Fipple Flutes

Day 326: A note on my musical history...trained as a keyboardist, my first love was of course the harpsichord and with very few exceptions, I eschew modern music (the word "modern" here referring to anything post-Mozart) in favour of that of the Baroque and pre-Baroque eras. I did perform professionally for a number of years on Celtic harp until disaster befell my instrument and put me out of commission permanently. However, during the same span of time, I also directed and played in a small recorder ensemble. Our gigs were mostly Christmas shows at malls and senior centers, done free of charge simply for the joy of sharing music with others. Although some of us had wooden instruments like the maple ones in my personal collection (above), not all members of the group could afford them, and thus our name was derived from the Cheap Plastic Recorders we used in performance, ergo the "CPR Consort."

As I mentioned yesterday, my late husband couldn't read a note but had an enviable talent for playing by ear. He would often drift off into lavish improvisations on any piece we played, returning to the theme in the final bars like a true pro. There was no need for him to learn to transpose from C to F when he exchanged a soprano recorder for an alto or sopranino as those of us encumbered by sheet music had to do. He simply picked up an instrument, played a few notes and then joined in. He was the only one of us who had the hand-span and lung capacity to play a tenor, and although he longed for a bass, he never found one within our limited household budget.

I still enjoy playing the recorder occasionally, although I have to admit it's more fun when someone else can play a different part. I miss those days when he and I would spend half an hour doing strange and exotic riffs on "Spagnioletta" and "My Grandfather's Clock."