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Gassenhauer nach Hans Neusiedler (1536), commonly known as Gassenhauer[1] (pronounced [ˈɡasn̩ˌhaʊ̯ɐ]), is a short piece from Carl Orff's Schulwerk. As the full title indicates, it is either an arrangement of, or inspired by, a much older work by the lutenist Hans Neusiedler from 1536. It (along with several other pieces) is in fact credited to Orff's longtime collaborator, Gunild Keetman, on at least one recent release of the Schulwerk.[2] As with many other pieces from the Schulwerk, it has been used multiple times on television, radio, and in films, including the films Badlands (1973),[3] True Romance (1993), Ratcatcher (1999), Finding Forrester (2000), Monster (2003), and, most recently, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (2009) and The Simpsons′ 22nd season episode "The Scorpion's Tale" (2011). The piece was used as the theme music for an afternoon radio program also titled Gassenhauer on the classical music station WCLV in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1970s.[4]


  1. ^ The title is a colloquial archaic German word originally meaning lively pieces of dance music, and later used for popular songs like operetta schlager during the early record era.
  2. ^ "Orff-Schulwerk, Volume 1: Musica Poetica, Celestial Harmonies 13104-2". 
  3. ^ "Soundtrack listing for Badlands compiled by an Amazon reviewer". 
  4. ^ Francis, Mark (2010). "Street Song / Gassenhauer: A 500 Year History". Evergreen American Orff-Schulwerk Association Chapter Newsletter 34 (1): 3. Retrieved June 6, 2013.