Category: MusikHaus

General news about the doings of the Feiszli household

Choralis Constantinus, MusikHaus

Choralis Constantinus 1508

This came in the mail today. To steal David Burns’ words, I am pleased that Markus Utz and his ensemble cantissimo have created this outstanding CD to accompany my liner notes (lol).

All of the music on this CD was transcribed by me from the original mensural notation into modern notation so that good musicians could re-create it. In many ways, this CD is a culmination of my life’s work. I have always been a facilitator – one who creates avenues for others to express themselves.  Markus and his ensemble have performed this music as I always heard it in my head. So proud and thankful for all the singers that tackled this challenging music and performed it. They refined and enhanced the editions that appear here.

I am indebted to John MacDonald from the University of Akron and Robert D. Reynolds from Arizona State University, who encouraged me in my pursuit of non-traditional choral music. I also need to acknowledge Carl H. Kandel at Mount Union, who gave me the opportunity to transcribe music. Not only this early music thing, but also my brass compositions and arrangements are because of his encouragement. Thanks to these mentors I became a student of Gregorian chant, early Renaissance music notation, and proportional musical rhythms – all of which were huge assistance in my work in choral music. I recall a colleague being impressed by a guest conductor talking to a choir about John Rutter’s evocation of chant in his Requiem, and thought to myself, “And where did you get your degree…?” Sorry, but that’s my music history snobbishness coming out.

In this CD is a selection of music for important celebrations of the church year. The entire Christmas music is presented. Motets dedicated to Mary have a place. The music sung for Easter and following weeks is represented. The last two motets are music dedicated to the patron saint of Konstanz, St. Conrad.

All of this music is based on the Gregorian chant for that Mass Proper item. This was Isaac’s genius in creating the Choralis Constantinus. While he was equally able to create new melodies (see Innsbruck, Ich muss dich lassen); he was able to take pre-existing melodies and create totally new artforms.

The influence Isaac had on later composers is undeniable. Protestant hymns and forms such as the church cantata; and later Renaissance madrigals can all be traced to his groundbreaking music.

If you wish scores for this music, it is becoming available on this website. Markus and I have decided to make it available to those who wish to perform it.

Choralis Constantinus, MusikHaus, Total Wine, Uncategorized

News from Southwest Florida

News from southwest Florida

I thought it might be time to check in since it’s already mid-February. Not sure how those people who blog and post daily updates to social media get anything done. Maybe they’re just more hard-working than I am.

Speaking of that, my immediate supervisor at Total Wine, the wine manager – whose knowledge is that of a sommelier and who has been my mentor in wine – put out a challenge to everyone at our store who is enrolled in the Total Wine Professional program. That person who passed the first exam in the TWP program would receive a $150 bottle of wine from Washington, Oregon, or California (the focus of the first exam).

No one in the store except for said wine manager had managed to pass that first test. Not the wine supervisor, not any other managers, nor any other team members.

Challenge accepted. On Sunday I took the exam and passed; making me the only person in the store who has achieved that milestone other than my mentor.  My reward? (other than the aforementioned $150 bottle – the Moone-Tsai Hillside Blend crafted by Philippe Melka). I had to immediately take the next exam. Bordeaux. Talk about coming down to earth in a hurry! I got a 47% (Expected 30%!) Back to work…. 

On a continuing front, I completed the liner notes for a CD recording of my editions of Heinrich Isaac motets from the Choralis Constantinus. Carus-Verlag, a renowned music publisher in Stuttgart decided to support a CD of Isaac music performed by Markus Utz and his ensemble cantissimo – all of which was transcribed and edited by yours truly. And Carus-Verlag asked (and paid) me to write the liner notes for the CD!

The CD will be issued in April and the music is sublime.  I have the recordings but cannot share them (of course) since Carus hopes to make money from selling them. But Markus and his ensemble have re-created the music as I always heard it in my head but never had the resources to make it happen. I am blessed by those around me – especially Michelle – who have helped and encouraged me to continue working in this field.

The scores for this music will soon become available on both this website and the ensemble cantissimo website as free public domain choral music. If Carus-Verlag decides to publish some of it, we will refrain from placing those free PDF files online. Stay tuned.

Michelle is still coping with becoming middle management. She is great at working with people. I would not have passed that TWP exam without her her guidance. But even superwoman has her limits. She is working through the demands on her time, and I have no doubts that she will find solutions to having more one her plate than she should have. I try to be supportive and reduce stress as much as possible.

One of those things was to visit the Mini Cooper dealer here to get her car serviced and, while doing so, decided to trade in her current CooperS for a hardtop CooperS. So now, Michelle is driving a fairly new Cooper that she loves rather than one that is cool, but not what she wants.

This picture is not the actual car, but is close to it.

I told her that this is the seventh car she’s had since we were married. I’ve had two….  Oh, well.

It is paramount that she has something that is safe and secure to make her commute on a dangerous road to and from work every day. Bottom line is that Michelle has finally found a place in her life where she is respected professionally and honored for what she does. That’s a good thing.

Otherwise, not much to report. I have too many tomatoes than I can eat. My herb garden is amazing. I just bought mint today so it can take over my garden but give me mojitos. Today was beautiful, Woke up to 60 degrees F and mowed the lawn in 78 degree comfort. Love living here.

I hope you are all as happy as I am.

MusikHaus

To My Old Brown Earth

A series of hyperlinks below sum up better than anything I could write how this earth is headed for disaster … at least for most lifeforms on the planet. Insects and reptiles might survive. It is already beginning, but the worst won’t happen in my lifetime. By the time my children are old, they will struggle with many problems brought on my the greed and selfishness of older generations.

 

Michelle and I are doing a little to mitigate our carbon footprint, but I fear it is not enough. We have one hybrid vehicle (1 of 3). All our yard implements are electric. And, most importantly, we are going completely solar. We will produce 105% monthly of what we now buy from Florida Light and Power. Of course, as with most states, the utility companies have bought enough politicians (Joe Manchin, anyone?) who have created laws to make being environmentally proactive more expensive. So, we have have had to purchase a one million dollar umbrella insurance package for our home – ostensibly to protect us in case an electric company employee gets hurt by our system feeding electricity back into the grid. In reality, that law is designed to deter people from going solar.  We are, in essence, paying a tax for trying to reduce our carbon imprint.

And yet everyone sits around and wrings their hands over global warming. I’m with Greta Thunberg.  “Blah, blah, blah”.