The countdown has now begun on all the work I need to do before playing the next Early Music Hawaii concert on September 17 — the Polish Renaissance, with music by composers I have no idea how to pronounce (or even type!) Here is the list of composers whose works will be performed:

Marcin Leopolita (c. 1540-c.1589)
Mikołaj Zieleński (c. 1590–c.1650)
Jan Podbielski (1680-1730)
Bartłomiej Pękiel (1633–ca.1670)
Wacław Szamotuł (c. 1526-1560)
Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński (fl. 1692–1713)
Mikołaj Gomołka (c. 1535 – ?)
Diomedes Cato (1560-1627)
Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)
Adam Jarzębski (c. 1590-1649)
Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665/67-1734)

Thanks to Dr. Alec Schumacker who furnished the list in addition to serving as director for this season opening concert as well as all-William Byrd concert in April 2023. Alec Schumacker is the Director of Choral Activities at Hawai‘i Pacific University where he conducts the International Vocal Ensemble and the International Chorale. He presently serves as the president of the Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He completed his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami, where he studied with Joshua Habermann and Karen Kennedy. His master’s degree in Choral Conducting is also from the University of Miami. He graduated cum laude with honors in music from Williams College.

Now, as to the “itty bitty” numbers I referred to in the title of this post. Take a look at some of my music for a piece by Stanslaw Sylwester Szarzyński.

No, I don’t have the luxury of just playing a single note — those minuscule numbers represent chords, in a musical shorthand we call “figured bass.” Luckily, after doing this kind of thing ever since college, (DECADES!) I’m fairly comfortable with it, but it still takes a lot of practice on my part. This concert is full of figured bass for me to “realize.”

This is a marathon weekend for me — I’m playing three big services, all with different music. Tomorrow morning I play a funeral for an older couple who died within six months of each other, a service at my regular church job, Nuuanu Congregational Church and as soon as the service is over, I’ll zip across town to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church to play the Solemn High Mass there.

Earlier in the week, I went to practice and was very pleasantly surprised to find that Level K (for Kathy!) still had all my registration combinations intact, even though it’s been quite a few years since I’ve played here. That saved me a heap of time especially considering all the music that I need to play for the service.

Which brings me to a quote I saw on the Facebook Organists page:

I have said this before and I’m saying it again … Churches that cannot find a organist or fully carry a organist financially are going to have to think outside of the box … change worship times, or share a organist. If anyone thinks that God only shows up between 9:30-11 on Sunday … your church is going to fold and close down … unless you think outside the box and be truly creative. #imdone lol (D. Damien Trejo Jones, 8/23/22)

To which I say … there are just not enough of us organists to go around! I thought I was going to have a leisurely retirement by now!