IrishOboe

This has been the busiest week yet of being out all day running for event to event.  I’d complain about being tired, but who could have pity on someone with a schedule full of dancing, playing, concerts, and meetings with incredible people?

The Improvisation and Dance Fest was all day Monday, Tuesday and Friday, with most of the dance workshops happening in the morning.  I was able to attend the last hour of the Renaissance dance class on Monday, but Tuesday I had a meeting and Wednesday I had a harp lesson!  Luckily most of the dances we’d done in our Wednesday evening classes so I was able to remember them for the Tuesday evening Ball-abend, which I already wrote about here. 

On Monday afternoon there was a very interesting workshop, though I couldn’t understand much of the German.  The same piece was played in different ways by an alta capella (three shawms and a sackbut), then lutes and fidel, then a hand organ (I don’t know the name!).  The hand organ was so beatufiul!

I did manage to get home that day to practice for the performance Tuesday and to get ready for the “dance evening.”  I had no idea if I was dancing or playing so I brought shoes and instrument just in case.  I’ve been paranoid about not being prepared since I misunderstood my role in the ball-abend.  Turns out it was a gorgeous evening of Renaissance dances performed in costume by the pros.  It was so beautiful!  Some of the musicians and many of the dancers came from France and elsewhere and they were really good.  Renaissance dance might not be too showy (though the boys do get to show off their fancy steps and big jumps), but it’s endlessly fascinating.  Besides the fact that I love the music, the dance is interesting to watch in terms of social interaction.  If what I’ve been told about the period is right, dancing was the only proper place for men and woman to interact and interact they did!  Much of the improvised part of the dances (yes, within the structure there is much freedom to improvise) were all about flirty and showing off!  The women couldn’t lift their skirts to show how agile they were, but they sure could be coy in a wonderfully flirtatious way.  Now, I usually don’t enjoy watching people flirt, much less being on the receiving end of it (boys can be so mean when they like you), but somehow this older, more refined flirting was fascinating to watch.  It was done with a look, a turn of the head, a moment’s hesitation before beginning the dance step that brought the couple back together.

Here's a video of students dancing.  Watch for the first part, which is has certain steps, and then the second part, which is improvised ('men' first then ladies).

2007-03-19 Renais. dance fest all dancing set and improv.mpg

The lovely performance ended surprisingly just in time for me to run over to Martinskirche for a performance by All’ Improvviso.  It was absolutely amazing.  I loved nearly every minute of it and I just couldn’t get over the energy and skill of the musicians.  The whole concert was improvisation over rather simple baselines and forms.  I don’t know enough to know exactly what, but I did recognize the Folia, and one other that had been done (or would soon be done, I can’ remember when I heard it) for the Improvisation and Dance Fest.  For some this might be boring, but I love the sound am a melody person anyway, so listening to them improvise was endlessly fascinating.  I don’t know how to classify their music.  I heard they are all graduates of the Schola, but they certainly weren’t doing a purely historical performance, and it had a lot of more recent Italian songs (not pop, but more like folk).  It was just beautiful, creative music coming from a harpsichord, a hammered dulcimer-type instrument, theorbe, guitars, percussion (hand drums, tambourines, etc.), violin, cornets, clarinets, voice, and more.  Amazon says its pop music.  Could be.  I forgot to mention the double bass.  It certainly had rock, but without microphones and in an old church it was a great sound!  The only part of the evening I could have done without was the crazy dancer.  Later she did some neat dancing, but the first few dances looked like my Italian teacher with her long frizzy black hair going nuts on stage.  If you’ve seen Nell (don’t go out it and watch if you haven’t) it reminded me of Nell walking into the pool table room and spinning around with her dress lifted up over her head.  This dancer didn’t show her chest, but she sure revealed her underwear (Irish dancers like to do that too) and she was just flailing her limbs around (her hair counts as a limb in this case, too) and jumping and rolling and, well, going crazy.  Of course, the part that made her really crazy was that she was dancing barefoot. ;)

I bought a CD and I’m listening to it now.  I’m pleased that there are many of the same pieces!  I can’t get over how beautiful the cornets are!  At the end one singer had us join her.  She’d improvise a short phrase and we’d imitate.  Think of a stone church with high ceilings and five or six hundred audience members who know a thing or two about music.  Can you imagine what it will be like to sing with the heavenly hosts!!!!  And there won’t be fights about musical styles either. ;)

I went home exhausted, but what wonderful experiences!  The Europeans might have socialist governments and a lot less freedom, but they sure have creativity and the arts!  Does it have to be that way?

Wednesday I had my first harp lesson.  I still can’t believe that I get to study with one of the great early music harpists!  It was a good lesson despite the fact that I’m out of practice, but now I have an instrument to practice on!  I went to the instrument library to pay for the harp rental and walked out with three more instruments: two medieval recorders and a fidel.  Fidel is the medieval violin/viola/cello (nothing was standardized back then).  I finally got a chance to play them today and it’s such fun!  I’m like a kid in a candy store.  My ten years of violin experience is coming back to help me.  I don’t know how to hold the fidel or tune it, but I was given the advice to hold it the way it felt comfortable and to tune it the way I felt it fit the instrument and me best.  What a way to teach an instrument.  At the risk of teaching the “think system” I’d think it’s a good idea for modern instruments as well.  One of the recorders has a gorgeous sound, but it’s pitched at A=460 (most Baroque players play at 415, medieval at 440 or 460).  I figured out some fingering (I haven’t worked out the upper register yet) and spent time improvising a melody since I was inspired by the tone of the instrument.  Now if only I understood the harmonic structure behind the tunes I make up and be able to make up a tune on a harmonic structure . . .

I hope I don’t bore you with these details.  I remember dreaming as a kid of a public instrument library where you could go try out instruments, get a little starting help, take them home for a while, experiment, and then try another one or continue if you really cliqued with an instrument.  It is assumed that you need to become really good at one instrument, though secondary instruments are common and helpful.  I question that basic assumption.  Do all musicians need to function this way?  Sure, if you want the best orchestra you want people who really specialize in one instrument and then you can do great things, but how many musicians and places can afford such large, specialized groups?  Maybe with recordings the idea of being a versatile musician is impractical, but I think if you’re going to spend all this time and energy getting to know an era of music you might as well learn a thing or two about the other instruments.  What if I want to open a music school that has an early music ensemble?  I want to be able to find instruments and give basic instruction on all the instruments.  Band directors supposedly have that sort of training, but most education programs only give a week or so of instruction on each instrument and require a great deal of work in a specialized instrument.  Why?  It’s like saying you can’t be linguist unless you know one language really well and others only moderately if you feel like it because it’s not practical to be good in many languages.  Well, I quite playing other instruments before when “important” people told me I needed to focus and I was miserable.  I’m not doing it again!  I’ll let the time be the judge this time.

So, after another day of workshops the festival ended, but we still had dance class that night!  It was a joy as always even if I was tired.  Now I had a model for how a polished dance looks in costume and entertained myself by trying to imitate their elegant moves rather than just get through the steps of the dance.  I’d concentrate on my posture and gestures then forget the next step . . .

I then went to a student Baroque oboe concert and it was very impressive.  I loved how he played the oboe da caccia (English horn).  Inspiring!

Though the fest was over, Thursday was just as busy.  I skipped the first half of German class for harp studio class and there were only two of us so it was like another private lesson!  Pinch me, I’m dreaming!  While waiting for the Indian modal improvisation class I finally went to the library to figure out how to find and check out CDs.  After wading through some German I managed to do it and will no be addicted to their great collection.  I felt less in control of the material in Indian class today, but I think I understood our homework assignment . . .

I had my first meeting with Crawford Young and was not disappointed.  He did a really great job of talking to my level.  He receives my questions well answering them clearly and without judgment.  I will learn so much from him since I feel free to ask “stupid” questions like “what’s an alta capella?” and “Who is Landini?” (though I’m sure I studied him in school).  Mostly it wasn’t trivial conversation, though.  We listened to recordings, looked a original notation and various transcriptions, discussed possible interpretations and he showed me how to access manuscripts from various sources for research purposes.  My personal challenge this week is to go to the university library and figure out how to use the microfiche machine to copy original works – I never have!  How can I be a college graduate without knowing how to use a library?  I hope I find a helpful librarian who will fall for it when I play the “dumb American” card.  There are some advantages to being a foreigner, and I think being a girl helps as well . . .

Full of ideas from our meeting we both rushed off to a concert of medieval music by schola students.  This was in another beautiful, though much smaller church.  It was so beautiful!  It was mostly vocal, but some pieces had fidel, harp, flute, or hurdy-gurdy (I’ve always loved that instrument and it was played so well!).  I have to admit I suddenly wanted to rent a flute and hurdy-gurdy as well . . .

I’m not sure I’m totally sold on the style of singing, but it was gorgeous.  I love the pure tones with very little vibrato and the endless circling and twisting and tangling of lines.  Wow!  Five amazing concerts in one week.  I never attended such a series at Eastman.  Argh!  I’ve got to find a way to stay here longer!

Even though I got home at 8pm it took most of the evening just to review and organize what I need to do to prepare for the next lessons and classes.  Friday I’ve had the whole afternoon to try to catch up and plan my parent’s visit next week, but after practicing three instruments and blabbering about the long week the day has disappeared as quickly as any other.  Congratulations for making it to the end of this post.  You are a die hard Janet fan!  “Christ in hearts of all that love me.”  God bless!