Unitarian Fellowship Recorder Ladies Concentrate on the Joy of Music

Asking how long the Unitarian Recorder Ensemble has been around leads to a discussion and the final conclusion: no one remembers exactly. One member's time in the group is defined by the fact that her mother, now deceased for three years, used to attend. For another, it's her shoulder surgery that helps mark the time.

In all, they say it has been at least six or seven years since Janet Banerjee and Judy Aydt decided to put the group together, maybe eight. After a couple years they were joined by Inge Rader and one by one grew to 10 or maybe 11, if everyone is available including John and Carolyn Hooker, who sometimes accompany the ensemble with other instruments.

And, thought they call themselves the Unitarian Recorder Ensemble, membership in the Unitarian Fellowship is not required. After all, their newest member is Revital Yona, a visiting Israeli emissary to the Carbondale Jewish Federation.

In her honor, they have added more Jewish music to their repertoire and that means sight-reading music. That is one of the treats of the group, according to Judy. "Where else are you going to get this many people who love to play an instrument and are willing to sight read the music," she said. Most are lapsed musicians in some other form, or adopted the recorder in addition to their other instruments. Judy, for instance, plays piano.

"But you can't take a piano with you everywhere," she said.

She credits Janet with the first idea for the group and Janet quickly chimed in, "And you were willing to follow along."

Janet says her primary inspiration for the group was her love of renaissance music, which is particularly suited to the recorder. That and the Unitarian Fellowship's Folk Orchestra. "They looked like they were having so much that we wanted to get in on it."

Most members come to the group able to read music and begin playing the soprano recorder. Some then move on to other versions of the instrument sometimes known as a "traverse flute" in either alto, tenor or bass versions. There are also smaller versions of the recorder, something similar to a piccolo, but very little music calls for the sopranino recorder. Mostly, the ladies count themselves lucky if they can find good music written for all four parts.

These ladies like to play, so you may have seen them any number of places around the region. On occasion, they play at the Carbondale Farmer's Market. They play in costume at renaissance fairs when they get the chance, "because then we get to dress up", said Judy, and they are looking forward to possibly playing at the next Irish Festival. Most recently, they played at the Carbondale holiday homes tour presented by The Stage Company and at local assisted living centers and nursing homes.

"We'll play anywhere," the ladies happily agreed. The one place they always play is at the Unitarion Fellowship, 105 N. Parrish Lane, in Carbondale, every Tuesday. "We used to toot at 2 on Tuesday, but we moved it up to 1:30," member Vennie Anderson said.

"We have lots of fun, We laugh and joke and play as we learn the music," she said.

Toby Saken said, "I know it sounds corny, but we like to play places where we can bring a little joy to other people," prompting fellow member Joy Price to comment, "The music is generally happy."

And, it is. Although the group plays everything from classical to renaissance to patriotic music, rarely does the tone turn somber. As an instrument, the recorder predates the metal flute and clarinet, dating back to the 14^th or 15^th century, Judy said. That gives them a lot of music to choose from.

The ladies also discovered that their regular audiences, including residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers, often only see musical performances by church organizations. Those are primarily performing hymns, so the group took great joy in expanding beyond the traditional church music which they can play as well. "We play Irish music for St. Patrick's Day and patriotic music for the Fourth of July," Judy said.

The Tuesday afternoon meetings are a fellowship for the ladies as well, with time spent preparing for recitals, learning new music, or just enjoying one another's company. And, they are getting better all the time. "We are playing songs now that we couldn't play two years ago," Vennie said.

Ultimately, Judy said, she has a plaque in her home that best sums up what she thinks the ensemble is about. "It says something like, 'God gave the poet words to express joy. To the rest of us, he gave music'."