The next playing session will be Friday, Oct. 17th, 2008.
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Be ready to play at 7:30pm in the Community Room of the Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Ave., Portland, OR. Bring music stands and stand lights if you have them. For more information, go to our website.
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All our professional coaches are available for private lessons and ensemble coaching.
Please contact them directly for scheduling at the links below.
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Vicki Boeckman
Eileen Hadidian
Phil Neuman
Kim Pineda
Bryce Peltier
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Hello Recorderists!
I'm looking forward to directing the upcoming PRS session on Friday. As some of you may remember, an informal Recorder Society used to meet in Portland in the 80s at Augustana Lutheran Church hosted by John and Beverly North. Gayle and I directed some of the playing sessions in those days when Rocky Blakewood was president, followed by Mary McCubbin. I remember one session (January of 1984 I believe) telling the tale of our strange experience measuring renaissance reed instruments at the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna the preceding December. In another session I remember a discussion amongst some of the participants on exactly how Michael Praetorius was related to Hieronymus Praetorius (answer: not!)
Portland has a long history of recorder ensemble playing, early music classes and workshops, and it is wonderful to see a new Portland Recorder Society arise thanks to the great work of the board and founders.
The Music: The selections we'll read through are from a wide variety of periods and styles including one of Francesco Rovigo's 8 part double choir works, Canzon Decimaottava. Rovigo, an organist and pupil of Claudio Merulo, included a recurring hocket-like passage in this fun piece - after choirs trade several phrases, they trade single chords on successive quarter notes.
But you may ask, why don't we play more 11 part early music? We'll play Costanzo Festa's Counterpoint 125, which is indeed an 11 part work, a marvel of musical engineering from a manuscript collection containing a vast number of counterpoints all based on a single cantus firmus.
Our baroque selection is a sonata by Vincenzo Albrici from c. 1660 arranged for 8 recorders. Albrici was a pupil of Carissimi and held posts in Rome, Dresden, Leipzig, Prague, and elsewhere.
We'll also read through some suites arranged from the piano music of Erik Satie from his "post-Schola" period, which are, as Ronald Herder put it, "a bizarre complexity of strange contradictions, of urbane wit and the most eccentric fantasy." These will include "Vieux Sequins et Vielles Cuirasses" (Antique Gold and Ancient Armor) and "Véritables Préludes Flasques pour un chien" (Genuine Flabby Preludes for a dog.) The composer's notes to the performer are as entertaining as the pieces themselves.
Finally we'll play through Vernon Duke's "April in Paris" in a recorder
ensemble arrangement based on the version made famous by the Count Basie Big Band.
I look forward to seeing you all on Friday!
Phil Neuman
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Upcoming Playing Sessions
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Oct. 17, 2008, Phil Neuman conducts
Nov. 21, 2008, Kim Pineda conducts
Dec. 19, 2008, Vicki Boeckman conducts
Jan. 16, 2009, Eileen Hadidian conducts
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Message from our Music Director
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Greetings! I am happy to have Phil Neuman conduct the October meeting and look forward to seeing everyone again after my unexpected absence last month. Much thanks again to Bryce Peltier for filling in on such short notice!
The Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat is filling fast! Last I heard, we were 30% full, although a lot of those folks are out-of-towners! We're looking forward to a great time, but lets make sure there are plenty of Oregonians in attendance! Follow the links on the left side of this page for registration and more information.
The success of any organization is the result of work done by a team of dedicated board members and volunteers. Our board members are doing a splendid job, but we need volunteers to ensure that the PRS can thrive and prosper. Volunteers come in many shapes and sizes and the duties are varied. Please help the board do their work by sharing a few tasks with them. Most urgently, we need people to help set up and clean up after every meeting, and we need volunteers to coordinate bringing snacks and beverages. A sign up sheet for each month will be passed around at the next session.
Thank you!!
Vicki
Technique Tip:
Many people who discover the joy of playing recorder start out by purchasing a method book and embarking on the delightful journey of teaching themselves the fingerings, note values, etc. Unfortunately, some method books have incorrect and rather out of tune fingerings for many notes. One gets used to these fingerings and accepts the notes being out of tune, or simply doesn't know that it is out of tune. The recorder is a very basic instrument that relies on the laws of physics to produce pitches. Adding fingers will, in most cases, flatten a pitch and raising fingers or sliding fingers off a hole, will sharpen a pitch. Below is a list of the most common out of tune notes. Fingerings will apply to so-called modern instruments with baroque fingering. Be willing to experiment and above all - LISTEN! Use your ears!
0=thumb hole open
1/2T=thumb hole partially open
1=index finger left hand
2=middle finger left hand
etc...
7=pinky finger right hand
Low Bb for altos & basses (F for sopranos & tenors) is 0 123 4 67. The 7th finger must be used!
C# for altos & basses (G# for sopranos & tenors) is 0 12 456. The 6th finger must be used! Use your ears and your breath pressure to determine if you need to cover half or the entire hole.
High Eb for altos & basses (D for soprano & tenor) is 1/2T 12 567. Some keyed tenors need 1/2T 12 5+7(key). The exact position of the 7th finger on the key or the half hole will vary with instruments and breath pressure.
High G for altos & basses (D for soprano & tenor) is inherently a very sharp note. The 7th finger must be used to bring the pitch down. Try 1/2T 1 3 4 67. For keyed tenors, try 1/2T 1 3 4 7(key). The exact position of the 7th finger on the half hole or key will vary with instruments and breath pressure.
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Don't Forget to Renew/Begin your Membership!
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Portland Recorder Society membership includes:
~monthly playing sessions (Sept-May) coached by professionals
~Discount to Columbia Gorge Early
Music Retreat
~Monthly e-mail newsletters
~Networking opportunities with
like-minded musicians
Yearly dues are $40, additional donations welcomed and are tax deductible. We are soon to become a 501c3 non-profit organization!
Click HERE for a link to our membership registration form.
If you are not a member, drop-in fees are $10 per playing session; your first visit is free to try us out!
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Still Need Volunteers!
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We need two people at each PRS session to bring snacks to share at the end of rehearsal. Simple and healthy is ideal: water, juice, fruit, cookies, etc. Please help out with this small but important task, email pdxrecorders@comcast.net
Thank you to Susan Campbell and Robin Teitzel for bringing the goodies last month!!
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Report from Kyuquot Village, B.C.
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by Jeanne Lynch
Last month two PRS members, Jeanne Lynch and Judy Seubert, joined 15 other intrepid recorder enthusiasts for an exhilarating and stimulating music workshop at Kyuquot, a remote village on the upper west coast of Vancouver Island. You can't get there easily from here: logging roads and water taxis are involved. On the trip we saw bald eagles, belted kingfishers, loons, sea otters, and orcas. The food was fresh and delicious, with the occasional 80-pound red snapper thrown in. A geographically diverse group, participants hailed from Portland, Seattle, Milwaukee (WI), Los Angeles, Victoria, Vancouver (B.C.), Kelowna (B.C.), and Jasper (Alberta).
Our teachers were Matthias Maute and Femke Bergsma, both from Montreal. We took Matthias' 20th and 21st century music class. A real thrill ride to play a living composer's works under his own direction! Matthias recently won first place in the American Recorder Society/Amsterdam Loecki Stardust Quartet composition contest with his recorder quartet "Rush".
Femke Bergsma won our hearts with her winsome ways in the tutti, baroque ornamentation and master class sessions and the faculty concert with Matthias was truly inspiring. We finished off our workshop experience with a much appreciated student performance at the First Nations Kyuquot Village School. These two recorder players agree that their Kyuquot experience was a truly magical time.
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Meet Your Board Members!
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At the Sept. 19th 2008 playing session it
was moved that the Portland Recorder Society elect this slate of nominees:
Position Person
Chair - Zoe Tokar
Vice Chair - Jeanne Lynch
Scribe (Secretary) - Susan Campbell
Keeper of the Coin (Treasurer) - Robin Teitzel
The motion was seconded and passed. 13 members in favor,
none opposed.
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Upcoming events
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PRS members are welcome to submit recorder/early music related items for this section. Deadline is 7 days prior to the next PRS playing session. Submit to pdxrecorders@comcast.net
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Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat: March 27-30, 2009, Menucha Retreat Center, Corbett, Oregon. Faculty include Vicki Boeckman, Eileen Hadidian, Marilyn Boenau, Gayle and Phil Neuman. Early Registrants get $100 off!! For registration and more information, go to the CGEMR WEBSITE.
Free Concert: Sunday, Oct.26, 2008 at 2pm, Portland Bach Cantata Choir at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, NE 44th and Sandy, Portland, OR. This concert includes the incredibly beautiful Cantata BWV 106, "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" which utilizes two recorders and two viol da gambas. Bryce Peltier and Zoe Tokar, recorders. For more information, please go to the Bach Cantata Choir WEBSITE.
LaStella Baroque Ensemble Recital: Sunday, November 16th, 2008 at 3pm, Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Portland. Mary Rowell, baroque violin, Zoe Tokar, recorder and voice flute, Max Fuller, viol da gamba, Hideki Yamaya, theorbo and baroque guitar, Owen Daly, harpsichord. The program includes works by Bach, Telemann, Pandolfi and Farina. Tickets $8/$10 at the door. For more information, please contact Zoe or the First Presbyterian "Celebration Works" concert series WEBSITE.
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Classified Ads
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PRS members are welcome to submit recorder/early music related items for these ads. Deadline is 7 days prior to the next PRS playing session. Submit to pdxrecorders@comcast.net
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Seeking other players: Low intermediate recorder player seeks others to practice with in NE
or N Portland. I can play all but bass. Can't alto up yet. Working on
being able to change alto to soprano/tenor without losing my fingering.
On the plus side is my enthusiasm and friendliness. Also, I am
certainly willing to host practices in my home. Call Carol at
503-729-3273 or email to: drcarolhamilton@earthlink.net
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**DISCOUNT AMERICAN RECORDER SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS**
Are you a PRS member? Have you not yet joined the ARS? Until 1/28/09, the ARS is offering a $10 discount on its NEW memberships to honor the formation of our new chapter! The promotional rate is $35 for one year. Just be sure to tell them you're from the new Portland Recorder Society! Here is the link to the ARS website.
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