Field notes on the Isolation Recital, aka Music Challenge

So I had come home from a lovely walk, brisk temps but bright sun,and, there being at least an hour before I scheduled my recorder recital, I closed my eyes for a minute.

And woke up at 3 on the dot. No time to rehearse, oh dear. I did faithfully execute the program I set up, which I deliberately made simple so people wouldn't be put off.

Just as well. Pretty ragged Happy Birthday, which was intended for a specific friend. The little girl next door was playing it on her tiny violin the other day, and she did a better job.

 On to Twinkle twinkle, and blanked on the melody, found myself playing Good King Wenceslas. You know how you can't lay your tongue on the right word and wrong words suggest themselves? Turns out it happens with playing music too.

 Then, the little joke is that  Ah vous dirai-je Maman, the third selection, is the same melody as Twinkle twinkle. So I played Ah vous better than Twinkle twinkle.

Finally,  Ode to Joy is easy to play, in fact my first blessed recorder teacher, Jenny Lehmann, had us try it in our fourth lesson. We were stunned to discover we could play it. Not too many notes, all easy to find. I put that in as a little tribute to her, now long playing with the heavenly ensemble.

When I sadly had to quit violin because physically it was doing my hands in -- violin is very tough physically -- and I was looking for an instrument I could count on to play into old age, Jenny strongly encouraged me, saying that "as a bonus, it'll keep you off the streets". I knew I'd love her right away.

  She lent me  tenor and bass recorders to learn on and see if I could play them ( some people can't get a sound out of the bigger instruments), before trying to buy. They're expensive compared to the economical soprano, the one people start with because it's cheap and easy to carry around.

And she put me in the way of scholarship help to workshops I couldn't stretch my budget for.

She was a model of musicianship, playing several wind instruments in orchestras, editing early, that's medieval and Renaissance,  music and teaching anyone who came by. I had no idea she was well known in early music, just knew her as a funny, gifted, tactful, generous teacher.

And here I am in old age, still playing recorder, as she foretold.

Then, finally, for my last trick, I played, on tenor, Fyre and Lightning, an exciting Elizabethan piece by one of my favorites, Thomas Morley. By this time I'd got my eyes open and did a much better job.

If you joined in, I hope you had a bit of fun as I did, and maybe even thought you might like to play a bit more if you're quarantined or just staying home for other good reasons.

I have to admit some of my own fun was laughing at myself. Endless entertainment to be had there.

If you're unfamiliar with the recorder as a serious grown up instrument, having learned the flutophone in third grade, go to YouTube for virtuoso playing. Look for Michaela Petrie, I think that's the spelling, and go from there. No I can't play like her, I can just admire.