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Wikipedia:Featured sound candidates/January 2009

< Wikipedia:Featured sound candidates

Please cut and paste new entries to the bottom of this page, creating a new monthly archive (by closing date) when necessary.

  • For promoted entries, add '''Promoted Example.ogg''' --~~~~ to the bottom of the entry, replacing Example.ogg with the file that was promoted.
  • For entries not promoted, add '''Not promoted''' --~~~~ to the bottom of the entry.
  • For entries demoted, add '''Demoted Example.ogg''' --~~~~ to the bottom of the entry.

Use variants as appropriate, e.g. with a large set of files, all of which pass, '''Promoted all''' is fine, but if one of them didn't pass for some reason, make sure that's clear.

Auld Lang Syne

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Auld Lang Syne
Frank C. Stanley's 1910 performance of Auld Lang Syne. Contains the first and last verse.

A rather fine performance, with little sign of its extreme age. I think this is good enough to stand on its own merits.



Promoted Auld Lang Syne.ogg.ogg --Xclamation point 02:58, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sonata for Flute or Recorder and Harpsichord in B minor, BWV 1030

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Sonata for Flute or Recorder and Harpsichord in B minor, BWV 1030 - 1. Andante
Performed by Alex Murray (traverso) and Martha Goldstein (harpsichord)
Sonata for Flute or Recorder and Harpsichord in B minor, BWV 1030 - 2. Largo e Dolce
Performed by Alex Murray (traverso) and Martha Goldstein (harpsichord)
Sonata for Flute or Recorder and Harpsichord in B minor, BWV 1030 - 3. Presto
Performed by Alex Murray (traverso) and Martha Goldstein (harpsichord)
Problems playing these files? See media help.

An excellent recording of Bach's most famous flute sonata, performed on historical instruments. I'm not familiar with other, more recent, recordings of this work, but I think this is a pretty good effort. Used on Sonata in B minor for flute or recorder and harpsichord and List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. Graham87 02:30, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]



Promoted all. --Xclamation point 03:09, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

E lucevan le stelle

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Tosca: "E lucevan le stelle"
"E lucevan le stelle" from the third act of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca. Sung by Leo Slezak in 1913 for Edison Records

Add your reasons for nominating it here; say what article(s) it appears in, and who created the recording.



Not promoted --Xclamation point 03:31, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

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God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
A 1917 Edison Records recording of "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"

I wanted to try and get some Christmas music ready well in advance to help Wikipedia's celebration of Christmas. This was easily the best of the recordings I found - I believe it can stand on its own as an excellent performance of the song, perfect for bringing us all into the Christmas spirit.


Not promoted --Xclamation point 03:30, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Una furtiva lagrima

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"Una furtiva lagrima"
"Una furtiva lagrima" from Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore Sung by Enrico Caruso in 1911 for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

The notable singer, the surprisingly accurate accompaniment raise this above any other recording I could find with an acceptable licence. Other recordings of this from this time period all had severe abuses against Donizetti's intent, ranging from the almost forgiveable substitution of a harp for pizzicato strings, to arco strings and worse. There's still a little noise, but I think I managed to all or almost all of the really distracting clicks and pops. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 13:36, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted --Xclamation point 03:30, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Castrato

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Castrato
A recording of a castrato, Alessandro Moreschi.

Alessandro Moreschi was an Italian castrato singer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is one of the (the only one on Wikimedia sites I believe) only known recordings of a castrato singer, thus it has a lot of EV. Maxim(talk) 22:47, 16 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]



Promoted Alessandro Moreschi.ogg --Xclamation point 21:08, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Russian national anthem at Medvedev inauguration 2008

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Russian national anthem at Medvedev inauguration 2008
Performance of the Hymn of the Russian Federation by the Presidential Orchestra and Kremlin Choir at the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev at The Kremlin on 7 May 2008.

Not only is it sound, but also video, with some (in my mind) stunning camera angles and shots of the ceremony and the Kremlin. The video appears in National anthem of Russia, and is from the website of the Kremlin (licensed under CC-BY 3.0). I couldn't see any reason that video could be excluded from being promoted to Featured sounds.


Promoted Russian national anthem at Medvedev inauguration 2008.ogv --Xclamation point 03:50, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

La bohème: O Mimì, tu più non torni

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O Mimì, tu più non torni
A 1907 recording by Enrico Caruso and Antonio Scotti of "O Mimì, tu più non torni" from Act IV of Giacomo Puccini's La bohème.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

It's Caruso and Scotti. No further comment =) Forgive me if there's been a lot of Puccini of late - I did promise WikiProject Opera I'd do my part in the preparations for the Puccini 150th. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 19:44, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]



Promoted La bohème, O Mimì, tu più non torni (Caruso, Scotti).ogg --Xclamation point 03:50, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Einstein explains E=mc2

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It is general knowledge that this formula is arguably the most important in physics, and I think an audio in which the man himself is explaining what it means is worthy of featured status.

I have to admit I'm not an expert on copyright, but I believe the Library of Congress holds all renewals. If they have anything from Atomic Physics up and say it's out of copyright, we can presume it is. But I'm afraid we do need to get copyright right... Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 12:30, 4 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I couldn't find it on loc.gov, but here's the Google results. Diego_pmc Talk 17:39, 4 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

After some more research, it looks like the film is British, but the Einstein clips are stock footage. However, if we can't get the copyright status sorted, I'm afraid it's going to have to be deleted as copyvio. This would be unfortunate, but what else could we do? Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 04:09, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That's too bad... Diego_pmc Talk 07:53, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Any idea how we could sort out the copyright status? Diego_pmc Talk 12:05, 8 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • When dealing with the copyright of this there are two things we need to think about, the words and the recording. The words could have been published and could have been renewed or not. The only renewal records online are from books and nothing else even though they could have been renewed. We need to know when and in what medium the words were first published. Zginder 2008-11-08T19:05Z (UTC)


Not promoted: File deleted. --Xclamation point 03:51, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Statement on the Panama Canal Treaty Signing

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Statement on the Panama Canal Treaty Signing
Statement on the Panama Canal Treaty Signing, by Jimmy Carter.

President Jimmy Carter's speech upon signing the treaty for a staged turnover of the Panama Canal and associated lands from the United States to Panama, 7 September 1977. Appears in Jimmy Carter, Panama Canal, Torrijos–Carter Treaties.



Promoted Carter Panama Canal speech.ogg --Xclamation point 03:52, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Morte d'Otello

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Niun mi tema
Francesco Tamagno, the original Otello, sings "Niun mi tema" (Morte d'Otello) from Giuseppe Verdi's Otello. This 1903 recording dates from just two years before Tamagno's death.


This is probably Otello's best-known aria, sung by the creator of the role. While the recording quality isn't perfect, it is pretty good for 1903, and, hey, it's the original performer! Isn't that worth a little hit to sound quality?

By the way, I've reduced the hiss as much as I could, but preserving Tamagno's performance had to be the first priority, even if that meant leaving some hiss in. However, this restoration was particularly difficult, so here's the original for comparison, because I think that, with a recording like this - with flaws but historical importance that makes up for them - transparency is particularly necessary.

Niun mi tema
Unrestored.


  • Nominate and support. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 04:45, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong support and I prefer the original. As a Verdi lover (especially Otello), I believe this file is worthy to be kept as featured sound. --Caspian blue 06:19, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose Weak support This is the famous G&T (matrix 269FT cat 052068). Very important. My reservation is over the quality of the recordings here (of which the unrestored one is the better). My own Nimbus CD version sounds far better (though of course not available to us). Also can we get rid of the pretentious Italian title ('Morte d'Otello') and just call it 'Niun mi tema'? Thank you. --Kleinzach 08:50, 31 October 2008 (UTC) P.S. It's also been issued by Historic Masters [2] and [3]. They will have been working for a master not a 78. --Kleinzach 09:06, 31 October 2008 (UTC) I've changed my response to 'oppose' because of the poor quality of the so-called 'original' here. I think it should be possible to find one less metallic sounding. --Kleinzach 10:17, 2 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • Weel, obviously I can only work with what I have access to. If someone can get me a better-quality copy of it, I can probably do more. As it is, I'm trying to remover hiss at the same pitch s Tamagno's voice, whch leads to compromise and difficulty. =) Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 16:09, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • Kleinzach, if you can provide the mentioned sound files here, it would be great to understand your opinion. Honestly, I'm bemused to read your point-out on the well-known alternative name of the aria, "Morte d'Otello".--Caspian blue 00:20, 1 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      • Please listen to this [4]. (As for "Morte d'Otello", I think this should be in English according to the usual WP guidelines, while the actual title "Niun mi tema" stays in Italian.) --Kleinzach 01:51, 1 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
        • The Youtube file is not in PD and the quality is not much better than the current nominated file. (I already heard it yesterday)--Caspian blue 02:01, 1 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
          • The difference is like night and day on my headphones. The metallic slicing sound disappears. (The Youtube file is presumably an mp3 of the master transfer.) My point, however, is that we should be using a better 'original' than the substandard one presented here. Also there isn't much reason to make a poor-quality file available here, when there is a much better one already available on the net which we can link to because it's out of copyright anyway. --Kleinzach 03:12, 4 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
            • Well, that is not what I meant for saying "provide files" to you. We're judging on whether presented limited resources here are qualified for featured contents or not. I'd say my best Otello would be not obtainable as a PD file in my life. If you can provide "better original files" by yourself, I'm happy for that.--Caspian blue 17:39, 5 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support The sound quality of the restored version is not so bad. Especially, when we take into consideration abslute notability - the premiere performer of the famous opera. --Vejvančický (talk) 23:10, 6 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Promoted Giuseppe Verdi, Francesco_Tamagno,_Morte_d'Otello_(Niun_mi_tema).ogg --Xclamation point 03:54, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Pinafore airs

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"Pinafore airs", pt. 1
Part of a multi-cylinder recording of H.M.S. Pinafore created by Edison Records in 1911. Includes "We have sailed the ocean blue" "Hail, men of oarsmen", "I'm called Little Buttercup", and "A maiden fair to see"
Problems playing this file? See media help.
 
"Pinafore airs", pt. 2
Part 2 of the recording. Includes "My gallant crew, good morning", "I am the Captain of the Pinafore", "Sorry her lot" (second verse, beginning "Sad is the hour"), "Over the bright blue sea", and "I am the monarch of the sea"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

I think this is a fine recording In addition, it's nearly complete: excepting some recitatives, it includes at least a verse of pretty much every song in the first half of Act I. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is all I can get of it: Part 3 turned out to be a misfiled part 2, and, while I may be able to do something with Part 4, it's not going to be easy. Still, this is more material on one opera than we have for any composer (I haven't yet done enough work on the Puccini project). I still think they are very good performances, and deserve featuring. If we find the other parts, they will probably deserve featuring as well.

We have no Gilbert and Sullivan, and really should. I think this would go a long way towards rectifying that. Please note, however, that I've been sitting on these for about a month or two trying to get part 3. If there's problems (I'm too close to judge anymore), I may be able to use the skills I've learned in that time to overcome them.

Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 03:20, 28 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]



Promoted both --Xclamation point 03:54, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

2008 State of the Union Address

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2008 State of the Union Address
George W. Bush delivers his eighth State of the Union address on January 28, 2008.

This is Bush's last State of the Union Address, and it is good quality (compared to some other SOTU addresses). It appears in 2008 State of the Union Address, and is from the White House website. Because it is a work of the Federal Government, it is public domain under Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the United States Code.


Promoted File:George Bush 2008 State of the Union Address.ogg -- PeterSymonds (talk) 18:28, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Vissi d'arte

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1900 – Tosca: Vissi d'arte
Emmy Destinn's 1914 recording of Vissi d'arte from Giacomo Puccini's Tosca.

A highly notable operatic soprano sings Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, and does it divinely. While not perfect, given the year, it's still very good indeed. This is one of the last recordings of Destinn during her prime: She was put under house arrest during WWI, and would not be able to return to the stage until 1919. The gap sent her career into a terminal decline, and, as far as I'm aware, there are no good recordings after 1914.



Promoted Emmy Destinn, Vissi_d'arte (Tosca).ogg --Xclamation point 11:49, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Handel Water Music

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This set of sound files is the entire Water Music Suite in D Major by George Frideric Handel. It is a good quality set, and it also has one very famous movement, II. Alla Hornpipe. This sound file appears in Water Music (Handel).



Withdrawn Xclamation point 00:22, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Remarks upon Signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964

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Remarks upon Signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Speech by Lyndon Baines Johnson upon signing the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964.

One of the most important events of the United States civil rights era was the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lyndon Johnson's words about establishing equality are highly encyclopedic and particularly relevant in light of the historic event due to take place this month. Seems fitting to nominate this now. Appears at Lyndon B. Johnson and Civil Rights Act of 1964. Transcript available at Wikisource.[5]





Promoted LBJ Civil Rights signing 1964 edited.ogg --Xclamation point 23:28, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Harry Truman announcing surrender of Japan

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Announcement of the surrender of Japan
Public statement by Harry S. Truman on September 1, 1945 announcing the surrender of Japan.

This is a moment that millions of people in the United States and the rest of the world were waiting for. It is a lot of historical significance, as it marks the end of WWII. While it may not be great quality, it is high encyclopedic value. Appears in Surrender of Japan.


Promoted Harry Truman announcing surrender of Japan.ogg -- PeterSymonds (talk) 21:36, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Harry Truman announcing surrender of Germany

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Announcement of the surrender of Germany
Public statement by Harry S. Truman on May 8, 1945 announcing the surrender of Germany.

This sound file, along with Harry Truman Announcing Surrender Of Germany.ogg, provide a set of speeches that show the end of World War II. This is a powerful speech, as it is the moment that millions of people across the world were waiting for for years. This provided people with a glimpse of hope that the war would soon be over, which happened 4 months later when Japan surrendered.



Promoted Harry Truman Announcing Surrender Of Germany.ogg -- PeterSymonds (talk) 16:55, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Kennedy Cuban Missile Crisis Address

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Address on the Buildup of Arms in Cuba
Kennedy addressing the nation on October 22, 1962 about the buildup of arms on Cuba

This was a moment of great fear for the people listening, as this was the closest the United States has come to nuclear war. This is a very important address in the history of the United States, and due to the encyclopedic value, it would makes a good featured sound. It appears in John F. Kennedy and Cuban Missile Crisis.


Promoted John F Kennedy Address on the Buildup of Arms in Cuba.ogg -- PeterSymonds (talk) 17:34, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

È scherzo od è follia

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È scherzo od è follia
Enrico Caruso, Frieda Hempel, Maria Duchêne, Andrés de Segurola, and Léon Rothier perform "È scherzo od è follia" from Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (1859), in this 1915 Victor Recording.

This is a high quality recording of this work, which was recorded by some very famous operatic vocalists of the period (such as Caruso) and was written by Verdi, a well-known composer. This sound file appears in:

Therefore, due to its encyclopedic value and its high recording quality, I believe this would make a perfect featured sound.

          • I'm sorry - I can't quite hear the buzz (but I am on a laptop, so that might affect it). Is it persistent or does it occur only at certain points? If it's only the loud bits, it might have been a problem with the .ogg compression and reducing the gain might fix it, at the expense of reducing the volume. Dendodge TalkContribs 15:57, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • It's persistent and amplified by the louder passages - but I'm now hearing it on other WP files as well (like the two immediately following this) - which presumably means the problem is not this particular file. Has there been any change to the way WP handles these files recently? Does anyone know? I'm not getting the buzz on non-WP sound files, so it seems to be something specific to WP. --Kleinzach 05:35, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
              • Here is a short example on www.mtraks.com (it starts at 00:30 here) for comparison. Their version is slightly better, but both recordings are almost identical in my opinion. The sound quality isn't decisive element in this case. --Vejvančický (talk) 08:24, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - I don't hear the noise, and it appears to be a phantom artefact. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 14:41, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support I don't hear that noise either. Perhaps try a re-review on a different computer, Kleinzach? High ev and sounds excellent for a 1915 recording. Perhaps someone will persuade an opera company to copyleft it's performances, but until that happens this is likely the best we can get. DurovaCharge! 23:16, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Promoted Caruso et al - È scherzo od è follia.ogg --Xclamation point 04:58, 29 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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