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March 20

Circus Balancing Act Tune Heard in 8 1/2

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 (8½ 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]