SBRS News and Announcements

SOUTH BAY BUZZ

Newsletter of the South Bay Recorder Society

A Chapter of the American Recorder Society

An Affiliate of the San Francisco Early Music Society

 

May 2013

May 2013

May Meeting
Greta Haug- Hryciw will be returning to South Bay to direct our chapter meeting on Friday, May 10th at 7:30 PM in the Choir Room of San Jose Congregational Church. A frequent guest conductor for several chapters of the American Recorder Society, Greta is also an occasional teacher at summer workshops, as well as the directors' assistant. She co-directed the American Recorder Orchestra of the West with Richard Geisler from 2005-2010 and is currently co-director of the Barbary Coast Recorder Orchestra with Frances Feldon, now in its third season. Greta is the founder of the recorder ensemble SDQ and also appears with the Peralta Consort, Ensemble Trecento, Gryphons Wild and the contemporary ensemble Uncorked. She teaches recorder to students of all ages, produces concerts, and arranges music for small ensembles and recorder orchestra. Although she considers herself primarily a recorder player, she also enjoys singing, playing percussion and occasional didgeridoo accompaniment.

Greta is a third generation San Franciscan whose paternal family were symphony musicians. She was influenced by this exposure to great music from early childhood and it shaped her love of early and classical music. In her formative years, she studied piano and music theory with Bethel Melvin and San Francisco Opera Orchestra pianist Reina Schivo. As her musical interests diversified, she played with the San Francisco branch of the New York Recorder Workshop and later studied with several other Bay Area music professionals, including recorderist Hanneke van Proosdij, percussionist Peter Maund and didgeridoo virtuoso Stephen Kent. She sang soprano with the world song ensemble The Loose Canons for many years and has served as music director for Half Moon Bay’s Coastal Repertory Theatre. Greta and her husband Lloyd live on the San Mateo Coast.

Greta writes, “Because of the difficulties I've been having with my electronic devices, I've made changes in my selections...and instrumentation. Here's a description of the evening's fare:
From Douglas Kirk's "Music for the Duke of Lerma," we'll warm up with the gorgeous 5-part setting of Pange Lingua Gloriosi by Johannes Urreda. This would be very nice doubled on low instruments. Then we'll play Be unto Me, a 4 part hymn by William Byrd for SSTB or low counterparts (TTGrB and CtrB) and Songe by Robert White (1530-1574) for 5 voices set in a recorder-friendly range by our very own Daniel Soussan. To finish up the first half, we'll play the American jazz standard Skylark arranged for harmonica and accompaniment, but we’ll play it on S,T,B,B and CtrB recorders. This piece offers jazzy chords and some chromatic progression with a few typical offset rhythms that we’ll explore.
After the break, we'll continue in a contemporary vein with one foray into the late 16th century. We'll start with Time in a Bottle, the sentimental 1971 hit by Jim Croce, arranged for AATT and Contrabass. I'll bring my glockenspiel in case anyone wants to play the simple part that appears in the second half of the song. Next: a Fantasia by Thomas Lupo (c. 1570-1628) for AATB from Eileen Hadidian's library. We'll cap the evening with the jolly tune from the German/Dutch movies, Pippi Långstrump. For this we'll need SATTB recorders and, if it's available, Tenor crumhorn. See you on the 10th !”
(To receive the music in advance, please contact Harry Stewart – LonePaisley@yahoo.com. )


President’s Message
Our April meeting with David Hogan Smith was very rewarding. His music is always so clear and great to play. The Gabrieli eight part piece was tricky and required counting carefully. As a battle song we created great sounds. The Giovanni Croce pieces were double choir. The crumhorns and recorders provided some good echo effects. Many brought their crumhorns and shared them to give others an opportunity to play. Thank you, David, for sharing the interesting eight- part Renaissance Italian music for our April session.

We had our Annual Meeting in April. Welcome to Marcia Wire, Michèle Kelly, and Fidele Galey who have joined the SBRS Board. Special thanks to our regular Board members who will continue: Anne Ng, Laura Gonsalves, Anne-Marie Wiggers, Jean Ridley, Georgiana Rudge, and Harry Stewart. I look forward to working with you over the next year. You all help make the South Bay Recorder Society successful.
Liz Brownell, President
 

Hospitality
I would like to thank Michèle for bringing cookies to the April meeting. Fidele and Julia have kindly volunteered to bring goodies for our May meeting. Any questions please contact me at (408) 246-0771 or email me at jean.ridley@att.net.
Jean Ridley, Hospitality

 

Concert Review
The Monteverdi Brass Quintet Concert
March 13, 2013 at Foothill Presbyterian Church
This wonderful concert started off with Hildegard von Bingen’s “Karitas Habundant” hailing us from all parts of the church. The five musicians were strategically placed around the perimeter of the church to give us a resonating start to their very polished performance on brass instruments. This was the appetizer for the whole of the concert.
The Quintet played Gloria by William Byrd; Italian Madrigals by Luca Marenzio, Mogens Pederson and Morenzio; a wonderful Kyrie by Johanes Ockenghem; Dances from the collection of Pierre Attaingnant; some pieces from the archive of the Duke of Lerma which had been discovered more recently; and the concert ended with some luscious pieces by Palestrina, Tomas Luis de Victoria, and Gesualdo. The performers took it in turns to narrate throughout the concert, explaining a little bit about the music, especially the history of the pieces and the composers. They also talked about their instruments. Instrumentation was modern in that there were three trombones and two trumpets, but as one of the narrators explained, the music was enhanced by the instruments, whether it was Early or late Medieval, Middle Ages, or Renaissance. The arrangements of the music played were exceedingly well done.
This was an excellent and exhilarating concert and it was a pity it was so poorly attended.
 Jean Ridley

Calendar of Coming Events
May 10th – Chapter meeting at 7:30 PM in the Choir Room of San Jose Congregational Church
1980 Hamilton Ave., (corner of Leigh), San Jose, CA 95125
Greta Haug-Hryciw directs.
May 11th – Music della Doria concert
May 17th -19th Marin Headlands workshop
June 8th – Peralta Consort concert

SAVE THESE DATES FOR THE SUMMER PLAY-INS:
June 29th
July 28th
August 24th
Details will be in the June BUZZ.
 

Music Opportunities
Saturday, June 1st – 2:00 PM. Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra, directed by Fred Palmer, presents a Spring Concert at Trinity Presbyterian Church,
1106 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Carlos. For information call Fred Palmer at (650) 591-3648 or visit the orchestra’s website at www.mpro-online.org.

Saturday, May 11, 2013 – 3:00 PM. Music della Doria; Renaissance and Beyond – Doris Williams (vocals, lute), Jonathan Harris (recorders), and Howard Kadis (lute, archlute). (www.doriswilliams.com)

Saturday, June 8, 2013 – 3:00 PM. The Peralta Consort: the capstone concert of the early music series will feature music from late renaissance, baroque, and modern periods. Kraig Williams and Greta Haug-Hryciw (recorders/percussion); Mike Megas (recorders/flute); Michèle Kelly (recorders); Deb Fenzel-Alexander (cello); Julia Airapetyan (harpsichord/organ).

The above 2 concerts are the last of this year’s Foothill Presbyterian Early Music Series.
5301 McKee Road, San Jose; suggested donation - $10; reception following each concert.
For further information: email FoothillPC@gmail.com or call (408)258-8133.

Newsletter Editor: Laura Gonsalves

4946 Manitoba Drive, San Jose, CA 95130

e-mail: lauraagonsalves@yahoo.com

website: //www.sfems.org/sbrs