Category Archives: Uncategorized

CD Review: Maria Giovanna Fiorentino and I Fiori Musicali Perform Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi:  A master synonymous with Baroque music.  Highly renowned in his day yet vanquishing into obscurity following his earthly passing, he has since regained his fame threefold since the rediscovery of his works in the past century.  While his … Continue reading

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Gregorian Chant Meets Baroque Music, Part 1

“You have perfect pitch? I wouldn’t want that — I’d go crazy hearing out of tune and transposing! How can you transpose?” I cannot recall how many times I have heard the following allegations from other musicians in one way … Continue reading

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Recorder Mythbusters: Stanesby Junior Copies and Grenadilla Instruments, Part 3

In my previous post and second part of this four-part post series regarding purchasing my Von Huene Stanesby Junior alto recorder in grenadilla, I left off at the point in my story when I felt extremely torn between the two … Continue reading

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Recorder Mythbusters: Stanesby Junior Copies and Grenadilla Instruments, Part 2

In Part 1 of this three-part post series on acquiring my Von Huene Stanesby Jr. alto recorder in grenadilla, I described my preconceived notions about grenadilla and Stanesby Jr. instruments in general, leaving off at the point when I stumbled … Continue reading

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Recorder Mythbusters: Stanesby Jr. Copies and Grenadilla Instruments, Part 1

In my last post “Historical Pitch: The Low Down”, I revealed that I had purchased a grenadilla Von Huene Stanesby Jr. copy back in January after a second instrument and 415 copy became necessary for me. Since I have been … Continue reading

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Historical Pitch: The Low Down

Back in Fall of last year before my graduation, I began learning the daunting Bach sonatas on recorder.  When I had initially petitioned my recorder teacher earlier in the year due to my Bach-loving voice teacher/harpsichordist’s request, he had turned … Continue reading

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CD Review: Maria Giovanna Fiorentino and I Fiori Musicali Play Corelli

Archangelo Corelli – a titanic figure in the history and development of violin-playing. With blazing eyes and breathtaking technique, he catapulted the playing standards of both the instrument and its musical literature to towering heights for his day. Yet, like … Continue reading

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On Ornamentation and Christmas Trees

Every Christmas, my brother and I always decorate our Christmas tree. Over the years, the way we have decorated it has evolved greatly into the current combinations of European glass treasures and delicate ceramic angels amid multicolored lights and gleaming … Continue reading

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CD Review: Maria Giovanna Fiorentino and I Fiori Musicali play Barsanti

Back in 2007 when I first entered college, I suddenly had this burning desire to learn to play the recorder. My main reason: I was passionate about Baroque music and wanted to play sonatas with continuo. Although I began with … Continue reading

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No Shoulder Rest, Thank You!

The shoulder rest: An essential to the modern violinist’s equipment. Today when entering any studio or concert hall, one will notice that the majority of modern violinists — student, amateur, professional, and so forth — play with one. Indeed, shoulder … Continue reading

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