News: White House to give up re-enactments

Of possible interest

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11532-11574

DAK

Reenactments of news events! Dreadful!

Doug Kerr said:

Of possible interest

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11532-11574

DAK

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Folk do reenactments of weddings. That's uncomfortably false by it's still part of just creating the necessary book of illusions for the mother of the bride and mother in laws to show their friends.

Fo the news, its fraudulent and a collusion.

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Folk do reenactments of weddings. That's uncomfortably false by it's still part of just creating the necessary book of illusions for the mother of the bride and mother in laws to show their friends.

Fo the news, its fraudulent and a collusion.

Asher

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What marry again? The same person ? Without an intervening divorce?

Are the parents not present at the ' original 'wedding ,? If they are alive, that is.
Were photographs not taken then?

How many weddings are there? To the same person.

Fahim,

We previously discussed here the angst and discomfort one photographer had in making up for wedding pictures, shortly after the wedding, where, for example the "kiss" between bride and groom was not photographed adequately or some other expected shot for the wedding book. Some of us said it dodn't matter, otehrs thought it was simply not the truth and does not represent the event.

If one has misgivings in re-staging personal snaps then for sure one should have concern about news photographs being faked.

Asher

I don't know really if it's specific to France, but I've seen wedding pictures made - before - the real wedding, because for example casual portraits have to be made on the beach or any location where the weather can be an issue or simply because it have to be photographied away from the crowd in the middle of the week. Also after the wedding the wedding dress is not in good condition, so before can be an answer. Of course it spoils all the surprise for both of them. But usually it's another type of portraits not the church/town hall kiss, just the two of them no bridesmaids, no parents etc....

Sandrine Bascouert said:

I don't know really if it's specific to France, but I've seen wedding pictures made - before - the real wedding, because for example casual portraits have to be made on the beach or any location where the weather can be an issue or simply because it have to be photographied away from the crowd in the middle of the week. Also after the wedding the wedding dress is not in good condition, so before can be an answer. Of course it spoils all the surprise for both of them. But usually it's another type of portraits not the church/town hall kiss, just the two of them no bridesmaids, no parents etc....

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Sandrine,

The entire purpose of the wedding photography and 30% of the wedding cost is related to creating a book of magic moments. There are a list of expected images. Some traditionally are made before the wedding and at a "rehearsal". However, the actual wedding, be it the breaking of the glass, a kiss or benediction for the couple, are expected to have genuine photographs of the real moment. Still, given the prime directive to deliver a magical book of images, "documenting" the most romantic time of the brides life, no device is off limits, it seems.

Asher

With all these posts of ' before ', ' during ' and ' after '; a question please:

Why do most wedding photos I see from around your part of the world have the bride usually
wearing a white dress?

And the men, usually wearing a black tuxedo/suit?

Is that a religious dictate in the Jewish and Christain faiths?

Thank you.

Normally (I just speak for France, and assuming any western country might have some similarities), White is to show the purity of the bride (widows, divorcees, mothers not already married are not supposed to wear white even if nowadays it's out of habit to wear white anytime) but there's also some kind of fashion about wearing plum colour and beige. For the grooms I don't know...

What was the original question anyway ?

Sandrine Bascouert said:

Normally (I just speak for France, and assuming any western country might have some similarities), White is to show the purity of the bride (widows, divorcees, mothers not already married are not supposed to wear white even if nowadays it's out of habit to wear white anytime) but there's also some kind of fashion about wearing plum colour and beige. For the grooms I don't know...

What was the original question anyway ?

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Thanks Sandrine.

" ....White is to show the purity of the bride (widows, divorcees, mothers not already married are not supposed to wear white..."

Purity of what? Spiritual, Physical, Body, Soul?
Why would widows, divorcees not wear white. Are they somehow, Impure?

Is it a tradition or a religious dictate?

Regards.

Hi, Fahim,

fahim mohammed said:

Is it a tradition or a religious dictate?

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I believe it is - - - tradition.

Here is an interesting discussion of the matter on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_wedding

Regarding religious dictates, in The Episcopal Church (the U. S. manifestation of Anglicanism), the use of the two popular pieces of music for American weddings, the “Bridal Chorus” from Wagner’s Lohengrin or the Wedding March from Mendelssohn incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, is not considered appropriate. (The usual expression is, "Music from drama or music drama is not appropriate.")

There are many hokey rationalizations of this. Here's a favorite (regarding the Wagner):


Ah, but done by a brass band?

Funerals are another matter altogether. I plan for mine to include works of many genres, some from Wagner's music dramas, one work by John Philip Sousa (his transcription of a traditional hymn - you know how I love paradox!). I'm just now working on the possibility of a gospel hymn to be done in the original Swedish.


There will, however, be nine verses (something Episcopalians can well accept).

Best regards,

Doug

Here is a link to my production version of my adaptation of the Sousa transcription for band of the hymn, "Nearer, My God, To Thee" as an MP3 file:

http://dougkerr.net/music/Nearer_my_God_to_Thee.mp3

Here is the story, taken from the Program Notes to the musical program for my funeral:

John Philip Sousa, then conductor of the United States Marine Band, prepared a band transcription of the beloved hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" to be performed by the Band at the funeral of President James A. Garfield in 1881.

In 1892, Sousa gave up the baton of the Marine Band and formed his own “commercial band”, The Sousa Band. He wished to include Sunday performances in the band’s schedule, but was concerned that religious leaders might feel that such a secular activity was inappropriate on the Sabbath.

To defuse such criticism, he included in his Sunday performances his own band transcriptions of a number of hymns and other sacred pieces. Among these works was "Songs of Grace and Songs of Glory", a medley of five religious numbers in which he included an updated form of his earlier transcription of "Nearer, My God, to Thee".

In recent times, Keith Brion, noted Sousa scholar and founder and conductor of The New Sousa Band, and Loras Schissel, founder and conductor of the Great Virginia Military Band and curator of the Sousa collection at the Library of Congress, prepared a new transcription for band of Songs of Grace and Songs of Glory, which was frequently performed by The New Sousa Band, often with Schissel as guest conductor.

The orchestration is for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 Eb clarinets, 2 Bb clarinets, bassoon, baritone saxophone, cornet, two trumpets, two horns, two trombones, euphonium, tuba, tympani, and a set of extended-range tubular bells (with compass Bb3-Bb5).

I extracted the Nearer, My God, to Thee portion of this score, adapted it, and transcribed it into an electronic score for performance on a modern sequencer-synthesizer. [It is such a performance we hear in the MP3 file]

A hallmark of the arrangement is the recurring ostinato which first appears in the solo bassoon at the beginning of “verse 2” (referencing the choral hymn). At the midpoint of that verse, the bassoon is joined in the ostinato by the euphonium and tuba. At the beginning of “verse 3”, the clarinets (Eb and Bb) join in the ostinato, along with the tubular bells playing in octaves a variation of the ostinato evocative of change ringing.

Hymnologists will note that the tune upon which this work is based is that generally used in America for the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee" (Bethany, Lowell Mason). A different tune (Horbury, Dykes) is used for the hymn in Great Britain, and two other tunes (both due to Sir Arthur Sullivan) have been used from time to time.

The bassoon, tubular bell, and euphonium parts in this arrangement are dedicated to certain friends and family members, players of those instruments.

Best regards,

Doug

Thank you Doug.

As to other interesting details added, I shall have to take my time digesting them.

Re: the next post. May you live long and prosper friend.

Kindest regards.

fahim mohammed said:

Why do most wedding photos I see from around your part of the world have the bride usually wearing a white dress?

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That is a relatively recent tradition, actually. Apparently, it got popular with queen Victoria's wedding.

In the roman times and the middle ages, brides wore red (as in present India). White was the color of mourning for queens until Catherine de Médicis.

My family is partly from the Alps and there, whenever a young lady has been known to have "already seen the wolf" (already had carnal knowledge), old maiden around used to despise her for wearing white at her wedding. These are things that you see and hear when young. These places are really remote and people have a custom of their own, like a 90 days of full mourning for widows (complete black) then 1 year of half-mourning (purple and black) then pale colours or dull colour for the rest of your life. They were not encouraged to get married again but if they did, they get married in grey or pale yellow, with no lace or fancy garments. If you happen to mourn a man who had kill himself, you wear the shame of it your entire life, not having a mass for the funeral, usually never marry again. The man who has committed suicide was not allowed in the common churchyard and was buried away from the others, in the so called "suicidal patch".


As for my funeral, I want the magnificent hymn from Hank Smith, usually performed in such occasions by Pat Spinney.

Underwater Funeral Theme

May my sweet soul rest in peace among jellyfish and giant Japanese spider crabs.

Sandrine Bascouert said:

May my sweet soul rest in peace among jellyfish and giant Japanese spider crabs.

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But much much before that may we have the pleasure of your company amongst us for
a long long time to come.

Best wishes.

p.s Ayesha was on the phone from Jaipur, India about ten minutes ago. The only thing she went
on about was that I would love to be with my camera there. She says its that good.
Hmmm!. Food for thought or action?

lemme think.....ACTION!

Sandrine Bascouert said:

lemme think.....ACTION!

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Ah! Sandrine. If only I was as young as you are.
The soul is willing, but the flesh..the less said about it the better.

Take care.

Talking of Japanese Crabs.

In the year 1185, The Emperor of Japan was a 7 year old boy named Antoku. Belonged to a clan of the Samurai, the Heiki They were fighting wars with the Genji; another Samurai clan.

Anyways there was a war at sea. The Heiki, as a result, almost vanished from history.
The full story is told in the ' Tale of the Heike '. The Heike drowned.

Nowadays a ceremony held to commemorate this defeat. As has been done for centuries.
The fishermen for centuries were returning certain crabs to the sea!

They reminded them of the Heiki Samurai warriors.

Evolution did the rest. Hence you have the Heike Crab from the Inland sea.

See a picture of the Heike Crab. You shall understand.

Best wishes.

I like the idea of being "buried" drowned in the sea. Nothing material remains except in the stomach of sea creatures (it may sound disgusting at first: but flies, maggots or crabs, does it make any difference?). On the other hand it cost barely nothing, sparing some money for close ones to feast on your behalf. But I may sound too down-to-earth.

As for press photo re-enactments, it sounds a bit like more advertisement than real "news". I wasn't aware of the procedure. Since when a news image got to be beautiful?

@Fahim
I saw the crabs, pretty obvious now!

Here is an update to the matter of the White House policy on re-enactments:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/02/white-house-to-permit-liv_n_870132.html

Asher: note the passage on "blimpage" (paragraph 3, last sentence).

Best regards,

Doug