Paetzold Recorder

Photo: June 14, 2016

Our recorder orchestra, Flutissimo,  had our last encounter of the season, which is really the first encounter to get ready for the next season. Music was distributed to practise over the summer. Above you can see the lowest recorder in our group, a contrabass by Paetzold (the lowest note is an F an octave and a half below middle C).



And the view from the other side. We jokingly call it an IKEA recorder because it looks like something that was made to be self-assembled. These recorders, while costing less than traditional recorders, still have a lovely sound. You can hear them below in a recorder consort.



Quinta Essentia Recorder playing Chaconne des Africains by Lully

The recorder family is made up instruments in C (the bottom note of the recorder) and in F. There are other recorders, but they are found less often in recorder orchestras. I have a recorder in D which works well when playing duets with a baroque flute (which just happens to be what my spouse plays).



This picture was taken several years ago and includes a number of my instruments. From smallest and highest pitch on the left to the largest and lowest pitch, they alternate from C to F instruments. The Paetzold contrabass would be the next one (though it is not my recorder) in the line and lower than my large C or great bass. To give you an idea of the range, the lowest note of the fourth recorder from the left, the tenor, is middle C. Each instrument plays 2 octaves easily with possibilities in the third octave. When I carry all these with me to rehearsal I am quite loaded down!

After Oiling

These are just some of my instruments. They have to be oiled a couple of times a year. It keeps them playing better. I'll be oiling others tomorrow after these have been allowed to absorb the oil. First I will swab these out, removing any excess oil and pack them away unless they will be played.



I have two large recorders: a bass in F and a contrabass in C. One is pictured here. The bigger one is on tomorrow's roster. Regular maintenance keeps them playing well.

Music

A magical weekend
Of music
friendship
challenges
and laughter
Always learning

Add a recorder coach
Italian music
We played our way
Through three centuries
Exploring different styles

Don't just play
the notes on the page
How to add grace
We're learning to improvise
In the spaces
Learning the style of the time

Like mastering a new language
We explore the nuances
The flourishes
The accents
Not just notes
But a way of speaking


****************************

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music

-Aldous Huxley

Flute Alors at the Recorder Festival

I have written about this group, Flute Alors! before.
The musicians as individuals and as a group have been winning accolades in music competitions and for their concerts. The concert at the recorder festival was no exception. To add a little spice, the concert was billed as audience choice. We voted on a choice of two options of pieces for two parts of the concert and pulled names from a hat for two other pieces as to which musician played which line. It certainly keeps them on their toes.

Each of these players possess a dazzling technique (my fingers wish they could move that fast) as well as a facility with a variety of musical styles. I have subscribed to their Montreal series so will be treated to more of their musical offerings over the year. Their website will tell you a little more about them. And for a musical treat
A promotional video for their CD, Kaleidoscope (in French)
and one more

Stormy Concert

Renaissance Consort, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

More concerts - this consort of recorders (two more out of sight) played some wonderful music by Holborne. The recorders they are playing is a matched set by recorder maker Bob Marvin.

Behind the players a storm brewed with dramatic flashes of lightning. Just before the end the lights went off briefly, but the music went on. Later most of the staff (plus a few participants) joined to play some excerpts from the Fireworks Music by Handel. Some played instruments for which they are not usually known - but the overall effect was impressive, energetic and lively.


Nature provided the fireworks with great jagged lightning slicing across the sky. Another brief power outage - but the musicians soldiered on.

Flûte Alors!

Flûte Alors!, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Flûte Alors! is a recorder quintet, made up of young (at least to me) musicians. But don't be fooled - their technical expertise is astounding as is their musicality. The concert was part Bach, part jazz and was held in a café (hence the beer bottle). The performance was polished and fresh at the same time.

It is particularly fun for me to hear them as I have followed some of these musicians since they were young teenagers. They have a CD coming out any day now - I'm looking forward to getting my copy.

July 1/10: Oiling Recorders

July 1/10: Oiling Recorders, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Summer is really starting. On Sunday I am off to music camp, CAMMAC. I'll be playing music several hours a day. These are some of the instruments I'll be taking with me - freshly oiled to keep the wood in good condition. I haven't oiled my large recorders, but they will be coming along.

I've started packing as I have much to bring: instruments, music, clothing, towels.... And of course my camera(s). Then, as there is now wireless, I bring my computer so I can keep up with my blog - though I may not be able to post as connections are not always robust. But once ensconced in my room, I will enjoy a week of music and friendship in a beautiful setting on a lake. You'll see once I get there.....

Jan 14/10: Recorders

Jan 14/10: Recorders, originally uploaded by susanvg.
From left to right: garklein (in C), sopranino (in F), soprano (in C ), alto (in F), tenor (in C) bass (in F), great bass (in C)

Thought I would share some of my recorders. The smallest, a garklein, I only bought for fun - I have yet to play it with others. It is very high-pitched; I think it could be used to call every dog in the neighbourhood. The others I use regularly when I play in Flutissimo, Montreal's recorder orchestra. Some recorders are in C (C is the lowest note) and others in F (F the lowest note). When you play all these recorders, you have to be able to read both treble clef and bass clef with both C and F instruments. This mental gymnastics is probably a good anti-Alzheimer activity.

Most of you are probably familiar with the soprano - that instrument that tortures most students and parents as children shriek on it. Recorders are easy to play as a beginning instrument. Because of their simplicity, they are a challenge to play really well.

This is only part of my recorder collection. I also have renaissance recorders; they have a cylindrical bore ( the hole that goes through the centre) whereas these recorders taper towards the bottom. Only the wood flares out. Then there are my recorders in 415 pitch (sometimes called baroque pitch) and regularly play a voice flute - a 415 recorder in D. I'd be happy to answer questions about the instruments - just leave a comment.

Day 260: Before the Concert

Day 260: Before the Concert, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Flutissimo's tenth anniversary concert took place at Tanna Schulich Hall at McGill University. We shared the stage with a professional viola da gamba ensemble, Les Voix Humaines. What a thrill to share a concert with these incredible musicians. My seat was next to them so I felt I had a private concert each time it was their turn to play.

I go to many concerts and know many of the early music performers in Montreal. It is interesting to play in such a professional space and feel, just a bit, some of what they face in their concerts. To live the dress rehearsal, when things go wrong, to face the nerves, to experience the feeling of the audience and then the exhilaration after the concert is to glimpse into their realities. I wouldn't want to live it on a regular basis, but it was sure fun for an evening....
....and by the way - the concert went very well.

Day 242: The Math of Music

Day 242: The Math of Music, originally uploaded by susanvg.

In the 2009/365 photo group on Flickr, the theme for this month is mathematics. You may ask what the math is behind this image. If you look at the bottom two recorders, their relationship is 2:1 The length of the alto recorder is twice that of the sopranino. What is the musical relationship? They are exactly one octave apart. Similarly with the top two recorders, a soprano and a tenor, the length of the soprano is 1/2 of the tenor and it is one octave higher. If students were to look at this image, it would be good to think about why a smaller recorder plays at a higher pitch. Is this true about other instruments? Can the students make instruments to demonstrate this principle?

Music is full of mathematical ideas - the length of notes (whole notes, half notes, quarter notes...), the relationship of a time signature (2/4, 3/4, 6/8..), repeated patterns of notes and on and on. It's a great place to see real life applications of mathematics in all its beauty.

Day 177: Susie

Day 177: Susie, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A full day of music and discoveries. The Baroque Festival has led me to explore places, some quite hidden, in Old Montreal. Each year, Susie takes advantage of a variety of locations to showcase the music and the theme. A concert was held in the Royal Bank of Canada (while business was going on as usual) in a magnificent building dating from the late 1800s.

The ceiling above is only a tiny sample - the marble, the brass, the incredible bronze doors of the elevators - this is definitely worth visiting. The concert, itself, was given by a group of young recorder players - a delightful programme of early music mixed with some contemporary offerings. A master class held in the house once owned by George Étienne-Cartier (one of our fathers of confederation). To hear music in a drawing room is to hear it in the setting for which it was composed.

An incredible concert by the Flanders Quartet in my favourite church followed. The four recorder players play as one - their sounds blending to give the impression of listening to a pipe organ. Their collection of instruments is extraordinary with matched Renaissance instruments, Baroque instruments and all sizes from sopranino to contrabass. Here is just a sample (those played by one of the musicians, not including the larger recorders).


An English Country Dance was then held in Musée Chateau Ramezay built 300 years ago. For my American friend - Benjamin Franklin slept here. You can read about his connection to Montreal and our local English Newspaper here. A large portrait of him hangs in the museum. Many people came to the dance in costume and danced to the live music of Rufty Tufty.
In another room the Quatuor Franz Joseph played in a setting so appropriate for the music. And presiding over it all was Susie - the brains, the inspiration, the creator of this incredible festival. More tomorrow....

Day 125: Recorder Builder's Workshop

Day 125: Recorder Builder's Workshop, originally uploaded by susanvg.

As an avid amateur recorder player, I own a number of instruments of all sizes. Close to Montreal is a recorder maker, Jean-Luc Boudreau, who makes hand-made instruments as well as part machine-made instruments (his Aesthé line). I have a few Aesthé recorders as well as a voice flute (a recorder in D) which is one of his hand-made instruments. It needed a bit of work so I went to Jean-Luc's workshop. He filed the windway and the block and now the sound is once again pure and flexible.

I admire people who are so good with their hands, who can make something so beautiful out of a chunk of wood. I love to wander around the workshop, to see the unfinished recorder blocks ready to be finished and plugged into recorders, to see the half-finished recorders, well on their way to becoming instruments. Oil, files, a small alcohol burner, woodworking tools are just some of what is needed for the process. Most of all what is needed is the maker, whose passion, precision and practice nurture each instrument to life.

Once finished, these instruments live - providing years of pleasure to those who play and (hopefully) those who listen!

Day 88: Play the Recorder Day

Day 88: Play the Recorder Day, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I belong to the Montreal Recorder Society and play in a recorder orchestra, Flutissimo. Today we had our annual Play the Recorder Day (La Fête des flûtes). Some of my recorders are on the stand on the left. The very tall recorder, a contrabass, belongs to a friend of mine. The day included performances by all the groups in our society as well as workshops for beginners and a sight-reading session for all at the end.

Music is one of my passions - especially early music 18th century and earlier). I'm fortunate to live in a city where this flourishes, with many professional groups, two universities with early music programmes and many amateur players.

Whenever I can, I play music and to go to concerts and with the plethora of ensembles in Montreal, I often have to make choices. What a delightful dilemma to have.