Talk:Mack the Knife

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[edit] An obvious place

I changed "and in such an obvious place" (in the Willett translation) to "but not in such an obvious place." Several Websites show the former, but the latter is what Lovett sings and is closer to the original meaning. Richard K. Carson 02:31, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lyrics

The verse about the light and darkness isn't even in the original score. It's about the big fire in Soho (grosse Feuer in Soho). I don't have the score with me at the moment though; but when I get it, I'll change it. -- Cielomobile talk / contribs 07:22, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

First of all, the lyrics should not be included in the article at all, because it is a copyright violation! About the mentioned verse: you are right, it is not included in the original score, because it is not part of the original play at all. Brecht added the verse for the 1930 movie, but this is already mentioned in the article. For the play, Weill composed only a selection of six verses out of Brecht's original nine verses. And naming the "Licht und Dunkel"-Verse a Refrain is complete nonsense; it is a simple verse of the ballad, just like the others. --FordPrefect42 23:30, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
Are the original lyrics still in copyright 79 years later ? And where does the "literal" translation come from. -- Beardo 17:09, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
I don't know about the situation in the U.S., but in Europe literary property is protected 70 year after the author's death. Since Brecht died in 1956, the lyrics will be free in 1926. --FordPrefect42 18:02, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
1. The correct translation should be "grosses Feuer in Soho" since it referres to one specific fire; "grosse" would be plural.
2. I do not see a copyright violation since the text is for information purposes only. Nobody (US or Europe) would for instance claim a copyright violation for a newspaper using a copyright protected name in a headline ("Ford lays off 30,000 workers")
3. @ fordperfect: I suppose that should be "2026".

-- powermax 19:19, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

1. The correct quote is "das große Feuer in Soho". Since the phrase is constructed with a definite article, "große" is correct here and means singular, not plural.
2. You don't see a copyright violation, but the copyright holders wouldn't agree. Quotations of minor parts of a piece of art are certainly okay with any country's copyright laws, but a full quote is a different matter.
3. Ack, 2026 of course, my mistake.
4. It' FordPrefect. I never claimed to be perfect ;-) --FordPrefect42 00:17, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Reference?

Is the boss Mack in Super Mario RPG a reference, since the boss is modeled after a knife? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.66.252.76 (talk) 23:28, 11 January 2007 (UTC).

I would suspect as much, but also "Mack" is a stock villain traceable to Medieval literature (see The Second Shepherds' Play) --starX 13:47, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Strand

The reference under "Crimes of Macheath" to "A dead man in London, on the famous street Strand" was a misunderstanding of the German lyrics. The word Strand doesn't refer to the street of that name in London, but simply means a beach or, in this context, more likely a river shore. I've changed it there and corrected the translated lyrics to match. Dodiad 00:36, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, you are wrong in every respect. "Strand" does indeed refer to the London street. The Dreigroschenoper is set in London, forgot that? There is no beach in London, but The Strand, i.e. the street. And the german word "Strand" (referring to a beach) is pronounced (IPA: ʃtrant), which does not rhyme on "nennt" (IPA: nεnt), whereas "Strand" referring to the street is pronounced (IPA: strænd), which rhymes perfectly. Plus Macheath is written exactly that way, in both Gay/Pepusch's Beggar's Opera as well as in Brecht/Weill's Dreigroschenoper. No capital "H". Reverted your edits. --FordPrefect42 00:55, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Westlife?

Is that huge Westlife template really necessary? Granted that they recorded a version of the song, but they are only one group amongst dozens of singers and musicians who recorded it. Shall we add templates of that sort for all those many others? ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 14:57, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree; that template is unnecessary and disproportional. The group is mentioned twice in the article — that should suffice. Michael Bednarek 09:19, 19 September 2007 (UTC)
Quite so. ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 22:52, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
Seems like consensus to me. I'm going to remove it. Michael Bednarek 10:48, 22 September 2007 (UTC)
I see no objections. ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 14:42, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Parody section?

Should we a a section for parodies? I would think anything to cut down on the (rather unseemly) list of songs, while still adding information, would be good. I know of at least 4 parodies, which, while not a large amount in and of itself, could be added to by those knowledgeable of the topic in question. I would do it myself, but again; not only do I not know what I'm talking about, but I'd also like consensus first. Thank you, 74.32.229.23 (talk) 19:59, 10 December 2007 (UTC)