# Do you speak classical-music Italian? How would you translate this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918 "2000-12-31T18:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/1 "2000-12-31T18:49:51Z")
I received a couple of $1.98 Wal-Mart classical music CDs for Christmas (it’s the thought that counts, right? :rolleyes: ). They feature an orchestra listed both as the “Orchestra Dell’Accademia Della Magnifica Comunita” and simply as “Accademia Della Magnifica Comunita”. So what I wanna know is, how does this translate into English? The Academy of the Magnificent Community Orchestra? The Orchestra of the Academy of the Magnificent Community? The Magnificent Community Academy Orchestra? I’m familiar with orchestras being called something like the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-fields, but I can’t manage to work this up into a name. But I do like the sound of “The Magnificent Community Orchestra.” It’s got a certain zip to it that “the Hartford Civic Orchestra” doesn’t. And actually, the music’s not bad. It’s Bach, and as long as you’re playing in tune (which they are, whoever they are) it’s hard to wreck Bach. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/2 "2000-12-31T18:57:50Z")
Well, my Italian is spotty at best, but I think that Orchestra Of The Academy Of The Magnificent Community serves as a literal translation. From there, you could possibly glean the Magnificent Community Academy Orchestra. Got a ring to it, no? That’s what you get for two bucks, I suppose. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/3 "2001-01-02T00:46:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*And actually, the music’s not bad. It’s Bach, and as long as you’re playing in tune (which they are, whoever they are) it’s hard to wreck Bach. \*\* As Radar O’Reilly said in that timeless episode of M_A_S\*H, " Ahhh, Bach !! ". I checked with the wife, she’s a Coloratura Soprano. She agrees with Andygirl’s assessment. That’s two votes. May I ask what the pieces were? And, if the players from Hartford had trained at Hart College, then they ain’t half bad 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/4 "2001-01-02T00:47:52Z")
Why do I have this terrible gnawing feeling I’m going to catch hell for misspelling " Coloratura " ??? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/5 "2001-01-02T00:53:19Z")
> [@](#): > > The Academy of the Magnificent Community > Orchestra? The Orchestra of the Academy of the Magnificent Community? The Magnificent > Community Academy Orchestra? Any and all of these are correct translations. Pick the one that sounds best to you. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-speak-classical-music-italian-how-would-you-translate-this/47918/6 "2001-01-02T14:35:56Z")
The musicians sound extremely competent. Split between the two CDs, the pieces were Brandenburg 2 and 4, the French Suites, the A minor Concerto for Flute and Violin, and a lot of one-movement samples from things like Brandenburg 5. I hate it when they do that. Evidently they were only interested in getting it to come out at exactly 60 minutes, give or take a few seconds. I think I like **Andygirl’s** “Magnificent Community Academy Orchestra” the best, although now I’m left wondering what the “magnificent community” in question is. You don’t see civic pride like that anymore. The CDs were printed in Quebec, so there’s no clue.