Memorial

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks.

Types

The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars. Memorials in the form of a cross are called intending crosses.

Online memorials and tributes are becoming increasingly popular especially with the increase in natural burial where the laying of gravestones, or memorial plaques, is often not permitted.

When somebody has died, the family may request that a memorial gift (usually money) be given to a designated charity, or that a tree be planted in memory of the person.

Sometimes, when a high school student has died, the memorials are placed in the form of a scholarship, to be awarded to high-achieving students in future years.

Examples of notable memorials

Memorial (Clifford Brown album)

Memorial is a 1956 jazz album by late trumpeter Clifford Brown. It was originally released on the Prestige label as PRLP 7055. It principally includes fast bop pieces, also arranged for a brass section. Ira Gitler, who was supervising session for Prestige label at the time, confessed he was greatly impressed by Brown: "When Brownie stood up and took his first solo on "Philly J J", I nearly fell off my seat in the control room. The power, range and brilliance together with the warmth and invention was something that I hadn't heard since Fats Navarro".

Track listing

Recorded on June 11, 1953 in New York City; tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 recorded on September 15, 1953 in Stockholm.

Mémorial

Mémorial is the official gazette of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is published by the Central Legislation Service (French: Service central de législation), an agency of the government of Luxembourg. Until the Second World War, Mémorial was published in both French and German, which were the two official languages of Luxembourg. Since the war, it has been published in only French (even though German remains an official language, and Luxembourgish has also become one).

Mémorial is subdivided into three separate publications. Although the separate publications had already been established, the current arrangement and separation of duties is dictated by the Grand Ducal decree of 9 January 1961. Under that decree, the three publications of Mémorial are:

Kristallnacht (album)

Kristallnacht is an album by John Zorn first released in 1993 on the Japanese Eva label and subsequently in 1995 on Zorn's own Tzadik Records label.

Background

Zorn's compositions for the album were based around the events before, during, and following the infamous Night of Broken Glass and represented his first musical exploration of his Jewish cultural heritage.

Zorn has stated:

It’s tied together with passion and research. Every Jew has to come to grips with the holocaust in some kind of way and that was my statement, that’s how I did it. I do not need to do it again (…) it meant a lot to me. It was like a whole lifetime of denying my Jewish heritage coming out in one piece -- John Zorn on BBC Jazz File (July 2000)

Reception

The Allmusic review by Joslyn Layne awarded the album 4½ stars stating "John Zorn has created a musical work that powerfully represents the different stages of this historical event... Zorn's forceful undertaking is realized through the expert and passionate musicianship". Guy Peters stated "Kristallnacht is an attempt at a musical recreation of one of the darkest chapters of the Nazi reign, with music ranging from fairly conventional roots music to extreme near-industrial chaos... Zorn has never aimed at major popularity, preferring total independence above all, and this is what makes an album like Kristallnacht possible... Luckily there are several tracks in which he finds a much more impressive and bearable balance between disturbing noise and affecting beauty, a combination that’s characteristic of several of his releases. Or maybe it’s about disturbing beauty and affecting noise, I’m not entirely sure".