Rock said:


> Thanks laurie. My wife usually refuses to 'clarify' her work, she likes to give the observer the chance to make their own interpretation. In that sense, this exercise was fun for her as well. I also played snippets of all music she did not recognize.
> 
> We have a web site (www.galerielus.com) but updating her art is a bit of a hassle. I usually have to wait for 6-12 months after she finishes a painting before she supplies me with a picture of the work - it has to be a perfect match with the original in terms of colours.
> 
> We sell her work occasionally in the gallery (typically 500-2000 euro per piece), but not via the internet. We do not sell (limited edition) prints of her work.


Her art is very beautiful, expressive and colourful. Never predictable either, it seems. Really loved a lot of those paintings, thanks for posting the website. Does she have a Facebook page, I'll click likes, share, show it off a little?


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## laurie (Jan 12, 2017)

Art Rock said:


> Thanks laurie. My wife usually refuses to 'clarify' her work, she likes to give the observer the chance to make their own interpretation. In that sense, this exercise was fun for her as well. I also played snippets of all music she did not recognize.
> 
> We have a web site (www.galerielus.com) but updating her art is a bit of a hassle. I usually have to wait for 6-12 months after she finishes a painting before she supplies me with a picture of the work - it has to be a perfect match with the original in terms of colours.
> 
> We sell her work occasionally in the gallery (typically 500-2000 euro per piece), but not via the internet. We do not sell (limited edition) prints of her work.


Was she surprised by some of the music chosen? 
Thanks for the website, it looks amazing, I will make time to take a long look tonight .
Have you thought of doing l.e. prints? I'm sure that they would be very popular! I'm _seriously _disappointed that I can't have a print of this on my wall .... 

Oh ... and I thought that we had to name a _classical_ piece of music; actually the song that I instantly thought of was ~ Dire Straits'_ Romeo & Juliet_


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2018)

Well, I have to say I struggled to think of any piece of music at all. But it did put me in mind of the famous picture of St Paul's Cathedral in the Blitz by (as I've now discovered) Herbert Mason.

http://www.britishphotography.org/a...-pauls-survives?r=artists/19145/herbert-mason


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Kieran said:


> Her art is very beautiful, expressive and colourful. Never predictable either, it seems. Really loved a lot of those paintings, thanks for posting the website. Does she have a Facebook page, I'll click likes, share, show it off a little?


Thanks. We have a gallery facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/galerie.lus) and she runs a facebook page about her art (https://www.facebook.com/shanghailus/). Both not extremely active.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

laurie said:


> Was she surprised by some of the music chosen?
> Thanks for the website, it looks amazing, I will make time to take a long look tonight .
> Have you thought of doing l.e. prints? I'm sure that they would be very popular! I'm _seriously _disappointed that I can't have a print of this on my wall ....
> 
> Oh ... and I thought that we had to name a _classical_ piece of music; actually the song that I instantly thought of was ~ Dire Straits'_ Romeo & Juliet_


Thanks again for the compliments. I'll pass them on. 

Doing prints is quite a hassle, with shipping and everything. There are also technicalities on the tax side which makes us prefer not to sell prints.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Art Rock said:


> Thanks. We have a gallery facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/galerie.lus) and she runs a facebook page about her art (https://www.facebook.com/shanghailus/). Both not extremely active.


Well, she just got one more like for her page. I wish you both all the best, she's a wonderful artist...


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## Score reader (Mar 18, 2018)

There are some wonderful paintings on her website, I agree.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Debussy's Engulfed Cathedral in Stokowski's orchestration and performance.


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