Sobre las olas
Waltz by Juventino Rosas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The waltz "Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") is the best-known work of Mexican composer Juventino Rosas (1868–1894), who first published it in 1888.[1] It "remains one of the most famous Latin American pieces worldwide", according to the "Latin America" article in The Oxford Companion to Music.[2] It remains popular as a classic waltz, and has also found its way into New Orleans Jazz and Tejano music.[1]
Recordings
- Dave Brubeck on Bravo! Brubeck! (1967)
- Chet Atkins, on Alone (1973)
- The Beach Boys, on Feel Flows (2021) (recorded in 1970 as “Carnival”)
- Willie Nelson, on Red Headed Stranger (1975)
- Pete Fountain, on Mr. New Orleans[citation needed]
In popular media
- A Mexican biographical film about the life of Juventino Rosas, titled Sobre las olas, was directed by Miguel Zacarías in 1933.[3] Another Mexican film biography using this title was directed in 1950 by Ismael Rodríguez and starred Pedro Infante.[4]
- In The Philadelphia Story (1940), Cary Grant hums the opening bars while playing with candlesticks.
- Snippets of the melody were used in Warner Bros. cartoons, including in An Itch in Time (1943) and Canary Row (1950).[5]
- A cover with English lyrics is performed as "The Loveliest Night of the Year" in the 1951 American film The Great Caruso.[6]
- In Mary Poppins (1964), the character Bert (played by Dick Van Dyke) briefly hums "Sobre las olas" while pretending to be a tightrope walker, reinforcing the melody’s association with circus acts.[7]
- "Sobre las olas" is the main musical theme of the 1980 arcade game Carnival.[8]
- The theme is used in the Atari 2600 video game Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984).[9]
- The theme is used as the song for the "Observatory" ride in the 1994 video game Theme Park.[10]
- A rendition by the Mexico Festival Orchestra, conducted by Enrique Bátiz, is included in the in-game classical radio station Radio Eterna of the 2021 racing game Forza Horizon 5.[11]
- It is one of the most famous pieces of music traditionally played on merry-go-rounds and carousels.[12]