# Marcy Prochaska

### Hammered Dulcimer

## Simple Song from Mass

Most of my musical energy has been focused on church music lately, as I continue with the pipe organ and choir. The dulcimer will again be part of our late Christmas Eve mass, with one or two solos and two songs accompanying the choir.

Meanwhile, our choir director Mary Pat had invited me to sing this Leonard Bernstein song, which I hadn’t heard before. The more I’ve worked on it, the more I’ve come to like it both musically and lyrically. With thanks to Mary Pat for her accompaniment and help preparing the song, and to Pat Pearish for recording:

Published in:

- Performances
- Uncategorized
- Videos

on November 19, 2017 at 4:49 pm Comments Off on Simple Song from Mass

## Choir

While our choir director is out of town, I have had the privilege of leading our choir in a few anthems. One of our parishioners got a partial video of today’s song — his wife beautifully accompanied us on piano.

Published in:

- Performances

on March 13, 2016 at 6:02 pm Comments Off on Choir
Tags: choir, church

## Dulcimer in worship

In the absence of our organist and choir director, I am helping to lead music lately. Sometimes fellow parishioner Michael and I play guitars. Sometimes I use the dulcimer. Another parishioner, Adam, recorded a few of Sunday’s hymns on his iPhone.

During communion, Jesus, our mighty Lord (478, Hymnal 1982)
https://marcyprochaska.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/one.m4a

Post-communion hymn, Fairest Lord Jesus (383)
https://marcyprochaska.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/fairest-lord-jesus.m4a

Recessional hymn, Lord, you give the great commission (528)
https://marcyprochaska.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/joyful-joyful-in-a-way.m4a

Published in:

- Performances
- Recording

on February 10, 2016 at 2:54 pm Comments Off on Dulcimer in worship
Tags: church, dulcimer, Recording, worship

## Light for Winter video

Couldn’t make the performance? Or just want to see it again? Here it is in the form of a YouTube playlist.

Dulcimer

The Storm / One Wintry Night (Jerry Read Smith)
Drive the Cold Winter Away (trad) / Carolan’s Welcome (O’Carolan)
Winter East and Kensington (Marcy Prochaska)
Come Before Winter (Jim Taylor)

Organ
Verso (Zipoli)
Now all the woods are sleeping (Bach)
Kyrie (Frescobaldi)
Hyfrydol, aka Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Prichard)

Dulcimer and horn*
Two preludes (Bach) (just dulcimer)
Arioso (Bach)
Bourree (Bach)
Tres Libre (Barboteu) (just horn)

Voices**
Chtíc, Aby Spal (Michna)
Hard to Get (Rich Mullins)
Sanctus and Agnus Dei (Marcy Prochaska)

Dulcimer
Easter Thursday (trad) (with horn)
Third Street Market (Marcy Prochaska)
What Child Is This? (trad) / Menuet (Quantz)

*Olivia Martinez
**Xénia Czifrík; Mary Pat Glaub, Michael Wraight, John Sherck

Published in:

- Performances
- Videos

on November 16, 2015 at 3:29 pm Comments Off on Light for Winter video

## St. Pat’s at Earthworks

I am excited about a few things coming up this spring and summer. First of all, I’ll be playing at a boarding-house meal at the Earthworks Market on Jefferson in Plymouth, 4-7pm, on St. Patrick’s Day, Monday March 17. Get tickets at the market for one of three seatings.

Published in:

- Performances

on March 13, 2014 at 10:48 am Comments Off on St. Pat’s at Earthworks

## Quil O’Quay

The other day I got to perform Malcolm Dalglish’s arrangement of Quil O’Quay with the Eisenhower Choir (October 2013). Take a listen:

https://marcyprochaska.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/eisenhower-quil-o-quay.m4a
Published in:

- Performances

on October 17, 2013 at 9:55 pm Comments Off on Quil O’Quay

## so lovely

I had such a good time at my concert last weekend.

This year we held it at our church, which we have been attending for just over a year, and in which we will be confirmed early in November.

It’s a beautiful old building with white walls and dark wood pews and arched ceiling, stained glass windows mostly in deep blue and red, a beautiful beautiful old wooden altar against the front wall, and a fairly wide raised place (the choir) between the rows of pews (the nave) and the altar area (the sanctuary). On one side of the choir is the upright piano, the beautiful pipe organ, and the pulpit. On the other side are rows of pews for the choir singers. At the front of the choir, all the way across the church, is a wooden rood screen — narrow columns supporting a beam on which stands a crucifix.

I set the dulcimer at an angle at the center front of the choir, so that most folks in the audience would be able to see the strings and hammers as I played. At the bottom of the steps I set the two chairs and guitars. My recorder balanced between the top rail of the dulcimer and the music stand that attaches to that rail.

Music included many originals; other pieces dedicated to friends, colleagues, places, and events, beginning with my first introduction to the dulcimer; three original songs with guitar; and one song in Spanish. For a few months now I have been helping Armando lead worship in our Latino mass. I am slowly learning Spanish with the help of the online program Mango through the library at Mark’s school. I can understand all of the liturgy, most of the songs and the Scripture readings, and some words and phrases in the sermons. My pronunciation is pretty good, but there’s not much I can say with any confidence. Anyway, I chose one of the many beautiful songs we do in that service and asked Armando to play and sing with me in the concert. He is from Honduras, and his voice is amazingly deep and intense, and I love how we sound together in the soaring first line of the chorus.

My in-laws came up for the performance, several good friends attended, the choir director from Crown Point who hired me for a Malcolm Dalglish piece (that concert this week!), and also some folks who saw flyers. There were twenty-five or so, which is a good crowd for one of these concerts; last year I think I might have had five! And nearly everyone stayed for a long time at the reception and seemed to have a good time. Several folks had very nice things to say about the whole show and / or about particular pieces.

Speaking of the reception, what a blessing it was for Barb to take charge of things, with the help of Roscinda and Anne. We had wine, cookies, fruit salad, cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, and my sad soupy attempt at a stirred custard with coconut and strawberries.

Published in:

- Performances

on October 13, 2013 at 9:47 pm Comments Off on so lovely

## 13th Anniversary Concert

This Saturday, October 5, I look forward to celebrating thirteen years of hammered dulcimer playing. The concert will take place at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Plymouth, at 7pm, with refreshments following. Music will include original, traditional, and classical tunes as well as a few songs with guitar.

Published in:

- Performances

on September 30, 2013 at 4:10 pm Comments Off on 13th Anniversary Concert

## Simply Dulci

On Sunday afternoon, November 4, a small bunch of us gathered to celebrate my twelfth dulcimer anniversary with a little concert.

(Picture by Ruthie)

John Sherck got the whole thing on video:

Original
Bach
Traditional

Published in:

- Performances
- Photos
- Videos

on November 12, 2012 at 10:33 pm Comments Off on Simply Dulci

## Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival

On a whim, thanks to an email reminder, I decided to go to the Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival this weekend, at the state park in Morris, IL.

At this Saturday-Sunday festival, workshops and concerts run all day from 10am to 6pm. There’s always someone performing at the main tent, sometimes someone at the new talent tent, and — simultaneously — workshops conducted at five perimeter locations. A string of vendors lines the edge of the field by the parking lot, too.

I had an early slot in the new talent tent. I played Easter Thursday, a Bach prelude and Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, a trio of Scandinavian walking tunes, my original jig set Irksome Girl / Midnight Maze, What Child Is This? / Menuet (Quantz), an original meandering arpeggio-based tune Winter East and Kensington, and an upbeat rhythmic original Third Street Market. One fellow listened for the whole set; he was performing right after me. Three different people manned the soundboard in succession. And occasionally — during the faster numbers, a few other folks wandered in to listen a while.

After my set, I grabbed some lunch (provided by a Boy Scout Troop), then stayed to listen to the other fellow for a while before wandering toward the site of my first workshop — West African Improvisation with Max ZT. There was so much to say about this topic that we didn’t play a whole lot, but it was interesting stuff. At this point, though, it’s getting mixed up in my mind with the stuff from Max’s workshop this morning on Indian music.

Next was a workshop by Andy Young introducing Gypsy Swing. It was interesting to see how even some of the chromatic stuff fits into visual and movable patterns. Later in the afternoon, there was intermediate penny whistle with Guy George, in which we played through melody and harmony for two Carolan tunes and another traditional piece. I learned a G# and an alternate fingering for C# that’s useful when a neighboring note is D.

In the evening the old time dance was held at a nearby school. We kept trying for a square, but never had the right number of couples. So we did several circle dances, one contra, the Virginia Reel, and the Texas Star. Great fun — I haven’t done this sort of dancing since we lived in upstate NY. I know there’s a contra dance in Goshen, about an hour away; might have to look into going once in a while.

This morning started with Max’s Indian workshop, in which we learned a little about what a raga is and explored one a tiny little very interesting bit. At the next site over I took Luke Notary‘s second workshop on polyrhythms, in which he sat on his box drum with an African shell shaker thingy strapped to his leg and led us in one groove after another. I especially want to remember and play around more with the one in six (accents on 1, 2, 4, 5, 1, 5) and the reduction in three (1… 2… 3… 1.. 2.. 3.. 1. 2. 3. 1231231231). Back to Max for his workshop on developing speed — through some seventh chord patterns, travis patterns with melody bits over top, and buzz / long rolls with one hand while the other hand plays a melody or bass line or something.

There weren’t any other workshops I wanted to take, but I stuck around to hear Lisa Ferguson play — while waiting for her set I had lunch, wandered around, heard Max’s band’s set (loud, intriguing, obviously highly skilled, a little more improvisational music than I would normally listen to in an hour). It was super hot, and it was very hard to sit still, but there wasn’t much else I wanted to do. I did manage to stay put long enough to hear some of Lisa’s set, which was rhythmic and interesting. Then a friend who’d just gotten in wanted to hear me a little, so we found a quiet spot and I ran through some of my new talent stage set. That was it for me — Mark and daughter picked me up and we headed home.

Published in:

- Festivals

on June 10, 2012 at 11:46 pm Comments (1)
Tags: Gebhard Woods

##

##

Write a Comment...
Email (Required)
Name (Required)
Website
Loading Comments...
Comment

×
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy