Sacramento Recorder Society

Amherst Early Music Online

Hi everyone,

I hope you can join me on Saturday, for “Playing our Way through Terpsichore.” We’ll work on three types of bransles, a courante, a canary, and the Spanish Pavane, including Michael Praetorius’ variations on this famous tune.

And there is also Dorothy Olsson and Peggy Murray’s dance class on Saturday, “Playing Our Way Through Terpsichore!” Learning how to dance these dances is a great way to really understand the music of Terpsichore.

https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes

With best wishes,
Tish

Letitia Berlin
tishberlin
510-882-1169

Play the Recorder Month

Dear Recorder Fans,

Here’s the latest information about the events coming up for Play the Recorder Month. I am forwarding this message from the British Columbia Recorder Society (BCRS); it has a lot dates and times and links to resources. I hope we have some SRS members who will take the challenge and enter the photo contest! Here is the forwarded email message, consider yourself an unofficial honorary BCRS member!

Did you know that March 2021 all over North America is Play-the-Recorder Month? And did you also know that BCRS has joined forces with recorder societies up and down the West Coast to create events to celebrate? We’re all about teamwork at BCRS!

First is our BCRS contest, #WePlayRecorder

We’re asking recorder players from anywhere (not just North America), to submit photos, videos, or memes showing the recorder out in the world. It’s all about raising recorder awareness and encouraging folks to give it a try.

The competition is now open and ends on March 20, 2021. Then you, and everyone in our community, have the opportunity to blind vote for your top three favourites. Winners will be announced on March 29, 2021 via email. Of course, we have prizes and they’re for anyone anywhere. Specific details noted here.

Second, Portland Recorder Society has gone virtual for their 2021 Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat on March 20th and 21st. Six sessions with topics that you have yet to see anywhere else. You’ll find it hard to choose, so why not register for all six? And, in 2022, when we’re back face-to-face, consider a trip for this fabulous retreat.

Third, Seattle Recorder Society is hosting on March 6th at 1pm a 90 minute virtual rehearsal for the ARS commissioned piece Transparent Letters Across the Sky. Vicki Boeckman will lead the session. Find the details here and be ready to play with the ARS on March 20th! (Note that you will need to join ARS to download the music for this event).

And finally, the ARS is gathering everyone together on March 20th for an en masse virtual “orchestra” performance of Transparent Letters Across the Sky. Composer Melika M. Fitzhugh will also lead a lecture on modern composition for the recorder and the use of extended techniques. Further details here. (Note that you will need to join ARS to download the music for this event).

Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra

AN INVITATION FROM THE MID-PENINSULA RECORDER ORCHESTRA
WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 10, 2021

Fred Palmer and the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra invite you to be our guests for a virtual orchestra meeting and practice session on the evening of Wednesday, February 10. Fred will be leading the meeting and conducting us in playing several pieces of music. The Zoom session will open around 7:15 pm and the meeting proper and music will start at 7:30 pm.

The music includes music from a wide range of times: Mesomedes’ “Hymn to the Sun” from abput 150 C.E., DuFay’s “Quel fronte signorille” from the fifteenth century; Schein’s “Suite No. 15” from the early seventeenth century, and Telemann’s “Overture in C major”, eighteenth century.

During music-playing times we will all be muted and playing along with the sound files that Fred will be playing from his computer as he conducts. Members of the orchestra are encouraged to play their assigned parts; guests may play whatever part they choose. (Of course anyone may actually play any part they wish; no one else will hear you so you have a great chance to experiment.)

The Zoom link and passcode for the meeting are copied below. Please try to join us a few minutes before 7:30 if you can to avoid a last-minute rush at the door. Please direct your questions about obtaining music in advance and joining the Zoom session to me: rayhwhite@yahoo.com

We hope you can join us online on February 10!

Tish Berlin Classes: Trills, Bach, and Ars Subtilior!

Greetings!

Please see attached PDF with my class descriptions for Tuesdays on February 16, 23 and March 2 and 9, and a one-time class with members of Calextone on Friday February 19th.

I hope you can join me! And don’t forget to check out the Amherst Early Music Online schedule for this weekend and all of February, at https://www.amherstearlymusic.org/weekend_online_classes.

With best wishes,
Tish

Letitia Berlin
tishberlin
510-882-1169

Zoom music classes with TIsh in February:March 2021.pdf

tibia Duo’s Practice Challenge #22

Greetings!

Please read on for your invitation to join Tibia Recorder Duo (Tish Berlin and Frances Blaker) for our 22nd Practice Challenge. We start on Monday January 18th and finish on Sunday February 28th. We hope you’ll join us!

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo

January 9, 2021

Dear fellow musicians,
In this time of COVID-19, getting together to make music with others is too risky, but we all need music more than ever! During Practice Challenges # 17 to 21 (the first five PCs during almost-national shelter-in-place orders) there was a wonderful sense of community with our fellow practicers. We want to keep that sense of community going! We hope you’ll join Tibia Recorder Duo in our quest to make practicing recorder (or any other instrument, or voice) a part of everyday life for six weeks. Even a five-minute practice session counts, so don’t be daunted! We are here to help and encourage!

#22: A Practice Challenge for Extraordinary Times
Monday, January 18th – Sunday, February 28, 2021

Tier 1 is free and is designed to provide a community of practicers (that’s you!) with:

Inspirational messages once a week from Tish & Frances!
As incentive and accountability, you can opt to email us weekly check-in reports. (We read them all, but can’t respond to them all – there are just too many of you!)
Participation in the private member-led group email exchange. This part is also optional, but we love this part of the Practice Challenge – participants always ask great questions and receive helpful support from the group. We use Groups.io for this forum.

Tier 2 is a paid tier – the fee is $32. Tier 2 participants receive all of the benefits of Tier 1 AND:

Can email us with questions as part of their weekly check-in report, and we can answer them!
Practice materials! The materials we send are not homework and you can use them as you see fit. Those of you who have your own materials to work on may wish to use the PC materials as supplemental material, save them for later, or just to play for fun!
Access to our play-along videos – we play trios minus one, so you can play along with us. You’ll have access to the music in advance, with markings for phrasing and articulation. Every other week you’ll receive two trio-minus-one videos – one geared toward more advanced players and one toward less advanced players. For alternate weeks, see next item.
Barbara Weiss, harpsichordist, will provide play-along continuo recordings on alternate weeks. For Practice Challenge #22 we’ll be focusing on dance movements by French Baroque composers geared toward the more advanced players, and on dances from the 1612 Terpsichore publication geared toward the less advanced players. Barbara can also provide tailored recordings for you – contact her privately at harpsichordweiss to inquire about her rates.

Click here to register for Tier 1 or Tier 2!

We hope you will join us at one of these two levels. As always, please reply to this email or contact us at our website if you have any questions.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from us, your registration or payment did not go through. Please contact us for help at tibiarecorderduo or try again.

Now, let the practicing begin!

Musically yours,
Tish & Frances

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo
www.tibiaduo.com
510-882-1169
visit us on Facebook!

Tips to Help you Navigate the Practice Challenge Google Site for Registration and Payment

Go to https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info. It’s probably better to do this on a laptop or desktop, but it should also work on a tablet. If you have trouble, use a different browser, such as Chrome, DuckDuckGo, or others.

Fill in the requested information, then click “Next”. You may need to scroll back up to the top of the next page. You may also need to move your cursor around the screen to bring up the necessary forms.

If you selected Tier 2, you’ll be asked for more information. Fill in your request if you have one. Click on “Submit”. Once again, you’ll need to scroll back up to find the “Submit” button.

If you selected Tier 1 you will be taken to a page that confirms your registration.

If you selected Tier 2, scroll to the bottom of the page for the payment information. We have removed the PayPal button because too many people couldn’t make it work before. Please use one of the options (Paypal, Venmo, Zelle, or check) listed on the registration page.

If paying by check, please mail to Tish Berlin and Frances Blaker at 806 Washington Ave., Albany CA 94706. Your name will be added to Tier 2 when your check arrives.

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Tibia Recorder Duo
Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
tibiarecorderduo
www.tibiaduo.com

tibia Duo’s Practice Challenge #22

Greetings!

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo

January 9, 2021

#22: A Practice Challenge for Extraordinary Times
Monday, January 18th – Sunday, February 28, 2021

Tier 1 is free and is designed to provide a community of practicers (that’s you!) with:

Inspirational messages once a week from Tish & Frances!
As incentive and accountability, you can opt to email us weekly check-in reports. (We read them all, but can’t respond to them all – there are just too many of you!)
Participation in the private member-led group email exchange. This part is also optional, but we love this part of the Practice Challenge – participants always ask great questions and receive helpful support from the group. We use Groups.io for this forum.

Tier 2 is a paid tier – the fee is $32. Tier 2 participants receive all of the benefits of Tier 1 AND:

Can email us with questions as part of their weekly check-in report, and we can answer them!
Practice materials! The materials we send are not homework and you can use them as you see fit. Those of you who have your own materials to work on may wish to use the PC materials as supplemental material, save them for later, or just to play for fun!
Access to our play-along videos – we play trios minus one, so you can play along with us. You’ll have access to the music in advance, with markings for phrasing and articulation. Every other week you’ll receive two trio-minus-one videos – one geared toward more advanced players and one toward less advanced players. For alternate weeks, see next item.
Barbara Weiss, harpsichordist, will provide play-along continuo recordings on alternate weeks. For Practice Challenge #22 we’ll be focusing on dance movements by French Baroque composers geared toward the more advanced players, and on dances from the 1612 Terpsichore publication geared toward the less advanced players. Barbara can also provide tailored recordings for you – contact her privately at harpsichordweiss to inquire about her rates.

Click here to register for Tier 1 or Tier 2!

We hope you will join us at one of these two levels. As always, please reply to this email or contact us at our website if you have any questions.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from us, your registration or payment did not go through. Please contact us for help at tibiarecorderduo or try again.

Now, let the practicing begin!

Musically yours,
Tish & Frances

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo
www.tibiaduo.com
510-882-1169
visit us on Facebook!

Tips to Help you Navigate the Practice Challenge Google Site for Registration and Payment

Go to https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info. It’s probably better to do this on a laptop or desktop, but it should also work on a tablet. If you have trouble, use a different browser, such as Chrome, DuckDuckGo, or others.

Fill in the requested information, then click “Next”. You may need to scroll back up to the top of the next page. You may also need to move your cursor around the screen to bring up the necessary forms.

If you selected Tier 2, you’ll be asked for more information. Fill in your request if you have one. Click on “Submit”. Once again, you’ll need to scroll back up to find the “Submit” button.

If you selected Tier 1 you will be taken to a page that confirms your registration.

If you selected Tier 2, scroll to the bottom of the page for the payment information. We have removed the PayPal button because too many people couldn’t make it work before. Please use one of the options (Paypal, Venmo, Zelle, or check) listed on the registration page.

If paying by check, please mail to Tish Berlin and Frances Blaker at 806 Washington Ave., Albany CA 94706. Your name will be added to Tier 2 when your check arrives.

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Tibia Recorder Duo
Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
tibiarecorderduo
www.tibiaduo.com

Tibia Recorder Duo’s Practice Challenge #22

Greetings!

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo

January 9, 2021

#22: A Practice Challenge for Extraordinary Times
Monday, January 18th – Sunday, February 28, 2021

Tier 1 is free and is designed to provide a community of practicers (that’s you!) with:

Inspirational messages once a week from Tish & Frances!
As incentive and accountability, you can opt to email us weekly check-in reports. (We read them all, but can’t respond to them all – there are just too many of you!)
Participation in the private member-led group email exchange. This part is also optional, but we love this part of the Practice Challenge – participants always ask great questions and receive helpful support from the group. We use Groups.io for this forum.

Tier 2 is a paid tier – the fee is $32. Tier 2 participants receive all of the benefits of Tier 1 AND:

Can email us with questions as part of their weekly check-in report, and we can answer them!
Practice materials! The materials we send are not homework and you can use them as you see fit. Those of you who have your own materials to work on may wish to use the PC materials as supplemental material, save them for later, or just to play for fun!
Access to our play-along videos – we play trios minus one, so you can play along with us. You’ll have access to the music in advance, with markings for phrasing and articulation. Every other week you’ll receive two trio-minus-one videos – one geared toward more advanced players and one toward less advanced players. For alternate weeks, see next item.
Barbara Weiss, harpsichordist, will provide play-along continuo recordings on alternate weeks. For Practice Challenge #22 we’ll be focusing on dance movements by French Baroque composers geared toward the more advanced players, and on dances from the 1612 Terpsichore publication geared toward the less advanced players. Barbara can also provide tailored recordings for you – contact her privately at harpsichordweiss to inquire about her rates.

Click here to register for Tier 1 or Tier 2!

We hope you will join us at one of these two levels. As always, please reply to this email or contact us at our website if you have any questions.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from us, your registration or payment did not go through. Please contact us for help at tibiarecorderduo or try again.

Now, let the practicing begin!

Musically yours,
Tish & Frances

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
Tibia Recorder Duo
www.tibiaduo.com
510-882-1169
visit us on Facebook!

Tips to Help you Navigate the Practice Challenge Google Site for Registration and Payment

Go to https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info. It’s probably better to do this on a laptop or desktop, but it should also work on a tablet. If you have trouble, use a different browser, such as Chrome, DuckDuckGo, or others.

Fill in the requested information, then click “Next”. You may need to scroll back up to the top of the next page. You may also need to move your cursor around the screen to bring up the necessary forms.

If you selected Tier 2, you’ll be asked for more information. Fill in your request if you have one. Click on “Submit”. Once again, you’ll need to scroll back up to find the “Submit” button.

If you selected Tier 1 you will be taken to a page that confirms your registration.

If you selected Tier 2, scroll to the bottom of the page for the payment information. We have removed the PayPal button because too many people couldn’t make it work before. Please use one of the options (Paypal, Venmo, Zelle, or check) listed on the registration page.

If paying by check, please mail to Tish Berlin and Frances Blaker at 806 Washington Ave., Albany CA 94706. Your name will be added to Tier 2 when your check arrives.

https://sites.google.com/view/practice-challenge-22/tibia-duo-pc-22-info

Tibia Recorder Duo
Letitia Berlin and Frances Blaker
tibiarecorderduo
www.tibiaduo.com

January 2021 Newsletter

January 2021 newsletter.pdf

Dear Early Music Friends,

I hope this finds you all well! I am doing fine myself (fingers crossed!). In reference to yesterday’s events, I saw a post that said, “This seven day free trial of 2021 is not working out for me. I want to cancel my subscription!” Fortunately, the elector count is now done. On to more cheerful musical things! I have included quite a few online musical resources in this newsletter. And I just received the following description from Vicki Boeckman for next Wednesday’s music and thought I’d share it here.

“I am honored to be on the impressive lineup of guest conductors, and excited to lead your January 13^th session. My intent is to share joyful music that uplifts and enlivens. We will start with a simple yet lovely Danish hymn to ring in the new year: “Vær Velkommen Herrens År”, roughly translated as “We Welcome you, Year of the Lord”. If there are any Danes out there, I encourage you to sing along at the top of your voices! Of course anyone may sing, but the text flows best in Danish.

We will then play one of my absolute all-time favorite pieces for the new year; the gorgeous Andante Festivo by Jean Sibelius, tastefully transcribed by Charles Coldwell. Originally written for string quartet in 1922, Sibelius re-scored it in 1938 for orchestra and timpani (for a grandiose flourish on the final 4 measures), and conducted the premier in a direct radio broadcast on New Year’s Day 1939.

After all that gorgeousness we’ll need to pep things up a bit, so I have chosen a delightful arrangement of a medieval Saltarello by Seattle Recorder Society’s director emeritus Peter Seibert. I’m sure you all will recognize the familiar tune, and I guarantee Peter’s clever harmonies will bring a smile to even the weariest of souls.

For skiers and snow lovers out there we will end with the zippy “Down the Piste” from Benjamin Britten’s picturesque Alpine Suite, enabling players oodles of opportunities to practice double tonguing diddles or duhguhs.

Pitch for the evening will be 440 or thereabouts (!) Please choose any size recorder that you like. I will be sharing sound files so you will have the experience of playing in a virtual ensemble, but due to the varying degrees of latency there is no way that scrolling or page turning will ever be ‘just right’ for everyone, so I find it most successful if folks print and read from their own parts. (or download to a separate device).”

Sounds great, right? I’m looking forward to seeing you (in your square!) next Wednesday,

Patty Johnson, SRS newsletter editor

SFEMS Spring 2021 Virtual Classes

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

ENROLL TODAY!

Come enjoy SFEMS’s patented mix of
playing, scholarship, and community!2021 is almost here! While we are waiting for our vaccines, we can still study, play, and branch out into new areas of early music. These classes will have something for everybody, from lectures and demonstrations to play-along sessions!Highlights include a five-class series on late medieval repertoire with Shira Kammen; one two-part class on historical dance with Jennifer Meller; and a special lecture on historical temperaments and tuning by the man who wrote the book on topic, Ross Duffin!Listen, practice, dance, ask questions, and interact directly with our faculty members—there’s something for everyone!

Saturday, January 16 @ 10AM
Daphna Mor (recorder, voice) and Kane Mathis (oud, kora): Music of the Mali EmpireFive Saturdays @ 10AM (January 23–February 23)
Shira Kammen: A Whirlwind Tour from Chant through Dufay—Polyphonic & Monophonic music from the early Middle Ages to the beginning of the Renaissance
Saturday, January 30 @ 3PM
Vicki Boeckman: Musicke for a King
Sunday, February 7 @ 1PM
Rachelle Romero: Musical Evolution through the Hundred Years’ War
Saturday, February 13 @ 1PM
Mary Springfels: Chasing the Good Lai—Machaut’s Lai de la fontaine
Sunday, February 21 @ 1PM
Cheryl Ann Fulton: To Pluck and Not To Plink – That is the Secret!
Saturday, February 27 @ 3PM
Vicki Boeckman: Canons and Imitation across the Nations
Saturday, March 6 AND Sunday, March 7 @ 3PM
Jennifer Meller: Whistle While You Dance: Sung Branles of 16th Century France /
Branles of Mystery
Saturday, March 13 @ 1PM
Ross Duffin: The Tuning and Temperament Conundrum
Sunday, March 14 @ 1PM
David Morris: Boismortier Suite in G minor—And You’re the Soloist!
Saturday, March 20 @ 10 AM
Bianca Hall: Madrigals of Hope and Renewal
Saturday March 27 @ 1PM
Adam Gilbert: We’ll Meet Again—Songs of Greeting, Parting, Longing, and Hope