In the Garden

Lance Eccles
IN THE GARDEN. OMP251,
2013.TBBBgB. Sc 8 pp, pts 2 pp ea.

The lush low sound made by five low recorders-a tenor, three basses and one great bass-is what makes In
the Garden both challenging and satisfying. The challenge is in learning how to play all low instruments together effectively. The satisfaction comes with the unique sound that can be achieved.
It includes two short pieces, Procession of the Beautiful Ladies, and Bees and Beetles in the Garden.
With a recommended tempo of Crotchet-90, the Procession of the Beautiful Ladies moves like a slow grand march, with the tenor playing the melody four times with small variations. The four other recorders provide a changing underlying texture of sound and movement.

After the second time through the melody, the tenor drops back, allowing two of the basses and the great bass to play as a trio for five measures. This ends with a held fermata note before restarting with the tune. The Bass 1 line is very high, requiring the player to produce high D many times and even going up to an E. That part would fit on a tenor reading in bass clef.
It is recommended that each player scan the assigned line before playing, because there are accidentals, such as D#. This would be accessible for an intermediate group. 

“Bees and Beetles in the Garden” is fun and much more active, being technically more challenging with lots of accidentals and syncopation throughout. The recommended tempo is crotchet-110 a challenge while also changing keys between sections, among the keys of C, Eb and F.

The movement alternates between sections labelled "In the Garden" and "Beetles and Bees," each having its own theme and then variations on that theme. The tenor line carries the theme and is particularly high, going up to Band C. The great bass has many chromatic passages as well as accidentals, providing a good workout for the player of that line. This movement would be most appropriate for a high intermediate group.

 Bruce Calvin has reviewed videos and books for professional library publications over the years. He and four others meet weekly in the Washington, D.C area to play recorders. The group enjoys Renaissance through contemporary music,
performing occasionally for special church events.

American Recorder Summer 2018