Hi all,
I wanted to let everyone (particularly those in the Midwest) that we
have a rare opportunity to learn from one of the leading Hungarian HG
players, Pál Havásréti of the Téka ensemble. Téka will be here in
Bloomington, Indiana, in late March/early April. His host at Indiana
University has approached me to see if there would be interest in a
workshop with him. The workshop would focus on tunes and technique
from the southern lowlands of Hungary. There are two possibilities for
a time for a full-day workshop, and I need to gauge interest before
committing to a date. In either case instruction would be in Hungarian
with simultaneous interpretation in English (by me).
1. Thursday, April 3. This date has the advantage that there is a
major evening concert in which students could perform a number as a
group under Páli's direction.
2. Sunday, April 6.
If you are interested, please reply to me off-list with your
preference for which date to hold the workshop (and be sure to let me
know if your preference is a requirement, or if you could do it on the
other day). My own preference is for Thursday, but since I don't have
to travel to Bloomington, my preference doesn't count.
I should note as well that there will be dance workshops and concerts
going on all around these dates, so if you wanted to stick around for
the entire weekend, there would be plenty to do. These are being held
as part of a conference on Hungarian music and dance revival held here
in Bloomington. If anyone is interested in the schedule of events, let
me know off-list.
Here are some additional details about the proposed workshop:
EXPERIENCE
No experience is required with Hungarian repertoire. You should be
familiar with playing your instrument at a basic level (able to read
music and/or play tunes by ear on your instrument) and know how to
maintain it in playable condition (cottoning, rosining, etc.). If you
just got your instrument, this might not be the workshop for you, but
if you've had it for a while and are comfortable playing it, you
should do fine.
REPERTOIRE
Prior to the workshop I would provide some recordings and notation of
the tunes to be learned so that you can be familiar with the music to
be played. If you choose to practice the tunes in advance, we would
request that you do so *without* the buzzing bridge. While buzzing
bridge is extremely important in the Hungarian repertoire, its
technique is substantially different from the French repertoire, and
we would rather not make you unlearn what you've done on your tunes.
(Anyone who went to Balázs' workshop in 2005 that Tom Kafka hosted can
bear witness to how difficult it can be to unlearn this aspect.
Depending on schedules and when people arrive, I could teach a session
on the basics of Hungarian buzzing-bridge technique the night before
the workshop so that we can save time the next day.)
REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTRUMENTS
Instruments used in this workshop would need to be set up in A/E
tuning (i.e., your third diatonic key sounds an A and the open string
sounds an E). Hungarian-type instruments are preferred, but not
required. In some cases you could tune a C/G instrument down a minor
third or tune a D/G instrument up a full step, but these tunings might
require you to restring your instrument prior to the workshop if the
strings you are using will not accommodate this change in tuning.
*Instruments should be in working order prior to arrival.* Note that
if you have trouble with your instruments, we might be able to set up
an instrument rescue session the night before the workshop. In
addition, if you need new strings after arrival the day before, we
could arrange a trip to a local violin shop to buy strings.
TRAVEL AND LODGING
You would be responsible for your own way to Bloomington plus lodging
while in town. Unfortunately my own home does not have room to put
anyone up in any comfort at all right now, so I can't offer any
lodging. Airport shuttles are available to Bloomington from
Indianapolis for $25 each way, and if people stay on the west side of
town (near where I live but unfortunately not near anything worth
seeing in town), I could provide rides for up to four people with
instruments to and from the workshop venue, eliminating the need to
rent a car. If there is enough interest for the workshop, I will see
if any of the local hotels offer special rates for people attending
University-affiliated functions and get back to participants with
recommendations for lodging.
COST
Officially we are unable to charge anything for this workshop since
Indiana University has funded Páli's trip and lodging. Informally,
however, we would request than an optional cash donation by made
directly to Páli on the workshop site, with a suggested amount in the
$50-$100 range. The exact amount would depend on your judgment and
means. *No one would be turned away for inability to pay this
donation: it is strictly voluntary.*
If you are interested, please let me know off-list that you are
interested and how likely it is that you would attend on one of those
dates (and which one). If we have four or more participants who can
commit to attending on one of the dates, we will hold the workshop. If
there are fewer, we can probably arrange something more informal with
Páli while he is here, but it would probably not be a full day.
I would like to commit to a date (or even if there will be a workshop)
by Monday or Tuesday at the latest, so please let me know your
thoughts soon. I would let you know by the end of next week.
Best,
Arle
