ROSENSTOCK, Raymond Raymond Hugh Rosenstock passed away on April 23, 2018, at the age of 80 years. Ray's death was peaceful, surrounded by family, his loyal singers, and the music he loved. Ray was a Professor of Music at Keene State College for 26 years, where he directed the Collegium Musicum ensemble. He was the world's foremost authority on the Renaissance composer Jean Maillard, and edited four volumes of his works. He went on to direct the Jean Maillard Singers, which presented biennial concerts at the Boston Early Music Festival since 2013. Ray was active in many other musical ensembles around the Boston area, including the New England Philharmonic, the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, the MIT Summer Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the International Music Club, Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble, and Zornitsa. In addition to his prodigious musical accomplishments, Ray will be remembered as a Feldenkrais practitioner, author of "The Cult of Kashaknishra" and other works, a dancer, and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 27 at 11:30 am at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, 1668 Beacon St., BROOKLINE. Interment will follow at Baker St. Jewish Cemetery, West Roxbury. Shiva will be at his late residence 3-7 PM Friday through Thursday. Stanetsky Memorial Chapels 617-232-9300 www.stanetsky.com

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Published by Boston Globe from Apr. 25 to Apr. 26, 2018.

Memories and Condolences
for RAYMOND ROSENSTOCK

14 Entries

Ray singing at Jonah and Katrina's wedding with his son Josh's band.

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

The proofs of Ray's last publication.

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

The first Maillard concert at the Early Music Festival, 2013

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

Our first Maillard concert, June 2013

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

A music party!

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

Aniti-gun March, March 2018

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

Women's March, 2017

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

Ray playing klezmer tunes for Jonah and Katrina's outdoor wedding ceremony, May 2014

Paula Rosenstock

July 18, 2018

Roberta Rayno

April 28, 2018

Remembering Rayro

I first met Dr. Ray Rosenstock (a.k.a Rayro, as his Keene State College students fondly referred to him) in a music appreciation class for non-music majors my first semester at Keene State in 1991. Before that class, it had never occurred to me that studying music history was a scholarly discipline. I had never heard of musicology. What a discovery! After taking a piano class and meeting some of the other music faculty, I eventually succumbed to the inexorable pull of music in my life, and became a music major my second year. Then I made another major life discovery through Rayro's classes: Early Music! I immediately joined his Collegium Musicum, which I eagerly looked forward to each semester. I got to know and love Paula through singing in the Collegium. We also got to play recorders (me), crumhorns (Jason), rackets, cornettos (Joyana), and sackbuts (Denis). Rayro and Paula also introduced us to Balkan music. One evening after a collegium dress rehearsal in the recital hall, Rayro pulled out some Bulgarian music, with its intoxicating rhythms, and we joined in with recorders, violin, voices, clarinet, and whatever the students had on hand. One student, James, stuck his head around the door to listen, and then promptly went and got his bass and joined in. It was always like that with Rayro welcoming, teaching, inspiring, mentoring, sharing the joy of music and humor.

Dr. Rosenstock was, of course, my favorite professor (although there were other wonderful faculty at KSC that I also loved). His classes were at a true scholarly level and demanded actual college-level work (shocking!). His passion for his subject inspired a love of learning and deeper inquiry. His students may remember some of his exam questions, such as What the heck is polyphony, anyway? I once wrote on an exam that Bach died in 1950. On my returned exam, he had written, Are you sure? One had to listen very carefully during his lectures, 1) because he was soft-spoken and spoke very fast in a New York accent, and 2) if you didn't, you would miss numerous puns and jokes (So, Johannes Ockeghemgesundheit!) (Anything Jannequin, Josquin do better!). Remember how stuffed to the brim his office was with papers and books and musical instruments of various sizes and shapes and flavors? And the library-type cart he would wheel in to class, books teetering dangerously on the edges? He is the only person I know who had perfect pitch. I was so jealous, and he told me I might be able to teach myself to have perfect pitch by figuring out the highest note I could whistle, determining what note it is, and relying on relative pitch from there. (It never quite worked out for me, and alas, I can't whistle anymore). I loved it when he would lean over the piano in the middle of a lecture and bang out part of a Beethoven symphony (yes, a symphony) even though he wasn't much of a pianist.

A few of us KSC graduates kept in touch with Rayro and Paula and attended some of his birthday parties and raucous music parties, with a different genre each hour. (Klezmer and South African freedom songs, anyone?). I remember one birthday party held at a Hebrew school somewhere in Brookline, and there was folk dancing - another discovery! For a while, I was able to attend his Monday night early music sight sings. What fun to sing through masses and motets and madrigals and chansons, and meet interesting folks from his Boston music community. I was able to attend one of his Wellesley Symphony Orchestra performances, where he always said he would be sawing away in the viola section.

I don't think I ever took the opportunity to tell Rayro in so many words what effect he had on my life, but I hope he knew. He opened up a whole world of music for me that I had never known, and figures prominently in my wonderful college memories, but more than that, I just loved who he was. I connected with his shyness and gentleness. He once told me that he also had had performance anxiety and had even gotten sick before performances and lectures in the past. And that made it ok for me. In fact, whatever negative thing was going on, while attending his lecture or rehearsal, it was just all ok. I feel so privileged to have been his student and then his friend, and will miss Dr. Rosenstock, Our Esteemed Professor, keenly (pun intended!).

Becky Luce

April 27, 2018

Dr. Rosenstock was an incredible professor....made us work hard for everything, teaching us much more than music history. We may have grumbled about his drop-the-needle tests (does anyone these days know what that even means???), but he had out utmost respect.

Paulette Fontaine

April 27, 2018

Ray's early music sight-sings were like attending a musical banquet among friends! The world is a more beautiful, joyful, and music-filled place for Ray's having been a part of it.

Heidi Henkel

April 26, 2018

I had Rayro as a professor at Keene State College. He contributed to my life, a great deal of humanity, kindness, and wisdom. How to thrive from the heart, could picked up by example, being around him. A wonderful person.

Erdem Ural

April 25, 2018

Ray was one of the greatest guys I have ever known. He will be sorely missed.

Jeff and Boryana Tacconi

April 25, 2018

Dear Paula and Family,
We are so saddened to hear those unexpected news. May Ray's beautiful soul dwell in peace,light and beauty. Our love and deep sympathy goes out to you,

Jeff and Boryana

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