10 Iconic Classical Songs You Only Know Because Of The Movies

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra From 2001: A Space Odyssey

The start of Richard Strauss€™ Sprach Zarathustra is used twice to bookend Stanley Kubrick€™s science fiction epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Just one hundred seconds creates a monumental combination of sight and sound as the Sun emerges over the Earth, a Stanley Kubrick production begins and man€™s evolutionary quest is about to be mapped out in front of your eyes. I recognise that 2001 is being included twice in one list but it really does include two of the greatest uses of music in film history. So maybe I€™m going a tad overboard. I love 2001, but not everybody does. What can€™t be denied is the sheer power of this music and the fact that everybody, through some medium, will recognise it. In film alone it can be heard in Toy Story 2, Small Soldiers, Zoolander, Turner and Hooch, Magnolia and The Simpsons Movie to name but a few (if you can possibly get a wider spanning field of films, do drop a comment below) but the moment of this music comes from 2001. The music itself is simple compared to some of the other entries but it has a tremendous impact on what you see before you. By 2001€™s end, you€™ve seen a human being evolve into The Star Child, an interpretation of man€™s next stage once he has conquered the final frontier. All of these themes, of progress, evolution and greatness have become fused to Also Sprach Zarathustra to make every time we hear it a powerful moment. What are some of your favourite uses of classical music in film? What entries should have been higher or lower? What works should have been on the list? Drop a comment below and thanks for reading!