Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 April 17

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April 17[edit]

Unreal Tournament[edit]

How do I use mutators, for example the chainsaw mutator, in unreal tournament 1? I have checked game faqs and the wiki and many other sites and found no answer. The answer below didn't help. I am not Jimbo Wales (talk) 19:42, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This sounds like more of a question for Game FAQs. --BDD (talk) 22:12, 16 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

3 blue bugs in space[edit]

What is the name of the movie that had 3 blue bugs in space and I remember that one of them was named scooter?--Donmust90 (talk) 02:01, 17 April 2013 (UTC)Donmust90[reply]

Sounds like Fly Me to the Moon (2008). --Canley (talk) 04:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Music sources[edit]

If you suspect that a piece of music is based on an earlier composition, is there a way to check out if there is an actual relationship? Eg, to learn if the more recent composer acknowledged borrowing from the earlier one?

Thanks, CBHA (talk) 04:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Which compositions do you suspect of being linked in this way? Just typing the two names into Google may work, and websites like www.allmusic.com may be a good resource as well. People at the reference desks tend to be good at digging out hard questions like this, so if you tell us the names of the pieces of music you are interested it, perhaps we can help you more directly. --Jayron32 04:41, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
"My sweet Lord (do lang do lang do lang) mm, my Lord (do lang do lang)..." ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:59, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Category:Plagiarism controversies may be of interest. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 11:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The specific instance which led me to ask - I'm wondering if the Bagatelles, Op.47 by Antonín Dvořák were a source for part of the Vocal Overture to "A Little Night Music" by Stephen Sondheim.
They are both on Youtube: http://youtu(dot)be/ozM7J4p32TU and http://youtu(dot)be/SK8U3qEoazk. The latter is a gorgeous video, 9 minutes 37 seconds. The part I'm referring to starts at 2:30 when the ladies stand up.
To my ear, they are closely related but googling around and in Wikipedia I cannot find any mention of a connection. What puzzles me is not whether there is a connection but why I can find no mention of one. CBHA (talk) 18:10, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
In his wonderful series Sounds Magnificent: The Story of the Symphony André Previn mentions that similarities in music composition happens quite often. Sometimes it is on purpose (he uses a work by Beethoven that has phrases from works by Mozart - I can't remember which one now and that reminds me I gotta budget for the DVD set next month) and sometimes it is just a coincidence. Sondheim is such a student of music that it is possible. You might want to track down a copy of his books Finishing the Hat and its followup Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics as he does relate some fascinating details about what went into composing many of his works. MarnetteD | Talk 20:04, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Sometimes these are deliberate thefts, such as "In An Eighteenth-Century Drawing Room" supposedy by Raymond Scott, the first part of which is a blatant rip-off of Mozart's Piano Sonata in C; and George L. Cobb's Russian Rag, which is a blatant rip-off of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor.
Then there are the unconscious copyings. Like how the aria "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca became the popular Al Jolson song Avalon. They were sued, and although they argued there was no intent to copy Puccini, they were still found to have breached copyright, fined $25,000, and all royalties from the song went to Puccini's estate.
But sometimes it's just pure coincidence. Somewhere on WP I raised the similarity between the opening motif of Brahms' 2nd Symphony (1877) and the opening of the "Serenade" from The Student Prince (1924), the bit that goes "Overhead the moon is beaming". Exactly the same rhythm and melody, note for note. But nobody ever accused Sigmund Romberg of plagiarising Brahms, to my knowledge. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 23:31, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder if someone will listen to these two pieces and give their opinion please. They are both on Youtube: http://youtu(dot)be/ozM7J4p32TU and http://youtu(dot)be/SK8U3qEoazk. The latter is a gorgeous video, 9 minutes 37 seconds. The part I'm referring to starts at 2:30 when the ladies stand up. CBHA (talk) 15:45, 19 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I've had a listen to them both, but I cannot hear any resemblance at all. Not even a slight resemblance. Sorry. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 21:52, 19 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

streets of jazz[edit]

Are there any other jazzy songs which depict streets? (I know there's On Green Dolphin Street (song) and Strawberry Avenue.)142.255.103.121 (talk) 07:00, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Looking through our lists of jazz standards gives me 52nd Street Theme, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Basin Street Blues, Twelfth Street Rag, and Beale Street Blues. I'm sure there are plenty more.--Shantavira|feed me 07:34, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Moon over Bourbon Street, by Sting. StuRat (talk) 07:52, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
On the Street Where You Live. --TammyMoet (talk) 10:45, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It would be worthwhile looking through Category:Lists of songs about a city. In cities like New Orleans, New York, and even London, there are multiple examples. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
This song is not jazzy but it mentions a number of famous streets: Down the Old Ox Road by Bing Crosby. http://dedica.la/song/165315#.UW7o6b0l9xM CBHA (talk) 18:27, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The Girl From East 9th Street, Basie Street, Lonely Street, Route 66 (song). ¦ Reisio (talk) 20:29, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
http://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?psboost=psboost&Store_Code=JAJAZZ&Screen=SRCH&dopowersearch=1&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&Search=street, etc.. ¦ Reisio (talk) 20:36, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Forty-Second Street and 42nd Street (musical) were Douglas Adams' favourites. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 22:59, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'm partial to Street of Dreams (1932 song). --jpgordon::==( o ) 05:26, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
And don't forget On the Sunny Side of the Street. --Scalhotrod - Just your average banjo playing, drag racing, cowboy... (talk) 13:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Scherzo-focoso[edit]

The edition at IMSLP of Charles-Valentin Alkan's Scherzo-focoso (Op. 34) is fearsomely difficult to read at times. What's the marking at the top of page 19 (the "Pedale" section)? (I can make out that the first word is "Senz'" and the second ends in "mento", but since half of it is cut off it is very hard to tell.) Double sharp (talk) 13:07, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Your x-ray vision is better than mine. I can't make out anything, other than that there are 2 words. There's a clearer version of the music here (played by a computer), but it's been cleaned up so much that the marking in question is no longer there at all (at 6:09).
'Senza' (Italian for "without") is sometimes found in music instructions such as senza ritardando, but 'senz' by itself is not a term I've ever come across, and appears not to make any sense. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 22:57, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
"Senz" is used in speech before a vowel, for example the song "Senza una donna" which is sung "Senz'una donna". So that might give a hint as to the letter after that word. --TammyMoet (talk) 09:39, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Try as I might, I just cannot see "senz" or anything like it there. Or "mento" in the second word. My parents often despaired of making me see sense, and the tradition continues. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 10:34, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That letter after the "senz'" looks like an "a". It might plausibly be "senz'acceleramento"? Double sharp (talk) 12:00, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That would fit with what is visible of the letters, BTW, but might not be grammatically correct..."senz'acceleramente", perhaps? Double sharp (talk) 12:56, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
"Senz'arpeggiamento", perhaps? — Tobias Bergemann (talk) 20:03, 19 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Also plausible given how that section is written, but if it were that we'd expect to see descenders in the marking, which we don't. Double sharp (talk) 09:09, 21 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That rather poor PDF-of-a-photocopy appears to be the only online copy of the piece. You might be able to read it better on the page the scan was taken from. You could try contacting either the Alkan Society (whose collection includes the original photocopy), or the Library of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (wherein is kept the aforementioned collection). Alternatively, if you're within reach of London you might pop into the library where it's on the shelf. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 10:22, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to copy this to Talk:Charles-Valentin Alkan to see if any of the Alkanophiles there can help. -- Jack of Oz [Talk] 10:09, 19 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]