Recital – Fall 1964 / Research Project – Winter 1965 -Taft School

In my senior year at Taft I was one of the first students to participate in a novel venture for such a traditionalist institution, the Independent Studies Program (ISP). Here is a contemporary description from the school’s website:

The goal of the Independent Studies Program is to advance student independence and creativity. The ISP allows students to undertake extracurricular projects of personal interest and passion and to work in concert with a student-selected advisor and committee of faculty volunteers. To help participants find the time and means for their projects, the school waives the extracurricular requirement for one term and provides a modest allowance for materials and travel.

This sounds consistent with what it was in 1964, excepting for the “modest allowance” business.

FALL 1964 ISP

Mark Orton playing French horn – Fall 1964.

My project for the Fall of 1964 was to present a music recital. Half was solo horn work and the other half chamber music. Working with George Schermerhorn who was my horn teacher, I chose the Mozart Third Horn Concerto in E-flat major (K.447) and the Hindemith Horn Sonata (1939). The chamber music selections were scattered from Bach to Mozart.

Stimulated by some odd desire to recall what I sounded like and how well I played I emailed the library at Taft last winter. I was not entirely surprised that they still had the reel to reel tape of the recital. The amazing thing is that the tape still was in one piece and they could convert it to a digital file.

Wollensack reel-to-reel tape recorder – 1960’s vintage

You can listen if you wish at the end of this post. Only half the recital is available.The second reel containing the chamber music is too noisy.