Pennsic XLII - Friday, Peace Week
2013 Jul 26 Fri: Pennsic, Peace Week
Fri 07:30
I'm awake before my alarm again. It was chilly enough last night that I slept with thermal socks on, and they made the difference. I didn't let the cellphone finish charging last night because I didn't want it to chime when full and wake me, nor keep drawing power all night if I didn't wake. So it's charging more now. There were a few more text alerts in the early hours, but nothing like yesterday.
There was one piece of strudel strudel left last night.
WhenInstructorTitleDescriptionComments
09:00- 10:00Master Avery AustringerSharpening and Using Woodworking Tools (257)Have you had terrible luck with planes and chisels? This class will help you learn to sharpen, tune and use these tools. Taught 3 times.
09:00- 10:00Lady FionnghuallaFingerloop Braiding for Beginners (401)A hands-on class learning a 5-loop braiding technique. Useful as decoration or cording. With slight variation it can be made into lanyard for tokens. Materials limit: 15. Taught 4 times.
10:00- 12:00Lady Siri ToivosdotterKnown World Choir Rehearsal (1419)Join the oldest Pennsic Choir as we rehearse in preparation for a concert Aug 1. We will perform some music in tribute to Owain Phyfe. Taught 8 times.Stayed late after rehearsal to rearrange chairs.
12:00- 14:00THL Kiar of AuburnTop It Off: Mid-16th-Century Flat Cap (143)This hands-on class will teach you how to construct a mid-16th-century flat cap for men or women. Bring scissors. Handout limit: 12, fee: $0.50. Materials limit: 10, fee: $8.00.
12:00- 13:00Lady Margrett Norwoode*Le Roman de Fauvel: A Horse Is a Horse - or Is He? (1402)Satirical poem set as 14th-C. MS with narrative text, illuminations & monophonic/polyphonic music. It tells the story of an evil horse named Fauvel. Handout limit: 25.
13:00- 14:00Lady Ros Mairi AndersonSecrets of the Manor Stillroom (1815)What is the "manor stillroom"? Is it the place for the formation of all healing, scent, cosmetics, used by residents of the manor? Come find out!
13:00- 14:00Mistress Arianna of WynthropeChoral Conducting (1409)Hands-on training in conducting patterns, cueing, finding & fixing errors, and choral leadership. You will sing & direct with teacher mentoring. Handout limit: 15. Materials limit: 15. Taught 2 times.
14:00- 15:00Lady Erlandr NordenskaldChorulus Pennsicus (1410)A limited voice choir by audition only that will rehearse and perform at War. Attend first session if interested. Listeners are welcome. Taught 4 times.
15:00- 16:00Daniele da PadolaQuadratic Problems using Euclid (1530)Book 2 of Euclid is all about various different quadratic problems. Come join us as we try to use it practically.
15:00- 16:30Lady Erlandr NordenskaldRecorder Jam Session (1425)Do you play the recorder? Would you like to play with others in a group setting? Read through music? Come join us. All ages welcome. Materials limit: 15, fee: $6.00. Taught 3 times.
17:00- 18:00Pao Hu TsoCounty Criminal Trial in 13th-C England (1511)Indicted criminals faced justice in the courts. Determine the fate of Indicted suspects from actual cases.
Fri 18:56
I had the last piece of strudel this morning. I'm amazed that it wasn't finished off sooner by the rest of the camp. Now it's Pop Tarts for breakfast. I had an old package that probably went to Pennsic last year. It was awful. (Maybe it went to the previous Pennsic as well?) There's another foil packet of unknown provenance. There's newer boxes, but I was trying to eat the old ones first.
It turns out there's a rabbit nest in the New Performing Arts tent. We found it today when someone stepped on it. Six little bunnies, and we're hoping Mom's not too scared to come back to take care of them (or better yet, move them) tonight when things are quiet.
Tonight after dinner I'm hiking up to the northern portion of the site to help a new Choir tenor with the music. The pace of our rehearsals is intimidating for him; he has vision problems as well.
Fri 23:13
I'm back from the Tenor Tutorial at the Barony of Bergenstall (N21) with Ely. I took a tenor recorder and that roll-up keyboard. Neither worked well for bass parts, which is what the tenors are singing sometimes. (An octave shift would have solved it.) The keyboard also plays 4-note chords when I play 3-note chords with the bottom note distant from the other 2 notes - so no providing context for our line. It was also hard to play in keys with lots of black notes because the keys are not elevated - inadequate tactile feedback. And the keys bounce horribly.
We slugged through all the pieces, but didn't give them all equal time. We mostly worked under tempo. I should have suggested focusing on the notes/timing and leaving the words for later. Toward the end I worried we might be keeping his camp awake. He did better on some pieces than others. He's comfortable with Hebrew and German, which covers two of the longest pieces, and many people are afraid of the Rossi (in Hebrew - I've done it before, but a 4-part arrangement, not 3-, so I'm not singing the part I knew.). He does better on tenor parts than bass parts, and has trouble matching pitches beyond his range. (I can hit the notes, but not at any volume that would be heard in the audience; I might as well not be singing.) It took the whole evening, but I need to be working on the music too, so it wasn't a waste of my time (unless he decides not to sing in the concert).
I had the cellphone on because a couple of people on-site might be trying to reach me. I had to silence it because I was getting a lot of alerts from work; nothing I can fix.
Lots of people arrived on site today. There's a lot of dust in the air from the traffic. Colleen arrived at camp just before dinner. We're all still wondering about DGlenn....
Dinner tonight was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cornbread.
Ray commented on how good the Pennsic Choir sounds every year, especially considering they get together here and throw this thing together - with everything else going on that fills people's days at Pennsic. I replied that we rehearse for only a week (not two, and not everyone's here for all of that (This is only my 2nd year here the first week)) and we are a pickup group that accepts all comers; I (uncharacteristically) immodestly agreed that we really are good. And we Frickin' ARE. The Choir is without question the high point of many people's Pennsic experience.
I am amazed how good we sound in our first rehearsal. The people who are here the first week may be the people who are more serious about things. And it's now the routine for the Choir to have the printable music and MP3s (or YouTube links) of all the pieces on line before Pennsic. But there are also people who have not looked at the music. (I have so few opportunities to sight read in ensembles. ☺) One of the things that makes me ineffably glad is that we don't go flat. (That is a constant energy sink for Ad Hoc.)
I completely forgot about the blood drive today. Maybe I'll catch Monday's. (But it would have been less crowded today....)
Passing mob with new lyrics to "Oh Christmas Tree": "Go fuck yourself, Go FUCK Yourself!" There was another group earlier with a call-and-response chant: "What do we want?" "Pennsic Virgins!" Somehow, I was never part of the Pennsic-virgin experience. Maybe it's meant for younger people.
[This entry was originally posted as http://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/614319.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]
Fri 07:30
I'm awake before my alarm again. It was chilly enough last night that I slept with thermal socks on, and they made the difference. I didn't let the cellphone finish charging last night because I didn't want it to chime when full and wake me, nor keep drawing power all night if I didn't wake. So it's charging more now. There were a few more text alerts in the early hours, but nothing like yesterday.
There was one piece of strudel strudel left last night.
WhenInstructorTitleDescriptionComments
09:00- 10:00Master Avery AustringerSharpening and Using Woodworking Tools (257)Have you had terrible luck with planes and chisels? This class will help you learn to sharpen, tune and use these tools. Taught 3 times.
09:00- 10:00Lady FionnghuallaFingerloop Braiding for Beginners (401)A hands-on class learning a 5-loop braiding technique. Useful as decoration or cording. With slight variation it can be made into lanyard for tokens. Materials limit: 15. Taught 4 times.
10:00- 12:00Lady Siri ToivosdotterKnown World Choir Rehearsal (1419)Join the oldest Pennsic Choir as we rehearse in preparation for a concert Aug 1. We will perform some music in tribute to Owain Phyfe. Taught 8 times.Stayed late after rehearsal to rearrange chairs.
12:00- 14:00THL Kiar of AuburnTop It Off: Mid-16th-Century Flat Cap (143)This hands-on class will teach you how to construct a mid-16th-century flat cap for men or women. Bring scissors. Handout limit: 12, fee: $0.50. Materials limit: 10, fee: $8.00.
12:00- 13:00Lady Margrett Norwoode*Le Roman de Fauvel: A Horse Is a Horse - or Is He? (1402)Satirical poem set as 14th-C. MS with narrative text, illuminations & monophonic/polyphonic music. It tells the story of an evil horse named Fauvel. Handout limit: 25.
13:00- 14:00Lady Ros Mairi AndersonSecrets of the Manor Stillroom (1815)What is the "manor stillroom"? Is it the place for the formation of all healing, scent, cosmetics, used by residents of the manor? Come find out!
13:00- 14:00Mistress Arianna of WynthropeChoral Conducting (1409)Hands-on training in conducting patterns, cueing, finding & fixing errors, and choral leadership. You will sing & direct with teacher mentoring. Handout limit: 15. Materials limit: 15. Taught 2 times.
14:00- 15:00Lady Erlandr NordenskaldChorulus Pennsicus (1410)A limited voice choir by audition only that will rehearse and perform at War. Attend first session if interested. Listeners are welcome. Taught 4 times.
15:00- 16:00Daniele da PadolaQuadratic Problems using Euclid (1530)Book 2 of Euclid is all about various different quadratic problems. Come join us as we try to use it practically.
15:00- 16:30Lady Erlandr NordenskaldRecorder Jam Session (1425)Do you play the recorder? Would you like to play with others in a group setting? Read through music? Come join us. All ages welcome. Materials limit: 15, fee: $6.00. Taught 3 times.
17:00- 18:00Pao Hu TsoCounty Criminal Trial in 13th-C England (1511)Indicted criminals faced justice in the courts. Determine the fate of Indicted suspects from actual cases.
Fri 18:56
I had the last piece of strudel this morning. I'm amazed that it wasn't finished off sooner by the rest of the camp. Now it's Pop Tarts for breakfast. I had an old package that probably went to Pennsic last year. It was awful. (Maybe it went to the previous Pennsic as well?) There's another foil packet of unknown provenance. There's newer boxes, but I was trying to eat the old ones first.
It turns out there's a rabbit nest in the New Performing Arts tent. We found it today when someone stepped on it. Six little bunnies, and we're hoping Mom's not too scared to come back to take care of them (or better yet, move them) tonight when things are quiet.
Tonight after dinner I'm hiking up to the northern portion of the site to help a new Choir tenor with the music. The pace of our rehearsals is intimidating for him; he has vision problems as well.
Fri 23:13
I'm back from the Tenor Tutorial at the Barony of Bergenstall (N21) with Ely. I took a tenor recorder and that roll-up keyboard. Neither worked well for bass parts, which is what the tenors are singing sometimes. (An octave shift would have solved it.) The keyboard also plays 4-note chords when I play 3-note chords with the bottom note distant from the other 2 notes - so no providing context for our line. It was also hard to play in keys with lots of black notes because the keys are not elevated - inadequate tactile feedback. And the keys bounce horribly.
We slugged through all the pieces, but didn't give them all equal time. We mostly worked under tempo. I should have suggested focusing on the notes/timing and leaving the words for later. Toward the end I worried we might be keeping his camp awake. He did better on some pieces than others. He's comfortable with Hebrew and German, which covers two of the longest pieces, and many people are afraid of the Rossi (in Hebrew - I've done it before, but a 4-part arrangement, not 3-, so I'm not singing the part I knew.). He does better on tenor parts than bass parts, and has trouble matching pitches beyond his range. (I can hit the notes, but not at any volume that would be heard in the audience; I might as well not be singing.) It took the whole evening, but I need to be working on the music too, so it wasn't a waste of my time (unless he decides not to sing in the concert).
I had the cellphone on because a couple of people on-site might be trying to reach me. I had to silence it because I was getting a lot of alerts from work; nothing I can fix.
Lots of people arrived on site today. There's a lot of dust in the air from the traffic. Colleen arrived at camp just before dinner. We're all still wondering about DGlenn....
Dinner tonight was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cornbread.
Ray commented on how good the Pennsic Choir sounds every year, especially considering they get together here and throw this thing together - with everything else going on that fills people's days at Pennsic. I replied that we rehearse for only a week (not two, and not everyone's here for all of that (This is only my 2nd year here the first week)) and we are a pickup group that accepts all comers; I (uncharacteristically) immodestly agreed that we really are good. And we Frickin' ARE. The Choir is without question the high point of many people's Pennsic experience.
I am amazed how good we sound in our first rehearsal. The people who are here the first week may be the people who are more serious about things. And it's now the routine for the Choir to have the printable music and MP3s (or YouTube links) of all the pieces on line before Pennsic. But there are also people who have not looked at the music. (I have so few opportunities to sight read in ensembles. ☺) One of the things that makes me ineffably glad is that we don't go flat. (That is a constant energy sink for Ad Hoc.)
I completely forgot about the blood drive today. Maybe I'll catch Monday's. (But it would have been less crowded today....)
Passing mob with new lyrics to "Oh Christmas Tree": "Go fuck yourself, Go FUCK Yourself!" There was another group earlier with a call-and-response chant: "What do we want?" "Pennsic Virgins!" Somehow, I was never part of the Pennsic-virgin experience. Maybe it's meant for younger people.
[This entry was originally posted as http://syntonic-comma.dreamwidth.org/614319.html on Dreamwidth (where there are
comments).]