Quartet at Inauguration Both Live and Recorded

On one of my columns recently, where much inauguration controversy was raging, my blogging friend Rob wisely commented:

Not going to touch some of the controversy, but I did want to say that the highlight of the event for me was the instrumental quartet that performed in the middle of the inauguration.

What a gathering — the best violinist and cellist of our modern day, a rising star of a clarinetist, and the pianist to whose concert I once took a group of my piano students.

It was unexpected and beautiful. I had not expected anything in the inauguration to move me to tears, but that song was just so beautiful, I couldn’t help but thank God for inventing music and giving these people such gifts to share with the world.

I agreed with his assessment, and this morning was interested to learn that what most people heard was not live music, rather a recording. The report is that the extreme cold was feared to have made it impossible for the instruments to stay in tune. As I understand it, the quartet played live, also, matching note for note the recording.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill made the decision a day before Tuesday’s inauguration after a sound check to use a previously recorded audio tape for the broadcast of the ceremonies.
From AP

Please listen to this hauntingly beautiful performance, a stellar component of the inauguration of President Obama.

EDIT Friday Jan. 23: Now it seems there is a flap over this being done. Yahoo News reports:

NEW YORK – To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again.

The revelation that millions of people who saw the inauguration of President Barack Obama were actually listening to recorded music instead of the actual performance of the Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman-led quartet has led to comparisons of lip-synching (though, in this case, might the correct term be hand-synching?) and drawn comparisons to other infamous cases, including Ashlee Simpson’s “Saturday Night Live” debacle and perhaps music’s most famous pantomimes, Milli Vanilli.

More details here.

An Apology to President Obama

Immediately after the inauguration yesterday, I posted a few of my thoughts about the glorious affair. I wrongly fingered our new president as having botched his oath. Turns out it was the chief justice who did the dastardly deed. I apologize Mr. President.

Here’s the oath as it appears in the Constitution:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Not exactly a tongue twister. And yet . . .

1) Roberts begins: “Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?”

That’s a mistake. Obama was already President at this point. The oath is a prerequisite to the new President’s “Execution of his Office,” per Article II, Section 1, but Obama became President at noon sharp (while the musicians were playing), per the 20th Amendment, Section 1. But we can excuse the Chief Justice for not consulting his wristwatch.

2) “I Barack Hussein Obama,” Roberts begins, at which point Obama follows him, but Roberts is continuing, “do solemnly swear,” requiring Obama to start again. Let’s say they share the blame for this one, for having failed to come up with a game plan during the rehearsal dinner.

3) Roberts: “that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully.”

Ouch! First of all, in the Constitution, the “faithfully” immediately precedes “execute.”
And President to the United States?!

4) Then Obama is either surprised at what Roberts had just said because that’s not how Obama practiced it, or he can’t remember everything Roberts has said, so he says “that I will execute” and stops, waiting for help from Roberts.

5) Whereupon Roberts stumbles again: “The off . . . faithfully the Pres . . . the office of President of the United States.” Obama continues “the office of President of the United States faithfully.” I.e., he too now puts the “faithfully” in the wrong place.

6) Now they both seem to recover a bit. Roberts correctly says “And will to the best of my ability, ” which Obama repeats, although he appears to drop the “the.”

7) Both the former Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review and the former President of the Harvard Law Review, each now heading a branch of the federal government, flawlessly recite “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

8) Roberts then asks whether Obama wants God’s help, to which which Obama says yes.

From Dorf on Law

An Inauguration Love Story

At home in Crestline, I was buzzing about the kitchen, hearing in the background conservative talk show host, Mike Gallagher, when my attention was grabbed by his saying something about having a Democratic wife and a Democratic son. Whoa! What’s this? I thought. For though I am not terribly familiar with Mr. Gallagher, over a number of years, I have heard him occasionally and know him to have conservative leanings; I’m quite sure he is not a Democrat.

I knew too that some time during the past few months his wife, Denise, had died of cancer.

On the radio this morning, Mike continued with his friendly, upbeat manner, describing how his son Matthew–following in the steps of his mother–adored President-elect Obama, and how that Santa Claus had provided hotel arrangements and money for transportation to Washington D. C. for Matthew and some of his friends. Soon Mike had Matthew on the air, where they spoke in light-hearted manners of the trip and the excitement of the scene in Washington on this the day before the inauguration of our 44th president.

Before I finish this post, please read the following which I took from Mike Gallagher’s website.

Mike’s proudest achievement is his family. On the morning of June 29, 2008, the love of his life, his wife Denise, died at home after a valiant and dignified year-long battle with endometrial cancer. She passed away the day before her 52nd birthday. Mike was holding her when she died, their four boys — Bryan, Trevor, Matthew, and Micah — all present as well, which is just how Denise wanted it. Two of the Gallagher sons live in South Carolina, and the other two live near Mike, which is a great comfort to him. As he promised to Denise, Mike is sleeping each night with beloved beagle Buster and puggle Rory, who constantly shadowed her every move but now seem quite content to take care of him.

On the radio this morning, I heard a love story. I listened in as Mike Gallagher told his son. “I sprinkled your mother’s ashes over Washington D.C a few hours ago, Matthew.” He paused, then added. “I think she would have liked that.”