More Parlor Music!

Circle the date on your calender: Friday, December 17th at 8:00
The theme is French and anything Christmas. Yana Tyulkova and
I plan to play Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker. Mariann
and I may play the Sugar Plum Fairy. Curtis Johnson will play The
Bozza Aria for sax and piano, as well as a movement from Eccles
Sonata. There will be a sing-a-long, including an arrangement of
the French carol, Ding Dong Merrily On High, and we'll have to
throw in the Hallelujah Chorus, along with who knows what!!
Hope you can join us for an evening that will really get you in
the Holiday spirit. Don't forget to bring something good to eat
or drink. I'm not sure who will be here given such a busy time
with lots of other parties going on, but I'm sure whoever shows
up will enjoy the evening.
Any questions email me at robertgfarrell@gmail.com

An Evening of American Classical music

Circle the date: Friday, November 19th for the next music party at the Farrell's. It's been hard trying to find a time when all the performers can make it, but now we have a date. You can expect to hear four pieces by Aaron Copland for piano and violin:

Billy & His Sweetheart (from Billy the Kid)
The Little Horses (from Old American Songs)
Ching-a-ring chaw (from Old American Songs)
Hoe-Down (from Rodeo)

An "Arabesque" for two violins and piano written by me ( in my younger years.)

Three preludes by Dave Brubeck

In honor of Don and Doug's new cats, I'll play "Kitten On The Keys" by Zez Comfrey

Some Sousa, Joplin (Scott, not Janis) and perhaps an arrangement of "Laura" by Marian McPartland, and who knows what else.

If you've never been to one of our music parties, we ask all to bring either a bottle of wine, dessert, or some good food to compliment the nationalities of the composers. This time it's AMERICAN! That should be easy. No hot dogs please. No Thunderbird, please.

We meet at 8:00 to eat and socialize for an hour before the music begins. Then dessert and coffee afterward. If anyone needs directions, email me at robertgfarrell@gmail.com We'd like to invite more of our friends, but we have to keep the number under 20, so please RSVP by either phone or email.

The only thing that will cancel the party is 24 inches of snow!

An Evening of Music from France and Italy

I hope to have several new guests at our next evening of parlor music. For 30 years I taught music with these three guys. The fellow in the front is Del Dowden. He directed the Jr. High Band. The man next to me is Keith Bertoluzzi. He directed the Jr. High Chorus. The fellow on the right is Dave Beswarick. He directed the string program at East Allegheny. We are all retired now, but all still involved in music making. In fact, Keith plans to bring his alto sax and play three numbers by French composers: Faure and Ravel. If Sena Jane Thompson doesn't have her baby before the recital, she plans to play Vivaldi's "Spring" from the Four Seasons. Doug and Donna have something planned that they have been working on. Mariann and I will play a duet version of Bizet's overture to CARMEN. Although I haven't told him yet, Don and I will perform the Can-Can....I mean, we will play it, not dance it! For any of you who have never been to one of these affairs, bring either food or wine that matches the music theme, which is French and Italian. All this is scheduled for:

Saturday, April 24th at 8:00

The theme is French and Italian, so the food and wine should be outstanding!

Music from the British Isles

Ellie and I are working on a duet that may not be quite ready for performance by March 20th. However, we will have plenty of other music ready for our enjoyment on that first day of Spring! Circle the date on your calender, Saturday, March 20 at 8:00. I plan to make some Shepherd's Pie, so good luck coming up with a tasty dish. Same with the wine! I'll have some Guinness here. Please, no haigus!

Music should be fun. Some possibilities are:

Corrente by Handel

The Holy Boy by John Ireland

Gigue and Tambourin by Elisabetta de Gambarini (yes, she's English)

Percy Grainger's arrangement of "Irish Tune from County Derry"

Nocturne in E minor by John Field

Prelude #6 by York Bowen

Music for violin which includes: The Ashgrove, Greensleeves, music by Elgar, and some Irish fiddle music! Duffy may bring his pipes and tin whistle (let's hope he wears underwear this time if he wears his kilt), and my son may sing: the Kerry Dance if we can get him to drink enough Guinness. And if I drink enough Guinness I'll play the cello. Or, you can all pay me NOT to play the cello! Or pay Duffy not to play his pipes! In any case, let me know if you can make it when I get back from Florida in early March.

email: farrell39@comcast.net

An Evening of Music from Russia and Eastern Europe

Circle Friday, December 18th on your calander for an evening of music
from Russia and Eastern Europe.

For those new to our recitals, we try to compliment our composers with food from their countries. Right now, I'm thinking beets...cabbage....saurkraut.............turnips....Vodka................................Duck blood soup......perogies.....halushki.......stuffed caggage rolls... and capuska! We all seem to come up with wonderful things to eat and drink. If you can't cook, bring a bottle of wine! Cheese balls and crackers are always welcomed. Listed below are a few of the potential compositions you might hear:

Two Mazurkas....one by Chopin, and one by Mikhail Glinka

Arabesque by Anton Arensky

Prelude by Dmitri Kabalevsky

Four pieces for piano and violin by Shostakovich

Roumanian Folk Dances for violin and piano by Bela Bartok

An art song by Rimsky Korsakov - "The Rose Has Charmed The Nightingale."

Slavonic Dance No. 2 by Antonin Dvorak

Tango by Biljana Krstic

A few selections from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

A duet of Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells

Several Czech, Croatian, and Polish Carols

FOOD NEWS! I just heard from my sister Annie who will be bringing several people from the Beaver Falls area. she plans to bring stuffed cabbage! Her friend, Carolyn, whose family is from Croatia, emailed that she already knows what she is bringing. It's something her grandmother made called mlince, fried sweet donuts. Marie said that she has her mother's recipe for haluski, made with cabbage and dumplings, rather than noodles. Marie also plays piano and plans to perform something.

German night was great fun!

German night was a blast! Great music and lots of laughs. Plenty of German beer and wine along with the food made the evening a wonderful experience. Thanks to all who played, and to all those who had to sit through it! Das is goot.

An Evening of Classical Music - Octoberfest

I just had a tasty mug of beer today at The CHURCH BREW WORKS. That really got me in the mood for our German party. I even bought a Bavarian flag for the event. The date to post on your calender is Saturday, October 24. The theme is German.

If you are new to our evenings of parlor music, we choose a

specific country or two, then play the music of composers born

in that country. In addition, we ask those who attend to bring

either some wine, snacks, or food from that country. This month being German, I expect some

fine Riesling, Munster cheese (?) maybe some brauts and sauerkraut! Last time we did German

we had a Black Forest and a Bavarian type of cake! Marlene plans to bake a buttery cake. Nobody goes home hungry or thirsty!

We meet at 8:00 and socialize, eat, and drink for awhile. We begin the music around 9:00. It's all very informal. Dessert and coffee about 10:00. Most people are home by 11:00. If you can

come, email me or just tell me if you see me. My email is: farrell39@comcast.net

Here is a tentative list of some of the music:

I plan to play "Soaring" by Robert Schumann

Don Fellows and I will play an arrangement of Franz Schubert's Military March

Mariann and I will play two Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms

A new guest, Sena Jane Thompson will play a movement of a Bach unaccompanied suite for violin.

Marlent Vrscak plans to sing two or three works by Sigmund Romberg.

Donna Deeney will also play a movement from a Bach Partita for violin.

Katie Farris will play a movement from a Beethoven Sonata

Mariann and I may have a few lighter German duets.

Another new guest, Henry Doktorski III will perform some special numbers on his accordion. One being the "Liechtensteiner Polka" with audience participation!

And who knows who else might show up and perform!

If you are new to our parlor music party and don't know where we live, just email me and I will send you directions. We can only invite 18-20 people because of space restrictions, so let me know asap.

Bob and Mariann Farrell