Newsletter April 2004

Dallas piano instructor, 79

by KATIE MENZER

Staff Writer Dallas Morning News

March 13, 2004

On her most prized possession - a Steinway piano she bought on credit in 1950 – Tennie Lengel taught piano lessons to hundreds of students out of her Dallas home. “Thirty students a week over decades," said her son, Dr. Brian Lengel of Austin. "She touched many lives."

Mrs. Lengel, 79, died Saturday of a bloodstream infection in a hospital in Sugar Land, Texas. Services will be at 11 am. Tuesday at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas.

She was married to Walter L. Lengel, a celebrated Dallas artist in the 1950s. He died in 1996.

Mrs. Lengel was born about 60 miles south of Lubbock in Lamesa, Texas, on Aug. 17, 1924. She spent one year at Baylor University where she played the glockenspiel in the marching transferring to the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with a music degree in 1945.

After a year touring and studying in Europe, the couple moved to Dallas in 1951. Mrs. Lengel worked as a piano teacher at Southern Methodist University until her son, Brian, was born. She then began teaching private piano lessons - on the Steinway - out of her home.

"The first thing my mother bought was that Steinway piano," Dr. Lengel said. "She had it before she had a dining room table."

Mrs. Lengel began playing the piano at 5 and played it nearly every day for the rest of her life; her son said. She was teaching lessons Wednesday before she became ill.

"She loves to play Chopin,” Dr. Lengel said. "Even at 79, she still played Chopin, fast and furious."

In addition to Dr. Lengel, Mrs. Lengel is survived by another son, Bradley Lengel of San Diego; a sister, Jean Brower, and a brother, J.D. Dyer Jr., both of Lamesa, Texas; and two grandchildren.

Top

________________________________________________

Herb Turrentine

Herbert C. Turrentine, husband of member Jo Ann Turrentine, died in Dallas on December 7, 2003. Dr. Turrentine served on the faculty of Southern Methodist University from 1967 until 1996 when he retired as Professor of Music History and Literature Emeritus, Meadows School of the Arts. He chaired the Department of Music History from 1968 until 1995.

Before coming to SMU he had played bassoon in the band at the United States Military Academy at West Point and in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He was an Associate Professor of Music History and Theory at Illinois State University. At SMU, he was a beloved professor who mentored students and young faculty members. Students selected him as one of the most popular faculty members for the 1985 - 1986 academic year, and in 1993 he was named Meadows Distinguished Teaching Professor. A bassoon joke was that Dr. Turrentine would congratulate students for their performance and leave saying, "Remember the king of instruments is the bassoon."

He published articles in Musical Quarterly, American Music Teacher, American Guild of Organists, Explorations in Renaissance and the new Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. His primary areas of research were music iconography and the Burgundian Period.

Top

APRIL MEETING – SPRING FLING
Please try to carpool due to limited parking on this circle – east off Midway Rd just south of Northwest Hwy.

Program:

Trio by Madeleine Dring

Kathleen Berry, Flute
Frances Estes, Oboe

Katherine Freiberger, Piano

Gretchen Nichols, cello
Pat Suitt, piano

Co-hostesses:

Susan Poelchau (chair), Tena Hehn, Ellen Stamelos (plus need 1-2 volunteers)

Top

___________________________________________________

MAY MEETING – ANNUAL SATURDAY LUNCHEON

Saturday, May 15 at 11:00 PM at the home of

Edie Pfautsch,

Program:

"Trio Sonata in C Minor for Flute, Violin and Continuo," from MusicalOffering by Johann Sebastian Bach (1747)

Kathleen Berry, Flute

Jennifer Bryan, Violin

Barbara Jackson, Piano

Songs by Hugo Wolf:

- Das Verlassene Mägdelein
- Mausfallen Sprüchlein

- Verborgenheit

- Auch Kleine Dinge

- Ich Hab' In Penna einen Leibsten

Claudia Jameson, Soprano
Pat Suitt, Piano

Co-hostesses:

All members please bring your favorite salad,

hot dish or dessert.

Top

Past Meetings February Meeting The SAIs hosted the February meeting at Highland Park Methodist Church.
Representing Mu Phi, Mary Ann and Jerry Taylor played “Sonata in g minor” (for flute and piano) by Babell and “Trois Movements” by Alain; Sadie Rowe (organ) played “Ubi Caritas et Amor” by Callahan and “Pastorale from Sonata #1” by Guilmant; and Chris Brunt (organ) played “Visions from the Fields” by McKay. Chris took Tena's place. He is a Mu Phi. Martha Peak, Sadie Rowe and Cynthia Wadley at the February meeting.		February performers - Back row: Chris Brunt and Jerry Taylor. Front row: Sadie Rowe, Barbara Reid, Jane Aten, Pam Bristol and Mary Ann Taylor
March performers: Ruth Reed, Pat Suitt, Gretchen Nichols, Frances Estes, Sadie Rowe and Sylvia Lerch; not shown: Anne Stone Top	March Meeting Meeting at the home of Pat Hill, members presented a Baroque concert: Sylvia Lerch (piano) played “Sonatina in d minor” by Scarlatti; Ann Stone (violin) and Pat Suitt played “Sonata No. 5 for Violin” by Bach; Sadie Rowe (piano) played “Sonata No. 1 – Andantino” by Galuppi; and the Les Amis Trio played “Trio” by Locatelli. Les Amis consists of Frances Estes, oboe, Gretchen Nichols, cello, Ruth Reed, violin and Pat Suitt, piano. Thanks to Pat and her co-hostesses Ruth Reed, Priscilla Long, Frances Estes and Fran Pearson. See the business discussed in Club News.

Club News Memorials Two memorials were sent to our scholarship fund for SMU students: a $50 memorial in memory of member Ruth Rutherford and a $25 memorial in memory of Lloyd Pfautsch, our patron and husband of member Edie Pfautsch. Memorials will be sent to honor Tennie Lengel and Herb Turrentine. Convention The chapter voted affirmatively on a proposal by International to delay the next convention until 2007 (a four-year gap) to make up for having the last one a year early. Then conventions will revert to a three-year schedule. Volunteer Hours Remember to send Sandra McMillen your SERV (service) hours for her mid-May report. Top Sunday Concert Series Members voted to change the performance time next year to 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon in hopes of capturing the momentum of people who are already out on Sundays before they return home, not to get up again for a 3 pm performance. We’ll see how this works. If you like this new schedule, please come down for a concert next fall. You can help our series by publicizing it to your friends, students, schools and other organizations and suggesting performers. Suggest to your performing friends that they contact Melanie Priest or Claudia Jameson. They are getting the fall program together NOW! Our concert series for this season is drawing to a close. You have two opportunities to hear performances: April 18 John Wheeler and Jani Leuschel Piano Duo April 25 Robin Garner, Clarinet, with Debbie Austin, Piano, and Tonia Bricker, Viola Concerts are Sundays at 3:00 PM at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library Auditorium 1515 Young Street, Dallas TX `Concerts are FREE and open to the public` Click on Concert Series for updates and performer vitas. UPDATE: The 2004-2005 series is now posted. Top Newsletter/ Webpage Thanks to all contributors to this newsletter. Since we have no meetings in summer, the deadline for the next newsletter is August 28. Please send your news and photos to Mary Williams: txtravel@flash.net. Dues Because of changes in our international by-laws, our dues are now payable at the end of the school year rather than in fall. So your dues for 2004 - 2005 are due in May.
Members:	$59.00
Members with a Life Triangle Subscription	$49.00
Patrons	$25.00
Please send dues to Sharon Kraus Top
Yearbook Changes For corrections to your yearbook for Dundee Dillard and Chris Brunt, please contact the webmaster or president. “Non Event” Fundraiser You are also asked to help reduce the deficit from the convention last summer by not attending a “non-event” to not be held at a time that won’t be determined. At the December meeting we voted to use this method of raising some funds, since none of us has time to attend another event anyway. If each member will contribute $5.00 (or more if you wish), the International bank balance will be helped. Send dues and your deficit donation to any meeting or send to Sharon Kraus. Top

Cynthia's Notes

Dear Mu Phi members,

This year is winding down and it has been a year of joy and sadness. One of the greatest joys for me has been getting better acquainted with many of you. What a superb group you are. I want to thank all of you who contributed so much to keeping our fraternity running smoothly. So much of what you have been doing was unknown and unappreciated by me until this year. The newsletter, yearbook, web page, library concert series, phone committee, musical programs, etc., all of these are in addition to the work of the officers and committee chairmen doing their duties. It takes many people to keep our chapter functioning. We need to continue to support Mu Phi next year, so please become involved when you are asked. If you know unaffiliated Mu Phis in the area, encourage them to join us. We will all benefit from having them.

It has also been a sad year. We lost two members: Ruth Rutherford and Tennie Lengel. Ruth and Tennie were long time members of the Dallas Alumni Chapter and busy well-known teachers. They will be remembered by us as friends and fine musicians and by their students, who will carry on their legacy. We also lost two spouses: Lloyd Pfautsch and Herb Turrentine, friends and SMU professors. They will be remembered in the music world for their outstanding contributions and by us as friends and program participants. May we all treasure the time we have spent with these four fine and talented people.

Let us look forward to a year of joy and hopefully no sadness. Music, friends and harmony will sustain us whatever the year brings.

Cynthia

Top