  I always look forward to the hourly chimes of a clock in the house whose tune is based on the ubiquitous chimes of Westminster, the famous “Cambridge Quarters”. The descending notes strongly bring to mind two instances of music by Johannes Brahms. The first and most well noted being the lovely “horn call” of his Symphony #1. With only a slight difference in the first measure, the chime-theme of the clock can be transposed into Hans’s lovely horn song that dispels the dark introduction and ushers in the solemn brass chorale in the 4th mvt. In fact, the similarity of the two was so striking; first-time listeners of the symphony in England thought for sure Hans lifted the theme from their chiming clock at the church at Magdalene College in Cambridge University. [It was there that the chime was first introduced, even before it was installed in Big Ben in London]. We have of course, the card from Hans to Clara Schumann of Sept 12, 1868 wherein he quotes the theme with the words: “Thus sounded the Alphorn today … High on the peak, deep in the vale, I greet thee many thousand times!” so we must believe any similarity between the horn theme and the clock chimes is purely coincidental.
The second musical resemblance I have found (and which I have not yet heard anyone comment upon) is even more identical to the chimes of Big Ben. It is that of the wonderful D-flat major theme near the end of the Brahms Piano Sonata #3 Op. 5. The first four notes of this joyous theme match exactly the first four of the clock chimes. This would also appear to explain why I always seemed to begin humming that theme from the sonata each time the hour chimes sounded. Apparently, Pavlov’s salivating dog had nothing on me! --kak 
