OCTOBER 2019
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Rehearsal Dates: Please note that the second October rehearsal is on the 16th, a week after the first. MPRO’s regular rehearsals are approximately every other week, but we sometimes need to rearrange dates due to conflicts with church events. The dates for all scheduled rehearsals at Trinity Church during the 2019-2020 season are on the “Calendar” page of our website, www.mpro-online.org. If you keep a long- term calendar, please add the dates for reference.
Officers: MPRO’s Board of Directors consists of volunteer officers. On August 19, I sent an email appeal for new officers to the “MPRO-members” mailing list. Tom Granvold has volunteered to take over Membership Chair duties from Chris Flake (thanks, Tom!!!). They are working out the transition process and more information on who does what will be available later. If you are interested in volunteering for another vacant Board position, or have questions about the Board, please contact me at the email address in the membership list.
What if MPRO had 100 players? We would need to find new rehearsal and concert venues, but we can dream. For now, check out the sound of the Wuerttemburg Recorder Orchestra in Germany, with almost 100 players and nine contrabasses. They are performing the Playford Suite of English dances, arranged by Eileen Silcocks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA-gRz7GQLE
-Judith Unsicker
CONDUCTOR’S CORNER
Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,
Listed below is the music for the next three meetings of the orchestra. Please note that sopranino and contrabass recorders as well as bass viola da gamba will be needed at all three meetings and that krummhorns are called for on October 9 and October 16.
October 9
Purcell: Incidental Music to A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream
Dufay: Quel fronte signorille
Anonymous: Rex
Corelli: Sonata Op. 4
October 16
Purcell: Incidental Music to A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream
Mozart: Ave Verum
Anonymous: Rex
Corelli: Sonata Op. 4
November 6
Purcell: Incidental Music to A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream
Dufay: Quel fronte signorille
Mozart: Ave Verum
Corelli: Sonata Op. 4
I look forward to seeing you at these upcoming meetings and working on this music with you.
Sincerely, Fred Palmer
CONSORT COUNSELLORS
“Consort Counsellors” is a relatively new YouTube video channel including weekly episodes on recorder technique with emphasis on ensemble playing. The teachers are Hester Groenleer and Maria Martinez Ayerza, professional recorder players who teach at the Amsterdam Conservatorium and Royal College of Music in London, respectively. The following address includes links to 60 individual episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3jGCY50YujsfsP7czQmxA/videos. You do not need to subscribe to the channel to view them. Technical topics include warmups, starting and ending a piece, transcribing vocal music for recorders, and air, breathing, and articulation on large recorders. Some episodes focus on specific composers and music, including John Dowland’s Lachrimae Antiquae, and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4. Episodes 22 and 27 feature introductions to and short video clips from “10 inspiring recorder ensembles” from around the world. The “show more” links below the video screens include web addresses and links to longer performances by each ensemble.
THE GREATEST HIT OF ALL TIME
The “greatest hit” may be La folia (also spelled with a double “l”). The name means madness or folly. It originated as a Portuguese (or perhaps Spanish or perhaps Canary Islands) peasant dance, probably in the late 1400s. Since then it has been used by more than 150 composers, including Lully, Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel, J.S. Bach, Salieri, Beethoven, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff. The theme has also had a significant impact on Swedish folk music. For more background information, see Wikipedia, or
http://docplayer.net/21197654-La-folia-the-greatest-hit-of-all-time-by-sarah-kirton.html. Internet searches will take you to many recordings of the piece, including:
- a Spanish Renaissance dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SgLJqv2wRY
-Lully’s version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmusO8HeU9w
-Glen Shannon’s variations for recorder orchestra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBhlE-yxxPw
MORE INTERESTING LINKS
The Philadelphia Recorder Society’s website has links to 15 collections of free sheet music, some of which are specifically arranged for or suitable for recorders. The URL for the society’s links page is: https://philadelphiarecordersociety.org/links2.php.
Three of the linksFree Music Links no longer work, but the remaining collections provide music for thousands of works by thousands of composers. This is an alternate link to the Aeolian Consort website: http://aeolianconsort.chakin.com/gakufu_main.htm.
The Board: President: Judith Unsicker; Treasurers: Chantal Moser and Mary Ashley; Recording Secretary: vacant; Membership: Chris Flake and Tom Granvold; Publicity: vacant; Graphics: Mary Ashley; Newsletter Editor: vacant; Workshop Coordinator: vacant; Hospitality: vacant; Music Sales: Laura Gonsalves; Historian: vacant; Webmaster: Dan Chernikoff; Music Director: Fred Palmer MPRO website: http://www.mpro-online.org
MPRO Archives: http://www.mpro-online.org/MPROArchives.htm
