Background

“Time” is a song which Hans Zimmer wrote for the movie Inception in 2010. Of all the songs which Zimmer had composed for the movie, “Time” was the song which the public had enjoyed the most, the multiple reinterpretations are proof. The song was written for a small orchestra consisting of one french horn, one baritone, two trombones, one tuba, two timpanis, two bass drums, one piano, one electric guitar, five violins, three violas, six cellos, and four double basses.

The “Symphony No. 94” is an orchestral piece written by Joseph Haydn in 1791. Haydn was known to play jokes on his audience in his music, the “Surprise Symphony” is an ideal example of this. The opening theme of the second movement begins at a piano dynamic level, as the song progresses to the end of the opening theme there is a sudden fortissimo chord before continuing through the rest of the movement. Many have speculated that this was placed in the piece because Haydn was tired of his audience falling asleep during his pieces, so he wanted to “wake them up”. Haydn, however, has been recorded saying otherwise, “I wanted to surprise the public with something new, and in making a brilliant debut, so that my student Pleyel, who was at that time engaged by an orchestra in London and whose concerts had opened a week before mine, should not outdo me”. Haydn composed this piece for a classical orchestra which consisted of two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, two clarinets in C, Bb, or A, two horns, two trumpets, two timpanis, ten violin ones, eight violin twos, six violas, four cellos, and two double basses.