
Amadeus - "There are simply too many notes."
About this video
A 2-minute scene from the film Amadeus in which the emperor says Mozart's opera has simply too many notes and Mozart asks which few to cut.
Why it appears in the archive
HN quotes the scene humorously and analogically, for example about extremely dense Black MIDI music or whether melodies are scarce.
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From the Hacker News discussion
I immediately thought of a quote from the movie Amadaus (About Mozart) EMPEROR: Of course I do. It's very good. Of course now and then - just now and then - it gets a touch elaborate. MOZART: What do you mean, Sire? EMPEROR: Well, I mean occasionally it seems to have, how shall one say? [he stops in difficulty; turning to Orsini-Rosenberg] How shall one say, Director? ORSINI-ROSENBERG: Too many notes, Your Majesty? EMPEROR: Exactly. Very well put. Too many notes. MOZART: I don't understand. There are just as many notes, Majesty, as are required. Neither more nor less. EMPEROR: My dear fellow, there are in fact only so many notes the ear can hear in the course of an evening. I think I'm right in saying that, aren't I, Court Composer? SALIERI: Yes! yes! er, on the whole, yes, Majesty. MOZART: But this is absurd! [VIDEO] This certainly is an interesting area to explorer musically. Want can we do with a piano if we had more than ten notes to play at a time. Right now it is HOW many can we play and still sound musical from the samples I saw.
Read original comment ↗I immediately thought of a quote from the movie Amadaus (About Mozart) EMPEROR: Of course I do. It's very good. Of course now and then - just now and then - it gets a touch elaborate. MOZART: What do you mean, Sire? EMPEROR: Well, I mean occasionally it seems to have, how shall one say? [he stops in difficulty; turning to Orsini-Rosenberg] How shall one say, Director? ORSINI-ROSENBERG: Too many notes, Your Majesty? EMPEROR: Exactly. Very well put. Too many notes. MOZART: I don't understand. There are just as many notes, Majesty, as are required. Neither more nor less. EMPEROR: My dear fellow, there are in fact only so many notes the ear can hear in the course of an evening. I think I'm right in saying that, aren't I, Court Composer? SALIERI: Yes! yes! er, on the whole, yes, Majesty. MOZART: But this is absurd! [VIDEO] This certainly is an interesting area to explorer musically. Want can we do with a piano if we had more than ten notes to play at a time. Right now it is HOW many can we play and still sound musical from the samples I saw.
Read original comment ↗There's never been any shortage of melodies, rather the problem is and has always been whether one has the talent to arrange the notes: [VIDEO] ?
Read original comment ↗I just noticed what you were saying - yes lol, delete the account that you've migrated stuff off of. Good catch, too many numbers. [VIDEO]
Read original comment ↗