Temperaments are weighty critters, so bear with me for an explanation. They form the basis for tuning instruments. When the Mobile Orchestra performs a Tchaikovsky piano concerto they need to tune to a piano that is in tune. On a piano the distance between adjacent keys is a half step or minor second and holds true for every key on the piano. This distance is measured in units called cents. Each half step is equal to 100 cents. Since there are twelve half steps in each octave (say C-C), there are 1200 cents in each octave.
Temperaments are the way tuners have traditionally adjusted the half steps. Equal temperament is the distance between every half step and is 100 cents. Just temperaments are less than 100 and slightly flat or more than 100 and slightly sharp.
Whew! With that weighty critter out of the way you now understand that musical temperaments are an exact set of measurements (an algorithm) by which the twelve divisions of the octave are tuned.
Now for your music and math exercise. We will give you some hints, but first the question. The movie which has the following hints involves an algorithm. Remember that temperaments are an algorithm. What is the name of the movie?
Hint One
"start with the tone, up a full tone, down a major third, now drop an octave, up a perfect fifth."
Hint Two
Lacombe suggests that the organist play the sequence with an increased tempo and try different frequencies for the five notes, as he marches out to the end of the runway.
Hint Three
"Give her six quavers, then pause. She sent us four quavers, a group of five quavers, a group of four semi quavers..."
Hint Four
"Its the first day of school, fellows. Take everything from the lady. Follow her pattern note for note."
Hint Five
First shown in 1977.
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