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'''''Tristan und Isolde''''' is an [[opera]] in three acts by [[Richard Wagner]]. It was composed between [[1857]] and [[1859]], and received its first production in [[Munich]] on [[June 10]], [[1865]].
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== '''[[Image:Turkeyday.jpg|thumb|300px|The First Thanksgiving, after the painting by [[Jean Louis Gerome Ferris]] ([[1863]]–[[1930]])]]
== Sources ==
'''Thanksgiving''', or '''Thanksgiving Day''' (Nicknamed: Turkey Day [Día del Pavo] and called El Día de Acción de Gracias by Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S. Also, le jour d'action de grâce by north american francophones.), is an annual [[holiday]] celebrated in much of [[North America]], generally observed as an expression of [[gratitude]], usually to [[God]]. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the [[autumn]] [[harvest]]. In the [[United States]], the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in [[November]]. In [[Canada]], where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in [[October]], which is observed as [[Columbus Day]].
In the principal parts of this opera Wagner followed the romance of [[Gottfried von Strassburg]], which in turn is based on the story of [[Tristan]] and [[Isolde]] from [[King Arthur|Arthur]]ian legend.
== Traditional celebration ==
Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In both Canada and the United States, it is an important family gathering, and people often travel longe Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day weekend" (November 24th) in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated almost entirely at home, unlike the [[Fourth of July]] or [[Christmas]], which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc). In Canada, it is a three-day weekend as Thanksgiving is observed on the second Monday of October every year.
== Critical reception ==
Since at least the [[1930s]], the Christmas shopping season in the U.S. traditionally begins when Thanksgiving ends. In [[New York City]], the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] is held annually every Thanksgiving Day in Midtown Manhattan. The parade features moving stands with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands. It always ends with the image of [[Santa Claus]] passing the reviewing stand. Thanksgiving parades also occur in other cities like Plymouth, Houston, Philadelphia (which claims the oldest parade), and Detroit (where it is the only major parade of the year). Due to the earlier date, Santa Claus parades in Canada do not fall on Thanksgiving; the only major parade on that day in Canada is the [[Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest|Oktoberfest]] parade in [[Kitchener-Waterloo]].
Many Wagnerian critics of the time claimed that the musical portion of the opera attained the highest summit of all music; on the other hand, an equally influential group of critics, centered around [[Eduard Hanslick]], condemned the work as being incomprehensible.
While the biggest day of shopping of the year in the U.S., as measured by customer traffic, is still the [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] after Thanksgiving (the biggest by sales volume is either the Saturday before Christmas or [[December 23]]), most shops start to stock for and promote the December holidays immediately after [[Halloween]], and sometimes even before.
== Significance in the development of classical music ==
[[American football]] is often a major part of Thanksgiving celebrations in the U.S. and likewise [[Canadian football]] in [[Canada]]. Professional games are traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day in both countries; until recently in the U.S., these were the only games played during the week apart from Sunday or Monday night. In Canada, these are the only games played on a Monday except for the [[Labour Day]] classic, and on the [[Civic Holiday]]. The [[Detroit Lions]] of the American [[National Football League]] have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since [[1934]], with the exception of [[1939]]–[[1944|44]] (due to [[World War II]]). The [[Dallas Cowboys]] have hosted every Thanksgiving Day since [[1966]], with the exception of [[1975]] and [[1977]] when the then-[[Arizona Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] hosted. Additionally, many college and high school football games are played over Thanksgiving weekend, often between regional or historic rivals.
The very first chord in the piece is the so-called ''[[Tristan chord]]'', often taken to be of great significance in the move away from traditional [[tonality|tonal]] [[harmony]]:
U.S. tradition associates the holiday with a meal held in [[1621]] by the [[Wampanoag]] and the [[Pilgrim]]s who settled in [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth, Massachusetts]]. Some of the details of the American Thanksgiving story are [[myth]]s that developed in the [[1890s]] and early [[1900s]] as part of the effort to forge a common national identity in the aftermath of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and in the [[melting pot]] of new immigrants.
[[Image:Wagner Tristan opening.png]]
In Canada, Thanksgiving is a three-day weekend (although some provinces choose to observe a four day weekend, Friday–Monday). While the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians might eat their Thanksgiving meal on any day of that three day weekend. This often means celebrating a meal with one group of relatives on one day, and another meal with a different group of relatives on another day.
'''Sound samples'''
== The history of Thanksgiving in North America ==
* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Wagner Tristan opening.midi|Sound sample of these bars]] ([[MIDI]] file)
Thanksgiving is closely related to [[harvest festival]]s that had long been a traditional holiday in much of Europe. The first North American celebration of these festivals by Europeans was held in [[Newfoundland]] by [[Martin Frobisher]] and the [[Frobisher Expedition]] in [[1578]]. Another such festival occurred on [[December 4]], [[1619]] when 38 [[colony|colonists]] from Berkeley Parish in [[England]] disembarked in [[Virginia]] and gave thanks to [[God]]. Prior to this, there was also a Thanksgiving feast celebrated by [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado]] (along with friendly [[Teya]] Indians) on [[23 May]] [[1541]] in [[Texas]]'s [[Palo Duro Canyon]], to celebrate his expedition's discovery of food supplies. Some hold this to be the true first Thanksgiving in North America. Another such event occurred a quarter century later on [[September 8]], [[1565]] in [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] when [[Pedro Menéndez de Avilés]] landed he and his men shared a feast with the natives.
* [[Image:Audiobutton.png]] [[Media:Tristan und Isolde beginning clip.ogg|Recording of these bars]] ([[Ogg Vorbis]] file)
== Characters ==
Most people recognize the first Thanksgiving as taking place on an unremembered date, sometime in the autumn of [[1621]], when the [[Pilgrims]] held a three-day feast to celebrate the bountiful harvest they reaped following their first winter in North America.
*Tristan ([[Tenor]])
Two American colonists have personal accounts of the [[1621]] Thanksgiving in [[Massachusetts]]:
*Isolde ([[Soprano]])
*King Marke ([[Bass (musical term)|Bass]])
*Kurwenal ([[Baritone]])
*Brangaene ([[Mezzo-soprano]])
*Melot (Tenor)
*A shepherd (Tenor)
*Helmsman (Bass)
*Voice of a young sailor (Tenor)
*Male and Female Chorus
== Story ==
[[William Bradford (1590-1657)|William Bradford]], in ''Of Plymouth Plantation'':
{{spoiler}}
:"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their house and dwelling against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned by true reports."
===Act I===
Edward Winslow, in ''Mourt's Relation'':
Isolde and her handmaid, Brangaene are quartered aboard Tristan’s ship, being transported to King Marke’s lands in Cornwall where Isolde is to be married to the King. The opera opens with the voice of a young sailor singing of a “wild Irish maid”, which Isolde takes to be a mocking reference to herself. In a furious outburst she wishes the seas to rise up and sink the ship, killing all on board. Her scorn and rage are directed particularly at Tristan, the knight who is taking her to Marke. She sends Brangaene to command Tristan to appear before her, but Tristan refuses Brangaene's request, saying that his place is at the helm. His henchman, Kurwenal, answers more brusqely, saying that Isolde is in no position to command Tristan, and reminding Brangaene that Isolde’s previous husband, Morold was killed by Tristan.
:"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
Brangaene returns to Isolde to relate these events, and Isolde sadly tells her of how, following the death of Morold, a stranger called Tantris had been brought to her, found mortally wounded in a boat, and that she had used her healing powers to restore him to health. However she discovered that Tantris was actually Tristan, the murderer of her husband, and had tried to kill him with his sword as he lay helpless before her. However Tristan had looked not at the sword that would kill him, but into her eyes, and this had pierced her heart. Tristan had been allowed to leave, but had returned with the intention of marrying Isolde to his uncle, King Marke. Isolde, in her fury at Tristan’s betrayal, insists that he drink atonement to her, and from her medicine-chest produces the vial which will make this drink. Brangaene is shocked to see that it is a lethal poison.
The Pilgrims did not hold Thanksgiving again until [[1623]], when it followed a drought, prayers for rain and a subsequent rain shower. Irregular Thanksgivings continued after favorable events and days of fasting after unfavorable ones.
Gradually an annual Thanksgiving after the harvest developed in the mid-[[17th century]]. This did not occur on any set day or necessarily on the same day in different colonies.
At this point Kurwenal appears in the women’s quarters saying that Tristan has agreed after all to see Isolde. When he arrives, Isolde tells him that she now knows that he was Tantris, and that he owes her his life. Tristan agrees to drink the potion, now prepared by Brangaene, even though he knows it may kill him. As he drinks, Isolde tears the remainder of the potion from him and drinks it herself. At this moment, each believing that their life is about to end, they declare their love for each other. Their rapture is interrupted by Kurwenal, who announces the imminent arrival on board of King Marke. Isolde asks Brangaene which potion she prepared and is told that it was no poison, but a love-potion. Outside, the sailors hail the arrival of King Marke.
Some, including historian [[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.]], point out that the first time colonists from Europe gave thanks in what would become the United States was on [[December 4]], [[1619]], in [[Berkeley, Virginia]].
That was when the thirty-eight members of The Stanford Company landed there after a three-month voyage in the ''Margaret''.
Having been recruited from [[Gloucestershire]] to establish a colony in the [[New World]], the men were under orders to give thanks when they arrived, so the first thing they did was to kneel down and do so.
===Act II===
=== Thanksgiving in the United States ===
A nocturnal hunting party leaves King Marke’s castle empty except for Isolde and Brangaene, who stand beside a burning brazier. Isolde several times believes that the hunting horns are far enough away to allow her to extinguish the flames, giving the signal for Tristan to join her. Brangaene warns Isolde that one of King Marke’s knights, Melot, has seen the looks exchanged between Tristan and Isolde, and suspects their passion. Isolde, however, believes Melot to be Tristan’s most loyal friend, and in a frenzy of desire extinguishes the flames. Brangaene retires to the ramparts to keep watch as Tristan arrives.
The Pilgrims set apart a day for thanksgiving at Plymouth immediately after their first harvest, in 1621; the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the first time in 1630, and frequently thereafter until about 1680, when it became an annual festival in that colony; and Connecticut as early as 1639 and annually after 1647, except in 1675. The Dutch in [[New Netherland]] appointed a day for giving thanks in 1644 and occasionally thereafter.
The lovers, alone at last and freed from the constraints of courtly life, declare their passion for each other. Tristan decries the realm of daylight which is false, unreal, and keeps them apart. It is only in night that they can truly be together, and only in the long night of death that they can be eternally united. Brangaene is heard several times throughout their long tryst calling a warning that the night is ending, but the lovers ignore her. Finally the day breaks in on the lovers, Melot leads Marke and his men to find Tristan and Isolde in each others arms. Marke is heart-broken, not only because of his betrayal by his adopted son, Tristan, but because he, too, has come to love Isolde.
During the [[American Revolutionary War]] the Continental Congress appointed one or more thanksgiving days each year, except in 1777, each time recommending to the executives of the various states the observance of these days in their states.
Tristan now asks Isolde if she will follow him again into the realm of night, and she agrees. Melot and Tristan fight, but at the crucial moment, Tristan throws his sword aside and is mortally wounded by Melot.
[[George Washington]], leader of the revolutionary forces in the [[American Revolutionary War]], proclaimed a Thanksgiving in December [[1777]] as a victory celebration honoring the defeat of the British at [[Battle of Saratoga|Saratoga]]. The [[Continental Congress]] proclaimed annual December Thanksgivings from 1777 to [[1783]], except in [[1782]].
===Act III===
George Washington again proclaimed Thanksgivings, now as [[President of the United States|President]], in [[1789]] and [[1795]]. President [[John Adams]] declared Thanksgivings in [[1798]] and [[1799]]. President Madison, in response to resolutions of Congress, set apart a day for thanksgiving at the close of the War of 1812. Madison declared the holiday twice in [[1815]]; however, none of these was celebrated in autumn.
Kurwenal has brought Tristan home to his castle at Kareol in Brittany. A shepherd pipes a mournful tune and asks if Tristan is awake. Kurwenal says that only Isolde’s arrival can save Tristan. The shepherd says he will keep watch and pipe a happy tune to mark the arrival of any ship. Tristan now wakes and mourns that he is again in the false realm of daylight, once more driven by unceasing unquenchable yearning, until Kurwenal tells him that Isolde is coming. Tristan is overjoyed and asks if her ship is in sight, but only the shepherd’s sorrowful tune is heard.
One was annually appointed by the governor of New York from [[1817]]. In some of the [[Southern states]] there was opposition to the observance of such a day on the ground that it was a relic of Puritanic bigotry, but by [[1858]] proclamations appointing a day of thanksgiving were issued by the governors of 25 states and two Territories.
Tristan relapses and recalls that the shepherd’s tune is the one he heard when his father and then his mother died. Once again he rails against his desires and against the fateful love-potion until he collapses in delirium. At this point the shepherd is heard piping the arrival of Isolde’s ship, and as Kurwenal rushes to meet her, Tristan in his excitement tears the bandages from his wounds. As Isolde arrives at his side, Tristan dies with her name on his lips.
In the middle of the Civil War, prompted by a series of editorials written by [[Sarah Josepha Hale]], the last of which appeared in the September 1863 issue of ''[[Godey's Lady's Book]],'' President [[Abraham Lincoln]] proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November [[1863]]:
Isolde collapses beside him as the appearance of another ship is announced. Kurwenal sees Melot, Marke and Brangaene arrive and furiously attacks Melot to avenge Tristan. In the fight both Melot and Kurwenal are killed. Marke and Brangaene finally reach Isolde and Marke, grieving over the body of his “truest friend” explains that he has learnt of the love-potion from Brangaene and had come, not to part the lovers, but to unite them. Isolde appears to wake but, in a final aria describing her vision of Tristan risen again (the “Liebestod”), dies of grief.
:"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.
== Influence of Schopenhauer on ''Tristan und Isolde'' ==
:No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
Wagner was introduced to the work of the philosopher [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] by his friend [[Georg Herwegh]] in late 1854. The composer was immediately struck by the philosophical ideas to be found in “Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung” ([[The World as Will and Idea]]), and it is clear that the composer and the philosopher had a very similar world-view. By the end of that year, he had sketched out all three acts of an opera on the theme of Tristan and Isolde, although it was not until 1857 that he began working full-time on the opera, putting aside the composition of [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]] to do so.
:It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
Wagner said in a letter to [[Liszt]] (December 1854): “Never in my life having enjoyed the true happiness of love I shall erect a memorial to this loveliest of all dreams in which, from the first to the last, love shall, for once, find utter repletion. I have devised in my mind a ''Tristan und Isolde'', the simplest, yet most full-blooded musical conception imaginable, and with the ‘black flag’ that waves at the end I shall cover myself over – to die.”
By 1857 Wagner was living as the guest of the wealthy silk merchant [[Otto von Wesendonck]], and during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde'' was involved with Wesendonck’s wife, Mathilde, although it remains uncertain as to whether or not this relationship was platonic.
Nevertheless, the twin influences of Schopenhauer and Mathilde inspired Wagner during the composition of ''Tristan und Isolde''. Schopenhauer’s influence is felt most directly in the second and third acts. The first act is relatively straightforward, consisting mostly of an exposition of how Tristan and Isolde come to be in their current state. However the second act, where the lovers meet, and the third act, in which Tristan longs for release from the passions that torment him, have often proved puzzling to opera-goers unfamiliar with Schopenhauer’s work.
:In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.<
Wagner uses the metaphor of day and night in the second act to designate the realms inhabited by Tristan and Isolde. The world of Day is one where the lovers must deny their love and pretend they do not care for each other, where they are bound by the dictates of King Marke’s court: it is a realm of falsehood and unreality. Tristan declares in Act 2 that under the dictates of the realm of Day he was forced to remove Isolde from Ireland and to marry her to his Uncle Marke. The realm of Night, in contrast, is the representation of intrinsic reality, where the lovers can be together, where their desires reach fulfillment: it is the realm of oneness, truth and reality. Wagner here equates the realm of Day with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Phenomenon]], and the realm of Night with Schopenhauer’s concept of [[Noumenon]]. This is not explicitly stated in the libretto, however Tristan’s comments on Day and Night in Act 2 and 3 make it very clear that this is Wagner’s intention.
In Schopenhauer’s philosophy, the world as we experience it is a representation of an unknowable reality. Our representation of the world (which is false) is [[Phenomenon]], while the unknowable reality is [[Noumenon]]: these concepts are developments of ideas originally posited by [[Kant]]. Importantly for Tristan and Isolde, Schopenhauer’s concept of Noumenon is one where all things are indivisible and one: and it is this very idea of one-ness that Tristan yearns for in Acts 2 and 3 of Tristan und Isolde. Tristan is also aware that this realm of Night, or Noumenon can only be shared by the lovers in its fullest sense when they die. The realm of Night therefore also becomes the realm of death: the only world in which Tristan and Isolde can be united forever, and it is this realm that Tristan speaks of at the end of Act two (“Dem Land das Tristan meint, der Sonne Lich nicht Scheint”).
:Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.
Tristan rages against the daylight in Act 3 and frequently cries out for release from his desires (Sehnen): it is also part of Schopenhauer’s philosophy that man is driven by continued, unachievable desires, and that the gulf between our desires and the possibility of achieving them leads to misery. The only way for man to achieve inner peace is to renounce his desires: a theme that Wagner explores fully in his last opera, [[Parsifal]].
:''Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, [[3 October]], [[1863]].''"
== Recordings of Tristan und Isolde ==
Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.
Tristan und Isolde has always been acknowledged as one of the greatest operas, and has a long recorded history. In the years before the [[Second World War]], [[Kirsten Flagstad]] and [[Lauritz Melchior]] were considered to be the prime interpreters of the lead roles, and mono recordings exist of a number of live performances with this pair directed by conductors such as [[Thomas Beecham]], [[Fritz Reiner]], [[Artur Bodanzky]] and [[Erich Leinsdorf]] . Flagstad recorded the part for EMI near the end of her career under [[Wilhelm Furtwangler]], producing a set which is considered a classic recording. Following the war the performances at [[Bayreuth Festival|Bayreuth]] with [[Martha Modl]] and [[Ramon Vinay]] under [[Herbert von Karajan]] (1952) were highly regarded, and these performances are now available as a live recording. In the 1960s the soprano [[Birgit Nilsson]] was considered the major Isolde interpreter, and she was often partnered by the Tristan of [[Wolfgang Windgassen]]. Their performances at Bayreuth in 1966 were captured by Deutsche Grammophon, although some collectors prefer the pairing of Nilsson with the Canadian tenor [[Jon Vickers]], available in “unofficial” recordings from performances in Vienna or Orange. Karajan did not record the opera commercially until 1971, and his set is still controversial for the use of a lighter soprano voice as Isolde, paired with an extremely intense Vickers, and for the unusual balance between orchestra and singers favoured at that time by Karajan. By the 1980s recorded sets by conductors such as [[Carlos Kleiber]], [[Reginald Goodall]] and [[Leonard Bernstein]] were mostly considered to be important for the interpretation of the conductor, rather than that of the lead performers. The set by Kleiber is notable since Isolde is sung by [[Margaret Price]], who never sang the role on stage.
In 1939, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] declared that Thanksgiving would be the next to last Thursday of November rather than the last. With the country still in the midst of [[The Great Depression]], Roosevelt thought this would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before [[Christmas]]. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would aid bringing the country out of the Depression. At the time, it was considered inappropriate to advertise goods for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, Roosevelt's declaration was not mandatory; twenty-three states went along with this recommendation, and 22 did not. Other states, like [[Texas]], could not decide and took both weeks as government holidays. Roosevelt persisted in 1940 to celebrate his "Franksgiving," as it was termed. The [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]] in 1941 split the difference and established that the Thanksgiving would occur annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was sometimes the last Thursday and sometimes the next to last. On [[November 26]] that year President Roosevelt signed this bill into U.S. law.
There are many recordings of the opera, some of the most popular being listed below:
[[Image:Truman2 thanksgiving.jpg|right|thumb|250px|President Truman receiving a Thanksgiving turkey from members of the Poultry and Egg National Board and other representatives of the turkey industry,outside the White House.]]
* [[Karl Elmendorff]] conducting the Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester with Gunnar Graarud as Tristan and Nanny Larsen-Todsen as Isolde, 1928 (Columbia Records, mono, rereleased in 2003 on CD by Naxos)
Beginning in 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with one live turkey and two dressed turkeys. The live turkey is pardoned and lives out the rest of its days on a peaceful farm.
* Thomas Beecham/Fritz Reiner conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior, 1936 – 1937 (EMI, mono)
Since 1970, a group of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] and others have held a [[National Day of Mourning]] protest on Thanksgiving at [[Plymouth Rock]] in [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]].
* Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra with Kirsten Flagstad and Ludwig Suthaus, 1953 (EMI, mono)
=== Thanksgiving in Canada ===
* Karl Bohm conducting the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen, 1966 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)
Canadians trace the holiday to a feast held by [[Martin Frobisher]] in [[Newfoundland]] in [[1578]].
* Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Helga Dernesch and Jon Vickers, 1972 (EMI, stereo)
The first Thanksgiving Day in Can after Confederation was observed on [[April 5]], [[1872]] to celebrate the recovery of the [[Prince of Wales]] (later King [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]]) from a serious illness. Official records do not show that Thanksgiving was observed again until the year when parliament declared Thanksgiving to be an annual national holiday to give thanks and ask for blessings for an abundant harvest. Every year prior to [[1957]], parliament proclaimed the date annually, resulting in the date being different annually. In [[1957]], it was proclaimed by the [[Government of Canada]] that Thanksgiving for an abundant harvest was to be observed on the second Monday in October for every year thereafter. Thanksgiving in [[Ontario]] is a public holiday, which means most stores and business are closed for the day. Only designated tourist areas (e.g. downtown [[Toronto]] - [[Eaton Center]]) are allowed to conduct business with shorter business hours.
* Carlos Kleiber conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle with Margaret Price and Rene Kollo, 1982 (Deutsche Grammophon, stereo)
== Thanksgiving dinner ==
[[image:Thanksgiving.jpg|right|thumb|A Thanksgiving dinner in [[Ontario]], featuring [[turkey (bird)|turkey]], mashed [[potato]]es, [[squash (fruit)|squash]], [[sweet potato]]es, [[broccoli]], [[Brussels sprouts]], [[stuffing]], [[cranberry]] sauce, [[gravy]], and beverages.]]
=== Video ===
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada is a large meal, typically in the late afternoon or evening, starring a large roasted [[domesticated turkey|turkey]]. Because turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called ''Turkey Day'' in the USA. The [[USDA]] estimated that 269 million turkeys were raised in the country in [[2003]], about one-sixth of which were destined for a Thanksgiving dinner plate.
* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: Karl Bohm. ORTF orchestra. Soloists: Brigitte Nilsson, Jon Vickers; 1973, at the Theatre Antique, Orange, France. Despite some technical problems and limited commercial distribution, it is still the finest video recording for its powerful performance (as of 2005-11-21).
* ''Tristan und Isolde'' [[Conductor]]: [[Daniel Barenboim]], Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele, Staged and Directed by: [[Jean-Pierre Ponnelle]], Soloists: René Kollo, Johanna Meier, Matti Salminen, Hermann Becht, Hanna Schwarz, Unitel 1983, [[Laserdisc]] Philips 070-509-1
Foods other than turkey are sometimes served as the main dish for a Thanksgiving dinner. [[Goose]] and [[duck]], foods which were traditional European centerpieces of [[Christmas]] dinners before being displaced by turkeys, are now ironically sometimes served in place of the Thanksgiving turkey. On the [[West Coast of the United States]], [[Dungeness crab]] is common as an alternate main dish, as crab season starts in early November. [[Turducken]], a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, is becoming more popular, from its base in [[Louisiana]]. [[Deep frying|Deep-fried]] turkey is rising in popularity as well, requiring special [[turkey fryer|fryer]]s to hold the large bird, and reportedly leading to fires and bad burns. In [[Maryland]], [[sauerkraut]] is eaten. Sometimes a variant recipe for cooking turkey could be used. Such as a [[Chinese]] recipe for [[Goose]] could be used on the similarly sized American bird. [[Vegetarian]]s or [[vegan]]s may try [[tofurkey]], a [[tofu]] based dish with imitation turkey flavor.
==External links==
Many other foods are served alongside the main dish — so many that, because of the amount of food, the Thanksgiving meal is sometimes served midday or early afternoon to make time for all the eating, and preparation may begin at the crack of dawn or days before.
*[http://www.tip.net.au/~jgbrown/Tristan/discography/ Discography of ''Tristan und Isolde]
*[http://www.scarp.plus.com/TristanundIsolde.html ''Tristan und Isolde'' libretto] from the Wagner Libretto Page
* [http://www.richard-wagner-postkarten.de/postkarten/tri.php Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde]. A gallery of historic postcards with motives from Richard Wagner's operas.
[[Category:Operas by Richard Wagner]]
Traditional Thanksgiving foods are sometimes specific to the day, and although some of the foods might be seen at any semi-formal meal in the United States, the meal often has something of ritual or traditional quality.
[[Category:German-language operas]]
[[Category:Romantic tragedy]]
Commonly served dishes include [[cranberry]] sauce, [[gravy]], [[mashed potatoes]], [[candied yams]], [[green bean]]s and [[stuffing]]. For dessert, various [[pie]]s are served, particularly [[pumpkin pie]], [[apple pie]] and [[pecan pie]].
[[Category:Arthurian legend]]
[[Category:Operas]]
There are also regional differences as to the "stuffing" (or "dressing") traditionally served with the turkey. Southerners generally make theirs from [[cornbread]], while in other parts of the country white [[bread]] is the base. One or several of the following may be added: [[oyster]]s, [[apple]]s, [[chestnut]]s, [[raisin]]s, [[celery]] and/or other vegetables, [[sausage]] or the turkey's [[giblets]]. These eating patterns are very similar in Canada.
[[da:Tristan og Isolde]]
[[de:Tristan und Isolde]]
Other dishes reflect the region or cultural background of those who have come together for the meal. For example, [[Italian-American]]s often have [[lasagna]] on the table and [[Ashkenazi]] [[Jew]]s may serve noodle [[kugel]], a sweet [[pudding]]. [[Irish-Americans]] have been known sometimes to substitute the turkey with prime rib of [[beef]]. Besides [[Tofurkey]], those of the [[vegetarian]] or [[vegan]] persuasion have been known to come up with alternative entree centerpieces such as a large vegetable [[pie]] or a stuffed and baked [[pumpkin]].
[[es:Tristán e Isolda]]
[[fr:Tristan et Isolde]]
A very similar dinner is often served on [[Christmas]].
[[ja:トリスタンとイゾルデ (楽劇)]]
[[pl:Tristan i Izolda (opera)]]
==Nicknames==
In certain parts of the [[United States|USA]], the name for Thanksgiving can be shortened or changed. These [[nickname]]s include:
*Turkey Day (after the traditional Thanksgiving dinner)
*T-Day (abbreviation of either "Thanksgiving" or "Turkey")
*[[Macy's]] Day (exclusive to [[New York City]], a reference to the parade, above, as in "Macy's Day Parade" instead of the proper "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade")
In [[Canada]], the United States' Thanksgiving is sometimes refered to as "Yanksgiving" to distinguish it from the Canadian holiday ([[yank]] being a nickname for a resident of the USA).
--[[User:205.202.240.100|205.202.240.100]] 15:19, 18 November 2005 (UTC)Dave
== Popular culture ==
* As the holiday most associated with family gatherings in the U.S., Thanksgiving is often humorously portrayed in [[movies]] and [[television]] as an occasion for extended family members to bicker with one another.
* A number of U.S. television programs have featured Thanksgiving Day specials. ''[[Friends]]'', a program that aired on Thursday nights, was especially noted for this. From [[1989]] to [[1997]], [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]] aired an all-day "Turkey Day Marathon" on Thanksgiving.
* In the U.S., the song "[[Alice's Restaurant]]" by [[Arlo Guthrie]] is associated with Thanksgiving, as the precipitating events described in the song occurred on Thanksgiving of [[1965]]. "Alice's Restaurant" is played by many [[radio station]]s across the country at least once on that day.
* [[Adam Sandler]] did a song on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' about Thanksgiving called the [[Thanksgiving Song]].
== Source ==
* {{1911}}
==See also==
* [[turkey (food)]]
* [[one-hour Thanksgiving dinner]].
* [[Black Friday (shopping)]]
* [[Buy Nothing Day]]
== External links ==
*[http://wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm The Thanksgiving Story]
*[http://www.ewebtribe.com/NACulture/articles/thanksgiving.html Guide for teacher regarding Thanksgiving and Native American Culture]
*[http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/jfa-ha/graces_e.cfm List of all Canadian thanksgiving days and their reasons]
*[http://www.a-christmas-carol.com/stories/thanksgiving-day.html Thanksgiving Day Story]
*[http://www.macysparade.com/ Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade] - official site
*[http://thanksgiving.indiaserver.com/around-the-world.html Thanksgiving Around The World]
*[http://www.theparade.org/ America's Thanksgiving Parade] in Detroit, MI
*[http://www.profootballhof.com/history/stats/thanksgiving.jsp Pro football games on Thanskgiving Day since 1920]
=== Thanksgiving food links ===
{{wikibookspar|Cookbook|Holiday Recipes}}
*[http://www.thanksgivingrecipe.com/ All Recipes-Thanksgiving Recipes]
*[http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=13972 ''Reader's Digest'' Complete Classic Recipe Guide]
*[http://www.butterball.com/en/main_canvas.jsp?includePage=holiday_guide.jsp&t=Holiday%20Guide&s0=holiday&s1=main Butterball Turkey Holiday Guide]
*[http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/thanks.html EatTurkey.com: Thanksgiving and Holiday Cooking, from the National Turkey Federation]
*[http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_thanks/menuintro.html Epicurious Eating Thanksgiving Homepage]
*[http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_thanksgiving/0,1972,FOOD_9845,00.html Food Network Thanksgiving]
*[http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/29831 Turkey tips from Metafilter]
*[http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel1293&catid=cat286 Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Planner]
[[Category:Holidays of the United States]]
[[Category:Holidays in Canada]]
[[Category:Meals]]
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[[es:Día de Acción de Gracias]]
[[fr:Action de Grâce]]
[[he:חג ההודיה]]
[[la:Festum Gratias Agendi]]
[[hu:Hálaadás (Thanksgiving)]]
[[nl:Thanksgiving Day]]
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[[pl:Dzień dziękczynienia]]
[[pt:Ação de Graças]]
[[ro:Ziua Recunoştinţei]]
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[[zh:感恩节]]''' == == ==
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