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French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Music
French term or phrase:dans le compas
This is an article on an event that takes place every year in Seville.
Cette musique n'a pas de chef. Poignante ou vive, elle avance à pas lents. Certains airs déchirent, d'autres éclatent. Impossible de deviner comment l’imposant tuba du troisième rang est à ce point dans le compas avec la clarinettiste du soixantième.
It gives me a feeling of New Orleans, but that doesn't make it any easier to translate.
I've never seen this expression before.
Can anyone help?
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 54 mins (2010-04-08 17:56:31 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure, but here is one meaning of 'compas':
P. métaph. ou au fig.
1. [P. réf. à la forme du compas] Le (ou les) compas. Les jambes. Ouvrir, fermer le compas. Marcher. Allonger le compas. Marcher rapidement
Given the context this term is the most suitable. I think this term does indeed come from the Spanish word as David pointed out. Many thanks for all your suggestions. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
The French idiom "avoir un compas dans l'oeil," literally, "to have a compass in the eye" refers to one's ability, without the help of the instrument, to correctly assess measurements and distances.
Straying from the main topic here, but interesting!
Very interesting discussion, Clanola: I've seen what I might translate as "having a compass in the eye" too - in an old Larousse!
The asker's choice of your "in step with" may well be what is meant - that marching thing. (I once saw soldiers on parade at Whitehall - spaced out by a giant wooden compass!)
Kashew, I think I understand how you are interpreting 'compas'. You are looking at the meaning of compas as being the circle drawn by the compass, encompassing these two musical instruments? The tuba and the clarinette are both within this circle (dans le compas)? If so, 'within earshot' makes some sense.
What about this meaning:
b) Locutions
♦ Faire qqc. par compas, au compas. Avec exactitude, rigueur, minutie
If this were the meaning, maybe it could be translated:
A (self-deafened?) tuba player 50m away from a clarinettist plus all the other instruments between them is hard put to respond! Maybe it's the tuba who leads. Anyway "communication/interaction/sense of direction (le cap!)" could be what we are all looking for?
Compás is indeed a flamenco term, and English speakers who don't know Spanish may assume that it is specifically flamenco. It is not. It is an everyday musical term, basically translated into English as time signature. Yes, flamenco has complicated time signatures. But almost all music has time signatures.
Philgodard, interesting questions. I googled dans le compas and landed on this dictionary of flamenco: http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/OscarNieto/Glossary.html
where if you look up "toque a compas" you find:
guitar playing with fixed patterns of rhythmic beats
So maybe "in time with" or "in the beat" would be appropriate rather than my suggestion "the degree of complicity".
I still think we're barking up the wrong tree.
I can't see any evidence that this is the Spanish word compás, which is a flamenco term.
There is also a Haitian musical genre called Compas with a capital C.
If you Google "dans le compas" you get lots of music-related hits, but I still can't work out what it means.
And what does "à ce point" mean? Is it "point of the compass"?
And just out of interest, Miranda, what music are we talking about here?
If one can't explain where in French this word is used as a French musical term, I don't see how one can pretend the author sees it as a French word. In French, it is only used musically in the Caribbean, in Haiti for a style of dance in the Meringue-Zouk family. Otherwise it is used with its Spanish meaning.
Explanation: This is créole music - the compas (from the Spanish) refers to the "time signature" in a general way, but also to the feeling that implies, as in compas from flamenco. I'd definitely retain the original word here, which is also used in English texts about this music.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 mins (2010-04-08 17:17:07 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
It's similar to talking about "swing" - it is an essential rhythmic quality to this music. You could translate at "in the swing", but it would be a translation. Just as we use "swing" in French jazz talk, we use "compas" in English.
David Vaughn Local time: 08:00 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 176
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you for this information regarding the Spanish word 'compas', it was very helpful, and at least I know now where it comes from. However, it is not necessary for the meaning in the English text, so I have chosen 'in step with'
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 54 mins (2010-04-08 17:56:31 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure, but here is one meaning of 'compas':
P. métaph. ou au fig.
1. [P. réf. à la forme du compas] Le (ou les) compas. Les jambes. Ouvrir, fermer le compas. Marcher. Allonger le compas. Marcher rapidement
clain Local time: 02:00 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Given the context this term is the most suitable. I think this term does indeed come from the Spanish word as David pointed out. Many thanks for all your suggestions.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): -1
