Franz Liszt would have turned 196 today. Hard to imagine what he would say if he were alive today. (Help! Let me out of this box! I can't breathe in here!)
Liszt is, of course, a famous Hungarian pianist and composer from the 1800's, and the second of his 19 Hungarian rhapsodies is among his most well-known works, if not his most well-known. If you think you've never heard it before, guess again - it's been used in about a billion animated cartoons. Mickey Mouse has played it. So has Bugs Bunny. Tom from Tom and Jerry? Yep. Daffy Duck recorded his own version as an anti-hunter anthem, and played it in a piano duel to the death with Donald Duck in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Yeah, that's the one!
Yes, some people would lament the fact that a lot of our exposure to classical music comes from cartoons. But if it piques your curiosity to the point where you are motivated to identify, seek out and gain a fondness for those famous melodies, then that's not such a bad thing.
Click here to watch a live performance of "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" on YouTube.
Click here to read about the piece on Wikipedia.
