Jump to content

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 March 20

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entertainment desk
< March 19 << Feb | March | Apr >> March 21 >
Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.


March 20

[edit]

Circus Balancing Act Tune Heard in 8 1/2

[edit]

Yeah...Was watching Fellini's 8 1/2 the other night and heard a song during it that I would normally associate with a circus balancing act haha...Whenever I hear the song, I imagine a clown on a ball or some traipse act or something. I looked up the film on IMDB, but it didn't seem to be listed. I thought it could be a small part from Barber of Seville, but I don't think that's the case. I'm not a music expert, but the song is pretty intense, has this very staccato beat then a double series of notes spiraling downward. I could hum it and anyone would instantly recognize it, but I have no idea what its name is or who originally composed it...Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! 74.69.117.101 (talk) 02:09, 20 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Oh wow, I actually figured out the mystery! The track from the film is Carlottas' Gallop by Nino Rota, which is basically The Sabre Dance. 74.69.117.101 (talk) 02:16, 20 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]
A similar example in the same film ( is the link): Rota's composition La passerella di addio imitates (doesn't really borrow, just emulates the chromatic marching glee) from "Entrance of the Gladiators", another "screamer". ---Sluzzelin talk 02:24, 20 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Once again, the similarity isn't strikingly audible from the get-go. Don't wish to link to recordings here, but what I mean is the frantic loop starting around 3:35 in that version of "La passerella di addio" which lasts about 5'32''. ---Sluzzelin talk 16:03, 20 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]
But with "Carlotta's Galop", for a few seconds you think it really is going to be Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance". Rota clearly wrote this as a homage (that's HOMM-idge, not oh-MAHZH) to his Armenian brother in music. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:16, 20 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]