Class - 26th January

We seemed to have got over the shock of the key signature with five flats (and then five sharps for the clarinets), and made good progress this evening with our large ensemble pieces...adding dynamics (ranging from pp to fff!) in the 'Irish Tune from County Derry'...and picking up speed in 'Shepherd's Hey'...although we have yet to try it with an accelerando at the end!

Small group items:

• 'Marie Antoinette' by Scott Joplin (Arr. H. Brammer) - Polly, Dermot & Mike
• Trio Sonata in E minor by Telemann - Diana, Kath & Joan
• Sonata in Bb major by Fasch - Imogen, Judy, Emily, Margaret & Angela
• 'Cuckoo Quartet' by Ronald Hanmer - Heather, Penny, Theresa & Helen

Class - 19th January

This expression...accompanied by audible gasps...was the reaction to the discovery that tonight's new piece ('Scottish Dance No. 3' by Malcolm Arnold) had a key signature of five flats in the middle! By the third time through it didn't seem so bad though! We made good progress with our other large ensemble pieces...negotiating the tricky changes in tempi and time signatures in 'Fantasia on Greensleeves'...and we even managed to finish 'Shepherd's Hey' (more or less) together...and at a faster speed!

Small group items:

• 'Air on a G String' by J. S. Bach (Arr. Karen Evans) - Heather, Polly & Dermot
• Divertimento no. 1 in Bb Major by Mozart - Penny, Theresa & Mike
• Trio Sonata in G Minor by Telemann - Imogen, Diana & Joan
• Concerto in G Minor by Vivaldi - Emily, Kath, Margaret & Angela

Class - 12th January

We were joined by some of last week's absentees this evening, as we continued working on our new ensemble pices...'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' & 'Shepherd's Hey' (by Grainger) - it may take us some time to get that last one up to speed!

Small group items:

• 'Charlie is my Darling' from 'Four Old Tunes' by Gordon Jacob - Heather, Annabel, Theresa & Mike
• No. 6 from 'Sechs Menuetti' by Beethoven - Kath, Emily & Margaret
• Sonata in F Major by Schickhardt - Penny, Judy, Diana, Dermot & Angela

Class - 5th January

Happy New Year!

A new new term means new music, and this term we have a distinctly 'folky' theme to our large ensemble pieces. We made a start on 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' (by Vaughan Williams) and 'Irish Tune from County Derry' and 'Shepherd's Hey' (Grainger versions) - having great fun trying to play the last chord of 'Shepherd's Hey' all at the same time!

Small group items:

• 'London Trios' by Haydn - Heather, Judy & Margaret
• Quintet in F by J. C. Bach - Penny, Diana, Kath, Polly, Mike & Imogen
• 'Masonic Adagio' by Mozart - Theresa, Anya & Angela