Jacob Heringman's Diary


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10 August 2003 - 19:45

02.08.03

It's 1141 Vancouver time, 1941 London time. We've only 6 1/2 hours left to fly. I've been working very hard for the last few hours, on the way to the airport, at the airport (where I had a couple of hours to spare after checking in), and on the flight. I've more or less finished planning my "Playing With Poise" class, insofar as I can plan it. It's largely going to have to be played by ear, depending on how it goes and what seems to be required, but at least I've organized my thoughts a bit more, and I've got lots of "games" (experiments and activities) up my sleeve, in the hope of keeping things fun and interesting and thought-provoking.

I said good-bye to Zan just eight hours ago, and already I miss her a lot.

*****

03.08.03

2100 Vancouver time, 0500 London time

A weary diarist is sitting in the University Chapel. It's halftime at the Ensemble Clement Janequin concert. They're doing what they do best--a birdsong programme. And marvellous it is too, wonderful enough to keep your diarist awake even at this advanced hour. And so I should be, for tomorrow at this time I'll be giving my concert, after a full day of teaching. I'll take it step by step.

I spent much of the day practising and catching up with Pat O'Brien and Ronn McFarlane.

*****

05.08.03

Tuesday, 1622 Vancouver time, 0022 (Wednesday) London time

I'm getting more settled in the Pacific time zone now, though I'm very tired, after the extraordinary marathon yesterday. I was awake more or less for good at 0400, and spent the day teaching my two classes (Intabulations and Playing with Poise) and two private lessons, practising like mad for my concert, and then playing the concert. I did the first half--pieces from the Siena Lute Book--and Ronn McFarlane did the second--some Dowland, some Scottish lute pieces, and some of his own compositions. Then we joined forces for a duet at the end as an encore, to the delight of the audience.

Regarding my performance, I've been getting positive feedback all day today, so I know that I satisfied some or maybe even most of the audience. However, for myself I was deeply dissatisfied with portions of the concert. I'm dissatisfied when I play a piece not as well as I know I can play it. Much of last night's pieces were not up to the standard I'm capable of. I think this was due to a combination of factors: jetlag (the concert began at 0400 London time), tiredness, and a degree of unease and discomfort related to feeling that this was an "important" concert with "important" people in the audience. This made me resort to old habits, and old ways of playing, much to my annoyance (having worked so hard to learn to control them), and me doing lots of stupid things like wrong fingerings and little slip-ups and mind wandering and lack of focus and an unconstructive self-consciousness ("what impression am I making?")--all that old stuff which hasn't come up for awhile. But the clear and perpetual pattern is that when I'm really tired, I'm somehow too weak to remain in charge, and habits take over. Having said all this, overall I'm getting better all the time, and there were a few pieces which I was very pleased with.

A highlight was talking to Zan at midnight (8 AM her time). What an extraordinary heatwave they are are having in London! And it's terribly dry here too.

Today, lots more teaching.

*****

07.08.03

1620 Vancouver time

0020 (tomorrow) London time

I'm working hard, but enjoying myself mostly, and growing in teaching confidence. Each day, I'm teaching both of my classes (intabulations and "poise") for 75 minutes each, and giving private lessons, between two and five a day. This afternoon we had a general Lute Society of America meeting, and tonight the student concert will happen.

Last night I heard the other main event lute concert, Bob Barto playing Baroque lute first (exquisitely), and Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs playing duets second (also stunningly).

The night before (not sure whether I already mentioned it) Ronn and I played duets for hours. Great fun.

*****

09.08.03

1809 Vancouver time, 0209 (tomorrow) London time

I'm in Vancouver airport, pretty much totally exhausted. Yesterday, I taught my two classes for the last time. The students were extremely appreciative of my efforts, as I was of theirs. The classes both went better than I'd dared hope. This week has been a valuable time for me, both in my development as a teacher and with regard to issues of performance.

I also gave five more private lessons. Some of the students were very keen on changing their ways of playing to avoid backache and other injuries caused by habitual misuse of the self while practising. I think I was able to make a difference for some of them. Certainly, I gave them food for thought.

Then, in the evening, I went to the performance of Poppea which was part of the festival. There were some marvellous things in it. I think that in most ways it was a more satisfactory Poppea than the one I was involved in touring and recording ten years ago.

The show ended after 11. I chatted to various people afterwards, phoned Zan for our second chat this week (still astonishingly hot in England), and went off to the pub for drinks with the cast. It was a nice chance to catch up with David Douglass and Ellen Hargis, whom I'll be working with in Chicago in September and October.

Got to bed at 2-ish, and slept till 0430-ish, at which time it got a little noisy, as people were getting up and catching cabs to the airport to get early flights to their various homes. Got up eventually, and had a good walk and breakfast and chat with my dear teacher Pat. There was lots to talk about, including some of the things that were unsatisfactory about my concert the other day. We'll work intensely together in NY on 20 August. I look forward. Pat is very good at guiding me in useful directions in my playing.

Then, at 0930, Grant Tomlinson (lutemaker extraordinaire) collected me and brought me to his house, where we spent a few hours comparing some almost identical lutes of his: mine, his own, and one other belonging to a friend of his. We concluded that mine was the best, his second best, and that the third needed some adjustments which will probably make it much better. Actually, I thought Grant's own lute was pretty special too. Virtually the only difference between his and mine (besides the fact that no two soundboards are alike) is that the back of mine is ash, and the back of his is bird's-eye maple. Also, his friend's lute is bird's-eye. The maple ones were much more piercing and silvery, and harder to make a good sound on. Also, because maple is harder, the maple backs need to be scraped until they are quite thin and light compared to the ash.

At 1700, Grant kindly took me to the airport, and here I sit, semi-comatose and ready to go home.

*****

10.08.03

19.44 London time (11.44 Vancouver time)

Home. 100 degrees Fahrenheit today. Hottest temperature ever recorded in Britain. Astounding. Zan will be home soon from giving a concert with the Dufay Collective in Ross on Wye. I haven't seen her yet, and have used the time since my arrival to unpack and catch up on a few things.

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