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Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8

Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? (lit. 'Dearest God, when will I die?'), BWV8, is a church cantata for the 16th Sunday after Trinity by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a chorale cantata, part of Bach's second cantata cycle. Bach performed it for the first time on 24 September 1724 in St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig. The cantata is scored for SATB singers, four wind instruments, strings and continuo.

The text of the cantata is a reflection on death, based on "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben", a Lutheran hymn in five stanzas which Caspar Neumann wrote around 1690. Bach adapted Daniel Vetter's setting of this hymn, composed in the early 1690s and first printed in 1713, in the cantata's first and last movements. The opening movement is a chorale fantasia, an extensive instrumental piece, punctuated by the four-part choir, who sing line by line from the first stanza of Neumann's hymn. The last movement, the closing chorale, is a version of Vetter's 1713 four-part setting Liebster Gott, borrowed and reworked by Bach. The four other movements of the cantata, a succession of arias and recitatives, were composed by Bach for vocal and instrumental soloists. The anonymous libretto for these movements is an expanded paraphrase of the second to fourth stanzas of Neumann's hymn.

Bach revived the cantata in the 1730s, and, after transposing it from E major to D major, in the late 1740s. After Bach's death, the cantata was revived again in Leipzig, in the mid 1750s. The vocal parts of its closing chorale were published in the second half of the 18th century, in Birnstiel's and Breitkopf's collections of four-part chorales by Bach. The Bach Gesellschaft (BG) published the cantata in 1851, in the first volume of their collected edition of Bach's works. John Troutbeck's translation, When will God recall my spirit?, was published in a vocal score a few decades later. Both the E major and D major versions of the cantata were published in the New Bach Edition (NBE) in 1982.

Commentators have agreed in their praise for the cantata: William G. Whittaker wrote that, "Few cantatas are so wholly attractive and so individual as this lovely work"; Alfred Dürr has written that, "The opening chorus presents the listener with a sublime vision of the hour of death"; and Arnold Schering states that, "The opening movement of the cantata must be ranked as one of the most arresting tone-pictures ever penned by Bach." There have been many recordings of the cantata, starting with that by Karl Richter in 1959. In the 1970s there were "period instrument" recordings of all the cantatas by Helmuth Rilling and by Gustav Leonhardt–Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Later recordings include those by Joshua Rifkin, Philippe Herreweghe, Ton Koopman and John Eliot Gardiner.

Background
All of Bach's cantatas for the Trinity XVI occasion meditate on death, a theme linked to the Gospel reading. In Bach's day, a common interpretation of the Gospel reading was that it prefigured Christ resurrecting the faithful to eternal life, and in this sense the reading inspired a longing for death: an early death meant one would be sooner close to this desired resurrection. Two cantatas for the Trinity XVI occasion, composed by Bach before BWV 8, take this approach on the theme of death:
 * Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161, first performed in Weimar on 27 September 1716.
 * Christus, der ist mein Leben, BWV 95, composed in Leipzig, a year before BWV 8, and first performed on 12 September 1723.

The second of these two cantatas was composed in Bach's first year as cantor at St. Thomas in Leipzig, as part of his first cantata cycle. For the Sundays after Trinity of 1724, around a year after he had moved to Leipzig, Bach started his second cantata cycle. The cantatas of this cycle, the chorale cantata cycle, are each based on a pre-existing Lutheran hymn and its chorale setting. O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, a chorale cantata from Bach's second cycle, was first presented in June 1724 and has a funereal theme comparable to that of a Trinity XVI cantata. BWV 8, a meditation on a Christian's death, approaches the death theme differently from Bach's earlier Trinity XVI and BWV 10 cantatas: anxious questions about the hour of death dominate the first half of the BWV 8 cantata, while in its later movements such sorrows are dismissed with references to Christ and God's standfastness.

Compared to the over 50 other chorale cantatas composed by Bach, most of which are based on hymns and chorale melodies that were at least half a century old when Bach adopted them, the BWV 8 cantata is based on relatively recent material, that is, by an author and a composer who lived into the 18th century.

Hymn and melody
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8, is one of Bach's church cantatas for the 16th Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XVI). The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Ephesians, praying for the strengthening of faith in the congregation of Ephesus, and from the Gospel of Luke, the raising from the dead of the young man from Nain.

Caspar Neumann, a professor of Protestant theology and pastor from Breslau, wrote "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben", a hymn in five stanzas of eight lines, around 1690.

Daniel Vetter, a native of Breslau, set Neumann's hymn in the first half of the 1690s. In 1695, this setting of the hymn was sung at the funeral of cantor Jakob Wilisius in Breslau. In 1713, Vetter published a SATB setting of his hymn tune, Zahn No. 6634, as the concluding piece, Nos 91–92, of the second volume of his Musicalische Kirch- und Hauß-Ergötzlichkeit (lit. 'Musical Refreshment for Church and Home'). The two volumes of that publication, totalling 221 four-part settings of Lutheran chorale melodies, were first printed in Leipzig. Aimed at the pious Leipzig merchant class for "spiritual recreation" or "refreshment" through music, the simple four-part organ chorales were paired with spinet or clavichord broken-chord variations, in the style brisé, then in vogue. Like Bach's Orgelbüchlein composed during the same period, Vetter's collection starts with Nun komm der Heiden Heiland. It has one piece per page, except for the final chorale Liebster Gott of the 1713 volume which is annotated on two full pages with four separate staves for cantus, alto, tenor and figured bass:

From Kirsten Beißwenger's 1992 dissertation on Bach's personal Library, Bachs Notenbibliothek (BNB), it is surmised that the Bach family owned a copy of the second volume of Vetter's Musicalische Kirch- und Haus-Ergötzlichkeit.

Vetter became organist at St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig in 1679, after succeeding his teacher Werner Fabricius. Vetter's and Bach's paths crossed in 1717: since 1710, Vetter had been supervising the remodelling by Johann Scheibe of the organ of St. Paul's Church in Leipzig; and in December 1717, in a famous report, Bach examined and evaluated the rebuilt instrument with a discussion of Vetter's and his reimbursement. In January 1718, Vetter referred to Bach's appraisal of Scheibe's organ. Vetter died in Leipzig in 1721.

BWV 8.1 in E major
BWV 8.1, the first version of Bach's chorale cantata Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, was first performed in St. Nicholas Church on 24 September 1724. The sermon was preached by Salomon Deyling. A volume of Texte zur Leipziger Kirchen-Music (lit. 'Texts for Church Music in Leipzig') containing the librettos of all five chorale cantatas which Bach first performed in September 1724 is extant. The volume was printed by Immanuel Tietze, likely by the time the first of these five cantatas was performed: The Trinity XVI cantata of Bach's third cantata cycle, Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende? BWV 27, was first performed on 6 October 1726. BWV 8.1, in E major, was revived in the 1730s, with changes to the type of flute.
 * 1) Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 33, for Trinity XIII, first performed on Sunday 3 September 1724.
 * 2) Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78, for Trinity XIV, first performed on Sunday 10 September 1724.
 * 3) Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 99, for Trinity XV, first performed on Sunday 17 September 1724.
 * 4) Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8.1, for Trinity XVI, first performed on Sunday 24 September 1724.
 * 5) Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130.1, for St. Michael's Day, first performed on Friday 29 September 1724.

BWV 8.2 in D major
Bach revived the cantata in the late 1740s, with the key transposed down a whole tone from E major to D major. This version of the cantata, BWV 8.2, is also extant, and was likely first performed in September 1747. Some changes to the instrumentation were also implemented: for example, in the first movement the two oboe d'amore parts are given to concertante violins, and in the bass aria, an oboe d'amore plays colla parte with the first violins.

Text and translations
The first and last verses of Neumann's hymn correspond to the first and final movements of the cantata, both of them choral movements. The middle four movements were written by an anonymous librettist, but conformed fairly closely to the spirit of Neumann's other three verses.

Novello published John Troutbeck's translation in the 1870s. A translation by J. Michael Diack was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1931. Jean Lunn's translation was published in 1981. In 2020, Z. Philip Ambrose published a revised edition of his 1980s translation of the cantata's text. Melvin P. Unger published an interlinear translation of the cantata in 1996. Richard D. P. Jones's 2005 translation of Alfred Dürr's 1992 book on Bach's cantatas contains a translation of the cantata's libretto. Pamela Dellal's translation of the libretto can be found on the Emmanuel Music website.

Scoring
BWV 8.1 is scored for: For BWV 8.2:
 * SATB soloists and choir
 * horn
 * flute (fl): originally flauto piccolo, a high pitched recorder, later replaced by a transverse flute
 * two oboes d'amore (oba)
 * strings (str): two violin parts and one viola part
 * basso continuo (bc)
 * same vocal forces as BWV 8.1
 * taille
 * traverso (fl)
 * 2 oba
 * str as in BWV 8.1, with additionally two solo violins (vl)
 * bc

Movements
The cantata is in six movements:

1
The opening chorale fantasia sets the first stanza of Neumann's hymn. The opening chorus is a gapped chorale setting of Vetter's melody. The alto, tenor, and bass voices sing free counterpoint, while the sopranos sing the chorale unadorned. Spitta described the sound of this movement as a "church-yard full of flowers in the springtime". As Dürr comments, the chorus, with instrumental ensemble of high obbligato flute, two oboes d'amore and downward plucked arpeggios, presents "a sublime vision of the hour of death".

deems the opening movement of BWV 8 to be "one of the most arresting tone-pictures ever penned by Bach." Although in principle it could be described as a "choral movement", the two or two and a half bar choral passages are so brief and separated by themselves from the extensive instrumental music of the ritornellos, that "they recede as it were into the shadows". The primarily orchestral movement conjures up a poetic image of death, with a mood of prayerful contemplation by the Christian soul. This human spirit is captured without words by the two expressive oboes d'amore. As Schering writes: "Their constant sweet-sounding strains overflow in tenderly articulate, or light and gracefully swelling, figures, which, treated in dialogue form, constitute a stream of almost ceaseless melody". The mournful mood is reflected by the choice of E major as key signature. Schering then explains further poetic ideas involving the movement: metaphysical questions concerning fate, mortality and the hereafter. He describes the old church in Leipzig, with its five bells, the highest and most piercing of which was the death-knell. The staccato repetitive semiquavers of the transverse flute, played at the top of its register, portray pealing bells in Bach's musical iconography—unexpected and unsettling sounds for the listeners. The musical imagery for death is completed by hushed pizzicato triplet quavers in the strings accompanied by solemn beats in the basso continuo. Schering explains how Bach uses all possible musical resources in depicting the troubled soul: "interrupted cadences, chromaticism and diminished sevenths." With a careful balance between choir and delicately scored orchestra, "the whole movement will produce an extraordinarily powerful effect."

compares BWV 8 with the cantata O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, a chorale cantata Bach had composed slightly earlier, in June 1724. He notes that, although both cantatas have a similar funereal theme, the two have a quite different spirit. BWV 20 has biblical references to the Raising of Lazarus, and its tortured mood resonates with boiling cauldrons, devils and hell-fire as depicted in Early Netherlandish morality paintings by Hieronymous Bosch and his contemporaries. In contrast, the biblical references for BWV 8 are to the Raising of the son of the widow of Nain; instead of instilling fear, it presents a vision where a penitential sinner, despite their unworthiness, can be saved by God's mercy and be rewarded in heaven. Whittaker finds it unusual that Bach has produced two such differing approaches to death, as disparate as those of Berlioz and Franck.

Having taken note of underlying biblical references, Whittaker explains the highly original musical conception for the first movement: "It is virtually a duet for two oboes d'amore, tender and mournful, an example of 'endless melody' long before Wagner coined the term." With about 70 bars in the movement, the mournful elegy seems "oblivious of space and time." The upper strings are accompanied by arpeggio triplet quaver motifs, only interrupted four times. The continuo only plays on the first and third of each beat throughout the movement, creating an unearthly quality. The obbligato transverse flute solo, playing at its highest register, is unique: the semiquavers repeated 24 times represent the quavering soul; while the arpeggiated semiquavers depict pealing bells. According to Whittaker, because the original chorale was not developed in any way, the movement should strictly be regarded as an extended chorale instead of a chorale fantasia. The cantus firmus of the chorale is quite different from those Bach normally used, more florid with more changes of note-lengths. It is not suitable for use as augmentation, Bach's habitual way of employing way the melody. It is sung one beat per note accompanied by the horn, sometimes with ornamentation; only once does the cantus firmus play for more than 3 bars; and except for once, when it is joined by the tenor, it starts alone on the upbeat. Although Whittaker comments on the changes to scoring for the different versions (with solo violins replacing the oboes d'amore, possibly because of technical breathing difficulties), he concludes: "it is wholly unlike any other expansion of a chorale. One may think of it as a solemn funeral which is watched by someone who is himself about to depart, and who, from time to time, breathes to himself this hymn."

After outlining the technical difficulties involving performances of BWV 8 for the virtuosic obbligato flute solo passages in the opening movement, finds that the later version in D major might be easier to execute but loses the "iridescent tonal palette" of E major, the original key. Anderson writes of the first movement of the cantata: "The transcendentally beautiful opening chorus of Liebster Gott must rank among Bach's most poetic and alluring fantasias." Although Bach composed profoundly moving cantatas evoking the death-knell before hand (BWV 161, BWV 73, BWV 95) and afterwards (BWV 127, BWV 198), the first movement of BWV 8 is unique in the imaginative and tender way it summons up the haunting atmosphere of chiming death-knells. Two melodious oboes d'amore, the high-pitched transverse flute and pizzicato strings provide the extensive orchestral passages which are interspersed with each short vocal line of Vetter's chorale. The soprano cantus firmus is sung colla parte with the horn. When all these components are combined, Bach's music evokes a "melancholy but affirmative, and in no sense desolate, picture."

2
The second movement in C sharp minor is a tenor aria, characterized by continued tones of the death knell in the pizzicato accompaniment of the continuo. The instrumental and vocal lines, with its detached quavers, ornamentation and imitative entries, are an eloquent duet between the oboe d'amore and the tenor. For, the aria is a model of Bach's high regard for the text. Dealing again with Christian faith and human fear of death, the theme is now of terror: the musical motifs are angular and the mood anguished.

gives a detailed description of the musical structure of the tenor aria (not a da capo aria). In contrast to the first movement, where the chorus comment watchfully, the text and mood are more empassioned. The aria begins with a ritornello—an expressive oboe d'amore solo accompanied by detached pizzicato quavers for the continuo, representing the solemn funeral bells. The 1727 aria Erbarme dich, mein Gott ("Have mercy my God") for alto and violin from the St Matthew Passion is identical melodically, although the phrasing is slightly different. This musical motif is one that Bach often associates with "pity". The ritornello continues with a lengthy passage for semiquavers, where musical iconography again comes into play. As the tenor takes over the instrumental material, the oboe d'amore accompanies imitatively. The tenor is later heard with emphatic detached staccato crotchets as he sings schlägt ("strikes"), for the clock striking on the hour; and later still the oboe d'amore semiquavers are heard in parallel thirds with the tenor's soaring tausend ("thousand"). The extended second section begins with the words Mein Leib ("my body"): here the inversion of melody is heard twice with further parallel renditions of "thousand"; and long sustained notes for Ruh ("rest") accompany a restatement of the oboe d'amore melody. The second section concludes with the instrumental ritornello.

3
The third movement is an alto recitative, where the soloist sings of their fear of death. With a string accompaniment, they sing of their questions of anxiety. Phrygian cadences, with the voice rising, are heard twice: this musical technique was how Bach liked to introduce a questioning tone. writes: "What mastery in the last four bars alone, forming a questioning close in the Phrygian mode!" As described by, the soloist complains of "wordly suffering and loss." This beautiful setting is filled with emotion: the first violin "moves uneasily, as if the soul were trying to raise its load."

4
Contrasting with the preceding recitative, the fourth movement is a joyous bass da capo aria in "jig tempo". There is a complete change of mood: "It is a delightful gigue, a piece of unabashed dance music made to serve the purpose of the church." With all despondency quelled, the obbligato transverse flute starts its rhythmic solo in A major and 12/8 times. In Bach's sacred works, the flute was most often associated with death and mourning; but here it evokes joyous laughter; this kind of virtuosic writing, with brilliant rapid semiquaver passage work and extraordinary leaps, is reminiscent of the Brandenburg Concertos or Orchestral Suites (for example the last movements of the Third, Fifth or Sixth Brandenburg Concerto or the Badinerie from Suite No 2).

discuss Bach's gigue from the perspect of baroque dance music. A special kind of 12/8 gigue used by Bach was singled out, the Giga II, his "most complex, exploratory and challenging." They are characterised by their subdivided beats (e.g. triplets), normally with an upbeat; a joyous and intense mood; jigging rhythms; long phrases without break; and a dance-like lilt. Little and Jenne write that these were "the farthest from actual dancing or any choreographic associations at all ... more of an instrumental excursion than any other Baroque dance type except the allemande. It is easy to see why Bach was attracted to it, even though his German contemporaries were not." The bass aria falls into this category.

The 16 bar ritornello for solo flute and strings has several striking characteristics: the "rollicking tune" in the first two bars; the "quirky responses" in quavers and semiquavers in bars three and four; the "leaping passages" which dart up and below in bar five and even more so in bar six; the "sustained note", a 'halo' announced by an ornamental triplet in the flute, while the first violins take up the boisterous tune in bars eight and nine; the "quaver triplet scales" in bar eleven; the "triplet arpeggios" cavorting upwards in bars twelve and thirteen; and three "repeating semiquaver motifs" in bar fifteen that prepare for the final cadence. The other parts of the ritornello involve rapid semiquaver passage work for the flute, often in sequences, as the strings gently accompany either with detached crotchets or long sustained notes.

After the ritornello, the singing of the bass soloist begins with a section of 22 bars. There is an expository section for bass, flute and strings. The bass starts with its romping melody for two bars, accompanied by the 'halo' motif on the flute and a new sighing response in the strings: the flute responds with the last two bars of the ritornello; the bass then sings another two bars of the tune, with the flute and strings swapping their roles. After that bass and flute perform a duet, with the strings playing the samme accompanying role as in the ritornello (detached crotchets or long sustained notes). The new music for the bass singer combines rapid semiquaver runs and turns, detached quavers and long sustained notes; this material is matched to the earlier flute motifs. The flow is broken as the bass asks "Mich rufet mein Jesus, wer sollte nicht gehn?" in detached phrases, accompanied on the flute by triplet scales and three bars of high-pitched arpeggios. Accompanied only by the continuo, the bass then sings the same question to the tune of the triplet scale and arpeggio figures; without pause the flute and strings play a two and a half bar coda similar to the end of the ritornello.

The music of the next 15 bars is sung to the second part of the text and corresponds to the middle da capo section. The bass here plays a more dominant role, starting off in a dance-like rhythm with several octave leaps. There are initially gently responses from flute and strings. Then, as the bass solo starts to sing the staccato crotchets "nichts", the flute commences a motto perpetuo accompaniment with the 'repeating semiquaver motifs' in sequence and sustained strings. With strings playing only detached crotchets, the bass solo begins a new long sequences of semiquaver figures on "verkläret" in parallel with the flute. With an octave leap, the bass sings a sustained Jesus. As the flute in a flourish takes up its original jig tune in the relative minor accompanied by short sighs in the strings, the bass sings "verkläret" with an octave leap and a one and a half bar note for the second syllable. With just the continuo, the bass finishes his phrase with herrlich vor Jesu zu stehn.

The da capo section starts off with the 16 bar ritornello for flute and strings repeated without change. The final section lasts 24 bars, thus 22 bars for bass, flute and strings plus a two and a half bar coda for orchestra alone. The first six bars are identical to the corresponding solo bass section. At that point a half bar of two semiquaver scales is introduced in the orchestra, while the key modulates through D major to E major. Otherwise, with some adaptations, flute and strings play as before, but now off beat. For the bass solo almost all of the musical material is unaltered (a few semiquaver motifs become closer to those of the flute). The final solo bass phrase with continuo acquires an additional half bar for the last words "wer wollte ich gehn?" The movement concludes with a two and a half bar coda for flute and strings ending on an A major cadence.

5
The fifth movement is a short secco recitative for soprano and continuo. The confident mood of the bass aria is maintained in the soprano line. paraphrases the last sentence of the text Und kann nicht sterben as 'and cannot die.' He notes that: "In spite of the happiness of the mood, Bach cannot resist falsifying the meaning of the sentence by painting 'die' with a melisma involving a diminished third."

6
The chorus and orchestra unite in the final chorale. Wolff notes that "the texturally transparent and rhythmically vibrant setting" of the closing chorale is informed by the treatment of the opening chorus. Emil Platen and Christoph Wolff have observed that when Bach adapted or borrowed chorales from more recent composers such as Vopelius or Vetter, he composed in a more fashionable and melodic style. According to the concluding sentence of, there is a "brief secco recitative, after which all participants unite in the concluding chorale—borrowed from Daniel Vetter, albeit with radical alterations." According to, Bach's musical treatment of the closing chorale, closely modelled on Vetter's original from 1713, is "modernistic" and closer to songs from the Schemellis Gesangbuch. Mostly the soprano voice leads with an upbeat, followed by the lower voices; and, for the concluding "Schanden" ("shame"), the harmony is forlorn. Whittaker writes: "the basses have a splendid phrase sinking from upper C to low E. The flute is instructed to double the melody ottava." Arnold Schering summarises the last movement as follows: "After the mood thus established has been re-asserted by the soprano in a Recitative, there follows the final Chorale—this time arranged on a plan unusual with Bach. The crotchets of each line are separated into upbeat quavers, and in one or two voices are made to precede the others. Hence a certain liveliness is achieved, a happy counterpart to the spirit of joy attained in the bass aria." As comments, a single crotchet bass note and a key change from A major to E major signal the beginning of the final chorale: contrary to Bach's usual method of composition, he did not produce an original harmonisation but adopted Vetter's as "a gesture of appreciation towards a predecessor whom Bach must have respected."

Autograph manuscripts and copyists
Although first performed in 1724, Bach's original manuscript for the vocal and orchestral parts of BWV 8.1 did not remain in the archives of the St. Thomas Church: around 150 years later, the autograph manuscripts were acquired by the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. In fact, after Bach's death, the music publishing company of Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf, at the 1761 Michaelmas Fair in Leipzig, started to advertise their own catalogue of hand-copied and printed versions of sacred cantatas, at that stage uniquely for feast days. Apart from the two churches where Bach previously had duties, the St. Thomas Church and the St. Nicholas Church, the only church where concerts were regularly held was the Neukirche. With a second Breitkopf catalogue for 1770, interest in church music was even more in decline during the second half of the eighteenth century, possibly as a result of changing fashions, with demands for more performable and simpler repertoire. Breitkopf expressed regret that amateur musicians "are not used to playing from engraved and printing editions, but often prefer to play from more expensive handwritten copies." With his company failing, in 1796 Breitkopf sold his business concerns to Gottfried Christoph Härtel.

Although the history of how Bach's autograph parts were transmitted to Brussels has become well known, the role as copyists of schoolboys at the Thomasschule has been harder to establish. Recently has devoted a book to the topic. In 2003 Michael Maul and Peter Wollny settled a mystery about a previously unidentified copyist for BWV 8. He had been described by Göttingen musicologists Dürr and Kobayashi as the "Doles copyist" ("Schreiber der Doles-Partituren"), because of the association with C.F. Doles, Thomaskantor from 1756 until 1789. discovered that the copyist was Carl Friedrich Barth, born in 1734, the son of a merchant from Glauchau. Barth became a chorister at the Thomasschule in 1746, where he was picked out by Bach for his skills in Latin to become music prefect. After leading performances at the Thomaskirche and Nikolaikirche, he enrolled at the University of Leipzig in 1757 to study philosophy and theology. In 1770 he was appointed as a Cantor in Borna, where he died in 1813.

Although in 1803 Härtel stated that the Bach family had already received a large sum for purchasing Bach's inherited manuscripts, the statement required some degree of qualification. The rebranded company of Breitkopf & Härtel advertised its 1810 "Catalogue of Church Music that can be obtained in accurate and clean copies." Amongst the Bach cantatas listed were BWV 8 as well as Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54, BWV 80, BWV 97, BWV 117, BWV 118 and BWV 131. Härtel died in 1827, sending the publishing firm once more into financial disarray with "grim years under shakey management." This instability led to a great auction on 1 June 1836 to alleviate matters. Original manuscripts were offered to the "highest bidders"; although a few large libraries acquired copies, it is still possible that some manuscripts remain undiscovered elsewhere. At that auction the score of BWV 54, in the hand of Johann Gottfried Walther, and the autograph manuscript parts of BWV 8 were purchased by François-Joseph Fétis, the Belgian musicologist. Following Fétis' death in 1871, BWV 8 and BWV 54 were acquired in 1872 by the Bibliothèque Royale Albert 1er in Brussels.

Carl Friedrich Barth, who had become a pupil of the St. Thomas School in Leipzig in 1746, was a copyist who worked for Bach and his successors Gottlob Harrer and Johann Friedrich Doles. In the period between Harrer's demise (9 July 1755) and the start of Doles's tenure (January 1756) he was, together with Christian Friedrich Penzel, acting Thomascantor. Around this period of Barth and Penzel's interim cantorate, Barth copied a number of cantatas by Bach: among these copies is an extant score of the E major version of BWV 8. Doles revived the D major version of the cantata after 1756.

Original performance parts of the D major version of the cantata survive. These manuscripts, partially in Bach's handwriting, remained in Leipzig after the composer's death, where they are conserved by the Bach Archive since the second half of the 20th century.

Chronology
Spitta thought, based on his research, that both the E major and D major versions of the cantata were composed in 1723 or 1724. In 1957, Dürr published his research which found that the E major version was first performed of on 24 September 1724, and the D major version on a later date. Yoshitake Kobayahshi determined the chronology for Bach's late compositions and performances, including the revival of BWV 8 in its D major version. These researchers relied on scientific methods such as use of watermarks and handwriting, as well as working out possible copyists from that period.

Score editions
The cantata was first published in 1851, when the BG included it as No. 8 in the first volume of their collected edition of Bach's works. The BG score, in E major, mixes elements from the BWV 8.1 and 8.2 versions. The edition was based on two manuscript copies of the E major version, and the original manuscript of the D major performance parts, which, at the time, were archived at the St. Thomas School. A separate edition of both versions followed only in 1982, when they were included separately in the NBE's volume containing Bach's Trinity XVI and XVII cantatas, edited by Helmuth Osthoff and Rufus Hallmark. In 2017, an updated version of Reinhold Kubik's 1981 edition of the BWV 8.1 version, supplemented with a foreword by Hans-Joachim Schulze, was issued in the Stuttgarter Bach-Ausgaben series.

Closing chorale
Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel published the vocal parts of the cantata's closing chorale (BWV 8/6) in the Birnstiel and Breitkopf editions of his father's four-part chorales:
 * No. 47, p. 24, in Birnstiel's 1765 publication
 * No. 43, p. 24, in Breitkopf's 1784 publication

Comparing Vetter's four-part setting of his "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben" melody (1713) to the last movement of Bach's cantata, Winterfeld wrote:

After referring to Vetter's four-part setting, published in 1713, and to Winterfeld's comments about it, Spitta wrote:

Platen mentioned the closing chorale of BWV 8 in an article published in the 1975 edition of the Bach-Jahrbuch, describing the chorale movement as a reworked version of Vetter's 1713 four-part setting. In 1991 and 1996, the musicologist Frieder Rempp published critical commentaries on the closing chorale for the New Bach Edition (NBE). The closing chorale was listed as spurious in the 1998 edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, prepared by the Göttingen musicologists Dürr and Kobayashi. The closing chorale is listed as a spurious work in the third Anhang of the 1998 edition of the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis: it is a reworked version of Vetter's 1713 four-part setting. According to Dürr, translated by Jones, Bach adopted Vetter's four-part chorale setting "with radical alterations". The Bach Digital website does not list the BWV 8/6 chorale among Vetter's compositions.

Vetter's setting of Neumann's hymn is not homophonic: according to Philipp Spitta, "it is not strictly a chorale but a sacred aria".

Eighteenth and nineteenth century
, and  have written in detail about changes in the musical life of Leipzig both during Bach's lifetime and its aftermath. The difficulties in finding students from the university available to perform as instrumentalists was already a problem while Johann Kuhnau was Thomaskantor, responsible for two main churches, the Nikolaikirche and the Thomaskirche, as well as the Neuekirche. With Bach replacing Kuhnau, arranging church performances became more orderly. Apart from secular concert music in the Café Zimmermann, there were public concerts advertised as "Concerts Spirituels" in the Gewandhaus and the open air. At the end of the eighteenth century, Protestant worship and liturgical music was reformed in Saxony, with hardly any use of Latin in the church. With the turn of the century Germany saw a "Bach renewal," in which Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann were to play an important role. The musicians Franz Hauser and Moritz Hauptmann also became active in this movement. At one stage Hauser asked Mendelssohn whether he might wish to be successor as Thomaskantor; but, with Mendelssohn's prompting and encouragement, it was Hauptmann who assumed that post in 1842, albeit reluctantly. Aided by Hauser, whose personal collection of Bach manuscripts was one of the largest in Germany, Hauptmann, Schumann and his colleagues, Otto Jahn and Carl Becker, started the Bach-Gesellschaft in 1850; and soon after, in 1851, Hauptmann published the first volume of ten cantatas BWV 1–10 with Breitkopf & Härtel. Hauptmann and Hauser became directors of the conservatory in Leipzig and Munich respectively and the pair carried on a long correspondence, which has been documented in German and English. For cantatas, Hauptmann records that, although separate movements might be suitable for public performance, changes in nineteenth-century practices often made it hard to find suitable instrumentalists. Other musicians such as Johann Nepomuk Schelble, who had conducted a performance of BWV 8 in Frankfurt am Main, considered that eighteenth-century recitatives might no longer be suitable for the public, so could be cut. Carl von Winterfeld expressed doubts about whether Bach's larger sacred works "could find a lasting place in a newly united, newly invigorated and strength evangelical church of our day."

According to 19th-century hymnologist Carl von Winterfeld, Bach felt more at ease with hymn tunes from a less distant past, such as Crüger's "Jesu, meine Freude" and "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele", Drese's Seelenbräutigam and Vetter's "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben", than those by earlier generations of composers, when adopting these chorale melodies in his own compositions: the older melodies go against the grain of how music was experienced in his own time.

Moritz Hauptmann, who edited the cantata for the Bach Gesellschaft (BG) edition, reckons that the D major arrangement was made for ease of performance, E major being a more difficult key for wind instruments than D major, and virtuoso parts, such as the instrumental solos in the first movement, are easier to perform by violins than by oboes. According to Philipp Spitta, the D major version "greatly facilitates the labours of the oboe players".

Critical appraisal
The cantata was praised by, among others, Philipp Spitta, Arnold Schering, William G. Whittaker and Alfred Dürr. Commentators have agreed in their praise for the cantata: According to Spitta, "The melodious and elaborate bass air and the two recitatives fully correspond in beauty to the other pieces"; Schering states that, "The opening movement of the cantata must be ranked as one of the most arresting tone-pictures ever penned by Bach"; Whittaker wrote that, "Few cantatas are so wholly attractive and so individual as this lovely work"; and Dürr, translated by Jones, has written that, "The opening chorus presents the listener with a sublime vision of the hour of death."

The praise does however not extend to the D major arrangement. According to Hauptmann, the arrangement did not benefit the music: for instance, the solo violins, having naturally a less pronounced volume than oboes, have more difficulty to let their melodies be heard in the first movement. Also in Jones's translation of Dürr the D major version of the cantata is qualified as having a "makeshift character". This appears as a footnote in : the editor Helmuth Osthoff prepared the D major version of the cantata for the Neue-Bach Ausgabe in 1982, prior to Dürr's German 1971 book on the cantatas.

Recordings
Both E major and D major versions of the cantata have been recorded. The aria of the BWV 8.2 version was recorded by Ton Koopman with Klaus Mertens as bass soloist with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and the chorus of that version by Koopman's pupil Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan in addition to the full cantata in E major. The Dutch website Muziekweb lists several recordings of the cantata:

 * Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter. Bach Cantatas Vol. 4 – Sundays after Trinity. Archiv Produktion 1959.
 * Leonhardt-Consort, Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Gustav Leonhardt. Teldec 1971.
 * Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helmuth Rilling. Hänssler Classic 1979.
 * The Bach Ensemble, Joshua Rifkin. Decca L'Oiseau-Lyre 1988, 455 706–2.
 * American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas. Koch, 1992.
 * Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe. Harmonia Mundi France 1998.
 * Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ton Koopman. Challenge Classics 2000, CC72212.
 * Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner. Soli Deo Gloria 2000, 104.
 * Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki. BIS 2004, CD1351.


text:
File:Ivanahelsinkinewlogo.png

Summary
Updated IVANAhelsinki logo, PNG.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: File:Ivanahelsinkinewlogo.png


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Barranquillera

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was merge and redirect. Dmcdevit·t 04:34, August 2, 2005 (UTC)

Barranquillera
Delete Simple dic def, with no real possibility for expansion that wouldn't be better included in Barranquilla. Furthermore, the latter article states that those hailing from the city are reffered to as "Curramberos." Icelight 23:55, July 18, 2005 (UTC)
 * Merge and redirect to Barranquilla. It's fun, and you don't even need a VfD! (Also, google seems to indicate that the term is widely used, but I don't know Spanish, so I can't verify if the usage is as described.) Pburka 00:12, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * That's one of the reasons I put it up for VfD; I don't know if we need foregien language redirects to english pages, (e.g. amigo -> friend) and the city page didn't seem to imply that it was a commonly used term. --Icelight 15:11, July 19, 2005 (UTC)

 * Merge and redirect to Barranquilla. JamesBurns 08:40, 19 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Merge and redirect to Barranquilla Youngamerican 16:14, 25 July 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


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User talk:Laos

Hi, can you tell me where you got the information about the firebreaks on the Swiss Re building? I'm just looking for some references. Thanks - Welcome to Wiki--Muchosucko 23:57, 18 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Hi, I hope my edits did not discourage you from adding more stuff. That's the last thing I want to do. Please continue to add. All additions are stored in the history and can be retrieved if necessary. You sound like you have a lot to offer, so I really don't want to scare you away. I'm just an editor who likes architecture, not a specialist as you seem to be. I will work on this article shortly. If you can continue adding to the article with pictures or anything at all -- Please, Please do. I removed the Arup reference because it didn't seem to fit. I'll probably open a new paragraph on the structual engineering to incorporate your contribs. Again, Wiki is completely open source. You can do anything you want for the article. Nobody has the final say on the shape of the article - least of all me. No one edit is the final word. Thanks for contributing! --Muchosucko 16:44, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

Architecture Wikiproject
Hi. Great work with all your architecture edits. I was wondering if you might be interested in joining WikiProject Architecture. Also we've been revamping the Architecture Portal and nominations to Portal:Architecture/Selected picture candidates and Portal:Architecture/Selected article candidates will always be welcome.--Mcginnly | Natter 10:10, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

 * Sign up at WikiProject_Architecture

 * I can unblock your ip to allow you to form a new account or change you username. Username changes can take a little bit and you have so few edits that you might want to start a new account.-- Sandahl 00:49, 25 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Perhaps I'm missing something; why is "Laos" an unacceptable username? --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 01:22, 25 December 2007 (UTC)

I am wondering too, the reason may have been that Laos is a nation. The blocking admin is not currently online to consult with. -- Sandahl 01:40, 25 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I'll just unblock.--jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 02:08, 25 December 2007 (UTC)

Merry Christmas
We are very sorry that you had to wait so long to be unblocked and you probably qualify for some sort of award for your patience and the polite way you argued your case to be unblocked.  A l i c e  ✉

Thank you all for spending the time to investigate and unblock.

 * Thank you for being so gracious and forgiving!  A l i c e  ✉ 22:50, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry Wikipedia has failed you so badly. Secretlondon (talk) 23:10, 26 December 2007 (UTC) (bureaucrat)

title: User talk:Laos


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Frideborg Winblad

Frideborg Winblad (January 18, 1869 – November 30, 1964) was an elementary school teacher in Härnösand, Sweden, who went on to become Sweden's first female educational administrator.

Early life
Frideborg was the daughter of Anton Julius Winblad I (1828–1901), the church organist and the first schoolteacher of Ytterlännäs, Sweden; and Elsa Maria Elisabeth Näslund (1829-1907). Elsa's father was the vicar of Ytterlännäs. Frideborg was born in Anundsjö, Västernorrland, Sweden.

Her siblings include: Johan Edward Winblad (1856-1914) who was a ship's mate that emigrated to Norway and married Salmine Sophia Severine Pedersen (1862-1914) then emigrated to the United States; Karl Israel Winblad (1857-?); Johanna Winblad (1859-1916) who married Per Olof Bernhard Wahlberg (1852-1927) a school teacher and church organist; Anton Teodor Winblad (1862-?); and Maria Elisabeth Winblad (1865-1937) who married Jonas Kempe (1861-1918). She also had a half sister: Antonette Kristina Winblad (1854-?) from the marriage of her father to Margareta Kristina Höglund I (1819-1853) aka Greta Stina Höglund, who died during childbirth.

Teacher
Frideborg graduated from the Teacher's School in Umeå in 1896 at age 27. By 1890 she was living in the "prestbolet" with her parents, and working alongside her father. She moved to Härnösand on October 5, 1896, and lived at #137, 8th quarter in the city. In 1900 she was still living in Härnösand by herself and was working as a "lärarinna". She never married or had children. Her father died in 1901 and her mother in 1907, after which she became the director of a seminary training college in Härnösand. She retired in 1929. In 1939 a scholarship was created in her name.

Death
Frideborg died on November 30, 1964, at the Fristad Nursing Home, Härnösand, Sweden. She was buried in Anundsjö, Västernorrland län, with her parents. An obituary in Västernorrlands Allehanda on December 2, 1964, translated from Swedish, noted that: "The former local principal Miss Frideborg Winblad, Härnösand, died on Monday at the nursing home Fristad, where she resided her last years. She was 95 years old. Frideborg Winblad was one of the country’s notable women in the area of elementary school education. When government authorities in her time set into motion an investigation on better developmental possibilities for teacher education and preparation of proposals for new teaching plans, Miss Winblad was called to participate on the work as the only female member of the committee.  She was even vice chairman of the board of directors for the elementary school teacher’s association for a long succession of years. Frideborg Winblad was born in Bredbyn, where her father was cantor.  After graduation from the elementary school teacher program in Umeå in 1896, she came to the elementary school in Härnösand as a teacher and in 1907 became head of the school. This post she held until 1929, when she retired. Through her friendly nature she won the affection of her colleagues, students and friends, whose gratitude was expressed in the collection of a scholarship fund in her name, which was made on her 70th birthday. She is mourned by her nieces/nephews and their families."

title: Frideborg Winblad


text:
Zion Cohen

Zion Cohen (ציון כהן, born March 7, 1983) is an Israeli football (soccer) striker who last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The 22-year-old striker came from Hapoel Ashkelon, following Hapoel Rishon LeZion F.C., scored 15 goals in Ashkelon and promoted the team together with Carlos Chacana to the second league.

In July 2005, Cohen was found to have a genetic spleen problem, which caused him to resign from soccer.

title: Zion Cohen


text:
William Thomas Mercer

William Thomas Mercer (17 October 1821 – 23 May 1879) was a British colonial administrator who served in Hong Kong from 1844 to 1866.

Early life
Mercer was the third son of George Dempster Mercer, a trader born in India, and Frances Charlotte Reid, then of Edinburgh, Scotland. His parents emigrated to Tasmania and purchased land there in 1835, leaving the young Mercer behind in England. He matriculated from Exeter College, Oxford, on 30 May 1839. He became a student at the Inner Temple in 1842 and went on to earn BA and MA degrees from the University of Oxford in 1843 and 1851, respectively.

Colonial service
Mercer arrived in Hong Kong in 1844 as Private Secretary to Sir John Davis, the second Governor of Hong Kong (1844–1848). Davis, his uncle, then appointed the 23-year-old Mercer acting colonial secretary. On 24 February 1847, he was appointed Chief Magistrate of Police.

Mercer rose through the administration, becoming Colonial Treasurer (1845–1854), Auditor General (1854–1858), Colonial Secretary (1854–1868), and, ultimately, Administrator, during a hiatus between Governors from 15 March 1865 to 11 March 1866. He was succeeded by Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, who became the 6th Governor of Hong Kong.

Personal life
Mercer married Mary Phillips Nind, born in Hargrave, Berkshire, in September 1862.

Published works
In 1869, Mercer's Under the Peak; or, Jottings in Verse was published.

Legacy
Mercer Street, a short and narrow road in Sheung Wan running from Jervois Street to Bonham Strand, is named after him.

title: William Thomas Mercer


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C. Turner Joy

Charles Turner Joy (17 February 1895 – 6 June 1956) was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. During the last years of his career, while fighting leukemia, he served as Superintendent of the Naval Academy. The destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD-951) was named for him.

Early life
C. Turner Joy was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 17, 1895. Commissioned as an ensign in the Navy upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1916, he served in the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) for more than four years, including the U.S. participation in World War I.

Interwar period
In 1923, after receiving a graduate education in engineering, he began two years as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Yangtze Patrol. This was followed by a tour as executive officer of the Asiatic Fleet destroyer USS Pope (DD-225), an assignment with the Bureau of Ordnance, sea duty in the battleship USS California (BB-44), and service at the Naval Mine Depot at Yorktown, Virginia. In the mid-1930s, Lieutenant Commander Joy was commanding officer of the destroyer USS Litchfield (DD-336) and was on the staff of Commander Destroyers, Battle Force. From 1937 to 1940, Commander Joy was an instructor at the Naval Academy. He then became executive officer of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA-35).

World War II
In 1941, Captain Joy was Operations Officer for Commander Scouting Force, Pacific Fleet. For several months after the United States entered World War II in December, he helped to plan and execute combat operations against Japan. He commanded the heavy cruiser USS Louisville (CA-28) from September 1942 to June 1943 during which he was active in the Aleutians and South Pacific war theatres. After an important war plans tour in Washington, DC, Rear Admiral Joy became commander of a cruiser division, leading it through nearly a year and a half of intense combat service against the Japanese Navy.

Postwar and Korean War
Commanding an amphibious group when Japan capitulated in August 1945, Joy was soon assigned to duty in China. He was in charge of the Naval Proving Ground at Dahlgren, Virginia, in 1946 to 1949 and was then sent back to the Western Pacific to become Commander Naval Forces, Far East. Vice Admiral Joy held that position until mid-1952, directing much of the Navy's effort during the first two years of the Korean War. From July 1951 to May 1952, he was also the senior United Nations Delegate to the Korean Armistice talks. His experience in this role led him to write a book, How Communists Negotiate. In the book, he detailed a number of different tactics that were used during the talks to delay, frustrate, and create useful propaganda for the North Koreans. His observations included the fact that the communists would set shorter chairs for the UN delegates so that the communists would tower over the UN delegates in propaganda photographs. He said "the recall of General MacArthur gave further reason for the Communists to believe we were a 'paper tiger'."

His final assignment was as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Last years and legacy
Retiring in July 1954, Admiral Joy subsequently made his home in La Jolla, California. He died at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California on 6 June 1956. He is interred at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

The destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD-951), 1959–1991, was named in honor of Admiral Joy. Turner Joy Road at the Naval Academy is also named in his honor.

Decorations
Vice Admiral Charles Turner Joy's ribbon bar:

title: C. Turner Joy


text:
Turner Joy

Turner Joy can refer to:

 * C. Turner Joy (1895-1956), U.S. admiral
 * USS Turner Joy (DD-951), a destroyer in United States Navy

title: Turner Joy


text: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/2005 July 19


text:
Talk:Taurus Armas

First Person Reference
There is usage of first person in the sentence 'However, the few Taurus guns I actually saw in those days were, indeed, of poor quality, qualifying for the derogatory label "Saturday Night Special" in the 'Products' section. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lobwedge (talk • contribs) 23:21, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

Content copied
Most, if not all of this article appears to have been copied verbatim from the company website (http://www.taurususa.com/company/history.cfm). Does anyone know if Taurus USA themself might have posted this article? Just in case I deleted all the infringing material. Sbard 09:37, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't look like Taurus had anything to do with it. The user who did start it, has contributed to several other articles, before and after this one. The user in question, 67.176.254.41 appears to be anonymous.Al Lowe 22:59, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

 * The best reasonable way to resolve this issue is to find other reviews (I suggest NRA's magazine only becasue it's the first one I can think of) and compare what they say to the material here. If it generally follows the same track, then it's mostly accurate; If the reviews say something else, well then that's a matter to resolve.

Good Gun Maker
A long time Smith & Wesson copier, they really hit the mark when they marketed their version of the Beretta Model 92. I bought a Taurus PT-92AFS back in 1992. I still have it, and it is one fine pistol. I recently bought their model PT-911, a medium frame 9mm semi-auto, and it too is a fine pistol. I use it for Concealed carry about 75% of the time. Since the AWB sunset, it also has a 15 round capacity magazine. Taurus is now introducing their version of the world famous model 1911 .45ACP auto-pistol. It looks to be a world beater as well. I suppose only time will tell. Al Lowe 00:02, 19 July 2005 (UTC)

InfoBox
I added an infobox to this article, but, unfortunately, I don't know / have time to find all the relevant info!

Still, looks better... Working on it.... --SXT40 12:36, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Product Stubs?
Is there a reason nobody has made stubs of the firearms like the 738? These pages being loaded with specs like dimensions and calibers make it easy to compare firearms on google. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Strickjh2005 (talk • contribs) 05:42, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Made of Titanium?
I recently saw a History channel show on out-of-the ordinary guns. They had mentioned a South American company that made revolvers up to 99% titanium. Can Anyone verify this?

Taurus uses titanium on some of their Ultra-Light's, up until Polymer took off.Dreg102 17:52, 4 May 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dreg102 (talk • contribs)

Fair use rationale for Image:TaurusLogo.jpg
Image:TaurusLogo.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 23:28, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

 * Sorted S Q L   Query me!  00:34, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Rossi .410/.45 revovler rifles
In refrnece to "copied content" (above), I came to see if there were any outside reviews (or just infromation) on the SCJ4510 series of .410/.45 revovler rifles, but can;t even fisd a refrence to them. (Ironically, enough, all I need to know is if they're double acion or singe, and how they open for reloading, which happens not to be mentioned in any other article either.) Why aren't tehy mentioned?

Defective pistols
There doesn't seem to be any mention of a couple of big recalls. In the US, 10,000 weapons were recalled following a lawsuit. The suit mentions a recall of 98,000 police weapons in Brazil. These seem like significant events that ougha be covered in this article. Felsic2 (talk) 20:44, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Related information here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-02-28/how-defective-guns-became-the-only-product-that-can-t-be-recalled — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.253.67.52 (talk) 04:14, 6 March 2018 (UTC)

Heritage
Taurus also owns Heritage, manufactures of the Rough Rider brand of single action revolvers .22LR. 22.MAG. .357 magnum and .45 colt. 40.131.185.176 (talk) 20:45, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:Taurus Armas


text:
Peace Pagoda

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa: a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II have been built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order. Fujii was greatly inspired by his meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1931 and decided to devote his life to promoting non-violence. In 1947, he began constructing Peace Pagodas as shrines to world peace. The first was inaugurated at Kumamoto in 1954.

Peace Pagodas were built as a symbol of peace in Japanese cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki where atomic bombs took the lives of over 150,000 people, almost all of whom were civilian, at the end of World War II. By 2000, eighty Peace Pagodas had been built around the world in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

The Nipponzan-Myōhōji monks of the New England Peace Pagoda were awarded the Courage of Conscience award on 5 June 1998 in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Comilla
World Peace Pagoda Analayo (23.42551°N, 91.13444°W) is located at the premises of New Salban Vihara, Comilla. It is the first Thai architecture Pagoda in Bangladesh and which was designed by Thai architect. The 100 feet tall Pagoda is rich in Thai artistic beauty both inside and outside. A 30 feet Standing Buddha image installed in front of the pagoda is a symbol of compassion and kindness. It is inaugurated in 2017. Founder: Venerable Sugato Bhikkhu by the support of his spiritual teacher Most Venerable Phrathep Mongkolyarn chief abbot of Wat Phutthabucha, Bangkok, Thailand with his Thai devotees.

Rajgir
The Rajgir Vishwa Shanti Stupa/World Peace Pagoda (25.00455°N, 85.44454°W) was completed in 1969 at Rajgir hills near Rajgir, near the Vulture's Peak where the Buddha is believed to have preached the Lotus Sutra. The dedication coincided with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. The site also includes a Nipponzan Myohoji temple.

Darjeeling

The shanthi stupas in India were established by Fuji Guru for World Peace. The Nipponzan Myōhōji Buddhist temple at Charlimont in Darjeeling (27.02759°N, 88.25901°W) is one of them. Work on the Stupa began in 1972 and it was dedicated on 1 November 1992.

Delhi
A Vishwa Shanti Stupa/World Peace Pagoda in New Delhi (28.60235°N, 77.25341°W) was inaugurated on 20th. November 2007 by monks and nuns of Nipponzan-Myōhōji, the Dalai Lama and the Lt. Governor of Delhi. It is situated in Millennium Indraprastha Park, North-East of Humayun's Tomb, adjacent to Delhi Ring Road.

A traditional Japanese garden has been constructed in the area around the stupa. The garden is a joint project by the Fujii Guruji Vishwa Shanti Stupa Committee and the Delhi Development Authority.

Dhauli Giri, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

The Dhauli Giri Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda) was built in Bhubaneswar, Orissa State (20.19239°N, 85.83945°W) during a two-year period, and was inaugurated on 8 November 1972. It was established by Sri Nitya Nanda Kanungo, Governor of Bihar, with the spiritual guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii, whose monks helped build the Peace Pagoda.

Ladakh
The Shanti Stupa in Ladakh was built by Nipponzan-Myōhōji monks, headed by Head monk Nakamura, with the help of local people. The Shanti Stupa holds the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama himself It is situated at a hilltop in Changspa village providing a bird's eye view of Leh town and the surrounding mountain peaks. The 14th and current Dalai Lama inaugurated the Shanti Stupa in August 1985.

Vaishali
The stupa at Vaishali was inaugurated 23 October 1996. Vaishali is an important place in the life of the Buddha.

Wardha
Vishwa Shanti stupa was a dream of Nichidatsu Fujii. It is beside Gitai Mandir. It is a large stupa of white color. Statues of Buddha are mounted on the stupa, facing in four directions. It also has a small Japanese Buddhist temple with a large park. There is a temple near the stupa where prayers are done for universal peace.

Kumamoto
Work on Hanaokayama Peace Pagoda, the first Peace Pagoda constructed by Nipponzan Myohoji Japanese Buddhist monks, began in 1947 atop Mount Hanaoka, Kumamoto (32.79661°N, 130.68596°W) with basic hand tools. It took seven years to build, being inaugurated in 1954: it was the first of over 80 built by Fujii and his followers all over the world.

Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Peace Pagoda (34.40587°N, 132.47794°W) was built in 1966 by Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist monks. It commemorate the lives lost in the A-bomb blast, and contains gifts of Buddha's ashes from the then Prime Minister of India and Mongolian Buddhists. It is notable for being built partially of steel.

Nagasaki
The Peace Pagoda in Nagasaki, the site of the second A-Bomb attack, was inaugurated by Nipponzan in 1970.

Mount Kijosumi
At Mount Kiyosumi, the most predominant ceremonies held by Nipponzan tend to take place. The Pagoda was inaugurated in 1969.

Narita-shi, Chiba-ken

Built in 1984, dedicated 13 May 2001, the peace pagoda at Narita-shi in Chiba Prefecture (35.74132°N, 140.39828°W) is 58 m high and situated on a small hill.

Gotemba, Shizuoka
Founded in 1964, the Gotemba Peace Pagoda in Shizuoka Prefecture (35.28464°N, 138.95636°W) includes a Nipponzan-Myōhōji temple.

Sapporo
This Peace Pagoda (Stupa) was built by Nipponzan-Myōhōji monks in 1959 halfway up Mount Moiwa (43.03039°N, 141.33073°W). It was built to commemorate peace after World War II and can be seen from almost anywhere in Sapporo. It contains some of the ashes of the Buddha that were presented to the Emperor of Japan by Prime Minister Nehru in 1954. Later, another part of these were presented to Mikhail Gorbachev by the famous Nipponzan-Myōhōji monk, Junsei Terasawa.

Jeju Island
The Stupa is built in Jeju Island on the site where Venerable Masters Bowoo (d. 1565) and Jiahn (d. 1729) died. They gave their lives for Buddhism. The Stupa is the centre of many activities for the propagation of world peace and the unification of Korea. One such activity is the Lotus Sutra writing movement, and on 15 August each year people come and place hand-written copies of the Lotus Sutra into the Pagoda. This stupa is not associated with Nipponzan-Myōhōji.

Lumbini
The Lumbini Shanti Stupa/Peace Pagoda (27.4989°N, 83.27625°W) in Nepal was constructed by Nipponzan Myohoji monks and dedicated in November 2001 at the Buddhist pilgrimage site in kapilvastu district lumbini zone Nepal, where Queen Mayadevi is said to have given birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who in turn, as the Buddha Gautama, gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.

Pokhara

Balanced on a narrow ridge high above Phewa Tal, the brilliant-white Shanti Stupa in Pokhara is a massive Buddhist stupa which was constructed by Buddhist monks from the Japanese Nipponzan Myōhōji organisation. Besides being an impressive sight in itself, the shrine is a vantage point which has views of the Annapurna range and Pokhara city. The shining golden statue depicts the Buddha in the posture he assumed when he was born.

Ampara

The Ampara Peace Pagoda (7.28529°N, 81.65395°W) was built by Nipponzan monks under the leadership of Nichidatsu Fujii and was inaugurated on 27 February 1988. Ceremonies here are attended by large numbers of people.

Bandarawela
The Bandarawela Peace Pagoda (also known Sama Chethiya in Sinhala) (6.82451°N, 80.98587°W) is located between the towns of Bandarawela Etampitiya road 6 Kilometers towards Bandarawela to Etampitiya. It was completed by Niponzan Myohoji monks in 1982.

Unawatuna
The Unawatuna Peace Pagoda (6.01586°N, 80.2378°W), built by Nipponzan Myohoji monks, is on the headland between Unawatuna and Galle.

Walapane
The Walapane Peace Pagoda (7.08964°N, 80.86103°W), built by Nichidatsu Fuhi monk, is located on Walapane, Central Province of Sri Lanka. This is also called Japanese Sama Viharaya Walapane.

Peace Pagoda is an enormous shrine, recently restored to become one of the most prominent landmarks in Walapane. In addition Peace pagoda is located on a top of a mountain providing adorable views of a mountain range to the visitors. With many opportunities for tourists whom are eager to cycling and walking among the sites, this is a quite relaxing getaway from the busy life patterns.

Brisbane
Created by the Kingdom of Nepal for the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane's World Expo '88, the Brisbane Nepal Peace Pagoda is now a permanent commemorative structure of the Expo. It is located at the transformed Expo site, South Bank Parklands.

The three-story Pagoda was constructed of 80 tons of art-carved Nepalese Terai timbers and assembled on the Expo site for the World Expo´88. It was relocated to its new riverfront location at the conclusion of the Expo for the opening of the Parklands in 1992. It now features commemorative displays of the Expo and is a place for quiet and reflection. There is a Peace Bell, and a Peace Post in the Pagoda garden. The Peace Pagoda in Brisbane was built by German architect Jochen Reier and architect Dean Ricker for the World EXPO´88 on behalf of the Kingdom of Nepal. Reier also constructed the Peace Pagoda in Munich, Germany, for the IGA ´83 and the World EXPO´90 Peace Pagoda in Osaka, Japan. This Pagoda is not associated with Nipponzan.

Munich, Germany
The Peace Pagoda in Munich's Westpark was built by German architect Jochen Reier (APAC) on behalf of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1982-1983. The temple was constructed with 80 tons of precious Sissam timber (rose wood) logged in the Terai (lowlands of Nepal) and was then carved by hand with intricate patterns. Over 300 Nepalese artisans in the Kathmandu area helped to build it. The Kingdom of Nepal was awarded with the gold medal for best nation building of the IGA´83 in Munich. Today the Peace Pagoda is part of Munich's Westpark because thousands of citizens and visitors helped to keep the "Asian Essemble" – and especially this Nepalese Shiva Pagoda – as a constantly remaining symbol of World Peace.

Vienna, Austria
The Vienna Peace Pagoda, on the Danube River, (48.1912°N, 16.45481°W) was built on land donated by Elisabeth Lindmayer. Nipponzan Myohoji monks constructed the Pagoda, which was completed in 1983, the first peace pagoda in continental Europe. The Nipponzan Myohoji order led by Rev. Gyosei Masunaga have been active here for 25 years.

Birmingham
On 26 June 1998, the Dhamma Talaka Pagoda was dedicated in the Ladywood district of Birmingham. The Burmese monk and scholar, Aggamahapandita Rewata Dhamma, was the prime mover behind the planning of the pagoda and the new monastic complex that developed on the same grounds. Enshrined above its dome are Buddha relics once belonging to the Burmese royal family. The building therefore serves as a pilgrimage site and a focus for the Burmese community in Britain.

Milton Keynes
The Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda (52.0577°N, -0.72544°W) was completed in 1980 at the western edge of Willen lake in Willen, Milton Keynes. This was the first Nipponzan-Myōhōji Peace Pagoda in the western world. There is a Nipponzan-Myōhōji Order temple and monastery nearby (52.05544°N, -0.72618°W).

London
The London Peace Pagoda (51.48202°N, -0.15902°W) was completed in 1985 on the south side of the River Thames in Battersea Park, London. Granting permission to build it was the last legislative act of the Greater London Council.

Comiso, Italy
The Comiso Peace Pagoda (36.96254°N, 14.6339°W), built by Nipponzan Myohoji monks, was dedicated on 24 May 1998, the Reverend Morishita at Comiso (Contrada Canicarao, 100) in Sicily, Italy near the NATO base there.

Latvia
The Peace Pagoda in Latvia (56.66291°N, 23.95916°W) was opened on 28 June 2014 near Garoza village in Salgale parish, Ozolnieki Municipality.

St Norbert, Manitoba, Canada
A stupa has been constructed at the St Norbert Arts Centre in St. Norbert (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Canada.

Los Álamos, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
The Asociación Cultural Tibetana A.C. ("Garuda") is constructing a stupa at Los Álamos, Valle de Bravo, Mexico State under the patronage of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

San Francisco, California, US
The Peace Pagoda in San Francisco (37.78505°N, -122.42983°W) is a five-tiered concrete stupa in Nihonmachi (Japantown) between Post and Geary Streets at Buchanan. It is part of the Japan Center complex which opened in 1968. It was designed by Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi and presented to San Francisco by the people of Osaka, Japan. This stupa is not associated with Nipponzan-Myōhōji.

Leverett, Massachusetts, US
The New England Peace Pagoda (42.49899°N, -72.49111°W) is the first Nipponzan-Myōhōji Peace Pagoda to be built in the US and was completed in 1985. The Franklin County Technical School brought students from their electrical, plumbing, and carpentry shops to assist in building the temple.

Grafton, New York, US
The Grafton Peace Pagoda in Grafton, New York (42.75111°N, -73.40876°W) was founded by nun Jun Yasuda, who serves as its caretaker, and was dedicated in 1993. The site, originally donated by local activist Hank Hazelton and built over several years by the surrounding communities, includes a temple, gardens, pond and the pagoda. Each year on September 11, a group of marchers begin a walk at the Grafton Peace Pagoda Site and end in New York City two weeks later.

Great Smoky Mountains, US
, the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda (35.8714°N, -83.17027°W) is under construction. Land for the construction of the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda was purchased in 2000 and, by the end of 2014, a temple, gardens, Stone Pagoda, Spirit Garden, and guest house had been completed. Construction of the Peace Pagoda/Stupa itself is ongoing. The architectural design of Darjeeling Peace Pagoda is the model for the Peace Pagoda in the Smoky Mountains.

title: Peace Pagoda


text:
The Star Spangled Banner (Whitney Houston recording)

"The Star Spangled Banner" is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War. Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The musical arrangement for Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.

Traditionally performed at sports games in the US, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was performed by Houston at the original Tampa Stadium for Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Although Houston was singing live, she was singing into a dead microphone, and television viewers were hearing a non-live pre-recorded version of the anthem due to her musical director making her aware of the risks of performing live, including the sound of the crowd, jets flying overhead, and other such distractions from pregame activities.

After the September 11 attacks, Arista Records re-released Houston's "The Star Spangled Banner". She once again donated her share of the royalties, as did Arista Records, towards the firefighters and victims of the terrorist attacks. This time the single peaked at #6 on the US Billboard Hot 100; it was certified platinum by the RIAA. This made Houston the first musical act to take the national anthem Top 10 in the US; she was also the first act to have it certified platinum. The 2001 re-release of the single was Houston's last Top Ten hit on the US Hot 100 during her lifetime.

The Super Bowl XXV performance
On January 27, 1991—ten days into the Persian Gulf War—Whitney Houston took the field at Tampa Stadium and performed "The Star Spangled Banner", backed by the Florida Orchestra along with music director Jahja Ling, before 73,813 fans, 115 million viewers in the United States and a worldwide television audience of 750 million. The pregame program including Houston's performance of the national anthem was produced by Bob Best for the National Football League and televised live on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. Because of the Gulf War situation, this marked the first time the Super Bowl would be telecast in most countries around the world. Outside of North America and the United Kingdom, the Super Bowl was broadcast for the first time in such countries as Australia, Russia, and most other countries. Houston's performance was later used as a music video of the song.

Release and donation
The patriotic feeling of Houston's stirring cover resonated strongly with the public. Due to overwhelming response to her rendition, Arista Records announced that it was released as a single and video of her performance, and all profits would be donated to a charity connected with the war effort, to be selected by Houston at a later date. Afterward Houston said that "I went back up in the sky booth and watched the game. It wasn't until a day or two later that I realized the whole country was in an uproar." According to Clive Davis, Arista Records' decision to release the record came after three days of being flooded with phone calls from all over the country from people asking to buy copies of the single. Hundreds of radio stations around the country aired the song from tapes they had recorded from the TV broadcast. Eventually, the CDs, records and audio cassettes of the performance were released on February 12, and its video singles on February 17, 1991, in the United States by Arista Records, respectively. And the proceeds―$531,650, a combined contribution from the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, Inc., Arista and Bertelsmann Music Group Distribution which donated all their royalties and profits from the sale of those―went to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund, which provided aid to US military personnel, their families and war victims in the region. Houston was named to the American Red Cross Board of Governors. The audio single was also released in some countries including the Netherlands but its shipments were very small.

On May 16, 2000, the song and its video were released on CD, VHS and DVD of her Whitney: The Greatest Hits. The song was only included in the domestic version of the album.

According to Arista, Houston, who had been in the process of picking songs for the upcoming album with then Arista CEO L.A. Reid before the September 11 attacks, shortly after the attack, decided to do her part to help the country recover by agreeing to have her 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" re-released. Therefore, it was reissued as a commercial CD single on September 26, 2001, by Arista Records, with proceeds going to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police; the single also included her version of "America the Beautiful." With releasing of the single, Reid said that "In a time of tragedy, Whitney Houston's recording of our National Anthem has comforted and inspired our nation."

Critical reception
Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" has garnered unanimous acclaim since her performance and has been cited as a benchmark for the performances of its kind. Hubert Mizell of St. Petersburg Times lauded her performance, saying "Whitney Houston brought down the house as the lady with the super pipes sang the Super Bowl's most meaningful national anthem ever." Liz Smith from Newsday called the performance "[a] magnificent rendition," commenting "Her [Houston's] powerhouse version [...] turned that often impossible-to-sing tune into a hit." Entertainment Weekly's Jess Cagle noted the specific circumstances, particularly a patriotic mood at the time, rather than the performance itself, stating that "Her [Houston's] timing couldn't be better: patriotism, thanks to the Iraqi war, is high, and Francis Scott Key's 1814 ode to the flag is about to celebrate its 60th anniversary as our national anthem. The Gulf war fervor has turned Houston's performance into an unlikely, overnight pop hit." Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that Houston's rendition represented the image which the war was recast as "sexy and exhilarating" in the 1990s, becoming a counterpart to Jimi Hendrix's at Woodstock in 1969. He was critical of the media which used Houston's performance as a means of allowing the public to forget the violence of war, and the public's unquestioning acceptance of that, stating "'The Star-Spangled Banner' memorializes 'bombs bursting in air,' and the quiver in Ms. Houston's voice finds seductiveness in the rockets' red glare. But so far, despite the gleaming high-tech weapons paraded on the nightly news, the pop public hasn't joined her. For the moment, it is keeping its distance and hoping the worst will be over soon."

Deborah Wilker of South Florida Sun-Sentinel commented that Houston's version was a "moving rendition" and "imaginative arrangement" of the national anthem, adding "The rare moment on the football field showed her to be much more than a hit machine." Jim Farber, a music critic of New York Daily News, in his review of Houston's 2000 album Whitney: The Greatest Hits, said the song was "bold enough to launch a thousand ships." Sportswriter Dave Anderson of The New York Times commented that "When Whitney Houston belted out the national anthem with the nation at war, she reminded everybody that there was a much more important world out there beyond the Super Bowl, a much more important world beyond even the Giants' hold-your-breath triumph when Bills kicker Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal try sailed wide right." Los Angeles Times's J.A. Adande, a sports columnist, commented that "It dripped red, white and blue," placing Houston's Super Bowl performance at number three on his list for the best renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner." In February 2003, Vibe, in a feature article in honor of Super Bowl XXXVII, wrote that Houston's performance was "sweet, sweaty and sensational," choosing it as "Most Kleenex-Worthy Performance." In 2005, Orlando Sentinel's Emily Badger, in her articles of the national anthem, picked Houston's rendition of the song as the first of the three good performances along with Marvin Gaye's at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, and Natalie Gilbert and Maurice Cheeks's in 2003 NBA playoffs, saying a word of praise: "Whitney Houston [...] was so good it sold successfully as a single." Janet Mock of People magazine extolled her performance that "Houston gave one of the most iconic interpretations of the National Anthem in history." Writing for MTV.com in February 2009, Gil Kaufman said the song is a "legendary take on the National Anthem." Luchina Fisher and Sheila Marikar of ABC News, in their articles of lip-syncing, wrote that "Houston's unforgettable rendition of the anthem [...] set the standard that most singers have tried to top." Jenny Mayo of The Washington Times, in her review of Houston's 2009 album I Look to You, praised the rendition highly: "Miss Houston is an artist who can—or at least used to—make songs untouchable. 'The Star Spangled Banner' will never be the same." Bill Lamb from About.com expressed that "[Houston's] formidable power made her Super Bowl XXV 'Star Spangled Banner' performance a legendary moment," and on her biography by Lamb, also described it "as one of the most stunning televised performances ever." Monica Herrera of Billboard called Houston's performance an "epic take", adding "[Houston] made it memorable."

Rushelle O'Shea of Yahoo! Sports called it "the most beautiful and most moving to have ever been performed at a sporting event" and recalled then "Leaving the crowd with tears in their eyes, she moved the hearts of many and received a well-earned standing ovation for this beautiful performance," choosing the performance as one of 'The Top 10 Greatest Sports Songs of All Time'. While commenting on Christina Aguilera's performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XLV, The Christian Science Monitor's Peter Grier drew comparisons between Houston's version and Aguilera's, writing "One thing is sure: She [Aguilera] was no Whitney Houston. Remember Ms. Houston's performance of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the Super Bowl in 1991? Houston [...] gave an emotional rendition of the song, and it remains one of her career highlights." The Oxford Student's Abbas Panjwani wrote that "Houston's version is totally euphoric and boundless in energy. Nothing overly fancy. Just immense vocal talent." Chris Willman from Yahoo! Music complimented on Houston's version of the song that it "hasn't aged" and "may remain the most highly regarded version of our lifetimes," ranked second in his 'The 10 Best National Anthems Ever' list. Mike Vaccaro of New York Post recalled the performance that "Not only because she [Houston] was at her peak that January of 1991, not only because we were at war, but she hits the final note ('brave') in a different way than almost anyone else who's ever tried to sing it, and it is unforgettable," choosing it as his all time number-one favorite among the national anthems. Both Jack Yacks and Gary Mills of The Florida Times-Union described the song as "the gold standard for national anthem performances." In March 2011, St. Petersburg Times' Tom Jones, in his article of memorable sporting events in Tampa Bay Area, recalled the Super Bowl XXV as follows: "the game was about more than football. The United States was embroiled in the first Gulf War, and Whitney Houston, right, backed by the Florida Orchestra, produced goose bumps and tears with a powerful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. It is one of the great Super Bowl moments."

Chart performance
Whitney Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV was released as a single in the United States alone on February 12, 1991, during the Gulf War. The single debuted at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, the issue dated of March 9, 1991, becoming her highest first week chart entry at the time and the first rendition of the national anthem to appear on the chart since 1968, when José Feliciano's version during Game 5 pregame ceremonies of the 1968 World Series, climbed to number 50. Her previous highest debut on the chart had been when "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" entered the Hot 100 chart some six places lower at number 38 in May 1987. The following week it leaped to number 25, two weeks later peaked at number 20 on the chart in the March 30, 1991 issue, making Houston the first and only artist to hit the Top 20 with the national anthem since 1958, when the Billboard Hot 100 chart was published first, and spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart. The single was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 copies and the video single was 2× Platinum for shipping of 100,000 units, respectively, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 11, 1991. "The Star Spangled Banner" became the fastest-selling single in Arista's history at the time, with 750,000 copies sold in the first eight days.

Thanks to re-entering the Hot 100 Airplay list at number 45 with 30 million listeners, Houston's 1991 Super Bowl version of "The Star Spangled Banner" re-visited the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 50, with the marks for Gold certification and 12 weeks on, the issue date of September 29, 2001. It also debuted for the first time on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart at number 54 in the same week. On its first week of retail release, the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart at number two, and the following week topped the chart in the October 20 issue, becoming her third chart-topper, after "I Will Always Love You" in 1992 and "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" in 1995. In the same week, the single reached number 13 and a peak of number 30, on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, respectively. On the Billboard October 27, 2001 issue, Houston set another historic Hot 100 record with "The Star Spangled Banner" which reached number six on the chart, becoming her 23rd and last top 10 hit. She became the first and only artist to make the national anthem Top 10 hit since 1958, when Billboard premiered the Hot 100 chart, and the third overall in music history, following Margaret Woodrow Wilson who hit number seven with it in 1915 and Irish tenorJohn McCormack who made the tune number one in 1917. It stayed on the chart for a total of 27 weeks, combined a fresh-16-weeks with 1991's 11 weeks. The single gave an impressive performance on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, spending six weeks on the top of the chart from October 20 to November 24, 2001, and 94 weeks on the chart by May 2003. In October 2001, RIAA certified it Platinum for shipments of 1,000,000 copies, making it Houston's seventh Platinum single. According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2007, it sold 1,200,000 copies in the US alone.

As the single was released in some countries in 1991, it failed to make the pop charts outside of the United States. In 2001, however, the single surprisingly debuted a peak of number five on the Canadian SoundScan Singles chart for the week dated November 11, 2001.

Lip-sync controversy
In the days following Houston's performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV, a controversy arose when it was reported that she lip-synced to her own pre-recorded version of the song.

Accounts of the performance vary. Bob Best, an NFL pre-game entertainment official, stated that the NFL chose to air a pre-recorded version of the song because "we felt there were too many risks to do it live." In an interview with the New York Post, Best said that what was played was "protection copy" (music recorded in advance to be used in the event of the singer's last-minute inability to sing) recorded by Houston several days before the game at an L.A. studio. In a February 4, 1991, article, Mary Jo Melone wrote: "It was the Memorex. The singing and music you heard were prerecorded."

Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, explained: "This is not a Milli Vanilli thing; she sang, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events." In 2001, Kathryn Holm McManus, former executive director of the orchestra, told the St. Petersburg Times that "everyone was playing, and Whitney was singing, but there were no live microphones. Everyone was lip-synching or finger-synching". Rickey Minor, who was Houston's musical director in 1991, confirmed in 2012 that while Houston had sung the anthem live, the audience had heard a pre-recorded version of the song.

In slight contrast, Super Bowl engineer Larry Estrin told USA Today in 1991 that TV viewers actually heard the studio version of the song "plus her live voice, plus the audience reaction". Estrin added, "She sang the melody and words the same way (as the studio version), but she sang her heart out."

However, Houston's personal publicist, Regina Brown, said, "Our understanding is Whitney sang live into a live microphone".

Mary Jo Melone commented, "This was the nation's most precious piece of music sung by one of its best performers at a most precarious time. If we were going to make such a deal of the moment, for the troops in Saudi Arabia, we should have heard the real thing. Or at least we should have been told we weren't." Songwriter and producer Jimmy Jam, in a 2004 interview with the Associated Press, said: "Whitney, when she did the national anthem, which was the greatest national anthem that we ever heard, what we heard over the air was prerecorded. The reason it was prerecorded was, that was a moment that no one wanted any mistakes. They didn't want any feedback, they didn't want any technical difficulties ... and it was great."

In later years, when controversies arose involving lip-syncing by performers, Houston's Super Bowl performance was sometimes mentioned. When Jennifer Hudson delivered a lip-syncing of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009, it caused some controversy. David Hinckley of New York Daily News remarked: "The national anthem is different. Yes, it's a musical performance and yes, we're interested in how a Jennifer Hudson will interpret the song. That's why we remember the Whitney Houston and Marvin Gaye versions so well. Because the Super Bowl is primarily a television spectacle with a thousand moving parts, the producers years ago started asking to hear the anthem tracks a week before airtime, just so they would have one less potential variable. That's why [Jennifer Hudson] was lip-syncing."

Royalty dispute
The Florida Orchestra's contribution to the performance was virtually ignored by the public and the media. That did not cause a problem until the performance was determined to release as a single and donate any proceeds to a war-related charity by Arista Records. Although Ashley Sanford, a representative of Arista in New York, said everyone associated with the performance had been consulted before announcing plans for the recording, the plan came as a surprise to the orchestra. Kathryn Holm, then acting executive director for the orchestra, told St. Petersburg Times that "We were informed indirectly. We had heard something about it. But we didn't know anything had been decided." Arranger John Clayton was surprised as well, saying "I had heard some talk something might happen." Unlike Clayton, who was paid for his work, the orchestra was paid only for its expenses. The musicians and music director Jahja Ling donated their services. According to Holm, their contract gave permission only for a single broadcast of the performance. Holm said "I'm not an expert in this, so I don't know whether the radio or television stations have permission to broadcast it or not." The orchestra's original contract with the NFL, signed December in 1990, didn't even mention subsequent releases. Holm demanded proper compensation from Arista for the contribution of the orchestra, then faced financial trouble and wanted a share of any profits from its Super Bowl performance, telling the Times that "Nobody anticipated the reaction, but part of the anthem's impact came from the arrangement behind it, so we believe our musicians deserve some restitution." Eventually, the orchestra received royalty payments in 1991 and 1992 of about $100,000, the St. Petersburg Times reported.

On December 14, 2001, the Florida Orchestra sued Arista Records for royalties from copies of the song re-released after Sept. 11 and placed on a Whitney Houston Greatest Hits album and videocassette. Leonard Stone, then orchestra executive director, said "It is a pity that we have to go to court on something so honorable and uplifting as the national anthem. [...] I suspect that Whitney Houston, if she knew, would be deeply hurt and offended as well. She was a friend of the orchestra," filing the lawsuit in Hillsborough Circuit Court asked a judge to enforce the terms of a 1991 agreement that requires Arista to pay the orchestra royalties on all sales worldwide of her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Under the agreement, the orchestra would get royalties of 5 percent on the suggested retail price of all copies of the song sold in the United States. The royalties would range from 2.5 to 4.25 percent in foreign countries. According to Stone, Arista was supposed to send the orchestra quarterly reports on the album's sales but the orchestra never received them, and no one at the orchestra knew that Houston's rendition of the song had been released in 2000 on her greatest hits album. Stone added that "the orchestra learned of the alleged contract breach after the anthem was reissued following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and quickly became a hot-selling single." Following the song's release after Sept. 11, orchestra attorney Frank Jakes began looking into the issue. Jakes, who negotiated the agreement with Arista in 1991, said that he sent Arista's general counsel letters and faxes but got no response, recalling how unwilling Arista had been to pay the orchestra a decade ago. However, thanks to both sides' efforts for resolution of the dispute, three days later (December 17, 2001), the suit was withdrawn by the orchestra voluntarily. The Arista spokesperson said "it was an administrative oversight from [Houston's] Greatest Hits album." An Arista representative assured Jakes who claimed that the non-profit organization had not received quarterly royalty statements since mid-1992, that the issue could be settled without legal action.

Other live performances
Before her famous rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, Whitney Houston sang the national anthem several times in sports events, such as:
 * 1988: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Jersey Nets game on December 14, 1988
 * 1990: Game 3 of the 1989-90 NBA playoffs conference finals of Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons game on May 26, 1990.
 * 1991: Two months after the Super Bowl performance of the song, Houston opened Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston, her first-ever full-length TV concert, with "The Star Spangled Banner" at Norfolk Naval Air Station in Virginia for a crowd of about 3,200 including Desert Storm troops and their families on March 31, 1991. Houston, in an interview with The Associated Press before the concert, said that her Super Bowl performance sparked a sense of patriotism in her and made her to carry the song over into a concert. The concert was broadcast live nationally on HBO and simulcast on various US radio stations. Liz Smith of Newsday, after the controversy about Houston's lip-syncing at Super Bowl XXV, wrote that "anyone out there who still doubts Whitney's ability to vocally conquer 'The Star Spangled Banner' without technical help should tune in to HBO," praising Houston's Super Bowl performance highly as mentioned above. The performance was included in Laserdisc of the same title only, released in the United States in October 1991. (the performance was not in even LD releases of the concert in foreign countries such Germany and Japan, as well as all of VHS and DVD releases since 1991.)
 * 1999: Houston also gave a live performance of the national anthem at the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on July 14, 1999. George Willis of New York Post said that the performance was "nearly as stirring as when she sang before Super Bowl XXV in Tampa."

Influence
Beyoncé, who performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, referred to Houston's Super Bowl anthem as a big influence on her. The musical arrangement of her performance, composed by Randy Waldman, incorporated several quotations of Houston's performance into the orchestral accompaniment. Speaking later about the experience on The Oprah Winfrey Show, originally aired on April 5, 2004: "Even more so than the Grammys, singing The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem, has always been a dream. [As a child,] I watched Whitney Houston, and I literally was in tears. And I grew up saying, 'Mom, I'm going to do that.'...I actually did it! It was overwhelming. It was amazing, it really was."

Lady Gaga, in an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN, answered the question about her mention of Houston's name in her Grammy award acceptance speech in 2011 that "Whitney was my major vocal inspiration when I was young. We used to listen to her rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' over and over again. She has an angel in her throat, and I promised myself that the first time I win a Grammy that I would thank Whitney on TV. I did that last year too, but that was not on TV. So this year I had to thank her again."

Formats and track listings

 * US CD single (1991 version) / US cassette single
 * 1) "The Star Spangled Banner" – 2:17
 * 2) "America the Beautiful" – 1:32
 * US 7" vinyl single
 * A "The Star Spangled Banner" – 2:15
 * B "America the Beautiful" – 1:31

 * US CD single (2001 version) / EU CD single
 * 1) "The Star Spangled Banner" – 2:14
 * 2) "America the Beautiful" – 1:31

 * Video single / VHS
 * 1) Running time – 4 minutes 30 seconds

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from "The Star Spangled Banner" single liner notes.

"The Star Spangled Banner"
 * Musical arrangement – John Clayton, Jr. featuring the Florida Orchestra conducted by Maestro Jahja Ling
 * Vocal arrangements – Whitney Houston

"America the Beautiful"
 * Rhythm arrangement inspired by Ray Charles
 * Background vocals – Perri
 * Vocal arrangements – Whitney Houston
 * Producer – Ricky Minor and Whitney Houston


text: Category:Czech inventors

title: Category:Czech inventors