OCTOBER 2021

NEXT MPRO MEETING

The Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra’s next Zoom meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. See Fred Palmer’s column in this issue for more information.

DUES AND FEES FOR THE 2021-2022 SEASON

The MPRO Board of Directors has agreed on the following approach for the current season:

Dues will not be charged for the first half of the season (September through January).. A $10 fee for each Zoom meeting will be requested from all attendees (members and non-members) beginning in October.  Payment of fees will be on the honor system. Checks should be made payable to MPRO and sent to Chantal Moser. One check may be sent for multiple sessions.  In January, the Board will review the orchestra's financial situation and our prospects for holding in-person meetings, and may change our approach to dues and fees.

Fees for the Zoom sessions are not tax-deductible.  Donations to MPRO are always welcome. To be deductible, donation checks should be made payable to SFEMS with notes on the checks that they are for MPRO. (The San Francisco Early Music Society handles our paperwork for tax deductions.) Checks should be mailed to Chantal Moser.

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CONDUCTOR’S CORNER

Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,

        Ray White and I will be co-hosting a virtual MPRO meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, October 27, at 7:30 P.M.  Those attending will be admitted to the meeting starting at 7:15 P.M.  We will be working on the following music:

Lasso:  Chi chilichi?.

Dufay: Quel fronte signorille

Brahms:  Der Falke

Corelli:  Sonata Op. 4

I will be sending out the music and PDF files for these selections to all MPRO members soon.  Please remember that I will be conducting each of the selections scheduled.  This means that the music will not appear on the screen, and those attending will need to read from hard copies they have downloaded when playing along with the sound files.  The Dufay Quel fronte signorille and Corelli Sonata Op. 4 were presented last season, and those that have the music for these two selections can use the copies they already have.  Ray White will be sending out invitations to all MPRO members with a link to the virtual Zoom meeting and other information.  Please contact him at <rayhwhite@yahoo.com> if you do not receive an invitation.

The orchestra will continue with virtual meetings until the current health situation changes and in person meetings are once again possible.  I look forward to seeing those who will be attending the meeting on October 27.

Sincerely, Fred Palmer

COMING EVENTS AND ONLINE RESOURCES

The San Francisco Early Music Society has scheduled six in-person concerts for its 2021-2022 season, and will also run a concurrent virtual season with "Snapshots" featuring the performers from each concert. "Snapshots" videos will include interviews and bonus tracks. SFEMS is also offering on-demand "reruns" of some of its past virtual classes. See the "Concerts" and "Classes" links at the bottom of the SFEMS home page, https://sfems.org, for more information.

Hidden Valley Music's two week-long "Road Scholar" workshops (in late October and early November in Carmel Valley) are still being planned as in-person events. For more information, see: https://www.hiddenvalleymusic.org/concerts-and-events.htm.

The syndicated early music radio program Harmonia has an online full length broadcast of a recent program, “Celebrating 400 Years of Praetorius” at https://indianapublicmedia.org/harmonia/celebrating-400-years-of-praetorius.php. The Harmonia website also includes a half-hour podcast of music from a 2019 SFEMS concert of Elizabethan music by the group “Antic Faces.” See:

https://indianapublicmedia.org/harmonia/harmonia-uncut-antic-faces.php.

RECORDINGS OF MPRO’S LATEST MUSIC

Following are links to recordings of some of the music that will be played at MPRO’s October 27 Zoom session.

Lasso:  Chi chilichi.  This video has colloquial English translations of the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLmmyh6JJVA

Brahms:  Der Falke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlzYD5-0r4Q

Dufay: Quel fronte signorille. This is an instrumental recording by Ensemble Unicorn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZSgi03oQas.

THE SOCIETY OF STRANGE AND ANCIENT INSTRUMENTS

The Society is a real, United Kingdom-based organization. Its Trumpet Marine Project features a stringed instrument with a trumpet-like bell. The trumpet marine was played from medieval times to the 7th century, largely in convents because it was not considered appropriate for nuns to play trumpets. This is a trumpet marine recording of three dances by Jean-Baptiste Prin (circa 1669-1742) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIb93SVGhRA.  The Society's website has additional information on the Trumpet Marine and other recordings with different instruments. See: https://www.strangeandancientinstruments.com/.

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   

Past Months' Issues: http://www.mpro-online.org/MPROArchives.htm