Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 September 1

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September 1

Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008_August_23#slide_whistle

Here, does LambaJan (talk) mean "... volume ..." by like the loudness or softness of the sound (amplitude)?68.148.157.170 (talk) 01:52, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 05:13, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Looking for a song title

This'll be woolly. Recent song, I think, though sounds old. Has a hint of Nina Simone in style, if not voice. Sung by a woman. Chorus something like "take me to the edge of love". Cheers, --Dweller (talk) 10:20, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Dance me to the end of love? Algebraist 11:54, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

That looks likely. Our article isn't much good; which version would I most likely have heard, twice, on the radio recently? --Dweller (talk) 12:43, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Ah. I'm guessing it's Madeleine Peyroux's version and I've just happened across two different stations playing the same recentish oldie by coincidence. What a stunning song and what a smokey performance. --Dweller (talk) 12:50, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

The national anthem played at the cinema and at concerts

When I went to the movies when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, the first thing we always saw was the national anthem (in those days, God Save the Queen). There’d be stock footage of the queen on horseback or whatever, with the UK Union Jack fluttering proudly in the breeze (and the Australian Flag nowhere to be seen), with GSTQ played in the background. A few people would stand in their seats, but most remained seated. At some point, probably around the early 1970s, cinemas ceased playing the anthem. I started going to symphony concerts (ABC orchestras) in the late 60s, and again, the protocol was for the orchestra to play the national anthem as the first order of business. Everyone stood. This also applied to solo piano recitals; although I can’t recall lieder singers or violin-piano duos etc ever doing it. (I never went to rock concerts, so I can't say whether this was ever the practice there, but I kinda doubt it - can you imagine the Stones singing GSTQ as the first number in a gig? I could be wrong.) Then the ABC decided that the anthem would be played at the first and last symphony concerts of the season, but not at the concerts in between. Later still, the anthem was dropped completely. The only time it gets a look in these days is when an orchestra from overseas is visiting, and they play their own national anthem followed by ours (it’s been Advance Australia Fair since 1984). I'm sure Australian orchestras do the same when they're touring overseas (but in the reverse order, of course).

I’m wondering what’s been the practice in other countries in relation to their anthem being played at the cinema and concerts, and has this changed over time? -- JackofOz (talk) 23:37, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

I believe the progression in the UK is roughly as you describe for Australia, but I can't give details until someone older than myself wakes up. Algebraist 23:48, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

Jack, all I can say is that in my 60 years in the midwestern United States (in which I've attended movies and concerts both classical and rock) I've never heard the U.S. anthem played in the contexts you've described. Deor (talk) 00:32, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Though only in my 30s, I've never heard (of) our (American) National Anthem played before a movie or concert of any sort. It does get sung at pro sporting events, minor league baseball games, and I even recently heard it at a county fair between rounds of a demolition derby. We also hear it at the beginning of the broadcast day on some radio stations. Television stations used to play it at the end of their broadcast day as well until stations started broadcasting 24 hours. Dismas|^(talk) 00:40, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

I have also heard the anthem at the end of a television station's broadcast day. Specifically, "O Canada" at the end of the CBC's day. This was sometime within the last ten years. — Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 00:53, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

These days most TV stations broadcast continuously, but I have also heard O Canada at both the start and the end of the broadcast day in the last few years. When I visited a friend in New Zealand in 1983, one of the bits of foreignness that he called my attention to was that TVNZ did not do this. As for cinemas, I have heard the anthem played at a cinema exactly once; this was around 1980 and it was the only time I had been to that particular cinema for the first show of the day. It was quite a surprise.

When I was in school (late 1960s – early 1970s), the day began with both the national anthem (which was God Save the Queen at the third of the four schools I went to, and O Canada at the others) and the Lord's Prayer (yes, in public schools; I was in grade 11 or so before I realized nobody would object if I didn't join in in reciting it). No such thing when I moved on to university, but there different people's days began at different times. The only place I expect to hear the anthem on a regular basis today is sporting events. --Anonymous, 08:17 UTC, September 2, 2008.

TVNZ did play the national anthem at the start of broadcast (see You tube for one example). At closedown, we had the Goodnight Kiwi (which can be found here if you want to see it in action). And, Jack, NZ cinemas used to play anthems, too (God Save the Queen); I don't know when that stopped. Anthems are still sung at school assemblies, and so forth, but the general (adult) public probably only hear it now at official ceremonies and sports events. ANZAC Day services usually have both anthems. Now I think of it, the annual Symphony in the Park always finishes with the anthem (and that's 200,000 voices (5% of the population)). Gwinva (talk) 09:36, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

In the U.S., the National Anthem is standard before professional sports events, at celebrations of national holidays like Independence Day and maybe some official government functions like a public high school graduation or a presidential inauguration. I've never heard it performed at the cinema nor at a concert of any kind (I've been to rock, orchestral, jazz, opera). One notable exception is at the Garden State Arts Center (now the PNC Bank Arts Center) a concert venue owned by the state of New Jersey which has the official policy of playing a recording of the national anthem before all concerts. Sinead O'Connor caused a controversy when she threatened not to perform there if the anthem were played and an temporary exception was made. See PNC Bank Arts Center#Sinéad O'Connor controversy. —D. Monack ^talk 01:14, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

On the rock concert front, I saw the Wolfe Tones in Galway and they ended with the national anthem. But then Amhrán na bhFiann both fits into their repertoire and is actually a good song. Algebraist 09:41, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

In the U.S., the only theaters I am aware of that play the anthem before a movie are those on military bases, including those outside the U.S. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 11:42, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Before NHL games, both the US and Canadian anthems are played if one of the teams is based in a US city and the other is based in a Canadian city. If both teams are US cities, only the US anthem is played, and I assume (but have no empirical evidence) that only the Canadian anthem is played when two Canadian teams play. Since 9/11, "God Bless America" tends to be played during the seventh inning stretch at baseball games. Corvus cornix_talk 18:26, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

In 1997, according to The Baseball Almanac, the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Montreal Expos for a series of interleague games, "marking the first time since World War II that the U.S. National Anthem was not heard before a Major League ball game." — OtherDave (talk) 20:05, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

All very interesting. So, it seems the cinema thing was a practice confined to the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The symphony concert thing - still waiting on some input there. Major sporting events have become the main opportunities to hear the anthem in Australia too. The anthem and its (usually big-name) singer have become mini-events in their own right. Julie Anthony practically made a whole career out of singing our anthem at such events (an exaggeration of course; but it seems it's the main thing she's remembered for now, if our article is anything to go by. She did a hell of a lot more than that, actually; and afaik is still performing. Her singing of the anthem would have been about 0.0001% of her career. I must put the injection of some balance into her article on my "to do list"). Thanks folks. -- JackofOz (talk) 21:41, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

I remember the National Anthem being played at the end of cinema programmes (in the UK) in the 1960s and possibly early 70s. Even then it seemed to be considered slightly bad form not to stand (at least still, if not actually to attention) while it was playing, so there was often an unseemly rush by some members of the audience to get out before it started. I don't remember the Anthem being played at any professional concerts (except at the Last Night of the Proms, which is rather a special case), though it was certainly always included at the end of all the school concerts I played in. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 22:40, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes, that unseemly rush now applies to the end credits. Most people start to move out as soon as the action is finished, and talk loudly amongst themselves, as if nobody's interested in the credits and the end music. Well, I am. I don't mind if they want to leave straight away, but can't they do it quietly? (end of mini-rant). -- JackofOz (talk) 23:29, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Or at the minimum, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! Just because you aren't interested in the credits doesn't mean that the person SITTING DOWN behind you isn't. Corvus cornix_talk 02:00, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

Another interesting use of the national anthem in the U.S.: When broadcast TV stations used to "end their broadcast day" usually around 3am, they last thing they'd show was the national anthem with patriotic video (waving flags, bald eagles, the Statue of Liberty, Blue Angels) before going to bars and tone. Now, thanks to infomercials, TV stations never stop broadcasting. I guess I'm an old fogie for remembering when they did. —D. Monack ^talk 03:03, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

Hey, there's nothing wrong with being "of a certain age". If it weren't for us, Wikipedia wouldn't be what it is. There'd probably be 50 articles on that woman whose name I refuse to utter (her first name reminds one of the capital of France) - one for the last time she scratched her nose; another one for the time she coloured her hair; another one for the time she ... you get the picture; well, the gossip mags live on that stuff and they seem to sell well. We bring a much needed historical perspective to things. -- JackofOz (talk) 03:49, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

It used to be common practice in the Republic of Ireland, too - at least if Ray Bradbury's wonderful short story The anthem sprinters is anything to go by. Grutness...wha? 23:52, 5 September 2008 (UTC)