MARCH 2016

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I recently sent an email appeal for donations to help keep MPRO's bank balance in the black. Many thanks to members who have already donated in response to this appeal, and to everyone who donated earlier in the 2015-2016 season!!  If you plan to itemize deductions next year, checks for donations to MPRO should be made payable to the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS). However, please do not mail donations for MPRO directly to SFEMS, or try to donate to MPRO online through the SFEMS webpage.  There has been confusion in the past that led SFEMS staff to interpret donations for MPRO as donations to SFEMS. Checks should be given or mailed to our Treasurer, LouAnn Hofmann, who will send them to SFEMS with instructions to credit them to MPRO.  SFEMS will do the tax paperwork and send us checks reflecting cumulative donations over a given time period.  If you don't plan to itemize deductions, it is easier for us if your check is made to MPRO, and it will be deposited directly to our bank account. If you write a check to MPRO and decide to itemize at a later date, our Treasurer keeps records of all checks.  Checks should be given to LouAnn Hofmann at a rehearsal, or mailed to her at 465 Tabor Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.  If LouAnn is not at a rehearsal, checks can be given to Leslie Pont or to me to be passed on to LouAnn.

- Judith Unsicker

CONDUCTOR’S CORNER

Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,        

        Listed below is the music for the next four meetings of the orchestra. Please note that there will be sectional seating for the Telemann La Joie, with those playing Soprano Recorder 1 and 2, Alto Recorder 1 and Tenor Recorder 1 sitting on the right as they face the conductor and those playing Alto Recorder 2 and 3 Tenor Recorder 2 and Bass Recorder 1 and 2 on the left. Please observe this seating arrangement when you choose your place at the beginning of all four meetings. Please note as well that sopranino recorder and bassoon will be needed at all four meetings, great bass and contrabass recorders on March 23 and April 13 and krummhorns on March 16 and April 20.

March 16

Gabrieli: La Spiritata

Anonymous: El Picardo

Bach: Bourrée I and II

Telemann: La Joie

March 23

Gabrieli: La Spiritata

Telemann: La Joie

Wolkenstein: Ave Mater, O Maria

Sousa: The Liberty Bell March

April 13

Gabrieli: La Spiritata

Telemann: La Joie

Wolkenstein: Ave Mater, O Maria

Sousa: The Liberty Bell March

April 20

Gabrieli: La Spiritata

Anonymous: El Picardo

Bach: Bourrée I and II

Telemann: La Joie

        I look forward to seeing you at these upcoming meetings.

Sincerely, Fred Palmer

MUSIC TRIVIA: TURLOUGH O’CAROLAN

Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), whose first name is pronounced with a hard "gh" as in the California city of Turlock, has been called Ireland's national composer. He was the son of a blacksmith who worked for the McDermott Roe family in County Roscommon. After he went blind from smallpox at age 18, Mrs. McDermott Roe equipped him for a career by providing him with harp lessons, and then giving him a harp, a horse, a guide, and money. For most of the rest of his life, O’Carolan traveled around Ireland, staying at the homes of gentry families and playing and composing music in honor of his patrons. His compositions provide a link between traditional Irish music and contemporary Baroque music. O'Carolan is said to have been influenced by Vivaldi and Corelli, and to have met Handel and Geminiani in Dublin. He collaborated with Jonathan Swift to translate a medieval Irish poem into English, and wrote music for it; see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXv04nTgeGM).

Most of O’Carolan’s music was not published within his lifetime. It survived (as single line melodies) in the repertoires of fiddlers, pipers, and harpers, and was collected and published in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Beethoven arranged three of his melodies for piano. More than 200 pieces reliably attributed to O'Carolan are known. They range from laments to lively tunes with "Planxty" in the title. O'Carolan evidently coined this word and its meaning is debated.  It may come from the Irish word for a musical beat. This webpage includes links to MIDI files (both melodies and full arrangements) of O'Carolan pieces and printable GIFsheet music for  melodies: http://www.contemplator.com/carolan/carolmid.html#welcome.

Today O'Carolan's music is played around the world by Celtic music aficionados and early music ensembles alike. Check out these links to recordings by the Bay Area's Musica Pacifica https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsjNLTcy8uI, and by a Greek Celtic band in Thessaloniki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoLWJPtBr7c.

  -Judith Unsicker

“OVERDOING NUANCES

In view of all these tendencies (the deplorable result of overdoing all nuances) nothing seems to be more important for the student than to (first) learn to play without expression. Only the pianist who has learned to play Bach's Chromatic Fantasie or Beethoven's Appasionata in the most rigid way will be able to add that amount of nuances and shades which these works properly require.” [Quote from Willi Apel, Harvard Dictionary of Music, Expression, included at Fred Palmer’s request.]