Nothing surpasses the pageantry of a royal wedding. Pomp and ritual combine in a spectacle few can resist. That mingling of personal charisma, age-old institutions, and contemporary mores is enough to intrigue the most hardened of hearts! These royal unions embody the hopes, dreams and characteristics of nations as distinct as Sweden, Japan and Spain. Comprehensive text and stunning pictures chronicle the fascinating details that make these state celebrations of personal commitment so unique and memorable. This magnificent volume will fascinate all interested by lavish indulgence fit for a king This richly illustrated volume offers a unique impression of the most spectacular royal weddings ILLUSTRATIONS 125 color & 57 b/w photographs Text in English and German

"Few occasions thrill us like a royal wedding. This spring, the world watched as Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanged their vows. Both a public event and a personal milestone, these ceremonies are storybook endings--and bright beginnings. Whether the charisma of Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, or the allure of Lady Di, each bride is a living fairytale. And now Princess Catherine joins the tradition of royal beauties. Of course, let's not overlook the handsome royal grooms--every prince a legendary knight in arms. Princes Felipe and Rainier spring to mind. Royal weddings are a chance for nations to celebrate their age-old customs. These grand events embody a young couple's love, and a country's faith in its future."--Provided by the publisher

This completely updated edition of A Frequency Dictionary of German contains the 5,000 most commonly used words of German today, occurring in a 20-million-word corpus (compared to a 4.2-million-word corpus in the first edition). The basis of the frequency list is a significantly extended version of the Herder/BYU Corpus of Contemporary German. The Dictionary contains spoken and written German, and represents different genres, text types, registers, styles, and also regional varieties. The Dictionary provides a rich resource for language teaching and curriculum design, while a separate CD version provides the full text in a tab-delimited format ideally suited for use by corpus and computational linguists. The corpus is designed to represent the current German language as it is used in the real world. Useful as a reference for students and course designers alike, A Frequency Dictionary of German is an important new resource.

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) was a great musical dramatist in his own right. The fame of his operas rests on his radical treatment of form, his development of scenic complexes and greater plasticity of structure and melody, his dynamic use of the orchestra, and close attention to all aspects of presentation and production, all of which set new standards in Romantic opera and dramaturgy. This book carries forward the process of rediscovery and reassessment of Meyerbeer?s art ?including not just his famous French operas, but also his German and Italian ones?placing them in the context of his entire dramatic oeuvre, including his ballets, oratorios, cantatas and incidental music. From Meyerbeer?s first stage presentation in 1810 to his great posthumous accolade in 1865, some 24 works mark the unfolding of this life lived for dramatic music. The reputation of the famous four grand operas may well live on in the public consciousness, but the other works remain largely unknown. This book provides an approachable introduction to them. The works have been divided into their generic types for quick reference and helpful association, and placed within the context of the composer?s life and artistic development. Each section unfolds a brief history of the work?s origins, an account of the plot, a critical survey of some of its musical characteristics, and a record of its performance history. Robert Letellier examines each work from a dramaturgical view point, including the essential?often challenging?philosophical and historical elements in the scenarios, and how these concepts were translated musically onto the stage. A series of portraits and stage iconography assist in bringing the works to life.

When Cinderella's fairy godmother transforms her, the magic words are "bibbidi, bobbidi, boo!" Much to the chagrin of jealous stepmothers and mean trolls everywhere, not to mention the vagaries of the market, good has prevailed, and these seven young artists from New York have just arrived at the ball. Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo!

Outlines the parables of Jesus and discusses how each of the parables can be taught and preached.

Festival culture is an area which has attracted increasing interest in the field of Renaissance studies in recent years. In part the outcome of scholars' focus on the place of the city in the establishment and dissemination of common culture, the attention paid to festivals also arises from the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, which reaches across the usual demarcation lines between disciplines such as cultural, political and economic history, literature, and the visual and performing arts. The scholars contributing to this volume include representatives from all these disciplines. Their essays explore common themes in festival culture across Renaissance Europe, including the use of festival in political self-fashioning and the construction of a national self-image. Moreover, in their detailed examination of particular types of festival, they challenge generalizations and demonstrate the degree to which these events were influenced the personality of the prince, the sources of funding for the ceremony, and the role of festival managers. Usually perceived as binding forces promoting social cohesion, festivals held the potential for discord, as some of the essays here reveal. Examining a wide range of festivals including coronations, triumphal entries, funerals and courtly spectacles, this volume provides a more inclusive understanding than hitherto of festivals and their role in European Renaissance culture.