Marine Band at funeral for Congressman John Murtha

[Tom Holtz]

This was yesterday--Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, in Johnstown, PA. The air temperature was 17 F. The wind chill was 5 F. It's a 15-piece band, brass and drums. Mark Jenkins (I think) is playing euphonium. Mark Thiele and Frank Crawford are under the sousaphones. Our drum major said that some of the brass players had hand warmers taped to the valve casings in an attempt to keep the valves moving.

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/ ... vania.aspx" target="_blank

The band plays at the beginning, and again at the end--click to around 1:10:00, you'll know you're there when you see the snow blowing sideways. They'll be talking about this one for a long, long time.

[imperialbari]

The playing was good considering the circumstances. As I heard it, players very speedily compensated when the pitch strayed.

I don’t think any elected politician would get such funeral in my country. I want to ask some questions. My wording may be imprecise in these matters, but neither politics nor offense are on my agenda.

The rolls and signals when the casket was taken from the hearse and from the church to me indicate that the congressman had a military ranking fairly high up or was high up in a defense committee. Was it so?

Does the excerpt from Sousa’s Stars & Stripes have a text relevant for the occasion?

Which was the hymn played before the service? I didn’t know it in contrast with Abide with me after the service.

The recording was better than usually for outdoor takes. For once I could hear the inner voices, I didn’t see or hear woodwinds. Had they been avoided due to the weather?

How big was the band for this command?

Did the band stand outside the church during the service?

Klaus

[dwaskew]

Which was the hymn played before the service? I didn’t know it in contrast with Abide with me after the service.

Klaus,

I'm not going to try and answer the other questions, but the hymn at the beg. was "Faith of Our Fathers"

dwa

[Toad Away]

[Mark]

And I will never, ever forget the anti-USMC comments made during
Murtha's last years in public office.

Ditto.

[Rick F]

Excellent job by the USMC band. The weather conditions were deplorable.

Klaus, the lyrics for the trio of Stars and Stripes Forever are:

• Hurrah for the flag of the free!
  May it wave as our standard forever,
  The gem of the land and the sea,
  The banner of the right.
  Let despots remember the day
  When our fathers with mighty endeavor
  Proclaimed as they marched to the fray
  That by their might and by their right
  It waves forever

"Abide With Me" was the last hymn and played in Eb I think (a bit easier than Gb I think).

Good job! The band had to be out there for at least 1.5 hours.

[pgym]

Klaus,

See Wikipedia for details on Murtha's military service and record.

Not quite sure what "Sousa's SSB" refers to: the only piece that springs to mind for "SSB" is the national anthem ("Star Spangle Banner"), but that's not by Sousa (unless the Marine Band played an arrangement of the SSB by Sousa?) Perhaps you meant "SSF" (Stars and Stripes Forever)? If so, the lyrics—at least those by Sousa—are sufficiently obscure that they would have no resonance with 99.99% of viewers. (OTOH, if you meant "SF" (Semper Fidelis), that would have been appropriate since Murtha was a Marine Corps officer prior to his political career.)

[imperialbari]

Klaus,

See Wikipedia for details on Murtha's military service and record.

Not quite sure what "Sousa's SSB" refers to: the only piece that springs to mind for "SSB" is the national anthem ("Star Spangle Banner"), but that's not by Sousa (unless the Marine Band played an arrangement of the SSB by Sousa?) Perhaps you meant "SSF" (Stars and Stripes Forever)? If so, the lyrics—at least those by Sousa—are sufficiently obscure that they would have no resonance with 99.99% of viewers. (OTOH, if you meant "SF" (Semper Fidelis), that would have been appropriate since Murtha was a Marine Corps officer prior to his political career.)

I made a mistake, which have corrected. I have problems with dyslexia and with remembering names and titles. I don’t think in words but in entities like personalities or musical style. I use work arounds for missing words, and sometimes there are glitches. I really know the difference between your national anthem and your national iconic march. And I wouldn’t have asked whether the national anthem had a text. The only country I know of not allowing the text for its anthem to be sung was GDR during its last decade or so. Party priorities had changed.

Thanks for the information! We know your senators better than your congressmen. May be a matter of numbers.

Klaus

[JTJ]

Murtha was a Marine:

Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha became a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Murtha remained in the Marine Forces Reserve, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash (which still operates in the West End section of Johnstown.) He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on June 10, 1955. They have three children: daughter Donna and twin sons Patrick and John M., who live in Johnstown.

Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Not sure just what he said in recent years, but he is due respect for his service.

[sloan]

I don’t think any elected politician would get such funeral in my country.

He wasn't just "an elected official" - he was a Marine.

As we are sometimes reminded (and despite other comments made here) - there's no such thing as an EX-Marine.

with appreciation for *all* the Marines involved in the event....

[Biggs]

And I will never, ever forget the anti-USMC comments made during
Murtha's last years in public office.

I will line up to give a special 'watering' to the graveside flowers.

RIH

If we are thinking of the same comments (and, given that I am no Murtha aficionado, I might be interpreting you incorrectly), I believe those comments were made about Murtha.

[TubaRay]

And I will never, ever forget the anti-USMC comments made during
Murtha's last years in public office.

Ditto.

Sign me up, too.

[wonderbread403]

I like reading vague, ambiguous political comments that try to fly under the mod's radar.

/not really

[wonderbread403]

I was more referring to how some of the posts in this thread sneak in political commentary despite the supposedly standing rule of "no politics."

/not trying to get into a political debate
//wishing for less politics when reading a tuba forum

[David Richoux]

Who selected what songs would be played, and when?

It seemed a bit of a shock to hear the lively "Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue" strain (after the "Ruffles and Flourishes") as the casket was first moved from the church after the service. It seemed a bit inappropriate before the solemn hymn that followed. Was that a TV editing thing, or what?

I have played the bugle for several military funerals - it is a very heavy honor!

[Bob Kolada]

Before this is locked, I have been unable to find an anti-Marine quote from Murtha. He stated that he thought that there was an incident in which a Marine platoon murdered civilians. There is a big difference being anti-Marine and being against the acts of individual Marines. He was wrong to say it. As a former Marine, sure, I was pissed. I never thought he was anti-Corps, however.

But did it actually happen (I don't know)? If it did and he wasn't saying it in any odd way,...

Murtha behaved EXTREMELY poorly shortly before his death, and NEVER apologized for this horrendous behavior.

At the risk of appearing blase, how sane was he (considering he was near 80 and dying)? I don't know anything about him.

[JCradler]

Who selected what songs would be played, and when?

It seemed a bit of a shock to hear the lively "Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue" strain (after the "Ruffles and Flourishes") as the casket was first moved from the church after the service. It seemed a bit inappropriate before the solemn hymn that followed. Was that a TV editing thing, or what?

I have played the bugle for several military funerals - it is a very heavy honor!

The last 32 bars of "Stars and Stripes Forever", is the prescribed musical honors for a member of Congress (I'm 99.9% sure on this one). Just as the POTUS has " Hail to the Chief", Generals receive "General's March and Admirals receive "Flag Officer's March". At a funeral for such a high ranking individual, appropriate honors is played before the casket is moved, then the normally prescribed music is played.

[Toad Away]

I have found that legion of our rulers are the very same Eddie Haskell types who were in our student councils in our high schools...Somehow, they got elected by their peers to the student council...so who REALLY, then, exercises the poorest judgment?

Beautiful .....

[David Richoux]

This part of the thread has lots to do with music...

The last 32 bars of "Stars and Stripes Forever", is the prescribed musical honors for a member of Congress (I'm 99.9% sure on this one). Just as the POTUS has " Hail to the Chief", Generals receive "General's March and Admirals receive "Flag Officer's March". At a funeral for such a high ranking individual, appropriate honors is played before the casket is moved, then the normally prescribed music is played.

This confirms what you say

Grandioso of The Stars and Stripes Forever
Grandioso strain (last 32 measures) of The Stars and Stripes Forever is used in conjunction with Ruffles and Flourishes to provide musical honors to senior civilian government officials. Alone, it is used to provide musical honors to consuls general accredited to the United States.

In the US Marine manual I see there is a bit of flexibility - I did not find a similar paragraph in the Army manual.

2407.1. If full band support is required, the Band Officer makes direct
liaison with the family members of the deceased to coordinate any
special musical requests. Additionally, Band Officers liaison with
command and civilian religious organizations to determine if any
ethnic or creed music protocols pertain to the funeral or memorial
service.

[TubaRay]

This now has little, or nothing, to do with music. Can this be taken somewhere else please?

If this bothers you, why not simply stop clicking on the thread? No one forces me to read anything on TubeNet. And, in fact, I do not read everything that is posted. I choose what interests me. I suggest the same strategy for you.