SEATTLE RECORDER SOCIETY Recorder Notes

January 2020 Vol. LI, No. 5

www.seattle-recorder.org

From the Music Director SRS Meeting (Vicki Boeckman) Friday, January 3, 2020 Greetings everyone, @ 7:30 pm Ready or not here comes 2020! I’m choosing to adopt a “fake it ‘til you make it’ and a ‘keep on smilin’ type of attitude! The magnitude of movement and chaos No Opening Program around us can be difficult to navigate, so it’s very im- Playing Session: portant to stay grounded, keep breathing, say no to (Vicki Boeckman) things you really don’t want to be a part of, and, most Festive Music of Josquin, of all, play and listen to good music! I cannot imagine a Holborne, and others life without music and this past calendar year happened to be exponentially abundant and satisfying. I am con- All sizes of recorders tinually grateful to be able do what I love for a living, and are welcome. and am constantly reminded of how important music is for the human spirit to Back Room Gang endure and thrive. We need music and art and beauty in all forms. Miyo Aoki My wish for our members in the new year is to find meaningful musical relation- This is a great option for any- ships—be it through collaboration with like-minded players, singers, dancers, or one who is less experienced or taking one’s children/grandchildren to music lessons (blatant plug for Music To- would like a slower pace. If gether!) or with your relationship to yourself and your own music making. you plan to be there, please As an organization one of our tasks is to provide diverse playing opportunities for let Miyo know so she can our members. Please feel free to reach out to me as your music director with choose repertoire accordingly! requests for recorder events in the community. [email protected] I look forward to embarking on a new calendar year and leading the playing ses- sion on January 3rd. We’ll ring in the new year with festive music from Venice, gorgeous antiphonal music by Josquin, a couple of Galliards by Anthony Hol- Content Highlights borne – As it Fell on a Holie eve and the New Yeers Gift, and who knows, maybe Events Calendar we can squeeze in the Sibelius Andante Festivo just cuz…! December Meeting Notes All sizes of recorders and viols welcome. Please let me know if you would like to see a particular part ahead of time and I’ll try to get it to you before the new year! Newsletter Deadline There will not be an opening program, so we can spend all our time playing. for February Issue: Miyo Aoki will valiantly lead the back room for those who prefer a small group, Thursday but please let her know so she can provide the proper music for you. Best of wishes to you all during this holiday season and beyond. January 23 Local Recorder Happenings 2019/2020 SRS Meetings Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 7:30pm: Meditations Meetings are usually (but not Isabella Pagel and Vicki Boeckman (recorders) and Johnathan Oddie () always—see *’d dates below) will present music spanning six centuries. , duets and trio sonatas by Cima, held on the first Friday of each Fontana, Telemann, Monteclair and Hirose. month at 7:30pm, September Christ Episcopal Church in Seattle. to May at Maple Leaf Lutheran Suggested donation $5-20 or pay as able; all are welcome. Church, 10005—32nd NE in Seattle. Meetings include ensemble playing for all levels of record- er players, a beginning record- er ensemble, and often a short performance of interest to recorder or players. A $5 donation is requested for non-members.

January 3

February 7 March 6 April 3 *May 8

Sunday, February 16 at 3:00 pm Vicki Boeckman and Tamara Friedman will join forces to play sonatas and partitas by J.S. and CPE Bach. Tamara will be playing on a reconstructed 1740 Lautenwerk – a gut strung harpsichord. A Seattle premier! Queen Anne Christian Church, Details Here Refreshments (January)

Early Music America Funding Grant Applications Are you planning an early music concert or community event, but need some fund- Fruit ing to do it? Well, here is a chance to make it happen! Nancy Gorbman Early Music America (EMA) is funding community outreach projects for "Early Mu- sic Month", the month of March 2020. This is the same month as "Play the Re- Veggies corder Month"! Janice Klain Details:

EMA welcomes applications for eight $300 Early Music Month Mini-Grants. Baked goods Projects are to be held in March 2020 during Early Music Month and will seek to Chu-Lan Chiong expand the reach of early music in your community to new and diverse audiences. Joanna Elizondo Application deadline: January 15, 2020

Recipients announced: January 21, 2020 Thank you If you are interested in applying for a grant, complete and submit an on-line appli- for volunteering! cation (click here).

Recorder Happenings—continued SRS Board Members (2019/2020) Sunday, March 15: Music from Around the World— A "Play the Recorder Month" event Music Director Vicki Boeckman (206-985-9916) Join us for a delightful all-ages program featuring local recorder players, a drop-in [email protected] recorder playing session, a "Play-In" of "Ice and Rain and Snow", the official 2020 PTRM composition by Frances Blaker, and a free drawing for recorders. Music Director Emeritus Where? Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park. Peter Seibert (206-329-2774) [email protected] Further details will appear in the February newsletter!

Questions? Contact Nancy Gorbman [email protected] Officers: President Michael Bancroft (206-523-6668) [email protected] Recorder for Sale President-Elect Handcrafted and collectible maple alto Moeck alto recorder Flauto Dolce Rondo Janice Klain No. 236R with fingering. Equivalent of current Moeck 2300 product. [email protected] Excellent condition. In case with accessories. Lovely and has a sweet sound. $75 by owner Susan 206-455-4066. Past President location or can bring to a Recorder Society meeting. Nancy Gorbman (206-852-4762) [email protected]

Newsletter Mike Woolf (206-300-6623) [email protected]

Secretary Kathleen Arends (425-649-9869) [email protected]

Treasurer Richard Ginnis (206-633-1969) [email protected]

* * * * Membership Ingrid Vrooman (573-578-3016) [email protected]

Refreshments Maja Eberhardt (206-525-4283) [email protected]

Librarian Hanan Bell (206-579-2301) [email protected]

Liaison to Maple Leaf Lutheran Molly Warner (206-523-5192) [email protected]

Webmaster Charles Coldwell (206-328-8238) [email protected] Concerts and Events Calendar

D Sunday, December 29 @ 7:00 PM: Byron Schenkman and Friends—Corelli and the Splendor of the Baroque E Kris Kwapis, trumpet, Ingrid Matthews, , Rachell Ellen Wong, violin, Nathan Whittaker, , Byron C Schenkman, harpsichord. A festive evening of early Baroque treasures by Salamone Rossi, Isabelle Leonarda, Heinrich Biber, and Arcangelo Corelli. Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya. Details Here J Saturday, January 4 @ 1:30 PM: Merry It Is!: A Ten-Year Anniversary Concert for Families “Songs & Dances of the 13th-18th Centuries”, an acclaimed studio album of singable kid-tested songs and in- A strumental dances from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and American Colonial eras. Come discover the N delights of this repertoire for yourself! U Good Shepard Chapel, 4th floor, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N, Seattle. Details Here A Saturday, January 11 @ 2:00 PM: Moss Bay Recorder Society Meeting R Miyo Aoki conducting, Kingsgate Library, 12315 NE 143rd Street, Kirkland. Details Here Y Sunday, January 12 @ 3:00 PM: Pacific MusicWorks/Underground—The Making of Mr. Handel Acclaimed countertenor Reginald L. Mobley and the Underground House Band invite you to discover the music behind the master, from his early years in Germany to the who shaped his cosmopolitan style to the colleagues from which he famously borrowed. Music by Zachow, Keiser, Steffani, and Corelli as well as early works by Handel himself make for an extraordinary and unforgettable program. Resonance at SOMA Towers, Bellevue. Details Here Tuesday, January 14 @ 7:00 PM: Pacific MusicWorks/Underground—The Making of Mr. Handel Same as above, but at Capitol Cider in Seattle (ages 21+). Thursday, January 16 @ 7:30 PM: Meditations Isabella Pagel, and Vicki Boeckman – recorders and Johnathan Oddie on harpsichord will present music span- ning six centuries. Sonatas, duets and trio sonatas by Cima, Fontana, Telemann, Monteclair and Hirose. Christ Episcopal Church, Seattle. Details Here Saturday, January 18 @ 7:30 PM: Boston Camerata: The Play of Daniel The themes of justice and of truth spoken to power are once again front and center as the Jewish captive Daniel confronts the tyrannical Belshazzar. The magnificent musical Play of Daniel, composed eight centuries ago in Beauvais, France, is powerfully staged for modern audiences by Anne Azéma. It was premiered in Boston in 2014 to public and critical acclaim. The Boston Camerata is joined by the children of Saint Mark’s Cathedral Choir School under the direction of Rebekah Gilmore. St. Marks Cathedral, Seattle. Details Here Saturday, February 1 @ 8:00 PM: Byrd Ensemble—Flemish Masters F This concert features the best Franco-Flemish of the Renaissance. The centerpiece of the program is E Orlando Lassus's mass setting Missa super Bell' Amfitrit' altera, scored for eight voices. Accompanying the mass, B are two motets by Josquin and Gombert, based on King David's lament over his beloved son Absalom. R St. James Cathedral in Seattle. Details Here U Tuesday, February 4 @ 7:30 PM: Orlando Consort—The Passion of Joan of Arc A Acclaimed as one of the finest films ever made, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent film, La Passion de Jeanne R d’Arc (1928), chronicles the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her execution. Actress Renée Falcon- Y etti’s haunting face channels the agony and ecstasy of martyrdom in a legendary performance that remains a landmark in the history of cinema. Britain’s celebrated early music vocal ensemble, the Orlando Consort, trans- ports us to Joan’s world, accompanying the film live with a deeply moving soundtrack of sacred and secular mu- sic from her lifetime. Meany Hall, Seattle. Details Here

Concerts and Events Calendar—continued

F Sunday, February 9 @ 2:30 PM: Ensemble Caprice—Vivaldi’s Montezuma (1733) E When Hernán Cortés came ashore at present day Veracruz and founded the Spanish city there on April 22, B 1519, it marked the beginning of 300 years of Spanish hegemony over the region. 500 years later, our hemi- R sphere is still living with the repercussions of that encounter. This semi-staged opera production was recon- U structed and reimagined by Ensemble Caprice Music Director Matthias Maute for its premiere at the Montreal A Baroque Festival in 2013. The forces include a vocal cast of seven from Mexico, Canada, the USA, and Europe; and a full baroque orchestra of winds, brass, and strings. Town Hall in Seattle. Details Here R Y Sunday, February 9 @ 7:00 PM: Byron Schenkman & Friends—Baroque Bacchanalia Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone; Ingrid Matthews, violin; Elisabeth Reed, viol; Byron Schenkman, harpsichord. Music on mythological themes by Bernier, Campra, Jacquet, and Rebel featuring the Seattle debut of brilliant bass-bariton Jonathan Woody. Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya in Seattle. Details Here Saturday, February 15 @ 2:00 PM: Moss Bay Recorder Society Meeting Conductor TBD, North City Water District, 1519 NE 177th Street, Shoreline. Details Here Sunday, February 16 @ 3:00 PM: Boeckman & Bach Vicki Boeckman and Tamara Friedman will join forces to play sonatas and partitas by J.S. and CPE Bach. Tamara will be playing on a reconstructed 1740 Lautenwerk – a gut strung harpsichord. A Seattle premier! Queen Anne Christian Church, Details Here Sunday, February 16 @ 3:00 PM: Pacific MusicWorks/Underground—Agave Baroque: Son of a Bach San Francisco’s free-spirited Baroque band returns to the Pacific Northwest for a musical family reunion fea- turing virtuosic chamber works by and his sons Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl Philipp Em- manuel, and Johann Christoph Friedrich, each taking the ideas learned from their father in unique and brilliant directions. Resonance at SOMA Towers, Bellevue. Details Here Tuesday, February 18 @ 7:00 PM: Pacific MusicWorks/Underground—Agave Baroque: Son of a Bach Same as above, but at Capitol Cider in Seattle, ages 21+. Sunday, February 23 @ 3:30 PM: New Baroque Orchestra—An Afternoon in Paris A program of French , with bowings interpreted in the style of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Lully’s bow- ings revolutionized orchestral playing, and we will learn much about the intricacies of playing in a group by studying his techniques. Trinity Parish in Seattle.

December Meeting—Kathleen Arends, Photos Molly Warner

Molly Warner stood in for absent president Bancroft. After an announcement or two—if no one signs up to bring goodies, we won't have any!—she turned the evening over to our Music Director Emeritus, Peter Seibert. A couple of members interested in a slower pace and an emphasis on support went to "The Back Room" with Miyo Aoki, where they enjoyed playing two songs by Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612): Ach, Schatz, ich sing und lache, and Feinslieb, du hast mich gfangen. Then they moved on to a lively galliard (Gagliarda Quarta) by Johann Hieronymus Kaps- berger. And after working the Kapsberger up to speed, they still had plenty of time left, so they rounded off the evening with a handful of high-spirited Susato dances! In the main room, Peter distributed his arrangements of two pieces by Hassler. There was a four-part Antiphon, Angelus ad pastores ait, in which angels bring to shepherds tidings of great joy; and a six-part setting of a Psalm,Deus, Deus meus. Peter helped us to appreciate the two styles in which Hassler was writing. One style is imitative polyphony, highly devel- oped by Netherlanders such as Josquin, Ocke- ghem, and Issacs. The Antiphon begins in this style, in which melodic bits and phrases are used multiple times, in many ways— simultaneously or as echoes, at a higher or lower pitch level, even upside down, and back- wards. We noted one spot in which two of the voices played a melody simultaneously, in par- allel, while the other two also played in paral- lel, but inverted! Peter likes to use these tech- niques in his own compositions. Asking us to listen to the other parts in relation to our own, Peter had us compare the begin- nings of the two pieces. In Deus, Deus meus we heard a more solid, polychoral style, in which the voices move together more often. Hassler went back and forth between the two styles; for example, the music might be going along polyphonically, when a sudden dramatic switch to homophony serves to emphasize that part of the text. Our performance was improved when we all took care to move exactly on the beat as written, with no fudging. Even without seeing the text, we still had clues for articulation: stepwise motion in eighth or sixteenth notes is most likely melismatic (changing pitches on a single syllable) and so should be as smooth as possible. We concluded this portion of the evening by playing the Antiphon, then the Psalm, then reprising the Antiphon. Peter noted that this particular piece was intended for Lauds, the Ecclesiastical office at three a.m. (of the eight offices, Ves- pers at six p.m. and Compline at 9 p.m. may be most familiar). So it was suggested that we should pretend it was three o'clock in the morning. This is an enhancement I have never experienced before. Then we were treated to a new "bonbon", a relatively straightforward arrangement of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". In it we experienced a bit of "five sax writing" such as the big swing bands used to use—if not exactly ear- ly music, certainly from an earlier century. While this was a new arrangement of Peter's, we followed it with a less- new one: "White Christmas" as a fox trot, played "at society tempo". "Quarter-note triplets should come out natural- ly," he told us; "if you think about them they tend to come out all wrong." "All wrong" could not possibly describe the evening. All was right. Thank you, Peter, for another charming December get-together.