So my brother sends me this blog title in a message, saying that the ringtone is one that he cannot place, and it’s driving him crazy. “it’s a melody that I know dad used to listen to all of the time/ I think it was played on an electric cello” he sends.

So I have him record the thing and send the music file to me. I utterly cannot place it, even though it’s familiar, all right.

“just imagine it with an electric cello and some other stuff in the background” he offers, helpfully. I listen to it about 14 times on repeat, and then I give up and head to my secret weapon: Musipedia. I type in the contour, humming the melody to myself, *RRUDDUDRUUDURRUDDUDRUUDU, and hit Enter. First result? Liszt, Franz: étude No. 6 Ami piano on Paganini’s caprice

Gah! Paganini!

Having identified the essential piece of music (Caprice no. 24) I look for variations that might have even possibly be played by Dad when we were younger. Yo-Yo Ma? Possibly, but no.

Then I spot it: Andrew Lloyd Webber. I find the Variations 1-4 on the second disc of Song and Dance and shoot the file to Tom.

“yep, that’s it exactly” he says.

Now the mystery, at least to me, is: did Dad even own that record? Was it part of a Collection Of album? What the hell kind of random thing is THAT for my brother to remember? I didn’t remember it, that’s for sure.

+E