SEATTLE RECORDER SOCIETY Recorder Notes January 2015 Vol. XLVI, No. 4 From the Music Director SRS Meeting (Peter Seibert) Friday, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) was one of the most prolific January 2nd, 2015 composers who ever lived. In the era of composers like J.S. Bach and Handel, @ 7:30 p.m who wrote music of the highest quality rapidly, Telemann out-produced them all – and did it with inventiveness and eloquence. Playing Session Like Bach and Handel, Telemann was a north German composer as (Peter Seibert) well as an instrumentalist who played several instruments well. He was The January Telemann Bash considered one of the leading composers of his day, having mastered French SATB recorders plus and Italian national styles, and he also incorporated some music in the big basses, viols, etc. Polish style in his writing. His wrote in every musical genre of the day: cantatas, oratorios, operas, concertos, chamber music, and orchestral suites. The Backroom Gang To bring in the year 2015, we will play new editions and (Sally Mitchell) arrangements I’ve done of several movements from his over 100 orchestral suites. These movements, most of which are baroque dances, are delightful Music will be provided. and are within the technical grasp of most recorder players. Most recorder players are only familiar with his chamber music for recorders, his solo and trio sonatas. His orchestral suites are equally marvelous, but rather than being vehicles for soloists, they are ensemble It’s Time! pieces – all arranged for SATB – that are accessible as ensemble music. Come join us as we bring in the New Year with marvelous music at the Registration for the Telemann Bash. And remember: The meeting is on Friday, January 2nd! Port Townsend Early Music Backroom Gang: Sally Mitchell will again work with those who Workshop, July 5 – 11, 2015, want to play with a small ensemble. She’s an experienced director and is is now open! helping players develop ensemble skills. This could be for you! Please visit our website February Meeting: We will look back over the history of the Seattle to see the enticing topics Recorder Society and the American Recorder Society, as well as some of my that our splendid faculty own contributions to the SRS and ARS. Then we will play some of my have to offer. compositions and arrangements, most of which have not appeared at SRS meetings. More about this in my February column. www.seattle- Port Townsend Early Music Workshop: Dates are 5 – 11 July recorder.org/workshop 2015. You’ve probably seen our ad already in American Recorder and Early Music America. Give yourself a holiday present! Sign up early! And online! 1 Meeting Notes: December 5th, 2014 2014/2015 SRS Meetings (Text by Molly Warner – photos by Bill Stickney) Meetings are usually (but not For our opening program in December, always) held on the first Friday we had the pleasure of a lecture-demonstration by of each month, October to May, Curtis Foster on the several varieties of baroque at 7:30 p.m., Maple Leaf oboe. Curtis is a professional oboe and recorder Lutheran Church, player based in Seattle who studied at the Indiana 10005 - 32nd NE, Seattle. University Early Music program. His introduction to Meetings include a short the oboe was on a modern instrument, but he soon performance or lecture of became enamored of the baroque instruments. A interest to recorder and viol quick search for “Curtis Foster oboe” on the Internet players, ensemble playing for all shows that he is a busy fellow who plays regularly levels of recorder players, and a with a number of early music organizations around beginning recorder ensemble. the country, including but definitely not limited to our A $5.00 donation is requested own Seattle Baroque Orchestra. for non-members. There were no oboes during the Renaissance, Curtis told us. October 10, 2014 Although direct-blow double reed instruments in the form of shawms were November 14, 2014 popular, the shawm is a very loud instrument best suited for parades and December 5, 2014 outdoor pageants. We learned that around 1660 Louis XIV commissioned a January 2, 2015 shawm-type instrument that could be played indoors without damage to February 6, 2015 one's hearing. The first attempts were not very successful, but by about 1680 March 6, 2015 there were oboes that worked well in concert with strings, other winds, and March 27, 2015 harpsichords, and the oboe quickly became integrated into the music of the May 1, 2015 Baroque. Oboes appeared first in France and England, and then quickly spread to other parts of Europe by the beginning of the 18th century. A German craftsperson, Eichentopf, was a well-known maker of oboes in Leipzig. The English name “oboe” comes from the French “haut-bois” which means “high-wood,” as the oboe is one of the higher woodwinds. Curtis had several different oboes with him to demonstrate, and they were all quite different in sound. He played a short piece with each one, and the differences in sound were quite pronounced. The first was an original, probably made by Bressan about 1690, that was found in an attic in England. It was Refreshments pitched at A=392, the low pitch favored in France by (January) composers such as Hotteterre. This instrument had a dark, rich sound. Except for this old instrument, all of the instruments Curtis showed us were made by Sand Cookies Dalton of Lopez Island. One of the major factors Ruth Pattison affecting sound production for the different baroque oboes is the shape of the foot of the instrument, which can be slightly flared, bell-shaped like a bulb, Fruit or broadly flared. We heard a soprano oboe in C Naomi Shiff (A=415) that was much brighter than the Bressan. “The oboe d'amore has a different foot that gives it a warm, pastoral sound,” we learned. Bach used the Veggies oboe d'amore in the Christmas Oratorio. The oboe da Jill Shupe caccia is like a hunting horn, curved rather than straight, and has a metal bell for a foot similar to what one would see on a brass instrument. The one that Curtis demonstrated was pitched in F, lower than the Thank you for volunteering! other instruments. J.S. Bach was the main composer for (continued below) 2 Meeting Notes Recorder Classes (Continued) (Laura Faber) Note: New beginners are this instrument. Curtis played another oboe at A=392 from the late Baroque welcome at any time. (about 1750). This instrument had a bell that was not as flared, and Contact Laura to get started. produced a more silvery sound. “This one is good for pieces by Rameau,” Curtis informed us. At the beginning of the 19th century the need arose for higher instruments that could be played for a longer time. Instruments Advanced Beginner/Lower began to be keyed rather than having mostly open holes. Curtis demon- Intermediate Ensemble strated one that he had specially made for him by Sand Dalton that had Tuesdays – 7:30 to 9:00 pm several keys and was pitched at A=430, perfect for Schubert. Advanced Beginner/Lower Following the demonstration, Intermediate Ensemble Curtis answered questions from the Thursdays – 12:30 to 2:30 pm audience, many of which involved the tricky business of oboe reeds. Curtis makes all his Intermediate Ensemble own reeds, with a species of reed that comes Tuesdays – 12:30 to 2:30 pm from southern France. The general principle is that the bigger the instrument, the wider Bass Class the reed, so bassoon reeds are much wider Saturdays – 10 am to 12 pm than oboe reeds. Baroque reeds last longer than the reeds for modern instruments, and the bigger ones last longer than * * * the littler ones. Curtis rotates his, so they can rest between playing sessions. “I might get only one concert cycle (with rehearsals) out of a classical reed,” Class Descriptions he said. Regardless of the pitch of the instrument, the parts are transposed to read in C, so the fingerings are pretty much the same from one instrument to another. Thank you, Curtis, for a very enlightening lecture-demonstration! Advanced Beginner/ Lower Intermediate Ensemble (SATB) After the lecture, the Backroom Gang moved down the hall to play Comfortable with all common seasonal music with Sally Mitchell, including a 12th century song about Saint fingerings and rhythms Nicholas that Sally arranged for recorders. They also played other Christmas music with early roots and a Hannukah song. The group this time consisted Intermediate Ensemble of three bass recorder players, one tenor, and one alto, and Sally on soprano. (SATBGB) Playing both F and C Those who remained in the big room worked with Peter Seibert instruments, counting halves, on his “Second Suite on Early Carol Tunes” (copyright 2014, soon to be reading from parts published by PRB Productions). About fifteen years ago, Peter published his “Suite on Early Carol Tunes” – unaccompanied medieval carol melodies that Bass Class he set for SATB recorders. They proved to be best-sellers and, having Any player interested in learned of this recently, Peter decided to learning more about bass arrange a sequel, using SRS as the delighted technique may join at any time. “guinea pigs.” Curtis Foster joined us on a borrowed tenor recorder (his recorders, 10-10:30 Beginners/technique except for one plastic instrument, are all at 10:30-11:15 Everyone together A=415). We had three viol players, a couple of 11:15-12:00 Intermediate great bass recorders, and two contrabasses as well. I took skimpy notes, trying to play at the Players are welcome to attend same time, and later talked with Peter about any or all sections of this class.