Bart Spanhove, one of the members of the well known Flanders Recorder Quartet, wrote a book entitled "The finishing touch of ensemble playing" or "The Flanders quartet guide for recorder players and teachers". The purpose of the book is to help recorder players to become better ensemble players. It was published in 2000.
(www.alamire.com)
The first chapter in this book deals with Intonation (tuning, etc,) and he refers to an old joke about recorders: "What is more out of tune than a recorder"? and the answer is "two recorders"!
As all of us who have played with ensembles know, a playing session usually starts with "Tuning". There is an especially good reason for this since the literature indicates that all recorders are out of tune with themselves, with the factory-made recorders being worse than the hand-made recorders. (Editor’s Note: Not true for plastic recorders. See Fred Palmer’s article in September 2004 issue of UpBeat.)
Dr. Brian Blood has stated that "no recorder plays in tune" and it is " the player who plays the recorder in tune". When we use the electronic tuner we are learning more about our playing technique than we are about the recorder. We have all heard our Music Director while tuning the ensemble, say "listen and match that tone" and somehow it happens.
Recorder makers also use tuners but primarily to get the fundamental note (the note that sounds when all of the holes are covered) in as near perfect pitch as possible. Dr. Blood states that reason for this is that the fundamental note is not as flexible as other notes on the instrument and cannot be influenced easily or perhaps not at all by changes in breath pressure, etc. He points out that recorder makers can be separated into those who religiously check every note with a meter and those who rely on their ears.
In all cases a well playing recorder will permit the fundamental note to be played in tune with very little effort, but many of the other notes will require the flexibility of your playing technique and adjustment made to the instruments, i.e., pulling in and out of the head joint. etc. The significance of this information is that when buying an instrument it is good idea to check the fundamental note for tuning. In the final analysis, the literature suggest that it is more important that the recorder can be played in tune and not that the recorder be in tune with itself since none of them are.
Speaking about playing in tune, Dolmetsh's web site makes reference to us. It refers to an article written by our Music Director, Fred Palmer, in February 1989 on the use of mean tone tuning. The reference stated that MPRO plays most pieces by Mean Tone Tuning which is accomplished by: Lowering all sharps; Raising all flats; Lowering the notes E and B and Raising the note F. Somehow that sounds familiar --Huh?
"Thanks for listening".
CONDUCTOR'S CORNER
Listed below are the rehearsals and concerts that will conclude MPRO’s 2004-2005 season. Krummhorns, great bass and contrabass recorders will be needed for the rehearsals on May 18 and June 1 as well as the concert on June 5. Please note that May 12 is the final rehearsal for the concert with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) on May 13, and June 1 is the dress rehearsal for MPRO’s spring concert on June 5. May 18 will be a regular MPRO meeting beginning at 8:00 P.M. and will not involve a joint rehearsal with PACO as originally planned. As in the past, small ensembles are encouraged to appear in the spring concert. Those groups that intend to perform on June 5 are asked to give me the following information by May 18: the title(s) of the music to be performed, the name(s) of the composer(s), the name of the ensemble (if any) and the names of the ensemble's members.
| Thursday, May 12 | Joint Rehearsal with PACO Cubberley Community Center, Room M-2 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, 5:30 P.M. Biber: Sonata pro Tabula Heinichen: Concerto a 8 |
| Friday, May 13 | Performance with PACO Covenant Presbyterian Church 670 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto, 7:30 P.M. Biber: Sonata pro Tabula |
| Wednesday, May 18 | JLS Middle School, 8:00 P.M. Heinichen: Concerto a 8 Hugo de Lantins: A ma dame playsant et belle Pass'emezzo della Paganina and Saltarello Secunda: Mein Yiddishe Meidele Haydn: Allegro Biber: Sonata pro Tabula |
| Wednesday, June 1 | Joint Rehearsal with PACO Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, 7:30 P.M. Heinichen: Concerto a 8 Biber: Sonata pro Tabula Hugo de Lantins: A ma dame playsant et belle Pass'emezzo della Paganina and Saltarello Secunda: Mein Yiddishe Meidele Haydn: Allegro |
| Sunday, June 5 | MPRO Spring Concert Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, 3:00 P.M. Heinichen: Concerto a 8 Hugo de Lantins: A ma dame playsant et belle Pass'emezzo della Paganina and Saltarello Secunda: Mein Yiddishe Meidele Haydn: Allegro Biber: Sonata pro Tabula |
The two concerts that will conclude the orchestra’s current season are unique events that will bring two important Bay Area musical organizations together for the first time, and I encourage you to invite your family and friends to attend these performances. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kris Yenney, director of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra’s Preparatory Division, for agreeing to collaborate with MPRO in presenting these concerts and for all the hard work and planning she and the young string players under her direction have done in order to make them possible. I would also like to thank the members of MPRO for working with me so diligently in order to bring the music for these concerts up to a new performance standard for the orchestra and proving that individual practice, attention to detail at rehearsals and working toward specific goals are a sure formula for improvement and success. Once again, I would like to express my thanks to the orchestra's officers for their invaluable expertise in seeing to the necessary tasks which make MPRO's programs possible and for organizing two highly successful workshops this season. Special thanks go to MPRO’s president, Tony Jackson, for his fine leadership and efforts to make the orchestra a more cohesive and effective organization. I wish all MPRO members the very best this summer and look forward to seeing all of you again in September at our first meeting of 2005-2006 season.
MPRO started in 1962 after informal gatherings of recorder players grew too large for Bill and Ilse Barnhart's house in Palo Alto. A meeting place was arranged at a Barron Park school. We met each Wednesday evening playing for 1.5 hours, after which we had coffee and cookies and got to know one another. All music had to be purchased since there were no copy machines. Each member contributed $2 and Ilse ordered the music.
Soon we had a large repertory. I would call Bill, our director, to find out what music we would be playing and prepare a list for distribution to the members. Thus the newsletter was started.
The weekly schedule proved too difficult to maintain as members needed time for small consorts and lesson activities, so twice monthly was selected for our sessions. We also had to decide whether to work on repertory vs. casual playing, and whether or not to perform in public. The question of a name arose, and many suggestions were offered. (My suggestion of R.O.M.P. was rejected!)
Later we moved to Gunn High School in Palo Alto. Angela Owen agreed to direct the less experienced players in an adjoining music room. (Fred Palmer, then a student at San Mateo College, joined the orchestra for that year.) After Gunn ran out of room Angela Owen arranged for us to play at the Duveneck School. She became our director when the Barnharts moved to Nevada City. At this time officers were selected to keep the organization running.
After 20 years as MPRO music director Angela Owen offered her resignation. A committee was formed to search for her replacement: Bob Chalmers, Don Watson and myself. We met two nights weekly to explore every potential director in the Bay Area, then presented 3 candidates for consideration. Each candidate took over one month. On the fourth month the members voted, and selected Fred Palmer, our current director.