Vol. 29 No.

1
IDRS OFFICERS
President At Large Members Conference Coordinator
Nancy Ambrose King Phillip A. M. Kolker Marc Fink
3019 School of Music 3505 Taney Rd School of Music
University of Michigan Baltimore, MD 21215 University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Bus: (410) 659-8238 455 North Park Street
Bus: (734) 764-2522 E-mail: phillipkolker@yahoo.com Madison, WI 53706-1483
Fax: (603)843-7597 Bus: (608) 263-1900
E-mail: nak@umich.edu Barbara Herr Orland Fax: (608) 262-8876
8034 Crescent Drive E-mail: mdfink@facstaff.wisc.edu
1st Vice President St. Louis, MO 63105
Martin Schuring Bus: (314) 533-2500 Archivist
School of Music 0405 E-mail: broboe@yahoo.com Michael J. Burns
Arizona State University School of Music
Tempe, AZ 85287-0405 Music Industry Liaison P.O. Box 26120
Bus: (480) 965-3439 Larry Festa University of NC at Greensboro
Fax: (480) 965-2659 Fox Product Corporation Greensboro, NC 27402-6120
E-mail: mschuring@asu.edu PO Box 347 Bus: (336) 334-5970
South Whitley, IN 46787 FAX: (336) 334-5497
2nd Vice President Bus: (219) 723-4888 E-mail: mjburns@uncg.edu
Sandro Caldini Fax: (219) 723-5587
Loc S Piero 14 E-mail: mail@foxproducts.com Gillet-Fox Competition Chair
Rigano S/Arno Nancy Ambrose King
50067 Florence ITALY Bassoon Editor 3019 School of Music
E-mail: coranglais58@hotmail.com Ronald James Klimko University of Michigan
657 Douglas Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Secretary PO Box 986 Bus: (734) 764-2522
Keith W. Sweger McCall, ID 83638-0986 Fax: (603)843-7597
Ball State University Home: (208) 634-4743 E-mail: nak@umich.edu
Muncie, IN 47304 E-mail: klimko@frontiernet.net
Bus: (765) 285-5511 Gillet-Fox Competition Oboe Chair
Fax: (765) 285-5401 Oboe Editor Rebecca Henderson
E-mail: ksweger@bsu.edu Daniel J. Stolper University of Texas at Austin
7 Hermosillo Lane School of Music
Past President Palm Desert CA 92260-1905 1 University Station
Terry Ewell Bus: (760) 837-9797 Austin, TX 78712
Chair - Department of Music E-mail: stolper@dc.rr.com Bus: (512) 471-0837
Towson University Fax: (512) 471-7836
8000 York Road IDRS-On-Line Publications Editor
Towson, MD 21252 Yoshiyuki (Yoshi) Ishikawa Gillet-Fox Competition Bassoon Chair
Bus: (410) 683-1349 University of Colorado at Boulder Douglas E. Spaniol
Fax: (410) 830-2841 Boulder, CO 80309-0301 Jordan College of Fine Arts
E-mail: tewell@towson.edu Bus: (303) 492-7297 Butler University
Fax: (303) 581-9307 4600 Sunset Avenue
Executive Secretary/Treasurer E-mail: ishikawa@colorado.edu Indianapolis, IN 46208-3485
Exhibit Coordinator http://www.idrs.org Bus: (317) 940-8368
Norma R. Hooks Fax: (317) 940-9658
2423 Lawndale Road Legal Counsel E-mail: dspaniol@butler.edu
Finksburg, MD 21048-1401 Jacob Schlosser
Office: (410) 871-0658 4937 West Broad Street
Fax: (410) 871-0659 Columbus, OH 43228-1668
E-mail: norma4idrs@verizon.net Bus: (614) 878-7251
Fax: (614) 878-6948

Associate Members
Australasian Double Reed Society (ADRS) Mgyar Fgottos tarsasag (MAFAT) of Hungary
British Double Reed Society(BDRS) Viennese Oboe Society
Chinese Association of Bassoon (CAB) (Gesellschaft der Freunde der Wiener Oboe)

Finnish Double Reed Society(FDRS) LAssociation Francaise du Hautbois

(French Oboe Society)
IDRS-Deutschland
LAssociation bassons
Japan Bassoon Society (French Bassoon Society)
Japan Oboe Association FagotClub Nederland
 THE

DOUBLE REED
Quarterly Journal
of the

INTERNATIONAL
DOUBLE REED
SOCIETY

VOL. 29 NO. 1

Ronald Klimko and

Daniel Stolper, Editors

2006 International Double Reed Society

www.idrs.org
ISSN 0741-7659

Designed by Edward Craig

Baltimore, MD 21212 U.S.A.
Printed by The J.W. Boarman Company
Baltimore, MD 21230 U.S.A.
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ON THE COVER: 35th Annual Double

Reed Conference, Ball State University,
Muncie, Indiana, July 25-29, 2006.

Table of Contents
Honorary Members List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
35th Annual Double Reed Conference, Ball State University,
Muncie, Indiana, July 25-29, 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Message from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Nancy Ambrose King
Report of the Executive Secretary/Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Norma Hooks
Your Newly Elected Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
IDRS Sponsor-a-Member Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
IDRS WWW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Honorary Members Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
IDRS Membership Application Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

CURRENT EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Obituaries (James B. Caldwell, 1938-2006),
J. Daniel Dowdakin, (d. 2006), Anthony Camden (1938-2006). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Letters to the Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Midwest Double Reed Society and the University of Kansas Double Reed Festival . . . . . . . 25
Margaret Marco
Uncle Sam Wants YOU, Albrecht Mayer! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
MSgt Jill C. Westeyn
First Oboe Day at Grand Valley State University (December 8, 2005). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Marlen Vavrikov
Louisiana Musicians Finding Sweet Solace in Virginia Symphony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Susan E. White
First International Oboe Master Classes in Ostrava, Czech Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Marlen Vavrikov
Bassoonists News of Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Ronald Klimko
Oboists in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Daniel Stolper
Oboe G10170 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Anna Schmidt

ARTICLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Sweet Music and Dry Wine: The Life of Grard Faisandier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Jeffrey Lyman
The Twentieth Century American Oboe Concerto:
Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Krista Riggs
A Tuning Primer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Dr. Gary Moody
 THE DOUBLE REED 3

Jim Laslie: Master Bassoon Repairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Paul Nordby
La Vraie Musique Franaise: Folk Song Sources in Joseph Canteloubes Rustiques . . . . . . . . . . 88
Jeffrey Lyman
Winds Across the Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Marsha Schweitzer
Historical Oboes 13: A Systme 5 Oboe by Franois Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Robert Howe
An Afternoons Conversation with Neil Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Aryn Day Sweeney
Notes from Abroad from Lyndon Watts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Embouchure Leaking: Tips for Plugging the Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Barrick Stees
Interview with Alexandre Ougey and Jillian Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Peter Scott-Wigfields Concerto for Contrabassoon and Orchestra: A Report and Review. . . . . 125
Ronald Klimko
Janet Craxton - 25 Years On:
Remembering Janet Craxton and the London Oboe Quartet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Brian Hawkins
A Bassoon Lite, Please Puff Puff, Tamp Tamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Alan Goodman
Musical Musings: Counting Measures of Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Terry Ewell

REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Oboe Recording Reviews
The Oboe 1903-1953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Michael Finkelman
Solaris: American Quintets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Jeanne Belfy
Bremen Town Musicians; Mist Over the Lake;
Janet Craxton-Music for Oboe and Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Dan Stolper
The Oboe 1903-1953 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Terry Ewell

Oboe Music Reviews

Composers Margaret Griebling-Haigh; Frdric Chopin; Alexander Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Robert J. Krause
DRASTIC MEASURES: New Oboe Music by Bill Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Libby Van Cleve

Bassoon Recording Reviews. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Musica Franca: The Music of Michel Corrette (1707-1795); Musica Franca: Sonatas for
Two Bassoons and Continuo by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier; Caliban Does Christmas;
Beck and Call; Bravura Bassoon; Bellissima: Italian Tunes for the Big Bassoon;
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Ronald Klimko

Contributors to the IDRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Lost Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Stolen Oboes and Bassoons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Advertising Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
4 HONORARY MEMBERS

H onorary M embers
Gnter Angerhfer George F. Goslee Roland Rigoutat
(1926) (1916) (1930)
Lady Evelyn Barbirolli Norman H. Herzberg Louis Rosenblatt
(1911) (1916) (1928)
Lewis Hugh Cooper John Mack Matthew Ruggiero
(1920) (1927) (1932)
Gerald Corey John Minsker Ray Still
(1934) (1912) (1920)
Bernard Garfield Ivan Pushechnikov Laila Storch
(1924) (1918) (1921)
Alfred Genovese Mordechai Rechtman K. David van Hoesen
(1926) (1926)
Ralph Gomberg Lowry Riggins William Waterhouse
(1921) (1930) (1931)

Presidents Award: Peter Klatt (Industry Liason), Jim Prodan (Archivist),

Noah Knepper (Founding Member)

D eceased H onorary M embers

Maurice Allard Harold Goltzer Frederick Moritz
(1923-2004) (1915-2004) (1897-1993)
Philip Bate Leon Goossens, CBE Karl hlberger
(1909-1999) (1897-1988) (1912-2001)
Robert Bloom E. Earnest Harrison Fernand Oubradous
(1908-1994) (1918-2005) (1903-1986)
Gwydion Brooke Cecil James Wayne Rapier
(1912-2005) (1913-1999) (1930-2005)
Victor Bruns Benjamin Kohon Frank Ruggieri
(1903-1996) (1890-1984) (1906-2003)
Donald Christlieb Simon Kovar Sol Schoenbach
(1912-2001) (1890-1970) (1915-1999)
John de Lancie Dr. Paul Henry Lang Leonard Sharrow
(1921-2002) (1901-1991) (1915-2004)
Robert De Gourdon Lyndesay Langwill Jerry Sirucek
(1912-1993) (1897-1983) (1922-1996)
Ferdinand Del Negro Alfred Laubin Louis Skinner
(1896-1986) (1906 - 1976) (1918-1993)
Willard S. Elliot Stephen Maxym Robert Sprenkle
(1926-2000) (1915-2002) (1914-1988)
Bert Gassman Robert M. Mayer
(1911-2004) (1910-1994)
Fernand Gillet W. Hans Moennig
(1882-1980) (1903-1988)
 THE DOUBLE REED 5

The 35th Annual

International Double Reed
Society Conference
July 2529, 2006
Ball State University School of Music
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA USA
Keith Sweger and Timothy Clinch, Hosts

IDRS 2006
Come celebrate with us as Ball State University hosts the 35th Annual International
Double Reed Society Conference. IDRS 2006 promises to be an extraordinary five days
of concerts, lectures, master classes, and workshops.
In addition to the extensive exhibits of instruments, accessories, music, and recordings,
the conference will feature many of the worlds leading performers and teachers of double
reed instruments as well as the Fernand GilletHugo Fox International Competition.
The use of technology in performance and teaching will be a feature of the conference,
as well as double reed chamber music and activities for the amateur musician.

About Muncie Travel/Hotel Accommodations

A state-assisted doctoral university of more
than 18,000 students, Ball State is located in
Muncie, Indiana, a city of 70,000 residents
in the heart of the Midwest. Muncie is within
driving distance from Indianapolis, Detroit,
Chicago, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, making
Muncie and Indiana truly the Crossroads of
America.
Known for its Ball glass heritage, Muncie
offers a vibrant downtown, cultural sites, and
recreational amenities such as the Cardinal
Greenway hiking/biking trail, White River
Walkway, Muncie Childrens Museum,
Minnetrista Cultural Center, and Oakhurst
Gardens. Muncie also is home to the
internationally known cartoon cat Garfield
and Paws Inc. Many educational, cultural, and
recreational offerings are available on campus,
including the Ball State University Museum
of Art and the Shafer Carillon Tower.
For more information about Muncie
and the surrounding area, visit the following
Web sites:
Muncie Visitors Bureau: www.munciecvb.org
Indianapolis Convention and Visitors
Association: www.indy.org
Fort Wayne Convention and Visitors
Bureau: www.visitfortwayne.com
Indiana Tourism: www.visitindiana.net
Located 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis off Interstate
69, Muncie is easily accessible by car. Air travelers can fly
into the Indianapolis International Airport on numerous
major airlines. Conference shuttle service is available to
and from the airport.
Muncie-area hotels have reserved rooms at IDRS
2006 conference rates. For a complete listing of hotels,
rates, and driving directions, please see our Web site:
www.idrs2006.org.
For travel assistance, please contact Marsha Cooper
at Travel Dimensions: (800) 742-4144 or e-mail
marsha@traveldimensions.com.
On-Campus Accommodations
On-campus housing will be available at the L. A.
Pittenger Student Center Hotel and the Noyer and
Studebaker West Residence Hall Complexes. All
on-campus sites are within an easy walk to the
conference venues.
Pittenger Student Center Hotel rates and information
can be found online at www.idrs2006.org.
Noyer Complex consists of two-room, air-conditioned
suites sharing a semiprivate bathroom.
Studebaker West Complex rooms have two single
beds, a public bathroom, and air conditioning.
Rates for the residence halls are $22.50/person
per night for double occupancy and $27 for single
occupancy. IDRS 2006 is offering a meal plan and
on-campus parking to all conference participants. Please
see our Web site for details and costs. Bus service will be
available between most off-campus housing and the

ECCI .org
conference venues.
www.idrs
6 35TH ANNUAL DOUBLE REED CONFERENCE, BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, MUNCIE, INDIANA, JULY 25-29, 2006

Artists and Attractions

July 2529, 2006
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA USA

Now is the time to make your plans Artists Bassoon

for the 2006 IDRS Conference! Visit International talents who Rodney Ackmann (USA)
our Web site at www.idrs2006.org for have agreed to perform or give Michel Bettez (Canada)
the most recent information on artists, special presentations include: William Buchman (USA)
presentations, travel, accommodations, Michael Burns (New Zealand)
special events, and attractions. Oboe Stefano Canuti (Italy)
Andrea E. Banke (USA) I-Hsiu Chen (Taiwan)
Geoffrey Burgess (USA) Gerald Corey (Canada)
Attractions Peter Cooper (USA) Sue Heineman (USA)
Varied attractions in and around Pietro Corna (Italy) Charles Holdeman (USA)
Muncie include: Jan Eberle (USA) Yoshi Ishikawa (USA)
National Aviation Museum Harold Emert (Brazil) Kristin Wolfe Jensen (USA)
Wheeler Orchid Collection Michele Fiala (USA) Ron Klimko (USA)
Wilbur Wright Birthplace Ariana Ghez (USA) Kiyoshi Koyama (Japan)
Interpretive Center Anne Gilby (Australia) Michael Kroth (USA)
James Dean Gallery Jennifer Gookin (USA) James Laslie (USA)
and Museum Rebecca Henderson (USA) Chak-Man Lau (Taiwan)
Mounds State Park Gordon Hunt (UK) Stphane Lvesque (Canada)
Ghyslain Chocolatier Celeste Johnson (USA) Melissa Mackey (USA)
Indiana Basketball Nancy Ambrose King (USA) Albie Micklich (USA)
Hall of Fame Alex Klein (Brazil) Frank Morelli (USA)
Amish Handcrafters Franois Leleux (France) Magnus Nilsson (Sweden)
John Mack (USA) Mark Ortwein (USA)
Our close neighbors, Indianapolis
Paige Morgan (USA) Scott Pool (USA)
and Fort Wayne, both have an
Pauline Oostenrijk (Netherlands) Carl Rath (USA)
abundance of cultural, historical,
Emily Pailthorpe (USA/UK) Lee Goodhew Romm (USA)
and entertainment possibilities.
Melanie Ragge (UK) Ted Soluri (USA)
Visit our Web site for more
Roger Roe (USA) Roger Soren (USA)
attractions.
Frank Rosenwein (USA) Douglas Spaniol (USA)
Day Trips Dan Ross (USA) Barrick Stees (USA)
Take advantage of the optional James Ryon (USA) Marc Vallon (France)
day trips to the Auburn-Cord- Joseph Salvalaggio (Canada) Ying-Dan Wang (Taiwan)
Dusenberg Museum, Foellinger- Christian Schmitt (France) John Wetherill (USA)
Freimann Botanical Conservatory, Martin Schuring (USA) Robert Williams (USA)
and Lincoln Museum in Fort Laila Storch (USA) Takashi Yamakami (Japan)
Wayne, or to Nashville, Indiana, Linda Strommen (USA) Xiaohu Zhou (China)
home of the art colony established John Symer (USA)
in the 19th century. Temir Tkishev (Kazakhstan) Contrabassoon
Charles Veazey (USA) Lewis Lipnick (USA)
Victorian Picnic
Shen Wang (China) Susan Nigro (USA)
A conference MUST is the
Cynthia Watson (USA) Mark Romatz (USA)
Thursday evening Victorian Picnic.
Henry Skolnick (USA)
Step out of Sursa Hall, cross the English Horn
street to the beautiful West Quad, Sandro Caldini (Italy) A complete and current list of
and experience the nostalgia Merrill Greenberg (Israel) artists is available online at
of an early 1900s outdoor Pat McFarland (USA) www.idrs2006.org. Performers
community gathering, complete Grover Schiltz (USA) are subject to change.
with Dixieland and Barbershop
music and carnival games! The information presented here, correct at the time of publication, is subject to change.
Ball State University practices equal opportunity in education and employment and is
strongly and actively committed to diversity within its community. 3063-06 uc
 THE DOUBLE REED 7

Conference Registration Form

July 2529, 2006
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA USA

Please type or print. Payment must accompany registration form.

Use one form per person (photocopy if necessary).

Name (Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Dr.) ______________________________________________________________

Record Number (on IDRS membership card) ___________________________________________________

Street Address ____________________________________________ City____________________________

State/Province ____________________ZIP/Postal Code _______________Country ____________________

Phone __________________________________________ Fax ____________________________________

E-mail Address ___________________________________________________________________________

Check all that apply:  Primary instrument: ___________________________________________________

 Professional affiliation: _________________________________________________

 Exhibitorcompany name: _____________________________________________

Conference Registration Daily Registration

Includes entrance to all conference activities and events except Please indicate the day(s) for which
the Victorian Picnic. you would like to register. Day passes
After March 1 also will be available for purchase
 IDRS Member $250 on location.
 Student Member $150
 Nonmember $350  Daily Registration $75
 Family Member $100  Student Daily Registration $40
 Pre-College Student $85  Tuesday, July 25
To become an IDRS member, please register
 Wednesday, July 26
online at www.idrs.org or contact Norma Hooks
 Thursday, July 27
at (410) 871-0658; fax: (410) 871-0659;  Friday, July 28
e-mail: norma4idrs@verizon.net  Saturday, July 29

On-Campus Accommodations Off-Campus Accommodations

Please indicate the nights you request accommodations.
 I will be staying off-campus. (Please refer
No refund will be given for reserved accommodations
to the conference Web site for hotel
without formal cancellation (see next page). Rates include
accommodations: www.idrs2006.org)
full linen service with daily towel exchange. Deadline for
reservations is July 1, 2006.
 Single Occupancy ($27/night) On-Campus Parking
 Double Occupancy ($22.50/person/night)  $35 for length of conference
 Tuesday, July 25
 Wednesday, July 26
 Thursday, July 27
 Friday, July 28 Name of person sharing room _______________________________________
 Saturday, July 29
8 35TH ANNUAL DOUBLE REED CONFERENCE, BALL STATE UNIVERSITY, MUNCIE, INDIANA, JULY 25-29, 2006

Meals Package Victorian Picnic

A meal plan is available for all attendees. Deadline for
A good ol summertime picnic on the
reservations is July 1, 2006. Individual meals may also be
beautiful grounds of Ball State University!
purchased on-site.
Deadline for reservations is July 1, 2006.
 $110* Please visit the conference Web site for
* Rate includes 14 meals: dinner on Tuesday, July 25; three meals details: www.idrs2006.org
daily Wednesday through Saturday, July 2629; and breakfast on
 $30 for picnic
Sunday, July 30. Meals will be available at multiple sites on campus.
 Please check for vegetarian option
Airport Shuttle Service
Shuttle service will be available from the Indianapolis Conference T-Shirt
International Airport on Tuesday, July 25, and to the Order will be available at registration.
Indianapolis International Airport on Sunday, July 30. Deadline for orders is June 1, 2006.
The cost for round-trip service between the airport and
the Ball State campus is $50; the cost for one-way service is  $15 per shirt (indicate number)
$30. Deadline for reserving shuttle service is June 1, 2006.
___ S ___ M ___ L ___ XL
 $50 round-trip service  $30 one-way service

Payment
Total Payment Payment must be made by international money order/bank
$ _______ Registration draft, certified check, or credit card (provide information
below). We do not accept Eurocheque. Upon receipt of
$ _______ Airport Shuttle Service payment, we will send you a confirmation letter and receipt.
$ _______ On-Campus Accommodations  Check or money order in U.S. dollars enclosed,
and Linen Service payable to Ball State University, or
$ _______ Conference T-Shirt  Please charge to:  Visa  MasterCard
$ _______ Meals Package _______________________________________________________
Print name as it appears on card
$ _______ Victorian Picnic
_______________________________________________________
$ _______ Parking Credit card number

$ _______ Total _______________________________________________________

Expiration date

_______________________________________________________
Cancellation Policy Signature of cardholder
Cancellations received prior to May 1,
I affirm that all of the above information is complete and
2006, will qualify for a full refund minus
accurate, and I acknowledge that this information may be used
a $30 handling fee. Only written requests
for IDRS purposes.
will be considered. On or after May 1,
2006, only 50 percent of the registration _______________________________________________________
fee will be refunded. We will refund the Signature Date
full accommodation, meal, and parking
fees. No refunds will be considered after Completed registrations can be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed.
July 1, 2006. All approved returns will
Please submit registrations with payment or questions to:
be processed after August 1, 2006.
Keith Sweger/Timothy Clinch

ECCI .org
IDRS 2006 Phone: (765) 285-5511
School of Music or (765) 285-5549
www.idrs Ball State University Fax: (765) 285-5578
Muncie, IN 47306-0410 E-mail: idrs2006@bsu.edu
USA
 THE DOUBLE REED
Message from the President
Nancy Ambrose King
Ann Arbor, Michigan
I
am deeply honored to be elected President of
IDRS and approach my new position in our
Society with excitement. I am also extremely
grateful to the many people who have built our
organization into the vital part of the double reed
world that it is today, and to all those who con-
tinue to generously donate their time and talents
to ensure the future success of IDRS. The newly
elected Executive Committee of IDRS continues
to benefit from the insightful and diligent efforts
of our editors and Executive Secretary, while also
bringing on board the expertise of two new Mem-
bers-at-Large from the orchestral field, Barbara
Herr Orland and Phil Kolker, our new 2nd Vice-
President Sandro Caldini and Secretary Keith
Sweger. I am excited to announce a new position
on our Executive Committee, that of Conference
Coordinator. My hearty thanks to Marc Fink for
agreeing to serve the Society in this capacity, as-
sisting us as we review future destinations and
plans for our ever-growing conferences. It has
been my deep pleasure to oversee the IDRS Spon-
sor-a-Member program and the Fernand Gillet-
Hugo Fox Competition for the past several years.
I happily turn over the reins of the Sponsor-a-
Member program to our new First Vice-President
Martin Schuring and encourage everyone to con-
tinue their support of this worthwhile program.
I am also very happy to have Rebecca Henderson
on board as coordinator of the oboe portion of
the Gillet-Fox Competition.
IDRS is here to serve our members in many
ways, including our annual conference, our en-
lightened publication, and our internationally
respected competition. I look forward to expand-
ing the possibilities for enrichment in our orga-
nization even more in the coming years, and es-
pecially for our student members. The future of
our Society is found in the eager and energetic
faces of double reed students around the world,
and there are many ways we can encourage and
elicit their participation in IDRS. I am excited
to announce the formation of a new double reed
competition geared to performers ages 21 and
9
under. As we begin to develop this project, I am
interested in hearing your ideas and invite your
communication about issues such as the naming
and continued prosperity of the new competi-
tion. I also urge you to incorporate IDRS into the
many Double Reed Days cropping up on college
campuses nowadays. Our Executive Secretary,
Norma Hooks, will gladly send you brochures
to distribute to the participants. The IDRS logo
is available to non-profit educational institutions
for use in their Double Reed Day materials, as
well as to members at the Donor level and above.
If you would like to use the logo, simply write a
letter of request prior to your event. Other ideas
for enriching our double reed students lives in-
clude student gift memberships, and of course
letting our editors know about particularly great
achievements of your students for publication in
The Double Reed. If you have a student, from ju-
nior-high school age through adulthood, who has
recently achieved a great honor in a performance
or competition, certainly let me know so I can
send a congratulatory letter from IDRS!
Finally, I would like to thank the past, pres-
ent, and future hosts who make each yearly con-
ference so memorable for us all. This years con-
ference, to be held on the campus of Ball State
University in Muncie, Indiana, promises to be
especially exciting, fi lled with five days of great
performances, stimulating lectures and master
classes, and multitudes of products showcased
by our exhibitors. Our hosts Keith Sweger and
Timothy Clinch are looking forward to welcom-
ing us all to their town, and I hope to see you all
there, enjoying the camaraderie and support of
our fellow double-reeders!
10 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/TREASURER

Report of the Executive Secretary/Treasurer

Norma R. Hooks
Finksburg, Maryland

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HOLDS ANNUAL
MEETING IN JANUARY
Our new executive committee met in January for
our annual weekend planning meeting. We have
four new members on the committee, as well as a
position switch for several of the members. Nancy
King, our new President and the first woman to
hold the office has great plans for the future of the
Society.
Our new executive committee consists of Nan-
cy Ambrose King, President; Martin Schuring, 1st
Vice-President; Sandro Caldini, 2nd Vice-President
Keith Sweger, Secretary; Barbara Herr Orland and
Phillip Kolker, At-Large Members; Terry Ewell
Past President; Larry Festa, Industry Liaison; Edi-
tors, Ron Klimko and Dan Stolper; Online Editor,
Yoshi Ishikawa; Michael Burns, Archivist.
Marc Fink is our newly appointed Conference
Coordinator who will aid hosts in the planning
and execution of conference plans. We all look
forward to the growth of our Society and some
exciting new projects.
COMMUNICATING YOUR DESIRES
The executive committee tries very hard to keep
up with the desires of the membership. If you
have a concern or an idea that you think would
improve and enhance the IDRS, please communi-
cate it to one of our committee members. We are
all open to your thoughts and will do our best to
respond to them.
PRESIDENTS AWARD PRESENTED
On February 23, our former Executive Secre-
tary-Treasurer, Lowry Riggins, and I visited Ft.
Worth, Texas to present the Presidents Award
to Noah Knepper. Noah, Lowry and I have been
long-time friends and it was so good to have a
chance to visit with Noah and his family. Noahs
wife, Dorothy, his son Scott and daughter-in-law
Cheryl came to witness his receiving the award; a
lovely walnut plaque with a clock mounted above
the inscription. It reads: Presidents Award - Sin-
cere Appreciation for Your Distinguished Service
to the International Double Reed Society in its
Formative Years.- Noah Knepper.
Thank you Noah for all that you and the early
leaders of the IDRS did to establish such a won-
derful organization.
MEETING IN MUNCIE
I look forward to meeting at Ball State Univer-
sity on July 25-29. It looks to be another of our
outstanding conferences. Keith Sweger and Tim
Clinch are working unceasingly to bring some so-
loists and teachers who havent appeared at our
conferences recently. There will also be lectures
and panel discussions on a variety of issues such
as: how to choose an English horn bocal, how to
select a bassoon and several on the health and
wellness of the double reed player.
The schedule provides a varied group of per-
formers from all over the globe and time to spend
visiting the exhibits. Were anticipating a large
number of exhibitors for this conference. Ive al-
ready received reservations from several who will
be new to our conference. Youll want to allow
lots of time to come to the exhibits and try the
newest innovations for your instrument.
FIRST QUARTER REPORT
Can you believe that the fi rst quarter of 2006 is
almost history? The second dues notice has been
sent out and almost 3,400 members have signed
up for this year. If you know someone who should
be a member, be sure to encourage them to join.
 THE DOUBLE REED 11

YOUR NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
Nancy Ambrose King, oboe, is the fi rst-prize winner of the Third New
York International Competition for Solo Oboists, held in 1995. She has
appeared as soloist throughout the United States and abroad, including
appearances with the St. Petersburg, Russia, Philharmonic, the Janacek
Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, the Festival Internacionale de Mu-
sica Orchestra in Buenos Aires, the New York String Orchestra, and the
Sinfonia da Camera. She has recorded three solo CDs for Boston Re-
cords and two concerto releases on the British label Cala Records. She
can also be heard in performances on the Athena, Arabesque, Naxos, and
CBS Masterworks labels. She was a fi nalist in the Fernand Gillet Oboe
Competition held in Graz, Austria, and has taught and performed in the
Sarasota, Bowdoin, Idyllwild, Marrowstone and Hot Springs Music Festivals. She is currently associate
professor of oboe at the University of Michigan.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

Martin Schuring has held orchestral positions with the Hong Kong Phil-
harmonic, The Florida Orchestra and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra.
He has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra since
1980. Recordings can be heard on Philips, Koch International, MMC,
and Summit Records. Martin Schuring is editor of the Barret Oboe Meth-
od published by Kalmus. He has performed at every conference of the
International Double Reed Society since 1997, and serves on the IDRS
Executive Board, holding the office of Secretary. He co-hosted the 1998
Conference of the International Double Reed Society at Arizona State
University where he is associate professor of oboe. Mr. Schuring studied
at the Curtis Institute of Music with John de Lancie.

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Sandro Caldini, Italy, won the 1st prize in chamber music at the Inter-
national Music Competition in Stresa. From 1982 to 1984 he has been
playing as solo oboe of the Chamber Orchestra of Florence and in 1989,
he taught at the Federal University in Rio de Janeiro. In 1992 he qualified
as oboe teacher in the Music Academy and taught at the Conservatory of
Music in Milan and Cagliari. In 1997 he was appointed oboe professor
at the Conservatory of Music in Udine. He has contributed articles to
Toscana oggi, Setticlavio, I Fiati, La gazzetta della musica, Double Reed
News, The Journal of IDRS and The Double Reed. Additionally he is
an active editor of oboe works for Musica Rara, Breitkopf & Hrtel and
Phylloscopus editions (works of Pasculli, Triebert, Parma, Ponchielli and
Vivaldi). He recorded CDs for Rivo Alto, CRDM and Ariston labels.
12 YOUR NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS

SECRETARY

Keith Sweger, professor of bassoon at Ball State University, is principal

bassoon with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, contrabassoon with the
Fort Wayne Philharmonic and bassoonist with the Musical Arts Quintet.
He performs regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony and the Indianap-
olis Chamber Orchestras and has recorded for the Capstone, Northeast-
ern, Alicia and New World labels. Dr. Sweger has presented at numerous
conferences of the International Double Reed Society, College Music So-
ciety, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors,
Music Teachers National Association and SCI Inc., and at colleges and
universities throughout North America and Asia. He holds degrees from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bowling Green State University and Lebanon Valley College. Dr.
Sweger will host the 2006 International Double Reed Society Conference.

MEMBER AT LARGE (OBOE)

Barbara Herr Orland, assistant principal oboist of the Saint Louis Sym-
phony, is originally from Paxinos, Pennsylvania where she began her
oboe studies with Randy and Ralph Wolfgang. She received her BM
from Oberlin Conservatory where she was a member of James Caldwells
fi rst class of students. She has also studied extensively with Louis Rosen-
blatt, and was attending graduate school at Temple University when she
was appointed to her current position. Barbara performs regularly in
the Saint Louis Symphony Community Partnership Program, and also
serves as principal oboist of Opera Theatre St. Louis. She is a faculty
member of Washington University and Saint Louis University.

MEMBER AT LARGE (BASSOON)

Phillip Kolker has been principal bassoon of the Baltimore Symphony

since 1972. He has also been a member of the Minnesota Orchestra, the
Milwaukee Symphony, the Sante Fe Opera Orchestra and the Rochester
Philharmonic. Mr. Kolker is a faculty member of the Peabody Conserva-
tory of Music where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Orches-
tral Instruments. He has been a visiting Professor at the Eastman School
of Music, and has presented Master Classes at the Curtis Institute, East-
man, the National Orchestral Institute, the Glickman-Popkin Bassoon
Camp, in Korea and Taiwan. He has been a featured recitalist at several
International Double Reed Conventions. Orchestral recordings with the
Baltimore Symphony include the Vanguard, Telarc, London, Sony and Argo labels. AB: University of
Rochester, MM and Performers Certificate: Eastman School of Music.
 THE DOUBLE REED
IDRS Sponsor-a-Member Program
Martin Schuring
Tempe, Arizona
T
he IDRS established a Sponsor-a-Member
program in 1995 for the purpose of en-
abling double reed players from around the
world to participate and enjoy the opportunities
of membership in our organization through the
sponsorship of current members. The primary
purpose of the Sponsor-a-Member program is to
attract to our society double reed players who
because of economic circumstances would not
otherwise be able to join the IDRS. This is an
important outreach mission of our society. Since
the programs inception, sponsored members
from the Peoples Republic of China, Vietnam,
Lithuania, Ecuador, El Salvador, Romania, Po-
land, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Ukraine, Tar-
tartstan, Russia, and South Africa have become
IDRS members through the generosity of spon-
sors. An additional aspect of the program has
been the exchange of letters and communications
between sponsors and new members.
In coordination with Norma Hooks, Execu-
SPONSORS
KAZAKHSTAN - Bill Chinworth
MEXICO - Carlberg Jones
LITHUANIA - Chris Weait
SPAIN - Craig Streett
ENGLAND, UK - Dan Stolper
ARGENTINA - David Sogg
ARGENTINA - David J. Ross
CHINA(P.R.O.C.) - Donald Vogel
RUSSIA - Donna Ronco
RUSSIA - Ellen Sudia-Coudron
RUSSIA - Eugene Izotov
ARGENTINA - Glenn Harman
ARGENTINA - Heidi Huseman Dewally
POLAND - James & Kimberly Brody
CHINA(P.R.O.C.) - Jim Prodan
ARGENTINA - John Towle
BULGARIA - Kathryn Sleeper
BRAZIL - Kevin Shackell
ARGENTINA - Kristina Wright-Peterson
CHINA(P.R.O.C.) - LaRae Croft
RUSSIA - Larry Singer
ARGENTINA - Laurel Kuxhaus
13
tive Secretary, I will be pairing sponsors with po-
tential adopted members. IDRS will honor spon-
sors requests for specific adopted members as
well. Anyone may become a sponsor by request-
ing an adopted member and paying one years
dues for that individual. Sponsors may elect to
pay an additional fee for first-class postage so
that publications arrive more promptly.
IDRS is thankful to all sponsors who have
participated in this worthwhile project in the
past, and looks forward to new sponsors becom-
ing active in the program. If you are interested
in sponsoring a member, or know of a potential
member who needs assistance, please contact me
for more information at:
Martin Schuring
School of Music 0405
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-0405
E-mail: mschuring@asu.edu
ARGENTINA - Linda Strommen, IU Oboe Studio
CZECH REPUBLIC - Loretta Thomas
RUSSIA - Marc Fink
ARGENTINA - Michel Rosset
CZECH REPUBLIC - Nancy Ambrose King
CHINA(P.R.O.C.) - Norma Hooks
ARGENTINA - Peter Zeimet
ECUADOR - Rebecca Henderson
ARGENTINA - Rebecca Nagel
RUSSIA - Richard & Isabelle Plaster
RUSSIA - Richard Killmer
PORTUGAL - Robert Glassburner
CHINA(P.R.O.C.) - Sherry Sylar
ROMANIA - Sheryl Babcock
ARGENTINA - Shirley Robertson
RUSSIA - Stephane Levesque
VIET NAM - Steve Wegoss
ARGENTINA - Susan Lundberg
ITALY - Susan Nigro
GUATEMALA - Terry Ewell
RUSSIA - Thomas Stacy
VIETNAM - Troy Davis
14 IDRS WWW

IDRS WWW
IDRS 2005 Conference Videos
Alex Klein, oboe

Alex Klein, oboe

8 June, 2005

IDRS Conference
University of Austin
Texas, USA

Temporal Variations
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
 THE DOUBLE REED 15

IDRS Honorary Membership 2006

Guidelines for Selecting Honorary Members
(as approved by the Executive Committee of IDRS, June, 2005)

1. Members wishing to nominate an individual for Honorary Membership in IDRS must

direct nominations, with a short biographical sketch of the candidate, to any member of
the Honorary Membership Nomination Committee. Members of this committee may also
nominate candidates.

2. A candidate for Honorary Membership will have completed meritorious service to the
Society and/or area of double reed performance, teaching, instrument making, repair,
reedmaking, etc. The candidate must be retired from his/her primary position, or have
reached seventy years of age.

3. Nominations may not be made posthumously.

4. All nomination materials and procedures will be kept strictly confidential.

5. The Nominating Committee is encouraged to nominate no more than two candidates per
year. The slate of nominees may be expanded under special circumstances. The Executive
Committee will vote on each of the nominees and has the authority of final approval.

IDRS Honorary Membership Committee, 2006

Martin Schuring, chair

ASU School of Music 0405
Tempe, AZ 85287-0405
Phone: 480/965-3439
Fax: 480/965-2659
e-mail: m.schuring@asu.edu

William Winstead
4663 Glenway Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45238
e-mail: bsnone@fuse.net

Matthew Ruggiero
40 Algonquin Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-1002
Phone: 617/244-7369
e-mail: ruggie@bu.edu
16 IDRS HONORARY MEMBERSHIP 2006: GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING HONORARY MEMBERS

IDRS Honorary Membership

Nomination Form

Name of Individual Nominated:

Career Highlights:

Year of retirement from primary position:

Why this person is worthy of honorary membership

(feel free to include an additional page):

Your Name, Address/email:

Mail this completed form to one of the members of the

Honorary Membership Committee
DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2006
 THE DOUBLE REED 17

International Double Reed Society

Membership Application
For the calendar year of January 1 - December 31 of

New Renewal
Please TYPE or PRINT (You may also renew/apply on-line at: www.idrs.org)

Name
(Last) (First)

Address:
(Students should use home address to assure receipt of publication)

(City) (State/Province) (Postal Code)

(Country) Phone (Area) (Number) Business Phone

Fax Number E-Mail Address

Instrument(s):

Profession or affiliation: (orchestra, school, business)

ANNUAL DUES CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS

$50.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Regular Member $400.00 & Up Benefactor Member
$35.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Student Member $300.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patron Member
$50.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Institutional Subscriber $150.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donor Member
$75.00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sustaining Member
(For first class postage, add $35.00)

Methods of Payment Check, bank draft, or money order enclosed

Charge to Visa/Mastercard account below

Card Account Number 3 Digit Security Code Expiration Date

(Back of Card)

Print name as it appears on credit card

(Signature required for Credit Card payment only)

MAKE PAYMENT PAYABLE TO THE IDRS IN US$ FREE OF CHARGES TO THE PAYEE. ALL
CHECKS SHOULD BE DRAWN ON A US BANK IN US DOLLARS.
Mail application and payment to: Norma R. Hooks, Executive Secretary/Treasurer
International Double Reed Society
2423 Lawndale Road
Finksburg, MD 21048-1401 USA
Phone (410) 871-0658 FAX (410) 871-0659
E-Mail: norma4idrs@verizon.net
18 CURRENT EVENTS

Current Events
 THE DOUBLE REED
Obituaries
James B. Caldwell (1938 - 2006)
J. Daniel Dowdakin (d. 2006)
Anthony Camden (1938 - 2006)
RENOWNED OBOIST AND PEDAGOGUE
JAMES B. CALDWELL, PROFESSOR OF OBOE
AT THE OBERLIN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC,
DIES AT 67
O
BERLIN, OHIO (February 10, 2006)
James B. Caldwell, an East Texas native
and railroad station masters son who went
on to become one of the worlds most respected
and admired oboists, educators, and proponents
of early music, died on Wednesday, February 8,
at the EMH Regional Medical Center in Elyria,
Ohio, where he was being treated for lung cancer.
He was 67.
A professor of oboe at the Oberlin Conser-
vatory of Music since 1971, he trained many of
the professions leading oboists, including Alex
Klein, former principal oboist of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra.
19
CURRENT EVENTS
James Caldwell was too big a person for
just one activity, says Klein, a 1987 graduate of
Oberlin who also received an Artist Diploma in
1989. He was a great teacher and artist, a phi-
losopher, a bonsai aficionado, an avid collector,
and a wonderful mentor. He excelled at every-
thing. He opened the door to the world. He saw
joy and beauty in every millimeter of life, and he
brought his vast knowledge and experience into
the practice of his teaching. I am sorry for the
generations of musicians who will not have the
opportunity to study with him.
Caldwells performance career included serv-
ing as principal oboist of the National Symphony
Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony, and the
Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia; he was also
an oboist and a soloist with the Philadelphia Or-
chestra; and soloist with the Casals Festival Or-
chestra and the Chicago Little Symphony. He gave
recitals at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall, and was
a member of the Marlboro Music Festival. As a
chamber musician, he performed with the Ober-
lin Baroque Ensemble, the Oberlin Woodwind
Quintet, the Soni Ventorum Quintet, and many
others.
Caldwells lifework as an artist extended well
beyond the traditional boundaries of a profession-
al oboist. He was a founder of the Washington
Consort of Viols, making frequent appearances
at the Smithsonian Institution, and he performed
in other early music concerts at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and at Aston Magna, a founda-
tion dedicated to early music and its cultural con-
text. But it was during Caldwells tenure at the
National Symphony Orchestra that his artistic life
took its sharpest baroque turn, a direction that
would inevitably become the foundation of the
Oberlin Conservatory of Musics reputation as a
center for the study of early-music performance.
In a forthcoming article for Oberlin Conser-
vatory, the music schools annual magazine, Hei-
di Waleson writes: Caldwell, the principal obo-
ist at the National Symphony and a passionate
convert to the idea of historical performance, had
 20 OBITUARIES
taken up the viola da gamba. He and his wife,
Catharina Meints, a cellist, traveled to Basel,
Switzerland, to study with famed cellist August
Wenzinger, then the leading teacher of the instru-
ment. They began to collect period instruments,
and brought them along to Ohio, where Caldwell
was to teach oboe at Oberlin and Meints joined
the Cleveland Orchestra.
CURRENT EVENTS
They brought more than period instruments
with them to Oberlin. In the summer of 1972,
Caldwell and Meints founded the Baroque Per-
formance Institute [BPI], the countrys fi rst sum-
mer institute for early-music singers and period-
instrument players. They invited Wenzinger to
Oberlin to direct the three-week program. Now
in its 34th year, BPI trains many of the musicians
who perform with the Cleveland baroque orches-
tra Apollos Fire, and other notable groups.
In a review of a BPI faculty performance in
June 1991, Plain Dealer music critic Wilma Salis-
bury praised Caldwell and his colleagues for
their rendering of music by Henry Purcell: The
well-matched players played with beautiful
tone, sensitive dynamic nuance, and exquisite
ensemble.
Caldwells colleagues held him in great regard
for his extraordinary musicianship and his broad
range of artistic expertise. Jim was a multi-fac-
eted person, a superb musician held in the highest
esteem in the oboe world, but his friends all knew
him as a creative genius who ceaselessly pursued
myriad interests, says gamba player and BPI fac-
ulty member Mary Anne Ballard.
He built a monster harpsichord of three key-
boards while living in the Puerto Rican jungle
and playing oboe with the Casals Festival, she
recalls. He amassed and oversaw the meticu-
lous restoration of perhaps the worlds greatest
collection of violas da gamba, carving bridges
and performing other maintenance tasks himself,
as well as becoming a quietly virtuosic player
and performing as continuo accompanist and
duet partner with his wife, viol virtuoso and
teacher Catharina Meints. His other interests
included collecting art nouveau glass and furni-
ture, stained glass making and etching, jewelry
making, bonsai cultivation, and in the last two
decades, computer art and musical composition
using synthesizers. He was a man who felt pas-
sionately about everything he did, from playing
the card game Liverpool Rummy - which became
a theatrical and almost violent experience with
him at the table - to regaling and entertaining
his friends as a consummate storyteller in the old
Southern tradition, to crafting the fi nest oboe
reeds. His stage persona, however, was visually
modest; he achieved his brilliance and high ex-
pressiveness through an economy of means, re-
vealing a dedication to his art that transcended
the individual, and that took his playing into the
realm of the universal human spirit.
In the academy, Caldwells reputation was
equally stellar. His appointment to Oberlins fac-
ulty brought with it a three-fold increase in the
number of prospective oboe students applying for
admission.
Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull says,
James Caldwells professional accomplishments
cannot be measured at this point in our history.
His reach into the world of music and art will
be felt for generations to come. He was an inte-
gral part of Oberlin, and his profound work as an
artist and teacher, conjoined with his intellectual
capacity and unlimited curiosity, served to help
shape the ideals we prize most at our Conserva-
tory. He will be greatly missed by all of us.
Caldwells discography includes orchestral
recordings on RCA and Columbia Records and
chamber music recordings for the Lyrichord,
Desto, Cambridge, Phoenix, Gasparo, Vox,
and Smithsonian labels. A reissue of recordings
Caldwell made throughout the last 40 years - on
modern as well as on baroque oboe - is forthcom-
ing this year on Boston Records. The booklet for
the CD, Building Castles in the Sky, will also fea-
ture his original artwork.
James Caldwell earned his diploma at the
Curtis Institute of Music in 1961, where he stud-
ied with John de Lancie, principal oboist of the
Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.
Caldwell received the Albert Spaulding Award at
Tanglewood in 1958.
Caldwell is survived by his wife, Catharina
Meints, and their son, Jonathan.
On April 18, 2006, Alex Klein will perform
with the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, conducted
by Bridget-Michaele Reischl, at Severance Hall,
home of the Cleveland Orchestra, in a concert
dedicated to Caldwell.
Gifts in memory of James B. Caldwell may be
sent to Oberlin College in support of the James B.
Caldwell Scholarship Fund or the Baroque Per-
formance Institute Endowment. For more infor-
mation, please contact Mary Kay Gray at Ober-
 THE DOUBLE REED
lin Colleges Office of Development and Alumni
Affairs, Bosworth Hall, 50 West Lorain Street,
Oberlin, Ohio, 44074, or call 440-775-8545.
JIMMY CALDWELL A REMEMBRANCE
The oboe world lost one of its fi nest with the re-
cent passing of James Caldwell. He had a great
influence on my life. Although we were student
colleagues and friends, he was also one of my
very important teachers. He just never had the
title. Our teacher, of course, was John de Lancie,
but it was Jimmy who fi lled in many of the gaps
of the education of a very naive musician the
stuff that wasnt printed as part of the Curtis cur-
riculum, the stuff you didnt get in the lessons or
classes. He was also the only one old enough to
buy beer legally.
When I entered the Curtis Institute of Music
in the fall of 1959, Jimmy was in his third year.
He was the senior student, somewhat by default,
since an unscheduled departure the previous
year left no fourth-year student.
By the greatest stroke of luck, I was able to
rent a room at 408 South 22nd Street, a famous
(infamous?) address among Curtis students. (A
delightful, then 83-year-old lady named Julia
Ewell had rented rooms in this row house exclu-
sively to music students from the time the school
opened in 1924. Former tenants included Leonard
Bernstein, oboist Marc Lifschey and a long list
of other distinguished musical names.) Jimmys
room and mine were adjacent. The house rules
were simple - if the door was open, company was
welcome. If the door was closed, it wasnt.
Jimmy had both the most extraordinary tal-
ent and mind. I remember walking into his room
to fi nd him seated in the corner with his Barret
book in his lap, fi ngering the transposition of a
Grand Study - on a pencil. I asked, What are you
doing? He said, Practicing. He usually tried
them out a couple of times on the oboe before
playing them for The Old Man, (who, it turns
out, was then a ripe, old thirty-nine.) Anyhow,
with Jimmy, there was no question of his ability
to play it on the oboe once he had it in his head.
By age twenty-one, Jimmy had already toured
professionally, played at the Marlboro Festival,
and that year, had been chosen to perform the
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante (with clarinet, bas-
soon and horn) with the Philadelphia Orchestra
as a senior student winner.
21
The 1959-60 season was a most remarkable
one in the Philadelphia Orchestra oboe section.
The legendary English horn soloist, John Min-
sker, decided hed had enough and left the or-
chestra early in the Fall. Louis Rosenblatt, newly
hired as the assistant principal oboe, took over
Minskers chair, and de Lancie played the bulk of
the season without an assistant. When the time
CURRENT EVENTS
came for the annual spring tour, Jimmy was hired
to help out.
Three days into the tour, de Lancie was taken
deathly ill and ended up in a hospital in the Mid-
west for several weeks, and Jimmy found himself
playing principal oboe in the Philadelphia Or-
chestra for the remainder of the season. After he
came home from the tour, I tied dozens of blanks
for him to help him stay ahead of the reedmaking
requirements.
I vividly remember two happenings during
that time. The orchestra was making a run-out
to New York and left in the morning as there was
a rehearsal scheduled there in the afternoon. At
about two oclock the next morning I was awak-
ened from a sound sleep by Jimmy, who said, his
voice trembling, Do you know what I just did? I
just sight-read the fi rst oboe part to Beethovens
ninth in a concert in Carnegie Hall! I said,
Wait a minute. I thought you had a rehearsal
for it up there. He replied, We did; Ormandy
decided we didnt need it and canceled it. Now,
it wasnt as if hed never heard Beethovens ninth
and didnt know how it went. Obviously he knew
it was coming and had studied it, but the concert
was the fi rst time hed actually had the part in
front of him in an orchestra.
The other memory was that the orchestra re-
corded the Brahms Piano Concerto #2 with Ru-
dolph Serkin during that time. In the last move-
ment, theres a quick little two-bar oboe lick that
starts on a high D. When the recording was re-
leased, there was a tiny chip in one of the notes,
certainly nothing that would have caused a re-
take. Jimmy thought how funny it was that the
world would assume it was de Lancie who made
the blip.
After his hugely successful stint in the Phila-
delphia Orchestra, Jimmy could have had his pick
of any fi rst oboe job that came open. De Lancie
offered to graduate him from Curtis that year, but
he chose to return to school for a fourth year. He
felt there was more to learn. I always thought that
was an interesting decision. It couldnt have been
 22 OBITUARIES
easy for either of them. Here, Caldwell had just
done his teachers job with much distinction, yet
chose to return to the student-teacher relation-
ship. De Lancie, knowing how well Jimmy had
done, wasnt quite sure how to deal with him.
That next fall, Jimmy and I each made other
living arrangements but were still in close touch.
Jimmy was on top of the area free-lance world.
CURRENT EVENTS
He was everybodys fi rst-call, very busy playing
and teaching and, by any students standards, do-
ing very well fi nancially. Ill always be grateful
that he recommended me to the contractors when
he was offered a gig that confl icted with one he
already had booked.
One Monday morning, all the oboe students
got the dreaded call from Jane Hill, Curtiss Reg-
istrar who had been there since before de Lancie
was a student - Jay, dear, de Lancie just called.
He doesnt have to play a rehearsal this afternoon
and he wants to see all of you. We had just had
lessons the previous Thursday morning. He did
this from time to time and God help anyone who
didnt have something ready to play, even if the les-
son was called three days before we expected it.
Since it was very common for us to sit in on
each others lessons, I was there when Jimmy
came in and announced that he hadnt had time
to prepare anything and wouldnt try to fool
him by sight-reading. The Old Man came very
close to exploding, even though his doctors had
warned him he wasnt supposed to do that any
more. All right, Caldwell, I want you to explain
to me just what youve been doing that youre so
*$@#% busy you couldnt prepare something.
Jimmy calmly whipped out his appointment book
and said, Well, last Thursday afternoon, I had
an opera rehearsal and the performance at night.
Friday morning, I played two Young Audience
concerts. Friday afternoon, I taught at the Settle-
ment School and at night, played a Main Line
Symphony concert. Saturday morning we had a
quintet rehearsal, in the afternoon there was a
rehearsal in Lancaster and a concert at night. I
was in New York all day yesterday for a recording
session and got back late last night.
De Lancie, more nearly speechless than I had
ever seen him, was practically quaking as he sput-
tered, (*&%^*@#$, Caldwell, you made more
money than I did last week!! Such were those
times, in the presence of two incredibly strong
personalities.
Jimmys distinguished career can be better
chronicled by others. It was my great privilege to
know him back when. Caldwell was a mensch,
a class act. The sad news for all whose lives he
touched is that hes gone. The good news is that,
by having been around him, we were all made
better.
Jay Light
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Members of the IDRS mourn the passing of
distinguished artist, teacher and IDRS member
James Caldwell. We will publish an extensive
memorial tribute in the next issue of The Double
Reed - The Editors.
J. DANIEL DOWDAKIN
J. Daniel Dowdakin, 76, retired
third bassoonist and contrabas-
soonist with the Atlanta Sym-
phony Orchestra for 47 years,
died of a brain tumor Febru-
ary 27, 2006 at his Chamblee
residence. The Chicago-area
native joined the ASO in 1953
after earning his Masters degree from the East-
man School of Music. When ASO jobs were still
part-time work, he taught music at local high
schools and continued to give lessons on bassoon
and piano for the rest of his life. Carl Nitchie,
the ASOs principal bassoonist, comments: He
loved the sound of the bassoon and was so enthu-
siastic about it that it was almost a bit comical.
He would sit and talk about bassoon reeds with
anyone who would listen, whether theyd ever
seen one or not. Something of a health nut, Mr.
Dowdakin took his vitamins and exercised reli-
giously every day, usually with an early morning
four-mile walk around his neighborhood. From
Dowdakin, himself came his oft-repeated quote:
Im a wind player and you need to not run out
of air.
In noting his passing, bassoonist Roger So-
ren added on the internet: Dan was a wonder-
ful man. After he retired from the ASO, he called
me for some contra and bassoon reeds. Turned
out we both were students of the late Sam Jor-
dan (member of Hugo Foxs bassoon section in
Chicago), although Dan was in his studio about
30 years before me. We exchanged e-mails and
 THE DOUBLE REED
phone calls about reeds and his philosophy on
music. He never lost enthusiasm for the bassoon.
What a loss!
David Hauser also added the following re-
membrances on the net: I have three stories I
remember about Dan. The fi rst time he was in
my shop, after fi nishing the work required to his
satisfaction I mentioned I was in a woodwind
quintet that was losing its bassoonist (Jon Julian)
to a transfer to Germany. I asked him if he had
any students who played on a graduate level that
might be interested. He thought for a moment
then looked at me and said no he didnt know
anyone like that but would we consider audition-
ing him? Teasing him, but absolutely delighted,
I said No! We would not consider auditioning
him. He looked downcast in his unbelievable
humility until I returned with Rehearsal is Tues-
day night. He came and stayed for the past 20+
years.
I expect everyone has heard his story of being
asked by Paul Hindemith in the halls of Eastman
to sightread his new Sonata for Bassoon before
his teacher saw it.
In quintet rehearsal one night I was in a
heated argument over the tempo of one of the
movements of Le Tombeau with the clarinetist.
I wanted to slow it down and relish in the oboe
melodies, while Dick Grimes wanted to take a
musical tempo that was undoubtedly more appro-
priate. We were really at each others throats when
I noticed Dan smiling ear to ear. I said, rather
rudely, Well Dowdakin, whats so funny? Dan Double Reed News, the journal of the British
still smiling at me said I was just remembering
when I performed as fi rst bassoon with the ASO
the American premiere of this work under Pierre
Monteux. Dick and I accepted his tempo.
Dan was one of the fi nest gentlemen I have
ever performed with. He shared with me many
techniques of Moennigs repair that he had ob-
served personally. And he shared many, many
pictures of his grandchildren.
In Loving Memory, David Hauser
(Word has also been received of the death of bas-
soonist Sandy Sharoff on February 23, 2006, in
Ohio. Sandy Sharoff was a good friend of the late
composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. He was
also the bassoonist who supposedly condoned
and performed the high f2 found in Bernsteins
23
bassoon book for his famous musical West Side
Story. We hope to have a more in-depth article on
Sandy Sharoff in a future Double Reed.)
ANTHONY CAMDEN (1938-2006)
Shortly before we go to
CURRENT EVENTS
press, we received the sad
news of Anthony Camdens
passing. He had been suf-
fering with motor neuron
disease. He was 68.
Anthony Camden en-
joyed a distinguished career
with the oboe, primarily as
principal oboist of the Lon-
don Symphony Orchestra, a position he fi lled with
distinction from 1972 through 1988. He was also
Chairman of the LSO from 1975 through 1987.
He founded the chamber group the London Vir-
tuosi in 1972. From 1988 through 1993 he served
as provost and director of the Queensland Con-
servatorium of Music in Brisbane in Australia.
From 1993 to 2003 he was Dean of Music at the
Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts.
The son of the famous bassoonist Archie
Camden, Anthony studied the oboe at the Royal
College of Music. His teachers were Evelyn Roth-
well and Terrence MacDonagh.
IDRS members will remember his perfor-
mance at the 2004 convention in Melbourne.
Double Reed Society featured his photo on the
cover of their Spring, 2005 issue with the fi rst ar-
ticle in a series entitled The Camden Dynasty.
Members of the IDRS mourn the passing of
this fi ne artist. We will publish a memorial trib-
ute in the next issue of The Double Reed.
 24 LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Letters to the Editors

CURRENT EVENTS

January 24, 2006 Dear Ron,

Dear Ron, I would like to ask for a small correction about
Id like to set the record straight, since my the caption which was added to a photo in our
name was mentioned in two highly inaccurate Bassoon Day at McGill report (The Double Reed,
sentences in a short article by Robert M. Stein page 45, Vol 28 No 4). The caption describes
entitled To Heckel or Not to Heckel, That is the the instrument as a new Benson Bell bassoon but
Question from the most recent issue of the IDRS that is incorrect - the instrument is a 7000-series
Journal. Heckel which belongs to one of the students in the
Mr. Steins reference to my playing Fox bas- picture, Lou Paquin (2nd from left).
soons 14 years ago was the only thing he got I would like to see it corrected in the next issue
right. Through the encouragement and generos- of the DR; that old Heckel doesnt look like Bens
ity ofAlan Fox, I was privileged to perform on instruments (see page 161 in the same issue) and
a Fox 201 (not the 601, as stated by Mr. Stein) I wouldnt want it to be misinterpreted by the
from 1991 until 1998 (not from 1990, also inac- readers.
curately stated by Mr. Stein), and I am not cur-
rently, as Mr Steins article implied, performing Thanks and best wishes from Montral.
on a Fox bassoon. Stphane Lvesque
I stopped playing on the Fox only when an
early 9,000 series Heckel became available to
me through a colleague here in New York, along
with an offer I couldnt refuse in terms of its
price. It bothers me that Mr. Stein would take an
interview from 14 years ago, get the facts wrong,
interpret them incorrectly and then present the
information as current, all in two sentences! It
makes me question what else he may have mis-
represented in his 7 paragraph article.
Mr. Stein could have, with very little effort,
contacted me; as an IDRS member for over 25
years my address, phone number and e-mail
address are all available through the IDRS
website Member Directory. I would have been
happy to chat with him about the Heckel Catch-
22 he encountered and I would also have been
able to recommend, without any reservations, the
new (and more easily obtainable) Fox 201 or 601
bassoons.

Sincerely,

Charles McCracken
Hastings on Hudson, New York
 THE DOUBLE REED
The Midwest Double Reed Society and the University of
Kansas Double Reed Festival
Margaret Marco
Lawrence, Kansas
Nancy Ambrose King, far right, and oboe master class participants.
T
he Midwest Double Reed Society and the
University of Kansas Double Reed Studios
presented the Fourth Annual Double Reed
Festival from September 30-October 2, 2005 in
Lawrence, Kansas. Margaret Marco, associate
professor of oboe and Eric Stomberg, assistant
professor of bassoon hosted the three-day event.
Nancy Ambrose King of the University of Michi-
gan and Jeff Keesecker of Florida State University
were this years guest artists.
The weekend began with a kick-off concert
by the KU Double Reed Ensemble performing
Kermit Peters arrangements of the Mozart over-
tures The Magic Flute and The Impresario and
Andreas Bergers Canon Octavi Modi Mit Acht
Stimmen and other works. The previous day, the
ensemble performed a similar program live on
the air at the Kansas Public Radio performance
studio.
On October 1, both Professor King and Pro-
fessor Keesecker presented master classes to audi-
ences of eager students, teachers and profession-
25
CURRENT EVENTS
als from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The
sessions were engaging and fast-paced, offering
diverse repertoire, playing styles and playing lev-
els, as six students were scheduled to perform
on each of the two-hour classes. Our two distin-
guished guests managed to put class participants
at ease with their relaxed, supportive and highly
constructive comments.
Later that evening, an enthusiastic audience
was dazzled by the artistry of Nancy Ambrose
King and Jeff Keesecker when they presented a
joint recital. The program included Impromptu
by Jean-Michel Damase, tudes pour hautbois
by Giles Silvestrini, Morceau de Salon by Kal-
liwoda, Sonata in F Minor by Telemann and
Sonata for Bassoon by Gustav Schreck. Hosts
Margaret Marco and Eric Stomberg collaborated
on Handels Trio Sonata in D Minor and Mo-
zarts Sonata for Violoncello and Basson, K. 292
respectively.
On the fi nal day of the Festival, participants
had the opportunity to pick the brains of our
 26 THE MIDWEST DOUBLE REED SOCIETY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS DOUBLE REED FESTIVAL
CURRENT EVENTS

Jeff Keesecker, far right, Eric Stomberg, far left, and bassoon master class participants.

guests at a Meet the Artist session and later at

the reed clinics. The closing event of the weekend
was the Midwest Double Reed Society Member
Recital, which provided an eclectic mix of solo
and small ensemble performances by students,
adult enthusiasts and professionals.
Throughout the weekend, Justin Miller of
Miller Marketing and Cindy Crawford-Thomp-
son of A440 Reed Supplies were on hand, pro-
viding an impressive array of double reed instru-
ments and supplies for sale to our participants.
The Midwest Double Reed Society (MDRS)
was formed to enhance the art of double reed
playing by assisting teachers and students to at-
tain high standards of performance, by encour-
aging the composing and arranging of music for
double reeds, and by promoting cooperation and
an exchange of ideas among professionals, non-
professionals, teachers, students and businesses
in Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri
and Nebraska. MDRS will hold its Young Artist
Competition in April 2006 at Wichita State Uni-
versity. Visit our website at mdrs.org for further
details. Margaret Marco, left and Nancy Ambrose King, right.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Uncle Sam Wants YOU, Albrecht Mayer!
MSgt Jill C Westeyn
Photographs by: SMSgt Michael Pausic
Bolling AFB, DC
Albrecht Mayer playing with The United States Air Force Band.
H
istory shows us that January 26th is a
day of musical fi rsts. Operas by W.A.
Mozart, G. Donizetti, R. Strauss, and
F. Poulenc were premiered on this date. This day
also marked a premiere performance for Albre-
cht Mayer with the United States military; more
specifically, The United States Air Force Band.
Mayer spent January 26, 2006 rehearsing and
making reference recordings of his own arrange-
ment of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts Andante in
B f , and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakovs Variations
on a Theme of Glinka, with the Symphony Or-
chestra and Concert Band under the direction of
Commander and Music Director Col. Dennis M.
Layendecker. Mayer also shared his talents as a
mentor during two hours of coaching sessions
with five chamber ensembles. The visit was the
brainchild of Col. Layendecker, who wanted the
Band to experience Albrecht Mayers great art-
27
CURRENT EVENTS
istry. After a year of planning, the day was fi nally
here.
He was due to arrive on a 7:00 a.m. fl ight
from New York, where he had spent the previ-
ous day rehearsing at Carnegie Hall for a Janu-
ary 27 performance commemorating the 250th
anniversary of Mozarts birth. As I anticipated
meeting Mr. Mayer at the airport, I didnt know
what to expect. I had never met him or heard a
live performance; I only knew of his international
reputation and wonderful musicianship through
his recordings.
As we drove along the Potomac, with the
monuments in view, he said, I love to run back
in there (pointing toward the Tidal Basin and
the Jefferson Memorial). You really get to know
a city by running through it. You learn what it
and its people are all about. This perfectly sun-
ny morning then led Mayer to tell me that, One
 28 UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU, ALBRECHT MAYER!
CURRENT EVENTS

Albrecht Mayer shares some wisdom with the Air Force Band.

should make reeds only on days like this; beauti-

Master Sergeant Jill Westeyn and Technical
Sergeant Kevin Darrow.
ful days. His second piece of reed making advice
was, Only make reeds when you have plenty of
reeds and dont need any. This is the only way.
When we arrived at Bolling Air Force Base,
Mayer had time for a quick continental break-
fast and reed check, and then rehearsals began,
fi rst with his transcription of the Andante in B f.
He shared that he had been military bandsman in
Germany for 1 year and 3 months, exactly. The
rehearsal with the orchestra was light-hearted
and story-fi lled, with Mayer sharing tales about
conductors, and the story of his messy manu-
script. We soon realized that we were hearing a
confession: hed left his solo oboe music in Ger-
many, and after unsuccessfully trying to contact
a few colleagues, he resorted to transcribing the
part from a recording. We were assured that ev-
erything would be fi ne; he could read his own
handwriting.
After playing through a few phrases, Mayer
stopped and turned towards the orchestra. He
was astonished by the quality of the playing,
and added a few words about pizzicato and en-
semble playing. The ones [pizzicato entrances]
everybody fears, these are the best ones, the most
together. Playing together can be very simple:
When everybody is moving and listening - this
is the best way. He also took a moment to talk
 THE DOUBLE REED
about conductors. A conductors job is to mo-
tivate you, not to keep you together. If he [the
conductor] gets you to love the music and be pas-
sionate and motivated about the music, this is
everything. Mayer certainly practiced what he
preached, expressing unyielding passion and mo-
tivation in every note and phrase.
Soloist and ensemble moved from Mozart to
Rimsky-Korsakov. The Concert Band replaced
the Orchestra; Variations on a Theme of Glinka
is one of the few works written in the 19th cen-
tury specifically for solo oboe and military band.
After the Concert Band played a few measures,
Mayer exclaimed, So many beautiful sounds, it
is really amazing.
The afternoon coaching session started with
an oboe trio performing Jan Koetsiers 10 Varia-
tions and Fugue on a Theme of Bach (Technical
Sergeants Tracey MacDonald and Kevin Darrow,
oboe, and Master Sergeant Jill Westeyn, English
horn); and moved to the string quartet. Next
up was Eugene Bozzas Shepherds of Provence
(Technical Sergeant Kevin Darrow, oboe, and Jill
Westeyn, English horn). Afterwards, he coached
a woodwind quintet performing Eric Ewazens
The Roaring Fork (including Tracey MacDon-
ald, oboe and Technical Sergeant Eddie Sanders
III, bassoon). Coachings concluded with a per-
formance by the saxophone quartet. Double reed
players not performing but in attendance included
Technical Sergeant Sandy Johnson, bassoon, and
Master Sergeant (Ret) Ron Erler from the U.S.
Air Force Band; and Master Ser-
geant Mark Christensen and Staff
Sergeant Joseph deLuccio from
the U.S. Marine Band.
As he did in the morning re-
hearsal, Mayer emphasized the
importance of ensemble. Before
starting a work, look at your col-
leagues and gather the energy of
everybody. While playing stand-
ing, fi nd the right position and
move, but dont move below your
hips. Above [your hips] you can
do whatever you like, but dont
pin your arms to your chest. You
must have a natural position. In
addition to ensemble, he talked
about tension that arises while The US Air Force Band oboe section (L to R): Technical Sergeant Kevin Darrow,
performing. When things get Master Sergeant Jill Westeyn, Albrecht Mayer, and Technical Sergeant Tracey
MacDonald.
tense, as wind players, we tend to
29
torque our bodies, as a fl ight response. Lean back
when things get difficult instead.
For the remainder of the coaching sessions
Mayer focused mostly on breathing and vibrato.
He told the oboists, Breathe in, but really breathe
in, so you know how it feels. You will feel like
a balloon that is ready to pop, but you will un-
derstand what it feels like to really breathe. He
CURRENT EVENTS
stated, Life is breath and breath is music - it is
all connected. [Understanding] this changes your
whole playing and thinking about music. When
it comes to vibrato he suggested, Practice and
use vibrato like a singer would. Vibrato shouldnt
be like meteors crashing here or there, very unex-
pected or rare. Using vibrato all the time should
be the norm. Not playing with vibrato should be
the exception. In Europe, 95% of the wind play-
ers have problems with vibrato because they cant
sing. Practice [vibrato] by closing your mouth and
singing; discover what happens in your throat.
Overall, Mayers main emphasis was to fi nd the
different characters, moods, emotions, within
each piece and express it to the audience by using
a wide dynamic range, fluid air support, and a
singing vibrato.
After the long day of rehearsing and coaching,
Mayer returned for an evening recording session.
I was amazed at his seemingly boundless energy
and fluid playing. I found myself mesmerized by
his suave lyricism in the Mozart, and rejuvenated
with his virtuosic technical displays in the Rim-
sky-Korsakov. Though we could have played all
 30 UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU, ALBRECHT MAYER!
CURRENT EVENTS

Col. Layendecker conducts the US Air Force Band with Albrecht Mayer, soloist.

night, his fl ight back to New York was suddenly

just 90 minutes hence. After a quick thank you,
Albrecht Mayer was on his way back to New
York; gone almost as suddenly as he had arrived.
This wonderful encounter left me with the
desire to cross the pond and study abroad. Al-
though the reed making styles are different, and
concepts of embouchure are not quite the same,
the end result is what all oboists ultimately aim
for - the ability to speak, express, emote, and be
understood by blowing air through two blades of Technical Sergeants Tracey MacDonald and Eddie Sand-
ers III (bassoon).
grass and a stick of wood! Thank you Mayer!
 THE DOUBLE REED 31

First Oboe Day at Grand Valley State University

(December 8, 2005)
Marlen Vavrkov
Walker, Michigan

CURRENT EVENTS
Grand Valley State University Oboe Day 2005 participants.

O
n December 8, 2005, Grand Valley State
University hosted its fi rst Oboe Day. Young
oboists from all around Michigan came to
play in an oboe band (including arrangements of
Christmas carols), attended master classes by vis-
iting artist, Nancy Ambrose King, oboe professor
at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and
Marlen Vavrkov, oboe professor at GVSU. In
the afternoon participants had some time to try
out new oboes (Lore) brought by Carlos Coelho,
who also gave a repair and adjustment work-
shop. The day of oboe activities closed with Prof.
Vavrkovs debut recital, joined by GVSU fac-
ulty Lisa Catrett-Belrose (dance), Pablo Mahave-
Veglia (cello), Robert Byrens (viola), and GVSU
alumnus, pianist Ksenia Leletkina. The program
featured the U.S. premiere of Autumn Dance for
solo oboe and dance by the GVSU professor of
composition, Bill Ryan, as well as Loefflers Two
Rhapsodies, Vivaldis Sonata in C-Minor, and
Mertls Pavane en forme vote. The Music De-
partment at Grand Valley State University looks Nancy Ambrose King in a master class with a GVSU
student, Rachael Young.
forward to its next Oboe Day 2006!
 32 FIRST OBOE DAY AT GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
CURRENT EVENTS

Young oboists trying out some Lore oboes.

Carlos Coelho during his workshop.

Marlen Vavrkov and Nancy Ambrose King.

 THE DOUBLE REED
Louisiana Musicians Finding Sweet Solace
in Virginia Symphony
Susan E. White, The Virginian-Pilot
October 12, 2005
W
eeks after Hurricane Katrina dev-
astated their Louisiana homes, Jane
Gabka and Steve Menard have found
comfort in a band of brothers and sisters 1,000
miles away. Gabka, an oboist with the Louisiana
Philharmonic Orchestra, and Menard, a one-
time trombonist with the LPO, are among New
Orleans displaced musicians. Theyre also new-
ly adopted members of the Virginia Symphony.
Both recently accepted gigs with the Hampton
Roads-based orchestra, which, coincidentally,
needed another oboist and a fi ll-in second trom-
bone player for the start of its new season.
Thanks to word of mouth and the Web site
artsjournal.com <http://
HYUNSOO LEO KIM PHOTOS/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
artsjournal.com> , which
has helped Katrina-scat-
tered musicians fi nd one
another and employment,
Gabka and Menard landed
fi rmly among the wood-
wind and brass sections
of the Virginia Symphony.
Both arrived on their own
a few weeks ago. Neither Jane Gabka, the oboist is enjoying her new
had a prior connection to gig in Hampton Roads. Since I began play-
ing here, its just felt like home, she said.
the symphony or the area,
but both have been warmly
welcomed.
Since I began playing here, its just felt like
home, said Gabka, a 10-year veteran with the
Louisiana Philharmonic. Everyone here has
just been unbelievably wonderful. Im incredibly
fortunate.
Scott McElroy, the Virginia Symphonys prin-
cipal trombonist, helped recruit Menard. The sym-
phony, he said, was happy to assist in the national
effort to fi nd jobs for the musicians, especially for
the nearly 70-member Louisiana Philharmonic.
That orchestra - the only full-time symphony in
the nation owned and operated by its musicians
- has temporarily disbanded. If youre a car-
penter, you can go back to that area and provide
something for that community, McElroy said of
33
CURRENT EVENTS
New Orleans. It will be a while before musicians
can get back there and entertain.
For now, Gabka is contracted on an as-needed
basis, while Menard has signed with the orches-
tra until the end of October. They already have
been in a few performances, including one last
weekend at the newly completed Ferguson Center
for the Arts at Christopher Newport University
in Newport News. The work, they said, offers a
much-needed routine, especially after weeks of
chaos. It is therapeutic to be doing what you
like to do, Menard said. It does help you get
through it.
Trombone player Steve Menard laughs with
fellow members of the
Virginia Symphony dur-
ing rehearsal Thursday in
Newport News. Menard
said playing has helped
him get through the trag-
edy in New Orleans. Nei-
ther musician was in Loui-
siana when Katrina blew
through in late August.
Menard was in Chicago,
preparing for a move to
that city from his fathers
house in Slidell, Louisiana.
His familys home was destroyed.
To occupy his mind during the days leading
up to and following the devastation, Menard,
23, sought solace in the rich, mellow tones of his
trombone. I couldnt watch the news, he said.
I would just practice all day. He was on a free-
lance audition in San Diego when McElroy called
with the symphony job offer. He didnt immedi-
ately jump at it. At the time, he was still waiting
to hear from his father, who had ridden out the
storm in his home. A day or so later - after get-
ting a call from his dad - Menard accepted the
position.
Gabka still has no idea what condition her
house in uptown New Orleans is in, though she
fears floodwaters consumed it. She has been un-
 34 LOUISIANA MUSICIANS FINDING SWEET SOLACE IN VIRGINIA SYMPHONY

able to get back home since she fi nished a sum-

mer teaching stint at the University of Wiscon-
sin-Green Bay. She could have temporarily moved
in with relatives elsewhere, but Gabka decided to
concentrate on her work instead. She longed for
an orchestra gig, especially after a summer off
from performing. She eventually landed a job in
Georgia, then got word of the Virginia Symphony
CURRENT EVENTS

opening.
Settling in with the new group has been fairly
easy, Menard said. Fortunately, Ive been play-
ing in professional orchestras for a few years, so
you learn how to not get in the way, he said.
But Ive also never played in an orchestra where
everybody is so well-adjusted.
For Gabka, the experience has offered some
stability. She is once again a working artist and
she is performing again under JoAnn Falletta,
the symphonys music director, who has been a
guest conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic.
Gabkas future remains unclear.
Though fund raising has started to save her
beloved philharmonic, no one knows if it will
survive, she said. Katrina flooded the orchestras
ornate Orpheum Theater, and most of the groups
members are scattered across the country. Many
lost their homes. If they do return, there are no
guarantees they will have an audience to perform
for, Gabka said. But I think if theres a way,
well keep it together, she added. We need as
many orchestras as we can get.
 THE DOUBLE REED 35

First International Oboe Master Classes

in Ostrava, Czech Republic (November 20 - 27, 2005)
Marlen Vavrkov
Walker, Michigan

CURRENT EVENTS
First International Oboe Master Classes in Ostrava, the Ostrava University Hall

T
he First International Oboe Master Classes chamber orchestra by Gregory Mertl, Pavane en
and Festival at the University of Ostrava forme vote. Other works on the program in-
featured the world-class teacher and per- cluded Albinonis Double Concerto Op. 9, No. 9,
former from the Eastman Bachs Double Concerto for
School of Music, Professor Oboe and Violin, and Tele-
Richard Killmer. Ostrava, manns Concerto for Three
the third largest city in the Oboes and Three Violins.
Czech Republic, is situated The concerts closing piece
in the Northern Moravian featured the Ostrava Univer-
region, located three-hun- sity Orchestra performing
dred kilometers east of Prokofievs Classical Sym-
Prague. This weeklong oboe phony. On Tuesday, Novem-
festival provided not only ber 22, students were able to
the opportunity to work try out new oboes brought to
with Prof. Killmer, Professor Ostrava by Jurij Likin, a rep-
Duan Foltn (Oboe Profes- resentative of Oboissimo,
sor at the Ostrava Univer- Miroslav Hoek and Richard Killmer joined by Monsieur Fossati.
sity), and myself, but also a On Wednesday, November
chance to perform solo and chamber repertoire, 23, Miroslav Hoek shared with students his life
ranging from Baroque to contemporary, in Ostra- long correspondence with a Czech-Australian
vas beautiful performance halls. A part of this oboist, Jir Tancibudek, who passed away not
festival was also a lecture by Miroslav Hoek and long ago. He spoke about his life, read excerpts
an instrument exhibition by Oboissimo. from their exchanged letters, and played a record-
The opening concert on November 21 fea- ing of the Oboe Concerto by Bohuslav Martinu;
tured the U.S. premiere of a work for oboe and commissioned by Tancibudek. During the whole
 36 FIRST INTERNATIONAL OBOE MASTER CLASSES IN OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC (NOVEMBER 20 - 27, 2005)

week, Prof. Foltyn led oboe ensemble rehears-

als, where all participants had an opportunity to
perform together Boismortiers Concerto in A-
Minor and Quantzs Sonata in F-Major; a part
of a chamber concert on Friday, November 24.
Fridays concert also featured the world-premiere
of a composition written especially for this festi-
val by Gregory Mertl, A lcoute, for two oboes
CURRENT EVENTS

and harpsichord. The best students selected by

Albinonis Double Concerto op. 9, no. 9.
Master class.
A rehearsal for the closing concert (Boismortier and Fasch).
both the oboe faculty and participants, Hanka
Melkusov, Kamila Kozkov, Jir Sejkora, Ivana
Jeneov, and Katerina Lun, performed in the
closing concert. A prize, reed-
making equipment sponsored
by Oboissimo, was awarded
to Ivana Jeneov for her per-
formance of Bozzas Fantasie
pastorale.
And of course one cannot
forget to celebrate Thanksgiv-
ing among all the oboe activi-
ties. A very large turkey was
prepared by Gregory Mertl
according to his moms fa-
mous recipe. It was indeed
quite an amazing time, bring-
ing to Ostrava young talented
oboists from major conservatories in
Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. All
students fell in love with Prof. Killmer,
with his exceptional artistry and mu-
sicianship. I will never forget when I
came to Rochester as a young girl and
my fi rst impression of Mr. Killmers en-
ergetic personality and all his oboe stu-
dents. I was truly amazed and I felt very
fortunate to be able to be there with
them. My dream then was to bring Mr.
Killmer to Ostrava, to show him my
country. Thank you, Mr. Killmer, for
coming to Ostrava! My thanks extend to
my whole family for their support and Pro-
fessors Duan Foltn, and pianist, Radana
Foltnov, and the Ostrava University for
making this event possible.

Gregory Mertls Pavane.

 THE DOUBLE REED
Bassoonists News of Interest
Ronald Klimko
McCall, Idaho
BASSOONISTS ACTIVITIES:
New York bassoonist Janet Grice visited bassoon
professor Franck Leblois at the Conservatoire
Gabriel Faur in the beautiful city of Angoulme,
France, in October, 2005. Janet presented recitals
and master classes, performing works by Bahr,
Siqueira and Nazareth for bassoon and piano,
and played Mignones bassoon Duo with Profes-
sor Leblois. Janet was impressed with the impro-
visational abilities of Leblois high school stu-
dents, who are aspiring jazz bassoonists. In the
jazz master class the bassoonists also displayed
skill on piano and guitar. Equally impressive were
Leblois even younger students, some only 8 years
old, playing the bassoon with fi nesse. They are
taught to play the German style bassoon, stand-
ing up with a harness, and students with small
hands play without using the whisper key. Franck
Leblois has a wonderful website for the Fou de
Basson www.foudebasson.com.
Honolulu, Hawaii bassoonist Philip Gottling
joined recorder artist Erich Heckscher in per-
forming the G. P. Telemann Concerto in F Major
for recorder, bassoon and strings on August 13,
2005, at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon.
Erich and Phil are principal and second bassoon
with the Britt Festival Orchestra. This summer
Phil will be teaching at the Hawaii Performing
Arts Festival July 14-31, with oboe teacher Kima-
ree Gilad from the Los Angeles Chamber Orches-
tra. One can obtain further information on the
Festival at http://hawaiiperformingartsfestival.
org.
On March 5, 2006, Richard Woodhams, princi-
pal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, gave the
world premiere of Delaware composer/bassoonist
Charles Holdemans Concerto tre duno for oboe,
harp, and strings with The Philadelphia Classical
Symphony, conducted by Karl Middleman. The
37
CURRENT EVENTS
premiere took place at the Church of the Holy
Trinity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on a program
of music by American Romantic composers. The
concerto title means three by one because it
was Mr. Woodhams idea to have one movement
to highlight each of three members of the oboe
family, the oboe damore, the English horn, and
the oboe, played by one soloist. All three move-
ments have a contrasting middle section to pro-
vide range of expression for each instrument.
The work is lyrical and sometimes humorous; the
fi nale is a devils war dance. The occasion will
also mark the fi rst performance of an instrument
Mr. Woodhams recently purchased: an oboe
damore in cocobolo wood by the English maker
Howarth.
In October, 2005, Parisian bassoon artist Pas-
cal Gallois performed the world premiere of the
new Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra by
the British composer Simon Bainbridge entitled
Voiles in Liverpool, England. Recently, Pas-
cal gave the French premiere with the Orchestre
Philharmonique de Radio-France on February 5,
2006. Radio France Musique then broadcast the
live recording of this performance on February
24, 2006. Pascal was impressed with the musi-
cal style of Bainbridge, claiming that: he has a
nice phrasing approach.
On February 22, 2006, Evansville, Indiana bas-
soonist Edwin Lacy performed Eric Ewazens
Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble
with the University of Evansville Wind Ensem-
ble, Dr.Timothy Zifer, conductor, in Evansville,
Indiana.
In December, 2005, Baltimore Symphony prin-
cipal bassoonist Phillip Kolker performed on a
baroque program in Baltimore, Maryland, with
violinist Hiliary Hahn. Phil performed the Viv-
 38 BASSOONISTS NEWS OF INTEREST
aldi Concerto #17 and also played on one of a
couple of Bach arias sung by Janice Chandler-
Etem, a wonderful singer from the Baltimore
area who has a nice career going. Hilary Hahn
played the Bach Chaconne in d minor and played
in the Bach Double Concerto in d minor as well.
On March 31, and April 1, 2006, Phil joined fel-
low Baltimore Symphony Orchestra bassoonists
CURRENT EVENTS
Brent Rickman, 2nd; Julie Gregorian, assistant
principal; and David Coombs, contrabassoon; in
a performance of Michael Daughertys Hells An-
gels at Strathmore Hall in Montgomery County,
Maryland on March 31 and at Joseph Meyerhoff
Symphony Hall in Baltimore on April 1st.
On March 5th , 2006, Detroit Symphony prin-
cipal bassoonist Robert Williams performed the
Mozart Concerto in Northville, Michigan, ac-
companied by the Michigan Sinfonietta Orches-
tra of Ann Arbor. The second half of the program
was a performance of the Mozart Requiem.
As this issue of The Double Reed goes to press,
word has been received from University of Ar-
kansas bassoon professor Richard Ramey that
the newly commissioned work by bassoonist/
composer/teacher Bill Douglas has been com-
pleted. The piece, 17-18 minutes in duration, is
called Suite Cantando for clarinet, bassoon, and
piano; it includes the following movements: Sam-
bata, Canzona, Miles, Cantabile, and Bebop Ca-
priccio. Over 50 bassoonists combined fi nancial
resources in bringing this exciting new work into
existence. Thanks to Richard Ramey, especially,
for his organization and leg work in co-ordinat-
ing this commission.
At press time: Congratulations to Jeffrey Lyman in
his new position as bassoon professor at the Uni-
versity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, this coming Fall.
BASSOON EVENTS AND MUSIC CAMPS
The Annual CalArts Bassoon Event took place
in Valencia, California on February 5, 2006.
The focus of the event was a great big THANK
YOU to John Steinmetz, Amber Ferenz, and Sara
Schoenbeck for their work with the CalArts bas-
soon class the previous semester while bassoon
professor Julie Feves was on creative leave. All
three are CalArts alumni: John attended when
Bill Douglas taught bassoon at CalArts. Amber
and Sara are more recent graduates. Featured
works on the program were a performance of the
new Bill Douglas Partita for bassoon and piano,
played by John Steinmetz, bassoon, and Eric
Neufeld, piano. Amber Ferenz performed John
Steinmetzs Sonata for Bassoon and Heather
Cano played another piece of Johns called Off
the Deep End for contrabassoon, bass, and bass
drum. Sara Schoenbeck was heard in an improvi-
saton with Harris Eisenstadt, drums. The com-
plete program was: Mr Sandman by Pat Bal-
lard, arranged for bassoons by Julie Schmutzer;
played by the CalArts Bassoon Band; Sonata for
Bassoon and Piano by John Steinmetz, Amber
Ferenz, bassoon and Mark Menzies, piano After
a Dammit to Hell for solo bassoon by Ann LeB-
aron, John Veloz, bassoon; Sonata for Bassoon
and Piano by Saint-Saens, Julie Feves, bassoon
and Mark Menzies, piano; Off the Deep End
for contrabassoon, bass, and bass drum by John
Steinmetz, Heather Cano, contrabassoon, and
friends; Over and Over Again, Great Concerns
About the Outcome of Things, and Something
Sweet, Something Sour by Vinny Golia; played
by the CalArts Bassoon Band; Improvisation by
Sara Schoenbeck, bassoon and Harris Eisenstadt,
drums; An Untitled New Piece for violin and bas-
soon, by Mark Menzies; played by Mark Menzies,
violin, and John Veloz, bassoon Other Voice for
solo bassoon by Steven Hoey, Sara Schoenbeck,
bassoon; and Partita for Bassoon and Piano by
Bill Douglas; John Steinmetz, bassoon and Eric
Neufeld, piano.
On February 19, 2006. Fourteen bassoonists -
- professionals, amateurs, and students (includ-
ing two contra players) - were organized by Amy
Readshaw to play for church services at the
Coraopolis United Methodist Church just outside
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in an event entitled
Bassoonapalooza 2006. The group accompanied
hymns, and played appropriate arrangements
(some by Jim Rodgers, who couldnt attend due
to illness) for the various sections of the service.
Amy and Megan Cassada run this event a couple
times a year. The following are photos of the
event, including one of the T-shirt made for the
occasion.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Front row: Mark Dalrymple (contra), Aimee Cheers-Mc-
Cullen, Laura McIntyre, Lindsay Weiss, Julie Reker, Amy
Readshaw. Middle 1/2 row: David Sogg, Jean Cochran,
Emmalynne Adrian. Back row: Terry Braun, Scott Cas-
sada, Matthew Jackson, Sarah Berry, Megan Cassada.
The 2006 season at Interlochen Arts Camp at
Interlochen, Michigan will take place from June
24th through August 7th this coming summer.
The camp season offers intensive experience in
orchestra, band, and chamber music. Private
lessons are available with this summers faculty
members: oboe: Donna Conaty, Robert Krause,
Daniel Stolper, and Linda Strommen, and bas-
soon: Jeffrey Lyman, Jeff Keesecker, Hank Skol-
nick, Douglas Spaniol, and Eric Stomberg
BASSOON BOCAL BUSINESS
There has been a lot of interesting information
on the IDRS internet list lately concerning bas-
soon bocals. To clarify some of the most inter-
esting subjects I asked Seattle bassoonist Arthur
Grossman for permission to publish the use of
the tiny pinhole just back from the reed end of
a selected bassoon bocal which can be of great
use in playing the highest register notes (eg. high
e f2 and above) on the bassoon. The following
document by Arthur is printed here with his kind
permission.
39
HIGH NOTE BOCAL PINHOLE
Placement of hole: absolutely no more than 18mm
from the tip of the bocal. 16mm is ideal, but I rec-
ommend 18mm in order to avoid problems with
the reed bumping up against the nipple and caus-
ing the reed not to seat well on the bocal.
Size: .020-.030 I recommend beginning with
a hole .020. Then if it is felt that the high notes
CURRENT EVENTS
are still recalcitrant, gradually increase the size of
the hole. I would next try .022, then .025, .028. Do
not exceed .030. It will not work properly.
I have made up several bocals with a key that
operates off the high D key, so that it is a normal
bocal with no hole until I get to high D and then
the hole opens and I have all the easy high notes.
The photo shows the mechanism in a locked
open position to make it clearer that there is a
nipple attached to the bocal. When the pad is
closed, the nipple is not very visible. In normal
use, the lock mechanism is not used; the key oper-
ates off the high D key, automatically, so that the
hole is closed unless the high D key is actuated.
The reason for the locking mechanism is to be
able to open the hole when the high D key is not
being used, such as for high G and notes above
that. It can also be used for high F, if there is no
F key. If there is an F key, then normally the high
D key is involved, so it is not necessary to lock it
open. (One can also cover the pinhole with a piece
of tape that can be quickly opened when playing
a high note section if your bocal doesnt have this
additional key mechanism. Ed)
Thanks to valuable information from bas-
soonist Paul Furlong, information recently came
to light on the internet concerning the availabil-
ity of bassoon bocals made from wood. The fol-
lowing is a quotation from Paul, printed with his
kind permission.
 40 BASSOONISTS NEWS OF INTEREST
WOODEN BOCALS
I purchased my Paraschos bocal from:Ro-
bertos Woodwinds,149 W. 46th St., NY, NY
10036; Tel: 888-7676, Fax: 212-391-1315; In-
ternet contact: www.robertoswinds.com or
roberto @ robertoswinds.com
I understand that Robertos is the sole sup-
plier in the US. They are made in Greece of Pal-
CURRENT EVENTS
isander and carry a 5 year warranty. Paraschos
also makes wooden flute head joints, wooden
saxophone necks and even a curved clarinet bar-
rel! Paraschos (palisander) bocals are not lined.
They are constructed in halves (bore done by com-
puter as I was told) and have a seam. They have a
brass reed tip, brass bocal nipple and brass tenon
with cork. I received a new catalog last month.
They are listed at $575.00. At the time of my in-
quiry (about 4 years ago or so) they were insistent
that I could only try out the bocals at their store in
NY City. I had to persuade them that bassoonists
like to try bocals in their own surroundings: at re-
hearsals, home studio etc. and that we like to try
more than one to have a comparison. They finally
sent me the three that they had in stock and I then
purchased one. It works very well, comparable to
my pre-war Heckel with the exception of being
darker in quality.
A few years later, a friend in the area had no
trouble obtaining 5 or so for trial. She allowed a
student to try it, and when the student inserted it
into her bassoon it snapped!! Paraschos replaced
it with no charge. The bocals are serial numbered!
(Mine is #13!) I believe that there is just one length
made based on the fact that there are no markings
other than the maker and serial number.
The pic is of a Heckel CC-1 placed next to the
Paraschos. (The little white spot in the pic is the
sales tag that was attached with a string from
Robertos)
Thanks again to Arthur and Paul for this
valuable information.
AND FINALLY
Thanks to Delmar Williams for bringing us poor
musicians this depressing information from the
Wall Street Journal:
Chicago Symphony music director Daniel Baren-
boim is not just one of the best-known conduc-
tors in the United States; hes also the best paid.
Barenboim took home nearly $2 million for his
work in Chicago during the 2003-04, the most
recent season for which information is avail-
able. Thats in addition to his fees for conducting
elsewhere and performing as a pianist. His sal-
ary made Barenboim, who is stepping down from
his Chicago post soon, the highest-paid conductor
in the country, according to a study by the Wall
Street Journal, which drew its figures from docu-
ments that non-profit music organizations filed
with the Internal Revenue Service. Filling out the
top 10: James Levine, Metropolitan Opera, $1.9
million (plus an undisclosed amount for his work
with the Boston Symphony); Lorin Maazel, New
York Philharmonic, $1.9 million; Michael Tilson
Thomas, San Francisco Symphony, $1.6 million;
Christoph Eschenbach, Philadelphia Orchestra,
$1.4 million (Eschenbach donated 10 percent of
his 2004 and 2005 pay to the orchestra); Esa-
Pekka Salonen, Los Angeles Philharmonic, $1.3
million; Leonard Slatkin, National Symphony; $1.1
million; Franz Welser-Mst, Cleveland Orchestra,
$1 million; Andrew Davis, Lyric Opera of Chicago,
$701,000; and Paavo Jrvi, Cincinnati Symphony,
$626,000. Plcido Domingo would crack the $1
million mark if you combined his salaries from the
Los Angeles Opera and the Washington National
Opera. As the Journal notes, salaries for these
star conductors continue to rise even as many arts
groups struggle financially and musicians salaries
stagnate or decline.
Well, that is always an option: We can give up
music and conduct instead
 THE DOUBLE REED
Oboists in the News
Compiled by Dan Stolper
Palm Desert, California
E
ugene Izotov was
recently appointed
by Daniel Baren-
boim to the position of
principal oboist of the
Chicago Symphony Or-
chestra. He joins the
CSO at the beginning of
the 2006-07 season. Mr.
Izotov is currently the
principal oboist of the Metropolitan Opera Or-
chestra, a position he has held since 2002. He
was previously associate principal oboist of the
San Francisco Symphony and principal oboist of
the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. He has
also been guest principal oboe with the Boston
Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the
New World Symphony Orchestra of Miami. He
won fi rst prize in the 2001 Fernand Gillet Inter-
national Solo Oboe Competition (sponsored by
the IDRS), and he was a laureate of the 1995 New
York International Competition for Solo Oboe
Players.
Born in Russia in 1973, Mr. Izotov began his
studies at the age of six at the Gnesin School of
Music in Moscow. At the Tanglewood Music Fes-
tival in 1995 he received the Outstanding Wind
Player award. He was the recipient of the 2001
Distinguished Alumni Award at Boston Universi-
ty where he studied with Ralph Gomberg. He is a
member of the faculty of the Juilliard School and
he has presented masterclasses at conservatories
across the country and abroad. At the invitation
of James Levine, Mr. Izotov joined the woodwind
faculty of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Swit-
zerland in 2003.
Stephen Taylor has been appointed
to the faculty of the Yale School
of Music; he will begin his teach-
ing and coaching duties at the
beginning of the 2006-07 school
year. Mr. Taylor will succeed Richard Killmer
41
CURRENT EVENTS
who announced his retirement effective the end
of the current academic year. Mr. Taylor will
teach graduate oboists and coach chamber music
ensembles.
Stephen Taylor holds the Mrs. John D. Rocke-
feller III solo oboe chair with the Chamber Music
Society of Lincoln Center. He is also solo oboist
with the Orchestra of St. Lukes, the American
Composers Orchestra, the New England Bach
Festival Orchestra, the contemporary music
group Speculum Musicae, and he is co-principal
oboist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
He is also a member of the New York Woodwind
Quintet. He has given the US premieres of El-
liott Carters Oboe Quartet, Trilogy for Oboe
and Harp, and A 6 Letter Letter. He received
a Grammy nomination for his recording of the
Carter Oboe Quartet.
Trained at the Juilliard School with oboists
Lois Wann and Robert Bloom, Mr. Taylor is a
member of its faculty as well as of SUNY Stony
Brook and the Manhattan School of Music. Mr.
Taylor collects and restores old boats. He plays
on a Caldwell model Lore oboe.
The Toronto Symphony Or-
chestra dedicated its perfor-
mance of January 26, 2006 to
the memory of Canadian com-
poser and former TSO English
horn player Harry Freedman.
Mr. Freedman died of cancer
in Toronto on September 16,
2005 at the age of 83. Born in odz, Poland in
1922, he was raised from the age of three in Med-
icine Hat, Alberta. After serving in the RCAF in
World War II he settled in Toronto, where he
studied composition with John Weinzweig and
oboe with Perry Bauman at the Royal Conserva-
tory of Music. He also studied with Olivier Mes-
siaen and Aaron Copland at Tanglewood. He
joined the Toronto Symphony as its English horn
player in 1946 and remained with the orchestra
 42 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS
for 25 years, serving during his last year as the
orchestras fi rst composer-in-residence. After
1971 he devoted himself entirely to composing.
He taught at the Courtenay Youth Music Centre
in summers of 1972 through 1981 and at the Fac-
ulty of Music of the University of Toronto from
1989 through 1991.
The TSOs memorial concert was conducted
CURRENT EVENTS
by Peter Oundjian, the orchestras music direc-
tor. It opened with a performance of Freedmans
Short Story, and continued with four works of
Mozart, as part of the orchestras Mozart@250
Festival. The orchestras current English horn
player, Cary Ebli, played the Ada-
gio for English horn and Strings, K.
580; bassoonist Michael Sweeney
played the Concerto in B f Major,
K. 191. The concert also included
the Symphony No. 1 in E f Major,
K. 16 and the Symphony No. 41 in
Cary Ebli C Major, K. 551 Jupiter.
Three prominent oboists all alumni of the East-
man School of Music presented a recital at the
Westmoreland Congregational Church in Bethes-
da, Maryland on Sunday, August 28, 2005, at
6pm. Kathryn Meany (also an alum of the Inter-
lochen Arts Academy and English horn player of
the National Symphony Orchestra); Katherine
Young (a member of the New World Symphony
Orchestra of Miami); and Shawn Welk (member
of the Presidents Own US Marine Band and the
White House Chamber Orchestra) were assisted
by Dean Woody, bassoonist; violinists Regino
Madrid and Alison Bailey; violist Tam Tran; cel-
list Diana Fish; and bass player Ed Malaga. The
pianist and organist was Amy Klosterman.
The program included Sonata IV for two
oboes, bassoon, and continuo of Jan Dismas
Zelenka; Quintet for oboe and strings by Arnold
Bax; Sonate pour hautbois et piano of Henri Du-
tilleux; and Music from the Night (for two oboes
and English horn) by John Marvin. I wish I could
have heard this program.the Zelenka fourth
sonata and the Bax and Dutilleux works are all
among my very favorites, to listen to or to play!
Two winter performances of another of my favor-
ites LHorloge de Flore the lovely 1959 work
of Jean Francaix must have made audiences
in Ohio and Wisconsin for-
get the weather for a while.
Oboist Kimberly Bryden,
longtime principal oboist
of the Toledo Symphony,
performed this work with
the orchestra under Chelsea
Tipton II in a program that
also included works of Mo-
zart and Salieri. The concert
Kimberly Bryden took place on January 28,
2006 at the Franciscan The-
atre and Conference Center of Lourdes College
in Sylvania, Ohio. Ms. Bryden grew up in the De-
troit area where she studied with DSO principal
oboist Don Baker; she continued her studies with
Dan Stolper at the Interlochen Arts Academy. She
is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music
where she was a student of John Mack.
Another pupil of John Mack,
Linda Strommen returned to her
native Wisconsin to perform the
Francaix work with the Wiscon-
sin Chamber Orchestra under
music director Andrew Sewell.
The concert took place at Mad-
isons Capitol Theater in the Overture Center,
on February 10, 2006. The Capital Times mu-
sic writer Michael Muckian observed that the
crowd of 700 gathered primarily to hear guest
artist Linda Strommen perform a little-known
work by Jean Francaix, commissioned by Ameri-
can oboist John de Lancie in 1959. The oboist
brought a great deal of passion to her work, and
may be one of the few classical soloists whose
face exhibits obvious joy when in performance,
even during the most difficult passages..Strom-
men rewarded the audiences warm response with
a mid-concert encore the fi rst of Erik Saties
Three Gymnopedies. This wonderfully delicate
and unfortunately brief work floated lightly over
the stage, earning its own enthusiastic applause.
The program also included works of Debussy,
Honegger, and Gounod.
Linda Strommen is also a graduate of the
Cleveland Institute. She is currently professor of
oboe at Indiana University. She assists on the fac-
ulty of the Juilliard School, and she also teaches
at Domaine Forget in Quebec and at the Interlo-
chen Arts Camp in Michigan.
 THE DOUBLE REED
The inaugural 2005-06
season of the Florida
Lakes Orchestra featured
double reed soloists, obo-
ist Jared Hauser and bas-
soonist Claudio Gonella
in February and March
concerts. Between Febru-
ary 24th and 27th Jared
Jared Hauser
Hauser was featured in
three performances of the
Mozart Oboe Concerto
in C Major, K. 314 on
an all-Mozart program.
Mr. Hauser is principal
oboist of the Orlando
Philharmonic; he is also
a member of the faculties
of Lynn University, Flor-
Claudio Gonella
ida International Univer-
sity, and the Hot Springs
Music Festival. He will join the faculty of the
Interlochen Arts Camp for part of the 2006 sum-
mer season.
Claudio Gonella will perform the Weber Con-
certo for Bassoon on March 27th and 28th. Born
in Italy, recording artist Gonella has appeared in-
ternationally as a bassoon soloist.
Double reed members of the new FLSO in-
clude oboists Ann Adams (principal) and JoAnne
Pherigo and bassoonists Laura Hauser (principal)
and Ted Shistle.
In more Florida news,
oboist Thomas Gallant
received a rave review
for his recent recital with
pianist Pedja Muzijevic
performed at the Flagler
Museums concert room
in Palm Beach, Florida.
Charles Freeman writ-
ing in the March 1, 2006
issue of the Palm Beach
Daily News, commented that those who attend-
ed the recital on Tuesday were rewarded with one
of the best concerts Palm Beach County will see
this year. Gallant opened the evening with a vir-
tuoso work of the 19th century, a Solo de Con-
cert by oboist Louis-Stanislav Xavier Verroust.
This particular solo, fourth is a series of twelve,
43
replicated the structure of an opera scene, with a
recitative-like opening followed by slow and fast
arias in the manner of cavatina and cabaletta.
Here the emphasis was on facilitating nimble fi n-
gerwork, without any particular depths or quali-
ties. Muzijevic gave nimble support at the piano.
Who knew that Gaetano Donizetti was such an
oboe hero? The Italian composer was featured in
CURRENT EVENTS
three works on the program. A brief Sonata for
Oboe and Piano in F, while clearly a student work,
suggested the developing composers elegant way
with a melody. Gallant imbued the modest sonata
with surprising emotional depth and expressive-
ness. Donizettis music was transformed into a
Fantasy on La Favorita by another Italian oboe
virtuoso composer of the 19th century, Antonio
Pasculli. Pasculli showed a surprising variety in
treating Donizettis melodies, infusing them with
the expected virtuoso brilliance and surprising
depths of affect in alternation, and Gallant gave
both qualities his fullest musical attention. The
fantasy contained a great deal of showing off,
and Gallant refused to condescend to it, instead
treating it as expressively and sensitively as any
other work.
The encore, a recently recovered Solo by
Donizetti (known to many from Heinz Holligers
recording, with harp accompaniment by his wife
Ursula ed.) was as effecting and exquisite as
Donizettis best operatic arias. The Adagio and
Allegro by Schumann, adapted from the original
for horn, provided its own contrasts and charms
in the hands of Gallant and Muzijevic.
In a recital in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Thom-
as Gallant performed works of Mozart, Fiala,
and Massonneau with the Adaskin String Trio.
Writing in the Knoxville News Sentinel, Harold
Duckett remarked that from the bottom of the
oboes range to its highest notes, Gallants tone is
sweet and glowing..in the somber adagio of the
Mozart quartet, with its long, extended notes,
Gallants oboe sang beautifully, with gorgeous,
nuanced shading.
Tracking performances of the Richard Strauss
Oboe Concerto is becoming quite an obsession
for me, and in recent months Ive become aware
of performances by Stefan Schilli, Alexei Ogrin-
tchouk, Dwight Parry, Laura Ahlbeck, and in the
near future, performances by Nathan Hughes
and Basil Reeve; there must be many more! Please
 44 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS
let me know when you or an orchestra in your
neighborhood, takes on this lovely work. Ill try
to write a few lines about each of these.
Dwight Parry performed the Strauss with the
New World Symphony Orchestra in March of
2005. Lawrence Johnson, writing in the Miami
Sun-Sentinel, remarked that Parrys graceful
elegance and quicksilver vivacity brought out
CURRENT EVENTS
the Mozartean grace and autumnal glow of the
Strauss Oboe Concerto. This performance was
one of Johnsons Top 10 classical performances
in South Florida for 2005. I was privileged to
hear a concert of American music by this brilliant
orchestra in early January of 2006, as a guest
of Patricia Nott, oboist and for many years the
dean of musicians at the NWSO. I enjoyed visit-
ing with Michael Tilson Thomas (who immedi-
ately remembered that one of my former students
is now playing in his other orchestra the San
Francisco Symphony.) It was a pleasure to meet
Mr. Parry, together with his oboist colleagues. In
this concert they included Rick Baseshore, whose
eloquent playing in Coplands Quiet City was a
special treat. He also played the ultra-expressive
English horn solos in Coplands Symphonic Ode.
(Editor Donald Vroon, writing in his American
Record Guide, mentioned that Rick produced
some of the most beautiful tones I have ever heard
from that instrument. He phrased things beauti-
fully too.) Michael Dressler (currently a mem-
ber of the Chicago Civic Orchestra) and Andrea
Overturf (now a graduate student at Juilliard)
were guest members of the oboe section for this
concert. Regular NWSO oboist Katherine Young
was performing elsewhere that week.
Stefan Schilli made one of his
all-too-rare visits to the US last
fall when he appeared with the
Charlotte Symphony (in Char-
lotte, North Carolina), Kristof
Perick conducting, in perfor-
mances of the Strauss on Septem-
ber 30th and October 1st, 2005.
These were all-Strauss concerts, also including
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and Don Juan. Ste-
fan Schilli began his oboe studies at the age of
twelve; he continued his work with Diethelm Jo-
nas at the Trossingen Academy and in Karlsruhe
with Thomas Indermuhle. He became the solo
oboist of the Bavarian Broadcasting Symphony
Orchestra in 1991 when he was 21 years old;
during his tenure in this Munich orchestra he has
played under such celebrated conductors as Ma-
riss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Carlos Kleiber, Sir
Georg Solti, Sir Colin Davis, and Ricardo Muti.
He won the 45th International ARD Competition
in Munich in 1996. In 1992 he began to record
for the NAXOS label; since 2001 he has had an
exclusive recording contract with ARTE NOVA.
Oboists of the Charlotte Symphony are Hollis
Ulaky, Nicholas Swan, and Terry Maskin.
Laura Ahlbeck played several per-
formances of the Strauss with the
Jerusalem Symphony during its tour
of the US east coast in March of
2006. Leon Botstein, the brilliant
musicologist and conductor, and
also the president of Bard College was on the po-
dium. Highlights were concerts at Bard in An-
nandale-on-Hudson and in New Yorks Carnegie
Hall on March 11th and 12th. Laura Ahlbeck
studied with Elaine Douvas at the Manhattan
School of Music after undergraduate studies with
William P. Baker at Ohio State University. From
1984 through 1990 she was a member of the
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York. She
is principal oboist of the Bard Festival Orches-
tra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the
Boston Lyric Opera. She is a member of the facul-
ties of Boston University, New England Conser-
vatory of Music, Boston Conservatory, and the
Bard College Conservatory of Music. Oboists of
the Jerusalem Symphony are Ronald Engel and
Demetrius Karamintzos.
Alexei Ogrintchouk was soloist
in the Strauss in concerts with the
Royal Scottish National Orches-
tra, Stephane Deneve conducting
in early March. He made one of
his regrettably rare visits to the
US in the fi rst part of this year to
play the Mozart Quartet, K. 370 with the To-
kyo String Quartet in concerts in New York. Mr.
Ogrintchouk began his oboe studies in Moscow
with IDRS Honorary Member Professor Igor
Pushechnikov. In 1995 he entered the Conser-
vatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris,
where he studied with Maurice Bourgue and
Jacques Tys. He was appointed to the principal
oboe position of the Rotterdam Philharmonic by
Valery Gergiev when he was only 20. Five years
 THE DOUBLE REED
later, Mariss Jansons invited him to join the Roy-
al Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam as its
principal oboist. He has been soloist under such
distinguished conductors as Kent Nagano, Ivan
Fischer, Michel Plasson, Daniel Harding, Gia-
nandrea Noseda, Fabio Luisi, and many others.
He has been permanent consultant to the oboe
faculty of the Royal Academy of Music in Lon-
don since 2001 and at the Rotterdam Conserva-
tory since 2003.
Concert-goers who plan ahead should circle the
dates April 6th and April 7th, 2006 on their cal-
endars. Basil Reeve will perform the Strauss with
the Minnesota Orchestra, with Stephane Deneve
conducting, at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
The program will also include Le Tombeau de
Couperin! Basil Reeve holds the Grace B. Dayton
principal oboe chair in the Minnesota Orches-
tra, having assumed this position in the spring of
2004. He joined the orchestra in 1971 as asso-
ciate principal oboe and became co-principal in
1980. Since then he has appeared as soloist with
the orchestra in concertos of Telemann, JS Bach,
CPE Bach, Mozart, Martin, Strauss, Vaughan
Williams, and Henze, under the batons of such
maestros as Skrowaczewski, Tennstedt, deWaart,
Slatkin, Oue, and Tate. He teaches at the Univer-
sity of Minnesota and at the Round Top Institute
each summer.
A native of New York City, Mr. Reeve began
his oboe studies at the age of twelve, working ini-
tially with Carl Holub and Josef Marx. He stud-
ied further at the Juilliard School with Lois Wann.
He spent five years as fi rst oboist of the New York
City Opera, and in 1970 he became fi rst oboist
of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, leaving after one
year to join the Minnesota Orchestra.
Those readers who live in
the Pacific Northwest should
make note of upcoming con-
certs of the Seattle Symphony
Orchestra on March 23rd,
March 25th and March 26th
when the orchestras principal
oboist, Nathan Hughes will
Nathan Hughes
perform the Strauss, with the
orchestras music director, Ge-
rard Schwarz conducting. These concerts will
take place in Seattles Benaroya Hall. Principal
horn player John Cerminaro will play the Strauss
45
Horn Concerto No. 1 on these programs as well.
Nathan Hughes joined the Seattle Symphony in
2002. He had previously served as principal oboe
of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and as as-
sociate principal oboist of the San Francisco Sym-
phony. He has been a guest performer with the
Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the
Dallas Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the
CURRENT EVENTS
Atlanta Symphony, and the Moscow Chamber
Orchestra. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minneso-
ta, Mr. Hughes holds degrees from the Cleveland
Institute of Music, where he studied with John
Mack, and the Juilliard School, where he studied
with Elaine Douvas.
Richard Kravchak is associ-
ate professor at California
State University, Domin-
guez Hills. He continues to
expand his work as soloist,
and in an email message to
me, commented that my
principal interest is helping
to develop new repertoire
both by commissioning new
works and in fi nding unusual or forgotten older
works to play. My study with Tom Stacy really
started me down this path. Tom, as we all know,
is a phenomenal soloist in every sense of the word
who has developed an entire repertoire for us all
to enjoy. While many others have influenced the
specifics of my playing to varying degrees, it re-
ally was Tom who opened my eyes to the possi-
bilities of the oboe and English horn as commu-
nicative solo vehicles.
On December 10th, 2005, Richard and his
wife, clarinetist Julia Heinen performed Charles-
David Lehrers performing edition of the Fiala
Concertante for English Horn and Clarinet,
with the Carson Symphony Orchestra in the Uni-
versity Theater of California State University,
Dominguez Hills. Mr. Lehrer has been a regular
contributor to these pages, and he comments that
hearing one of my DR Archeologist installments
(the Fiala) played by this wonderful duo, I told
Richard and Julia how phenomenal I thought
their playing to be. Last year Richard played my
oboe version of the Mozart G Major Flute Con-
certo. Even though the tessitura lies a tad high,
Richard, a master of the instrument, played it
with ease.
 46 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS
This years event (the premiere of Dan Kes-
sners Interconcerto for Oboe, Clarinet and Or-
chestra with the Moorpark Symphony Orchestra)
was even more spectacular. Richard told me that
he found Georges Gillets studies indispensable
for gaining the precision in articulation and in
velocity to play this work. The cadenza in the In-
terconcerto is in a word, unbelievable, with its
CURRENT EVENTS
demands for tremolo and articulation, but the
coda which follows takes the oboe and clarinet,
punctuated by the orchestra, to heights hereto-
fore unknown; it is really difficult, demanding a
technical command which is sure to keep many a
player busy practicing for hours on end. I heard
the performance last evening (December 2nd),
and the coda alone, with its continual triplets
passing between the oboe and clarinet at high ve-
locity leading up to a screech a-g interval, is too
much for words! The artists recently performed
a version of this work with the wind ensemble of
the University of Hawaii.
Kathryn Greenbank was soloist in the premiere
performances of Jennifer Higdons Oboe Con-
certo, written in 2005 on commission from the
Minnesota Commissioning Club for the soloist
and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. The perfor-
mances took place on September 9th and 10th,
2005 at the Ordway Center in St. Paul, Minne-
sota; the orchestra was conducted by Douglas
Boyd. Program notes by Svend Brown include
Higdons comment that the work is simply an
adventure in soundher point of departure for
this work was hearing Kathryn Greenbank play.
Higdon describes Greenbanks tone as warm
and absolutely gorgeous. Theres a purity there,
and though it may sound clichd to say it it
is still absolutely true that there is something
almost magical about her sound. She thinks of
this concerto in terms of long, lyrical lines. These
present quite a stamina test for the player, both
in breath control and in mentally sustaining the
lines throughout the piece. Higdon also asks the
oboe to take risks. She not only writes for the
most grateful registers of the instruments, but
also for the more uncontrollable lowest register.
Asked for a single thought that audiences might
keep in their minds seconds before the music
starts, Higdon suggests: The oboe sings.
Kathryn Greenbank has been principal oboist
of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra since 1982.
She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music
where she studied with John de Lancie. Greenbank
is a frequent soloist with the SPCO and has been
featured on many of their recordings, including
Ravels Le Tombeau de Couperin, Stravinskys
Pulcinella, and Dvoraks Serenade in D Minor
for Winds. She has also performed at the Marl-
boro Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Grand Teton
Music Festival, and the Sarasota Music Festival
among others. She has played with the Philadel-
phia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, Orpheus
Chamber Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, and
the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She served
on the faculty of the University of Minnesota
from 1985 through 1996.
Douglas Boyd is in his second season as an
Artistic Partner of the SPCO, while holding the
posts of artistic director and principal conduc-
tor of the Manchester Camerata and associate
conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. He
was a founding member of the Chamber Orches-
tra of Europe and was its principal oboist until
2001. Gramophone magazine praised his Bach
and Strauss concerto disc as the fi nest recorded
versions of these works. He studied the oboe at
the Royal Academy of Music in London where
he is now a professor, and with Maurice Bourgue
in Paris. He also conducts the orchestra of the
Guildhall School of Music in London and the or-
chestras of Oxford and Cambridge universities.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Michael Anthony wrote a most enthusiastic
review of the premiere of this concerto in the
Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Excerpts are quoted
here with permission.. Concert audiences,
weve been told for so long, resist new music. If
they respond at all to a new work, its with in-
different applause and a quick exit to the lobby.
How does one explain, then, the enthusiastic
standing ovation that Jennifer Higdons Oboe
Concerto received at its premiere performance
Friday night? Maybe our ears have become more
sophisticated.or maybe Higdon has written a
truly appealing work, the appeal of which is ap-
parent on fi rst hearing. Surely its both in this
instance. And then one must add the thoroughly
engrossing performance the work received by the
orchestras principal oboe, Kathryn Greenbank,
for whom the work was written.
The concerto seems suffused with the beauty
of its solo instrument. Higdon seems to address
that quality. She opens and closes the work with
a sustained note in the oboes middle register. Its
a striking opening, as if to say that a single note
on this instrument can enchant and it does.
Greenbank played the work beautifully, easily
surmounting all its technical hurdles and putting
forth the richest tone. Higdon joined Greenbank
and conductor Douglas Boyd in the bows at the
end.
Somewhat later in the SPCOs season (Octo-
ber 13th through the 16th), Kathryn Greenbank
again appeared as soloist, this time with her
woodwind colleagues, in four performances of
Mozarts Sinfonia Concertante in E f, K. 297b.
The other soloists were Timothy Paradise, clari-
net; Charles Ullery, bassoon; and John Zirbel,
horn. Douglas Boyd was again the conductor.
A new oboe concerto by Lu-
cas Richman, formerly resident
conductor of the Pittsburgh
Symphony, was premiered by
Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida,
principal oboist of the PSO, in
performances on February 16th,
17th, and 18th, 2006. The concerts took place at
Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; artistic
adviser of the PSO, Sir Andrew Davis conducted.
Ms. DeAlmeida was quoted in an article by Mark
Kanny in the February 16th Pittsburgh Tribune-
Review: I love Lucas Richmans concerto for
47
many reasons. Its beautifully written and I believe
it will touch everyone who hears it. It has beauti-
ful flowing legato all through it, and its also very
rhythmic, very American-sounding rhythms for
full orchestra. The soloist influenced Richman
as a composer in several ways. He commented
that The main theme is based on the letters of
her name; in addition, Cindy feels very strongly
CURRENT EVENTS
about her faith and you want to write music tak-
ing into aspects of the musicians personality.
Andrew Druckenbrod writing in the Pitts-
burgh Post-Gazette commented that Richmans
nuanced writing for DeAlmeida captured the
touching program of his concerto, namely of a
youth fi nding strength in spirituality, represented
by the 23rd Psalm. Gorgeous writing for the oboe
treated it as the vocal instrument it is in the hands
of a master talent like DeAlmeida. A quietly rav-
ishing oboe vocalise, crafted to inflections of the
Hebrew text to the psalm, flowed like milk and
honey.
Biographical details for Cynthia DeAlmeida
can be found elsewhere in this issue.
Violinist Kelly Hall-Tomp-
kins, who is founder and
director of the Music Kitch-
en project in New York,
sends along some news of
a performance by Albrecht
Mayer, principal oboist of
the Berlin Philharmonic, at
the Olivieri Center on Jan-
uary 24, 2006. As she re-
lates: I put together an ensemble of terrific New
York artists, including violist Junah Chung and
Nicole Johnson, cellist of the Cassatt Quartet....
we were joined by my friend Albrecht Mayer. Al-
though I knew the Berlin Philharmonic would be
in town performing four large programs, I was
thrilled when Albrecht said he would still love to
fit a Music Kitchen performance into his sched-
ule. This performance was especially lively and
interactive as we not only performed the very vir-
tuosic Mozart Oboe Quartet, K. 370, but I also
spoke about Mozarts life at the time of writing
the piece, and I did a mini-interview with Albre-
cht about his lifes work. It was very endearing
that Albrecht shared his background as a choir
boy in Bamberg before beginning the oboe. His
latest CD is currently ranked number two on
 48 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS
classical charts in Europe. However, the most
poignant moment of the afternoon, in addition
to a soaringly beautiful performance, was hear-
ing Albrecht speak intimately about his love for
music, for playing the oboe, and how that became
the foundation for his life as a young child. The
Music Kitchens mission: To bring terrific musi-
cians together in order to share the inspirational,
CURRENT EVENTS
therapeutic, evocative and uplifting power of
chamber music with New York Citys disenfran-
chised homeless shelter population. It is based at
the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3 West 65th
Street, New York, New York 10040.
On November 3, 2005, Alex Klein rejoined his
former Chicago Symphony colleagues to perform
the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the or-
chestra in New Yorks Carnegie Hall. The other
soloists were Larry Combs, clarinet; David Mc-
Gill, bassoon; and Dale Clevenger, horn. Daniel
Barenboim was the conductor.
Looking ahead to Friday, July 14, 2006 - the
Aspen Chamber Symphony, under Nicholas Mc-
Gegan will feature the Mozart Sinfonia Con-
certante. This time the soloists will be Richard
Woodhams, oboe; Theodore Oein, clarinet; Per
Hannevold, bassoon; and John Zirbel, horn. The
performance will take place in the Benedict Mu-
sic Tent.
The 8th International Oboe Competition of Ka-
ruizawa, Japan (2006) will be held October 14th
through 22nd, 2006 at the Karuizawa Ohga Hall
(in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture,
Japan). Under its new name it will continue the
tradition of the International Oboe Competition
(supported by SONY), which has been held ev-
ery three years in Tokyo since 1985. The town of
Karuizawa is known as one of the fi nest resorts
in Japan.
Members of the jury will include these distin-
guished oboists: Hansjorg Schellenberger (Ger-
many), chairman of the jury; Maurice Bourgue
(France); Gordon Hunt (United Kingdom); Alex
Klein (Brazil and United States); Yoshiaki Obata
(Japan); Ken-ichi Furube (Japan), and others to
be announced.
Required repertoire can be found online at:
http://www.smf.or.jp/oboe/8th/
For more information and an application,
please contact:
Miki Iwata, Sony Music Foundation
JS-Ichigaya Building, 7th Floor, 5-1
Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102-0076, Japan
Telephone: +813-3261-9933;
FAX: +81-3-3261-9898
E-mail: smf@sonymusic.co.jp
Prizewinners of the 7th International Oboe Com-
petition of Tokyo held in 2003 include:
First prize: Vilem Veverka
Second prize: Martin Frutiger
Third prize: Domenico Orlando
Honorable mention and a special scholarship
awarded to:
Sebastian Gimeno Balboa
Pavel Sokolov
Nicola Patrussi
The second annual English Horn Master Class
featuring Carolyn Hove and Mark Chudnow will
take place June 14th through June 17th, 2006 at
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
Carolyn Hove has been solo English horn
player of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since
1988; she is a faculty member at California State
University-Long Beach and is a regular perform-
er at conventions of the IDRS. She is a record-
ing artist on the Crystal label. Mark Chudnow
is a leading innovator in the design and devel-
opment of double reed products. He will teach
daily classes in oboe and English horn repair and
maintenance.
For more information, call 801/422-7692 or
on the Web: http://ce.byu.edu/cw/englishhorn
Hidden Valley Music Seminars announce their
2006 masterclass series. John Mack, retired
principal oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra will
present his yearly classes from June 19th through
June 24th. Thomas Stacy, English horn soloist of
the New York Philharmonic will teach at Hidden
Valley from August 5th through August 12th. For
further information, write: PO Box 116, Carmel
Valley, California 93924; or call 831/659-3115,
or fax 831/659-7442. E-mail: hvms@aol.com
Web: hiddenvalleymusic.org.
 THE DOUBLE REED 49

Oboe G10170
Anna Schmidt
Appleton, Wisconsin

CURRENT EVENTS
They are thin and hollow pieces of wood,
blackened and hammered by man,
caged in metal contraptions,
pressing inward and stopping air.
Now, resting lifeless in a velvet casket,
For what song were you crafted?
Worthless in part,
magnificent, mysterious whole.

II
What should I call this obsession?
a hobby, a career, enslavement more likely.
I envy younovices and music appreciators,
For I am disillusioned.
What is breathtaking skill is methodical, robotic.
What is profound beauty is formulaic.
I am selfish too,
The world is crying out for help
but still I sit alone,
practicing in a small, deaf room.

III
A lost, lonely duck
waddled up to an oboe
and recognizing his own kind
he said,
Quack.

IV
How can I ever thank you
You, the instrument, I, the musician,
Together we approached the world.
In the end I decided
it doesnt take a life in music to have a life about music.
You were a noble friend to let me use you like that.
I think of you as
the sound of loveliness, the feeling of success.
I think of you as
an extension of my limbs and of my heart.
My second language, an existence of memories in song,
if ever I forget
that, I know, I know Ill regret.

Anna Schmidt is from Alexandria, Virginia, where she began playing the oboe at the age of nine. She is
currently in her fifth year of college at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she studies
oboe performance and English. She receives musical and poetic support from her oboe professor, Howard
Niblock. Next year Anna plans to student teach in English and ESL in Appleton Public Schools.
50 ARTICLES

Articles
THE DOUBLE REED 51

ARTICLES
 52 SWEET MUSIC AND DRY WINE: THE LIFE OF GRARD FAISANDIER

Sweet Music and Dry Wine:

The Life of Grard Faisandier
Jeffrey Lyman
Ann Arbor, Michigan

I
ts almost time for dinner, and once again you
fi nd yourself strolling among the shelves of
your neighborhood wine shop, looking for a
bottle to bring home. There you browse among
selections from the fi nest chteaux of France,
from Burgundy to the Rhne, Champagne to
the Loire, or further south and west to Bordeaux
and the Languedoc. As you stand in front of the
Pomerols in the Bordeaux aisle, perhaps you are
hoping to fi nd the perfect accompaniment to the
roast you have in the oven. If you know anything
of how wine is distributed, you already know that
the several bottles on the shelf in front of you rep-
resent your local stores allotment of whatever
bottles arrive in your state from those chteaux,
and that your state has only a fraction of what
arrives in the country, etc., and that in the end
this must surely amount to hundreds or even
ARTICLES
until his death in 2003. But wine was only part of
his life, and what a life it was.
Who was Grard Faisandier? Those readers
who have had the pleasure of hearing the land-
mark recordings of the Trio pour hautbois, bas-
son et piano and the Sextuor pour quintette
vent et piano by Francis Poulenc, recorded for
EMI in the early 1970s need no further intro-
duction. If you do not know those recordings, or
the several made by Monsieur Faisandier with the
Quintette vent de Paris of the music of Auric,
Ibert, Tomasi, Jolivet, Schoenberg and others,
then this article is for you.

thousands of bottles from an enormous wine

producing region covered by miles and miles of
vineyards. Think again.
If you enter the east side of the commune of
Pomerol, at the northeastern edge of the world-
renowned wine making region that surrounds the
city of Bordeaux, France, you can easily reach the
western border of that same commune in just un-
der four or five minutes, depending on the route
you take and whether or not you get stuck behind
a tractor ambling along the narrow roads between
the vineyards. The entire area of Pomerol covers
a mere 800 hectares, or just a little over 3 square
miles. Pomerol includes a number of small fam-
ily vineyards, a few highly celebrated properties,
and the one vineyard whose prices have prompted
more gasps than any other: Chteau Ptrus, one
of the most highly prized and highly priced wines
Figure 1: Grard Faisandier and puppy on the
in the world. Atlantic coast
Yet in this tiny commune lived not only one
of the worlds unique wine makers, but one of the EARLY YEARS
worlds important bassoonists, Grard Faisandi-
er. In the village of Ren on the route D244, you Grard Faisandier was born on the 16th of Au-
can fi nd his tiny 3.5 hectare plot of land known gust in the city of Libourne in 1922. Libourne lies
to some as Chteau Mayne-Ren and to others several kilometers to the east of the historic port
as Chteau La Bassonnerie, his home from 1962 city of Bordeaux and is usually described as an
 THE DOUBLE REED
industrial town, one that helps to supply the ma-
chinery, the barrels and the myriad tools required
of the wine country that surrounds it. It sits in
the midst of many smaller, far more celebrated
villages with names we all know from restaurant
wine lists, such as Saint-milion and Pomerol to
the east, Fronsac and Cognac to the north, Paul-
liac, St. Julien and Blaye to the northwest, and
Sauternes and Graves to the southwest. While the
surrounding wine country occupies itself with
ageing its wine and pampering its customers,
Libourne takes care of the day-to-day needs of
the region by supplying it with groceries, hard-
ware, furniture, etc. It was here in Libourne that
the young Faisandier took up the saxophone and
had aspirations of becoming a famous musician.
With a fair measure of talent and an even greater
measure of confidence, he auditioned for and was
accepted to the Conservatoire Municipal de Mu-
sique et de Dclamation de Bordeaux. However,
it would not be as a saxophonist that he would
later leave this institution. Professor of bassoon
Pierre Ferry convinced Faisandier that he would
have a better chance at a career in music if he
would leave the saxophone and take up the bas-
soon. Under the tutelage of Monsieur Ferry, Fai-
sandier started along the path that would lead
him to fame as one of the preeminent chamber
music players and woodwind soloists in all of
France. Almost immediately, a second path qui-
etly started its meandering course alongside his
musical path.
When his lessons in Bordeaux began, the
young Faisandier rented a room near the conser-
vatory from a landlady whose husband also ran
a winery several kilometers east in Pomerol. The
landladys daughter Henriette caught the stu-
dents attention, and they soon started a court-
ship. Smitten with both the bassoonist and his
music, Henriette began taking private piano les-
sons in the hope of becoming an amateur musi-
cian herself. The two remained together during
the ensuing years of Grards studies, and it was
during this time that Grard learned not only the
bassoon but the craft of winemaking as well, as
his future father-in-law sometimes required his
assistance back in Pomerol. Still, his studies at the
conservatoire received the majority of his atten-
tion, and in 1940, at his fi rst attempt at the an-
nual concours he received second place medals in
the bassoon class of Pierre Ferry and the chamber
music class of Madame Rulleau-Dupr.
53
WORLD WAR II AND THE GERMAN OCCUPATION
The summer of 1940 was hardly an idyllic mo-
ment in the history of France. The German army
invaded France in May of that year and by June
had taken Paris. In a decision that would divide
his country, both literally and figuratively, the
84-year-old vice-premier Henri-Philippe Ptain,
acting after the resignation of Prime Minister
Paul Reynaud, helped negotiate the surrender
with Germany, and on 22 June signed an armi-
stice with the Nazis. The Germans took control
not only of Paris, but of all of the north of France
and the Atlantic coast, including the highly stra-
tegic port of Bordeaux and all of the surrounding
wine country.
For a very brief time, students at the Bordeaux
conservatory were able to continue their studies
without the direct intervention of the Nazis or of
the Vichy government, and in 1941, Faisandier
competed in the concours for a second time and
won fi rst prizes in bassoon and chamber music.
At his commencement ceremonies he heard an
address by the celebrated French pianist Alfred
Cortot, but Cortots role that day was not simply
as pianist. Marshall Ptain had nominated Cortot
ARTICLES
to a new role as head of le Comit dorganisation
professionnel de la musique, a committee that
helped to monitor and direct musical activities
throughout the country. The Germans had long
considered music a highly effective agent of both
cultural pride and of propaganda, and according
to the opinion of the Munich historian Karl Wim-
mer, a member of the Propaganda Staffel of Paris,
the French were themselves supreme masters in
the art of penetrating other peoples through cul-
tural politics. The Nazis had by this time taken
control of nearly all the musical organizations in
Germany, and saw the control of music in France
as a means to build a bridge between the French
and German cultures. Organizations like the Co-
mit dorganisation professionnel de la musique
were sometimes called upon by the occupying
forces to assist in creating an illusion of hope and
calm in the otherwise anxious and divided na-
tion by staging concerts across the country. The
nomination of such a celebrated artist as Cortot,
who had long been appreciated in both France
and Germany alike, seemed a logical and diplo-
matically shrewd choice on the part of the Nazis,
but his acceptance of the position forever tainted
Cortots reputation in France, and he was never
 54 SWEET MUSIC AND DRY WINE: THE LIFE OF GRARD FAISANDIER
completely forgiven for his apparent sympathetic
relationship with the Vichy regime.
Marshall Ptain had famously replaced the
French motto Libert, Egalit, Fraternit (Lib-
erty, Equality, Brotherhood) with another tripar-
tite call for Travail, Famille, Patrie (Work, Fam-
ily, Country). In Cortots address that summer to
the graduating class, he rallied the students with
yet another of Ptains triplicate cheers: Effort,
Union, Don de soi (Effort, Unity, Gift of One-
self). Had the times been any different, such a call
to a life of hard work, or for a sense of unity with
ones fellow citizens, or even the plea for assis-
tance with the national cause would have sound-
ed like just so much Graduation Day fodder. But
coming from the mouth of an artist who had once
represented the fi nest that France had to offer and
who now appeared to be a sympathizer with the
occupying Nazis, Cortots words sounded more
than a little bit sinister to the students.
The winning of a fi rst prize at any regional
conservatory in France granted the laureate the
opportunity to continue his or her studies at the
Conservatoire national suprieur de Paris. G-
rard left Bordeaux for Paris in the fall of 1941
and entered the bassoon class of Gustave Dhrin
ARTICLES
and the chamber music class of Fernand Oubra-
dous. These were not easy years for the Parisian
students, however, as by this time the Germans
had abandoned their hands-off policies towards
educational institutions and were executing vari-
ous debilitating controls over the students and
faculty. For example, the Conservatoire was
among the fi rst institutions targeted by the Na-
zis in their attempt to rid all schools of Jewish
faculty and students. According to a decree of 3
October 1940, all Jewish faculty members were
to be removed from their positions within two
months of the official publication of the decree,
which was to occur on the 18th of that same
month. Rather than battle against this decree on
behalf of its students, the archives of the school
confi rm the voluntary collaboration between the
Conservatoires director Henri Rabaud and the
Nazi officials, and include not only the proof
of a purge of Jewish faculty and students, but
Rabauds further personal documentation of the
non-Israelite character of the Director of the
Conservatoire and a declaration, under the re-
sponsibility of the director, of the racial character
of the administrative personnel and the faculty
of the Conservatoire. According to musicologist
Jean Gribenski, one embarrassing fact of French
history is generally ignored or passes under si-
lence: the Conservatoire is the only public educa-
tion establishment in metropolitan France from
which Jewish students were excluded in totality
under the Vichy regime.
By the fall of 1941, when Faisandier arrived
at the school, it was not only the Jewish students
who were being targeted by the Nazis. The Ger-
man work force was sorely disabled at home due
to nearly all of their men being required at the
front, and so with the assistance of the Vichy gov-
ernment, thousands of French citizens were taken
abroad under a decree known as the STO (Statut
du Travail Obligatoire or Forced Work Detail).
This law required that all young men born be-
tween the 1st of October 1919 and the 31st of De-
cember 1922 were to be made available for essen-
tial activities of the country for a period of two
years. At some time during the year 1942, Fai-
sandier fell victim to an earlier manifestation of
this order and was taken by the Germans. Luck-
ily for him, if there was any luck to be had in this
situation, he was able to use his musical talents in
order to fulfi ll his obligations, and while in Ger-
many he was required to perform as a bassoonist
at a music school whose own students had been
sent to the ranks of the German army.
After a few months in Germany, Faisandier
escaped and hid along the border with France. A
group of French soldiers rescued him and helped
him make his way west, back to Paris. He im-
mediately tried to fi nd his dear Henriette, who
at this time was herself hiding east of Bordeaux
in the village Sainte-Foy la Grande. They both
eventually met up again in Paris, and December
of 1942 marked another milestone in Faisandiers
life, his marriage to Henriette. He returned to his
place among his student colleagues at the Con-
servatoire, and in the spring of 1943 he earned
fi rst prizes in bassoon and chamber music.
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
In 1944, Faisandier took over his most celebrated
position as member of the Quintette vent de
Paris, a post he held for twenty years. The other
members of this eminent chamber ensemble in-
cluded flutist Jacques Castagner, oboist Robert
Casier, clarinetist Andr Boutard and hornist
Michel Bergs. The group was a favorite of the
most eminent composers of France, and they
 THE DOUBLE REED
were the dedicatees of numerous works for winds
in a variety of combinations. Recordings were an
important aspect of their work, and the group
committed to disc a wide variety of old and new
music ranging from classics by Taffanel, Piern
and DIndy through new music by Schmidt, Jo-
livet and Sauguet. Their close personal and pro-
fessional relationship with Francis Poulenc was to
be celebrated in the form of a complete record-
ing of his woodwind music with the composer at
the piano, a project that was postponed upon the
composers death in 1963. The project took near-
ly a decade to complete, and those recordings are
still available in a multi-disc set on EMI, but with
Jacques Fvrier as pianist assisting the members
of the quintet.
While chamber music was the central focus of
Faisandiers work for most of his career, he was
also active in an impressive list of French orches-
tras. His resume includes basson solo positions
in the Orchestre de la Socit des Concerts du
Conservatoire de Paris, la Musique de la Garde
Rpublicaine de Paris and the orchestra of Ra-
dio Luxembourg. It was while working in Lux-
embourg in 1962 that Faisandier learned of the
death of his father-in-law in Pomerol and of his
inheritance of the home and the winery.
Francine Faisandier speculated that the move
to Pomerol allowed her father to consider chang-
ing his career from bassoonist to conductor, as he
knew that his embouchure would eventually fail,
and he felt that as a conductor he could continue
his musical life almost without end. After moving
the family to Pomerol, Faisandier continued to
perform as soloist and as an orchestral bassoon-
ist, and assisted in bringing the musical attention
of France to his new home.
Oddly, very little bassoon instruction ever
took place at the home in Pomerol. Francine Fai-
sandier recalled that her father only had about
five or six students, and far preferred performing
to teaching. What teaching she does remember
always centered on her fathers love of the sound
of the French basson, which he insisted should
sound more like a cello than a German fagott. He
also demanded many hours of practice from his
students, even suggesting that they should prac-
tice while washing up in the morning before go-
ing to school or to work.
Faisandier was given the title Animateur Mu-
sical Rgional and assisted the Ministres des Af-
faires Culturel of both Aquitaine and Midi Pyr-
55
nes in helping to de-centralize French musical
culture. He assisted conductor Michel Plasson in
raising the status of the Orchestre du Capitole de
Toulouse from a regional to a national orchestra,
and for a time served as the orchestras person-
nel manager. As for his beloved chamber music,
he and fellow Bordelais composer Henri Sauguet
brought many of their Parisian colleagues to the
area in an annual music festival in neighboring
Saint-milion.
UN SOIR SAINT-MILION
The music festival in Saint-milion lasted only a
few brief years, due in part to the meddlesome
interference of a local politician who tried to take
away the directorship from Faisandier and Sau-
guet. A more pleasant and longer lasting memory
from the festival is Henri Sauguets charming ro-
mance for bassoon and piano Un soir Saint-
milion. The dedication on the manuscript, still
held by Henriette and Francine at the chteau,
reads:
vous, cher Grard Faisandier en souvenir non
seulement d Un Soir Saint-milion mais de
ARTICLES
toutes ces soires du Festival qui est amen tant
de musique dans la chre vielle capitale du vin.
Avec tous mes sentiments de reconnaissance et
damicale consideration. Henri Sauguet, Coutras,
10.5.73
(To you, dear Grard Faisandier, in memory not
only of An Evening in Saint-milion but of all
these evenings at the Festival that have brought
so much music to this dear old capital of wine.
In cordial recognition and with friendship. Henri
Sauguet, Coutras, 10.5.73)
It is odd that on this manuscript the date of
composition is given as 1971 while the dedica-
tion is signed May of 1973. Francine Faisandier
suspected that her copy might have been specially
prepared by Sauguet as a gift and presented to
her father after its composition. At any rate, the
friendly sentiment expressed by the work is time-
less, and if ever a bassoon work portrayed the rich-
ness of the wine produced in this part of France,
this is it. As was originally noted in an article in
the IDRS Journal by Richard Lottridge, the fi rst
printing of the romance by Alphonse Leduc in-
cluded several photos of wine labels on the back
cover, but none of the dedicatees own wine!
 56 SWEET MUSIC AND DRY WINE: THE LIFE OF GRARD FAISANDIER
ARTICLES
Figure 2: l-r, front row G. Faisandier, unidentified, Francine Yvon, Michel Plasson, Henri Sauguet
CHTEAU LA BASSONNERIE
One must always take care when judging the
quality of someones second career, especially if
that someone is an artist in one area and an ama-
teur in another. With two careers as unrelated as
music performance and wine making, one might
expect that excellence in one could not possibly
be matched with similar achievement in the other.
By this point in this article, the emphasis on the
musical career of Grard Faisandier might lead
the reader to believe that the author was avoiding
offering opinions on his wine making skills. This
is truly not the case, however, as the wines made
at Chteau La Bassonnerie/Chteau Mayne Ren
have received many accolades over time. Two of
the most widely read French reference books on
wine write highly of their current vintages. This
fi rst description appears in the current edition of
the premier reference book on the wines of Bor-
deaux by Charles Cocks and douard Fret:
Le nom de chteau La Bassonnerie est emprunt
lun des plus vieux instruments de musique vent,
car son propritaire, Grard Faisandier, fut lun des
meilleurs joueurs de basson du monde. Bien de fa-
mille depuis plus dun sicle, le vignoble avec des
terroirs et des sols diffrents (argileux, sablos-ar-
gileux, sablo-graveleux et graves pures sur crasse
de fer), complant de 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet
franc et 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, produit des
vins fins, moelleux, dune belle couleur.
Leur vinification est assur par Dominique Leyma-
rie, assist de Michel Rolland, nologue. Ils sont
trs apprcis en France et ltranger.
(The name of the chteau La Bassonnerie is bor-
rowed from one of the oldest woodwind instru-
ments, because its owner, Grard Faisandier, was
one of the finest bassoon players in the world. A
family estate for more than a century, the vine-
yard is comprised of different soils [clay, sandy-
clay, gravel, gravel-sand and pure gravel on de-
composed iron], planted with 60% Merlot, 30%
Cabernet franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon,
producing fine wines that are velvety and have
a beautiful color. The wine maker is Dominique
Leymarie, assisted by Michel Rolland, nologist.
The wines are greatly appreciated in France and
 THE DOUBLE REED
abroad.)
In the 2005 edition of Le Guide Hachette des
Vins, the 2001 offering received this review:
Vignoble de graves sur argiles du secteur de Ren,
compos de 80% de merlot et 20% de cabernet
franc. Dans le verre la teinte est sduisante: cur
rubis, liser ambr. Le bouquet est expansif, suc-
cession de fruits mrs, dpices, de notes de cuir
et de bois toast. La bouche, corpulente et char-
nue, mle le bois et le cuir sur des tannins encore
trs prsents qui assureront la garde. Ce style de
vin appelle un plat riche, par exemple un filet de
buf piqu au lard du cul noir.
(Vineyard of gravel on clay in the Ren sector,
composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet
franc. In the glass the color is seductive: a ruby
heart with amber edging. The bouquet is expan-
sive, a succession of ripe fruits, spices, leather
notes and toasted wood. The taste, corpulent and
fleshy, mixes wood and leather on still very pres-
ent tannins that will ensure a long life. This wine
Figure 3: Francine Faisandier and the tanks for ageing Chteau La Bassonnerie.
57
style calls for a rich dish, for example a filet of
beef larded with the bacon of wild boar.)
When Monsieur Faisandier fi rst took over
the winery, it was called Chteau Ren, after the
village where their vines are located. It has since
been changed to Chteau Mayne-Ren, and this
is the same wine that you will fi nd under the la-
bel Chteau La Bassonnerie. The musical appel-
lation was added after a suggestion from several
of Faisandiers musician friends, who saw it as
a marketing strategy. For many years, a picture
of two crossed bassoons decorated each bottle,
but this is no longer the design. In addition to
this property in Pomerol, Faisandier owned a sec-
ond smaller (1 hectare) winery a short ride to the
north in Lalande-Pomerol, Chteau La Rose Tre-
mire, whose wines are made of 80% Cabernet
franc and 20% Merlot.
So the fi nal question remains: where can one
buy some of the wine? These wines, as with the
wines of many of the small producers in the re-
gion, are for the most part sold on site, and it is
ARTICLES
 58 SWEET MUSIC AND DRY WINE: THE LIFE OF GRARD FAISANDIER
Figure 4: Monsieur Faisandier celebrating with his wine makers.
nearly impossible to buy them outside of the im-
mediate area where they are produced. As of this
writing, there is no distributor for Chteau La
Bassonnerie in the United States, and they have
a very limited distribution in Europe. Even so, an
on-line search revealed that the wine has taken
accolades at wine tasting events in Canada and
Germany, and various distributors in Europe may
have a few bottles available. The best advice to
those seeking to taste this wine is to visit Pomerol
ARTICLES
itself. The Syndicat Viticole de Pomerol, a cen-
tral source of information for the commune, can
be reached by e-mail at syndicat@vins-pomerol.
fr, and Dominique Leymarie, the maker of Ch-
teau Mayne-Ren/Chteau La Bassonnerie can be
reached by phone in the Village of Ren, Pomerol,
at +06 09 73 12 78. Visits to the winery, as in
all of Pomerol, are by appointment only. Pomerol
itself has no hotels and no restaurants, so visi-
tors should stay in nearby Saint-milion, which
is hardly an inconvenience.
The story of Grard Faisandier is unique in
the fact that he was able to engage professionally
in two passions as widely and deeply shared as
music and wine. We see in Faisandiers example
how strange it is that so many of us are defi ned
more by the chairs we occupy when performing,
or by the positions we hold in an institution, and
not by all those elements that bring color and
meaning to our daily lives. In thanks to people
like Faisandier, we should all raise a glass of
Chteau La Bassonnerie in appreciation of those
musicians who know when to momentarily put
down the bassoon and take up a paint brush, a
cooking pot, a baseball, or whatever else it is that
guides their time off stage or out of the practice
room.
 THE DOUBLE REED 59

The Twentieth Century American Oboe Concerto:

Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue
Krista Riggs
Fresno, California

H
aving been entirely overlooked in the 19th Century when super-heroes were the vogue, the
oboes return to prominence on the 20th Century concerto stage with recent major works by
such composers as Bolcom, Tower, Rochberg, Barber, Maxwell-Davies, Zwilich, Harbison,
Carter, and Street gives me hope that real feelings in real proportions are again valued.1

The split in history between popular music and serious music has impacted the revival of the oboe
concerto through the course of the twentieth century. Diverging paths of popular and serious music
separate further with post-Beethoven struggles of living composers to compete with museum pieces of
the esteemed great composers within the musical canon. As Burkholder notes, resulting is a mutual
strive for unique stylistic traits to make a distinct mark and establish prosperity for individual compos-
ers within the great canon. 2 A strive for individuality leads to an eclectic assortment of styles, not only
among artists but within a single composers oeuvre. From two initial roads of popular and serious
music, more possible routes sprout from the serious path. Forks in the road are found in the Viennese
school of serialism; experimental trends sparked by works of Italian composers such as Berio and Mad-
erna; the intellectualized, motivically-centered works of academic composers; avant-garde and chance
pieces inspired by Cage and Stockhausen; and a neo-Classic return to formal structures and elements
of tonality.
Although the pressure of joining a musical canon and a strive for individuality occurred in European

ARTICLES
as well as American serious music of the twentieth century, the lack of a sense of lengthy heritage for
American composers creates additional confl icts. Pressures of the century were two-fold for American
composers: to identify with a national style while still pursuing individual distinction. With inspiration
traceable to Ives, Bernstein notes the use of quotation and infusion of popular elements that are woven
within contemporary American compositions to portray nationalism. 3 Similarly, elements of jazz began
appearing in the works of Copland and Gershwin as a means of blending American characteristics
within their compositions.4
A mass cultural following devoted to popular music can reduce attendance at and funding for
performances of new serious compositions. The availability of classics from the growing record-
ing industry and the phenomena of great composers from the evolution of a musical canon can also
minimize interest in new works of contemporary composers. 5 Thus, contemporary American compos-
ers often must supplement their income with teaching positions in universities.6 Babbitt notes that the
sheltering walls of an academic institution may create a false environment of a secure, self-contained
microcosm.7 Within the university the composer has ready access to performers, performance opportu-
nities, and recording equipment. Taken to an extreme, emphasis on research, science, and philosophy
nurtured by centers for liberal arts education may encourage relatively sterile works with significance
placed on the process and theory of composition rather than cultural appeal. Music created in academic
environments also risks a temporary nature of receiving little performance after the often university-
staged premiere. As James Fry states,

Its not difficult to see why: 1) contemporary art music has not been responsive to audiences; 2) new music is often
more concerned with philosophy and process than with the resulting sounds; 3) university-employed composers
are not in any way answerable to listeners for what they write; 4) the advent of recordings have created a large
market for the masterworks of the past.8

And yet, some compositions survive the tests of time and appeal, break through the walls of academic
 60 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

institutions, and seem more likely to join the influential pieces in the musical canon. By using recurring
themes and motives, traditional formal structures, elements of popular music, and new experimental
techniques, twentieth century composers show a concern for audience accessibility through their oboe
concertos. Traits of successful American serious music in the twentieth century can be traced through
the oboe concertos of Elliott Carter, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Lukas Foss, John Harbison,
and George Rochberg.

ELLIOTT CARTERS OBOE CONCERTO

Elliott Carters Oboe Concerto of 1987 was commissioned by Paul Sacher and premiered by Heinz Hol-
liger.9 Carters music boasts an intricately layered and intellectually complex style of composition that
may be difficult for the layman listener to understand or appreciate. Unlike many works of Schoenberg,
which borrow traditional formal structures of the Classical era to aid listeners despite the application
of new governing factors for melody or harmony, Carters Oboe Concerto seems original and avant-
garde. However, his unique style continues to gain accessibility through awareness as it becomes more
and more a part of the vernacular.10
The work is written in one movement with two fresh ensemble forces of solo/accompaniment ver-
sus orchestra rather than the typical opposition of solo versus orchestra. As Carter describes, In this
Oboe Concerto, which is in one continuous movement, the soloist is accompanied in its widely varying,
mercurial moods by a percussionist and four violas. Each of the two groups use different musical
materials which they develop throughout the work.11 Although Carter studied with Boulanger and was
greatly influenced by Ives, his compositional style is seemingly detached from most early influences as
the Oboe Concerto lacks direct quotations or infusion of folk material. Charles Rosen writes,

Carter never succumbed totally to the influence of Ives, and he was never even briefly to try serial composition.
Eventually he also cast aside the influence of Stravinsky and the neoclassical school transmitted in Paris by Bou-
ARTICLES

langer. With it, he cast aside the exploitation of folk material that one finds in Aaron Copland and other American
followers of the Paris school.12

However, Carters use of layering voices within the larger ensemble is reminiscent of later works by
Ives. Although a quilt of direct quotations is absent from the Concerto, Carter retains use of intricate
counterpoint created from the technique of weaving a tapestry of motives.13
The Oboe Concerto is idiomatically experimental, requiring such extended techniques as multiph-
onics, double trills, glissandi, and harmonics. Some techniques are familiar, having appeared in a very
similar state in Berios Sequenza VII of 1969. Both Berio and Carter consulted with Holliger, which
may explain the similarity between effects utilized in the compositions. Carters piece demands use of
the full range of the oboe, and high As and Afs are employed in both forceful and serene dynamic set-
tings. Although lacking traditional tonality or formal structures, Carters Oboe Concerto does use a
limited and repetitive vocabulary of rhythmic motives for cohesion and unity. It is possible to reduce the
entire work to six motives and their variants. As in other examples of atonal works by such composers
as Berio and Boulez, a type of Wagnerian-influenced chromatic saturation occurs in the oboe solo. Little
repetition of pitches occurs as equal importance is given to every pitch in a non-hierarchical system.
Used in combined, varied, and juxtaposed states, the small vocabulary of rhythmic motives provides
the material with which Carter sews together a patchwork of sonorities, timbres, and effects. As Rorem
states of Carters writing, It eschews carnal appeal, nor does it presume to charm. Seduction in sound
comes facilely through the admixture of orchestral timbres, through richness of colors.14
 THE DOUBLE REED 61

WILLIAM BOLCOMS SPRING CONCERTINO

In contrast to the complexity of Carters style, William Bolcom generally composes music of more im-
mediate accessibility. Like many composers of the later twentieth century, Bolcoms uvre contains an
abundance of pieces of diverse compositional techniques. As Thomas Hampson describes, The eclec-
ticism at the heart of American music takes a vital new twist in the work of contemporary composer,
William Bolcom, for whom non-specialization has become a raison dtre.15 Bolcoms music breaks
free from inaccessible walls of academia by means of popular elements that appeal to the mass culture.
The Spring Concertino for Oboe and Small Orchestra, composed in 1987 and premiered by Harry
Sargous,16 shows the influence of Milhaud in its simplistic melodies and charming exploration of colors.
An interesting and accessible blend of Romantic and popular elements in a tonal setting contributes to
the appeal inherent in the Concertino. Bolcom uses such elements of blues and jazz as melody, harmony,
and counterpoint to maintain a national sound within his composition. Although lacking a governing
key signature, the piece is tonal in a modern sense. As with the fi rst movement of the Corigliano Con-
certo, the oboe and orchestra begin on the pitch A, then the oboe deviates in half-step increments. The
full range of the oboe is utilized in a relatively short span, though the writing is idiomatically conser-
vative in that no extended techniques are employed. Spinning out the melodic themes, a technique
borrowed from jazz though also similar to the Baroque notion of Fortspinnung, creates progressively
longer statements of the material through extension and embellishment. Tonality becomes ambiguous
through use of raised and lowered tones in sounding seventh chords.

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The B section, entitled Siciliana by Bolcom in the oboe part (though relabeled Barcarola in the
piano reduction) seems to use the Baroque label for programmatic rather than formal purposes. Erik
Satie-like quintal sonorities progress to jazzier minor-minor seventh chords. A Baroque-like circle of
fi fths progression is suggested in the bass, yet never fully realized.

The third formal section of Bolcoms Spring Concertino, labeled with a Jazz Waltz tempo mark-
ing, continues the infusion of jazz elements within a serious composition. Elements utilized include
a contrapuntal walking bass line, embellishment and spinning out of the oboe melody, and blues-
influenced harmonies. A winding solo line in the oboe gives the impression of improvisation. Imitation
occurs in the orchestra before a large expansion of contrary motion (m. 217) leads to an oboe cadenza.
The cadenza begins on a climax of a high G, similar to the use of the coloratura range with a high A at
a climatic point in the fi rst movement of Coriglianos Concerto. The cadenza has a tonal center of E f ,
 62 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

around which various intervallic relationships are explored. The E f center becomes a sort of leading
tone in a re-transition to material from the fi rst section of the Concertino. A pause leads to a surpris-
ingly subdued coda, and the return of material from the A section reminds listeners of previous themes
and adds a formal element of unity to the composition.

JOHN CORIGLIANOS OBOE CONCERTO

Written in 1975, John Coriglianos Oboe Concerto was premiered and recorded by Burt Lucarelli as a
result of a commission by the New York State Council on the Arts.17 In contrast to the concertos of Bol-
com and Carter, Coriglianos Concerto is five movements in length. Various characteristics of the oboe
are explored throughout the relatively short, diverse movements. As the composer explains, In writing
my Oboe Concerto, I decided to abandon the traditional three movement concerto form and deal in-
stead with five contrasting qualities of the solo instrument in five shorter movements.18 Like Bolcoms
compositions, the works of Corigliano are generally met with acceptance through audience appeal. The
Lucarelli recording attained critical acclaim by discerning oboists as well. Robert Howe writes,

This disc is first on the review list, simply because it contains one of the most remarkable woodwind recordings Ive
ever heard. Superbly written around the instruments characteristics, the Concerto (available from G. Schirmer) is a
complete and perfect oboe piece, calling for numerous tricks and special effects, but going far beyond the limited
horizons of mere display.19

Like Bolcom, Corigliano is an example of a contemporary American composer holding academic

position(s), yet retaining accessibility in his compositions while creating a distinctly individual style.
Also similar to Bolcoms output, searching for individuality has led to a wide array of techniques as
Coriglianos oeuvre has been described as eclectic with a kaleidoscopic, ever-expanding technique.20
Similarities to Carters composition can be found in Coriglianos treatment of the orchestra in layers
ARTICLES

of color and texture, with the larger accompanying force divided into smaller opposing ensembles at
varied points in the Concerto. Also like Carters piece, Coriglianos treatment of the solo oboe is experi-
mental in nature; requiring use of multiphonics, harmonics, buzz notes, and a Rheita effect. The
large orchestra also undergoes some experimentation with the utilization of glissandi, vamp-like sec-
tions of unmeasured passages, and Cage-like aleatoric sections of repeated figures. Like jazz elements
and quotation, the large orchestra utilized by Corigliano has also become a trait of twentieth century
American composition. As Mark Swed notes,

America is a big country, and Americans like to think big. American composers like a big canvas and a big sound.
And the orchestra has been the most common vehicle for our most popular and populist composers, say Aaron
Copland, and Leonard Bernstein. Gershwin, too.21

The fi rst movement of Coriglianos Concerto, entitled Tuning Game, is a satire in ABA form on
the role of the oboist to tune the orchestra, turning the pre-performance tuning rite into a virtuosic
game in which the oboe tunes the orchestra by sections (percussion, brass, strings, winds), and mistunes
them after achieving his goal.22 As composers found in the Romantic era, using a programmatic idea
for the movement aids in accessibility for the audience. The movement begins in a similar fashion to
Berios Sequenza VII. Where Berios piece begins with multiple statements of the single pitch B over a
B pedal, Coriglianos Concerto has repetitive occurrences of the pitch A. The Sequenza slowly deviates
from the single pitch by adding upper and lower chromatic neighbors in octave displacement over the
held pedal, as does the Corigliano piece with the statement of the fi rst theme. As with the fi rst theme,
the second theme begins on the pitch A and deviates using upper and lower neighbors, this time of both
half-step and whole-step intervals. The effect of alternating between normal and harmonic fi ngerings
of a note is an effect also used in Berios Sequenza.
 THE DOUBLE REED 63

Corigliano denies listeners expectations by having the oboe enter on a B f rather than an A for the
restatement of the primary theme. The movement ends with octaves and unisons on the same opening
pitch of the tuning A.

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While the fi rst movement explores the oboes extended techniques and creates a satirical, programmatic
effect, the second movement considers the more pensive and subtly expressive capabilities of the instru-
ment. As stated by Corigliano,

The second movement, Song, deals in non-climactic simplicity. The long-lined, singing qualities of the oboe are
displayed in another kind of virtuosity, the ability of the soloist to spin an endless almost breathless line of melody
past what one would think the was the endurance level.23

By sustaining notes over strong beats inherent in measures as well as using mixed meters, Corigliano is
able to achieve an unstressed and metrically non-hierarchical setting for the melody. A Carter-like sepa-
ration of the orchestra into a layer of four woodwinds draws the movement to a quiet close. By using
harmonics on the pitch A in the oboe solo (mm. 50 and 65), Corigliano is able to maximize the desired
pensive quality of the instrument by achieving a thinner, glassy color
Experimental compositional techniques explored in the fi rst movement of Coriglianos Concerto
return in the third, such as aleatoric writing of unmeasured fragments in the orchestra and the use of
multiphonics. Carter-like layers of a divided orchestra are used in the percussive trio in a similar fashion
to the reduction of the ensemble to a woodwind quartet at the end of the second movement. The ABA
form of the third movement explores a further quality of the instruments expressive capabilities - a
more rhythmic and percussive character. As described by Corigliano,

The third movement (Scherzo) interrupts the end of the song with a high velocity polyrhythmic episode for oboe
and percussion, harp and piano. The multiphonics (multiple pitched sounds) are played by the oboe against often
unmeasured rushes of percussion bursts. A dream like trio for harp, celeste, and vibraphone interrupts the busy
texture, which returns in typical ternary-trio-form . . .24
 64 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

In contrast to the tonal center of A in the fi rst movement, the oboe part of the third movement never
uses the note A. The movement opens with Cowell-like clusters of stacked intervals of major seconds,
which are explored in non-repetitive patterns throughout the orchestra. The multiphonic motive of a
diminished fi fth relationship (C) is also used in combination with motive X in a Carter-like manner of
combining fragments of compositional material. The next occurrence of a 7/8 time signature fi nds the
thematic material stated in retrograde. The multiphonic figure (C) also appears in reverse form amidst
statements of motive X. Interspersed between statements of motives A, C, and X are single repeated
pitches (B), which are also used in a structural fashion.

The B section elides with the A section in an unmetered passage of developmental material. An un-
usual characteristic of the relatively short section is, with the exception of a brief and contrasting central
section of vibraphone, harp and celeste; the lack of measures or denoted time signature. The return of
material from the A section at the 7/8 is nearly exact, including the continuation of pedal clusters at the
previous tempo for the span of several measures. A Carter-like combination of the A and X motives in
the oboe line ends the movement.
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The fourth movement of Coriglianos Concerto again explores the full range of the oboe in a sort
of gravity-defying reversed arch of musical phrasing. Like Carter, Corigliano uses smaller concertino
groups extracted from and set against the larger ensemble to maximize possibilities of color and texture
within sonorities. As explained by the composer,

Since the oboe builds its richest and strongest sounds as it descends in range, the climax of the arch is in its lowest
register. A cadenza for the solo instrument begins at this low peak, and the oboe slowly progresses upwards
as it grows softer, ending the movement as it began. A solo string quartet concertino is used with the soloist
against the fuller string accompaniment.25

Like the fi rst movement, the fourth employs a loose structure of sonata form that aids in accessibility.
A quartal-sonority pedal of combined piano and harp under an emphasis of a perfect fi fth in the oboe
and orchestra produces a Satie-like texture. The secondary theme recurs in m. 44 with further spin-
ning out in jazz-like treatment of melodic material, again occurring over Satie-like sonorities. A brief
orchestral interlude leads to an oboe cadenza that primarily considers the character and motives of the
second theme. The recapitulation (m. 71) is reversed, with the secondary theme occurring fi rst. The
primary theme returns in rhythmic augmentation and pedal Cs in the oboe.
The fi nal movement of Coriglianos Concerto uses an extended technique of playing the instru-
ment without the use of the lips and tongue against the reed (embouchure), to achieve a sound similar
 THE DOUBLE REED 65

to an Arabic instrument called a Rheita. 26 As described by Corigliano, The untouched reed vibrated,
and the result was a heady and forceful sound, lacking both the pitch and color controls of the Western
oboe, but carrying a unique, infectiously exciting quality. The Rheita Dance is built around that qual-
ity, and the microtonal relationships that grow out of the use of this technique.27
Measure 60 marks the beginning of a satire on the attempt by Impressionistic composers such as
Debussy and Ravel to use synthetic Oriental compositional elements to incorporate a taste of the
exotic in their music. 28 A brief, Debussy-like figuration occurs in the oboe before the elision of the
primary theme recurs in m. 82. A creative compositional technique is the sort of dialog or competition
between the solo oboe and the principal oboe of the orchestra (m. 123). The orchestral oboe enters in a
cadenza-like statement as if to steal the spotlight from the soloist. Interrupting the line with fast inter-
jections of the primary theme, the solo oboe and orchestra seems agitated and unnerved by the event.
The orchestral oboe continues unpreturbed [sic]29 against a second attempt to regain the spotlight by
the soloist. The solo oboe is then instructed to sneak in as imitation results between the two oboists.
The duality between solo and orchestral oboes takes to a new level the competitive nature between solo
and orchestra inherent in typical concertos. Measure 204 marks the return of the orientale, with a La
Mer-like motive in the oboe over octaves and major ninths in the orchestra. After a sustained high E in
the solo oboe, the Concerto ends abruptly with unison Ds s.

LUKAS FOSSS CONCERTO FOR OBOE

German-born, American composer Lukas Foss also struggled to adopt an ideal national sound while
simultaneously pursuing a distinctly individual style. Although his early pieces continue the tonal tra-
dition in the modern sense established by Strauss and Wagner, he has juggled many different styles
throughout his eclectic oeuvre. As Rorem writes, [Foss] kept on the bandwagons, leaping from Cop-
landian open prairies to Stravinskyan neoclassicism to post-Gregorian romanticism, to serial, to inde-
terminate, to jazz, to what he called pop-art music, and fi nally to unsafe.30 Composed in 1947-8 as

ARTICLES
a commission for Whitney Tustin, 31 the Concerto for Oboe is an earlier example from Fosss oeuvre as
well as an early example of a twentieth century oboe concerto. Written while Foss was determined to
preserve tonality and maintain accessibility, the Concerto is neo-Classical in its treatment of form and
motivic material. The work is tonal in a modern sense: harmonies are dissonant and relatively devoid of
hierarchical or structural relationships. Unlike the experimental treatment of the oboe in the concertos
of Carter and Corigliano, Fosss piece is a more conservative showcase. Although the Concerto utilizes
the full range of the oboe, no extended techniques are employed. Similarly, the standard-sized orchestra
is treated in a traditional manner both instrumentally and formally, with ritornello sections and imita-
tive conversations occurring between solo and accompaniment.
The work was written before Foss accepted a teaching position at the University of California in Los
Angeles, a career change that affected Fosss later compositions and style. As noted by the composer,

A mere pedagogic experiment which I conducted at U.C.L.A. and which was meant to change my students, changed
me; turned me (who was determined to compose classical music for the rest of my life) into an experimental
composer. I look back to the Oboe Concerto with a certain nostalgia, even with a certain pain - as towards an in-
nocence one cannot recapture.32

In keeping with the composers stated intent of a neo-Classical style, the fi rst movement is written in
sonata form. The exposition consists of two contrasting themes that are initially stated, then juxtaposed
and developed. The developmental section explores characters of the themes as well as transitional mo-
tivic material before leading to the recapitulation.
Despite Fosss quest to preserve traits of tradition in the Concerto, the introduction of the fi rst move-
ment leans deceptively towards the twelve-tone Viennese school of composition. Beginning with unison
and octave C s s in both solo and orchestral lines, the oboe slowly breaks away and begins a chromatic
descent spanning two octaves, using the upper and lower chromatic neighbors to decorate functional
pitches. Wagnerian-like chromatic saturation occurs as the notes enter strategically with little repetition
 66 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

until all twelve pitches have been introduced. A pedal C s continues in the accompaniment as a theme
is introduced which, although not relevant to the sonata form of the fi rst movement, foreshadows the
return of the material in the third movement. A Brahms-like motive of chorale-like sonorities (motive
X) serves as transitional material between the introduction and exposition (m. 30), as well as between
individual statements of the fi rst theme amongst different instruments within the exposition.
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The recapitulation of Fosss Concerto is not complete nor verbatim. Only the fi rst theme returns,
initially stated in the accompaniment, and then displaced an octave higher in the oboe solo. Imitation
is added immediately in the flute line (m. 212), a technique used previously in secondary statements
of the theme (m. 92). In comparison to the exposition and development sections, the recapitulation is
relatively short and concise. The Beethoven-like struggle throughout the movement between key areas
of C major and C minor is resolved with an almost Picardy-third effect in the fi nal two measures of
the recapitulation. In addition to providing an effective closing to the movement, the use of a striking
and familiar C major chord provides a structural element to integrate the movement. The effect is used
between statements of the fi rst and second themes in the exposition (m. 96), as well as at the beginning
of the recapitulation (m. 190).
 THE DOUBLE REED 67

The second movement of the Foss Concerto is in a traditional song form of ABA. The primary
theme is based upon a Sicilian folk tune, and is transplanted from an earlier work of the composers.
Foss explains,

The second [movement] uses a Sicilian folksong. The material to this movement dates back to my 17th year when I
was commissioned to write music for a childrens production of The Tempest (my first commission). I always liked
the tune and what I had done to it, and used it later because it seemed so well suited to the oboe.33

As with the primary theme from the fi rst movement, the harmonic treatment is ambiguous and non-
traditional. The close of the A section remains ambiguous with a minor dominant leading to a missing
third in the fi nal cadence.

The B section begins with the second theme; an obvious variant upon the fi rst. It might be possible
to view the B section as a development of the A, since familiar thematic and rhythmic materials are
explored through new tonal centers and time signatures. The B section provides more opportunity for

ARTICLES
rubato, with almost an improvisatory feel. Tempo and metronome markings allow for an accelerando
not unlike the metric modulation of Carters Concerto. The oboe solo contains a spinning out of
thematic material in a fashion of keyboard figurations. Sequential development occurs over a simplistic
accompaniment, and both solo and orchestral lines become more intricate and developed as they ap-
proach the climax. The B section ends in a cadenza-like moment of rubato in the solo part, accompanied
by a pedal Cs reminiscent of the beginning of the concerto.

The return of the A section is incomplete, as only the second half of the theme is stated. Although
the complete theme returns in rhythmic diminution in the accompaniment in m. 44, the continuation of
sequential material in the solo line and the use of a cadenza-like close suggest a false recapitulation in
the B section. The tonal center of the theme remains slightly ambiguous due to the transposition of the
return of thematic material up a half step. The fi nal chord of Cs major contains a raised third similar to
the Picardy-third effect of the end of the fi rst movement.
 68 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

A pedal Cs connects the second and third movements of Fosss Concerto, reminding listeners of
the opening of the work. The oboe introduction of the last movement is also nostalgic for the fi rst
movement with the return of a familiar theme as well as a variation on motive B. The principal theme
is a surprise, however, comprised of new material with rhythmic and folk-influenced quality that Foss
describes as circus music. In a loose rondo form, the principal theme returns sporadically throughout
the fi nal movement in both solo and orchestral voices.

JOHN HARBISONS OBOE CONCERTO

Of John Harbisons Oboe Concerto, Shirley Fleming writes,

Harbisons concerto...should win friends for contemporary American music. It has melody, a bold orchestral pres-
ence, attractive interplay between the soloists and individual orchestral instruments, and delightful but not over-
stated references to our very own home-grown idiom, jazz.34

Composed almost half a century after Fosss work, John Harbisons Oboe Concerto of 1991 utilizes
many trends of later twentieth century American composition. The oboe concerto was premiered by
William Bennett in 1992 and recorded by the artist on the London label. 35 Although Harbisons con-
certo is not traditionally tonal in the sense of utilizing key signatures; blues harmonies and use of pedal
tones provide tonal centers and a sense of formal progression throughout the movements. Like Bolcoms
Spring Concertino and Coriglianos Concerto, Harbisons work has been met with critical acclaim due
to the ease of accessibility that results from merging popular and classical elements of composition. As
stated by Leighton Kerner, Harbisons Oboe Concerto...emerges from two powerful live-music tradi-
tions, Bach and jazz....its the almost impossibly up-tempo Fantasia where Bach meets Ellington, and
we grab the last A train out of Leipzig.36
Like the fi rst movement of the Foss Concerto, the fi rst movement of Harbisons piece is composed
ARTICLES

in sonata form. Also similar to the Foss Concerto is the emphasis placed on pedal Fs s through the use
of instrumental doubling at the octave. As with the fi rst movement of the Foss Concerto, Harbison be-
gins the development with a ritornello-like orchestral interlude. Material from the closing of the second
theme is explored using jazz-like displaced accents in the oboe solo.

The development spins into progressively more complicated writing before coming to a sudden stop
at the beginning of the recapitulation (m. 141). The rhythmic, repetitive Es from the introduction re-
turn under an elaborate variation of the primary theme stated in the oboe line. A Carter-like ritardando
modulating to a slower metronome marking signals the transition to the second theme (m. 160). By
tying the pedal A over strong beats 1 and 3 of the cut-time meter, Harbison is able to blur rigidity and
maintain a blues-like effect. 37 The A pedal is exchanged for a pedal on D, also blurring the inherent
metric stresses of the time signature under a repetitive solo. As in Bolcoms Spring Concertino, the use
of a (reverse) circle of fi fths progression of pedal pitches is reminiscent of both Baroque writing and jazz,
and adds a subliminal effect of familiarity in transitional material for the listener.
 THE DOUBLE REED 69

The exact material from the introduction returns in a gamelan-influenced coda. 38 However, upon its
return the oboe joins and the orchestra deviates from the repetitive pitch. Although having undergone
drastic diminution, the thematic material in the oboe solo is recognizable as that of the fi rst theme from
the exposition. Direct imitation occurs between oboe and accompaniment to produce a hocket-like
rhythmic tapestry reminiscent of Carter.

The second movement, entitled Passacaglia, is written in a more through-composed manner

than the fi rst, yet utilizes recurrences of recognizable themes for accessibility. Harbison describes the
movements title as programmatic rather than a dictation of structure or form. In a manner similar to
Carters Concerto, Harbison divides the orchestra into smaller ensembles to explore colors and tex-
tures. As the composer describes,

The titles of the movements suggest Baroque forms, and the oboist often leads small concertino groups, in Ba-
roque manner. But the concerto presents a constantly shifting world in which contrasts are drastic, abrupt, and
wide ranging. The movement titles are only points of embarkation.39

Strict orchestral writing provides a foundation upon which the oboe solo elaborates. Above a repetitive
rhythm, the oboe elaborates upon the pitch A in a manner similar to the fi rst movement of Coriglianos
Concerto. First only half-steps above and below are used, then the line begins a diatonic descent down
a perfect fourth. The eclectic assortment of styles within a single piece is typical to Harbisons oeuvre,

ARTICLES
and aid in the accessibility of his pieces. As Mark Swed notes,

He readily takes inspiration from earlier eras, mainly the Baroque and Renaissance periods, all the while remaining
attentive to the world around him and various kinds of music people make these days, be it pop, traditional clas-
sical or the more experimental.40

The third movement, entitled Fantasia, again shows influence of popular music in the concerto.
As stated by Harbison, Finally, in the Fantasia, a 20s uptempo big band side arrives- through three
wild oboe excursions- at a sudden tenderness and intimacy, and an anti-heroic, Chaplinesque fi nal ges-
ture.41 More like the second movement in form, the third movement uses recurring thematic material
for cohesion and integration. In a jazz-influenced manner, themes are spun out. The opening theme
in the oboe (B) begins as one measure in length, then expands to one and a half measures, then two, and
then completes the statement at three measures in length. Like the Foss concerto, an emphasis is placed
on a pedal Fs accompanying the solo. New material is explored in jazz-like call and response conversa-
tion style in m. 54. The figure returns in both oboe and orchestra in m. 88, followed by an orchestral
return of the fi rst thematic material of the oboe (B) in m. 95. A grand pause signals a moment of struc-
tural importance, and marks a return to the opening solo in the oboe over the percussive pedal Fs s.
A quasi-cadenza occurs over a pedal C beginning in m. 112, the mixed meter effect of foreshadowing
nature. Measure 183 denotes what could be labeled the B section in a very loose ABA structure. In a
ritornello manner, the orchestral material (X) returns between soloistic statements. As thematic mate-
rial was spun out at the beginning of the movement, a sort of thematic diminution occurs beginning
in m. 273. The motivic material in both oboe and orchestral parts is metrically reduced in a Carter-like
manner by one eighth-note as the meters switch from 8/8 to 7/8 to 6/8.
 70 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

GEORGE ROCHBERGS OBOE CONCERTO

As with Carters piece, George Rochbergs Oboe Concerto of 1983 can be viewed as one continuous
movement. More like Bolcoms Spring Concertino, however, the piece is divided into four sections by
means of tempo markings and changes in the musical character. Commissioned for, dedicated to, and
premiered by Joseph Robinson;42 the Concerto is an attempt by Rochberg to continue the path of the
great composers, rather than to create a new style. As explained by Rochberg,

The idea of renewal, the rediscovery of music, began to haunt me. I came to realize that the music of the old
masters was a living presence, that its spiritual values had not been displaced or destroyed by the new music.
The shock wave of this enlargement of vision was to alter my whole attitude toward what was musically possible
today.43

In contrast to the style reversal of Lukas Foss, who in trying to teach the reasons for preserving tonal
writing converted to an experimental style, Rochberg made a reverse journey from an experimental to
a more traditional composer. Inspired by Milton Babbits essay on the lack of concern in the creative
process for audience appeal demonstrated by contemporary composers of academic music, Rochberg
reassessed his aesthetic beliefs and turned to a whole-hearted embrace of traditionally-oriented tonal
possibilities.44 As Theodore Libbey, Jr. states,

He discarded the notion of originality, according to which the personal style of the artist and his ego are the
supreme values. He broke off pursuit of the one-idea, uni-dimensional work . . . which seems to have dominated
the esthetics of art in the twentieth century. He rejected the received idea that it is necessary to divorce oneself
from the past, to eschew the taint of association with those great masters who not only preceded us, but (let it not
be forgotten) created the art of music itself.45
ARTICLES

Arguably, however, in his pursuit to continue the accessible route of the great composers preceding
him, Rochberg created an individual style which sets him apart from the works of his contemporaries.
Idiomatically, the writing is conservative for the oboe, with a moderate range that stays predominantly
in the middle of the oboes capabilities. Neither extended techniques nor extreme virtuosity is required.
The orchestral writing tends toward the late-Romantic German style of Strauss and Wagner, with thick
textures and motivic interplay between instruments. An almost typical wind section (minus oboes),
moderate percussion, harp, and traditional use of strings are employed.
Similar to the fi rst movement of Fosss Concerto, the fi rst large structural section (movement) of
Rochbergs work hints at sonata form. Also not unlike the Foss piece, Rochbergs Concerto begins with
Wagnerian-like chromatic saturation. The fi rst two measures of accompaniment are deceptively twelve-
tone in construction, as all twelve pitches are contained in the chromatic contrary motion. Whether or
not intentional, the plan is soon discontinued, as greater spans and increased repetitions of pitches exist
between collections following the introduction. No orchestral prelude sets the stage for the solo, instead
the oboe enters with the fi rst theme an eighth note before the orchestral accompaniment. Reminiscent
of the solo cello theme from the Prelude to Wagners opera Tristan und Isolde, the oboe solo seems to
begin in the middle of a thematic statement, as elsewhere in the movement the theme is stated with the
eighth-note pick-ups leading to a dotted-quarter note.
 THE DOUBLE REED 71

While the development is mainly concerned with material from the second theme, the brief recapitula-
tion utilizes material from the primary theme. Variations on the material occur in the oboe over a chro-
matically-saturated accompaniment. A new rhythmic motive is introduced in the piccolo and trumpet,
which will unify upcoming sections of the Concerto. As in Bolcoms Spring Concertino, brief cadenzas
framing structural sections allow for expressive rubato. Unlike the Bolcom, however, the freer sections
of Rochbergs piece retain restrictions of time signatures.

The second section (Allegretto comodo) is more through-composed, and begins with the eighth-
note motive from m. 32 of the fi rst section appearing now in rhythmic diminution. A brief cadenza-like
passage for solo oboe marks the end of the second formal section. The third section of the Concerto is
of a differing character from the previous two. An almost comical bassoon line becomes an ostinato.
Imitation of the solo occurs in the orchestra in mm. 140-1. An exact repetition of the theme occurs (m.
147), but is interrupted by a triplet motive recalling the piccolo/trumpet figure of m. 49 in the fi rst sec-
tion. The theme is again stated, ending in augmentation before a third cadenza brings the third formal

ARTICLES
division of the Concerto to a close.
Juxtaposing the trill figure from the third section with the accompaniment from the principal theme
of the fi rst section creates unity through motivic integration at the start of the fi nal section of Roch-
bergs Concerto (m. 193). The second theme from the fi rst section returns in m. 198 above the piccolo/
trumpet figure and a continuation of the chromatic accompaniment. The primary theme returns in m.
203 as a sort of encompassing recapitulation for the entire work. An augmentation of the fi rst theme
in the oboe occurs over statements of the second theme in the accompaniment, leading to a dramatic
pause (m. 253). Hammering sixteenth-notes in the orchestra confl ict with a lyrical descending half-step
relation in the solo line. The oboe once again states the primary theme (m. 267) with a triplet extension
before coming to rest on an Fs. The piccolo/trumpet figure recurs a fi nal time in octave Cs to create a
Cowell-like cluster of sonorities which quietly but dissonantly close the concerto.
 72 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

Oboe concertos of Rochberg and Foss use familiar elements of structure and orchestration to main-
tain recognizable old traditions of composition. Carter and Corigliano use new and experimental
techniques in their treatment of both solo instrument and orchestra. Oboe concertos by Bolcom and
Harbison borrow popular elements from the blues and jazz to continue the sense of a culturally ap-
pealing American style initiated by Copland and Gershwin. The oboe concertos show evidence of the
struggles and dilemmas that twentieth century American composers faced in creating lasting pieces that
could help solidify their names within the great musical canon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Oboist Krista Riggs has joined the music faculty at California State University, Fresno, where she cur-
rently teaches oboe and music theory. Riggs earned a Doctor of Music in Oboe Performance and Lit-
erature from Indiana University in 2004, with minors in Music Education and Library Science. Upon
the document defense/fi nal examination for the degree, she was unanimously awarded high distinction
by the faculty committee. She also holds a Master of Library Science and a Master of Music in Oboe
Performance with a cognate in Music Theory from Indiana University. Having done undergraduate
work at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, she received the degree of Bachelor of
Music in Orchestral Performance (Summa Cum Laude) from ASU in 1999, where she also studied music
composition. Her principal oboe teachers include Theodore Baskin, Roger Roe, Harry Sargous, Henry
Schuman, and Martin Schuring. Since graduating, Riggs has been invited to present research papers at
regional, national, and international conferences such as the World Conference of the International So-
ciety for Music Education in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the International Symposium on the Philosophy
of Music Education in Hamburg, Germany, and the National Conference of the College Music Society
in Quebec City. Her writing has been accepted for publication in The Double Reed of the International
Double Reed Society and the Philosophy of Music Education Review.
ARTICLES

NOTES

1 Sara Lambert Bloom, Oboe Record Reviews, 14 The Double Reed 2, accessed online at http://
www.idrs.org/Publications/DR/DR14.2/DR14.2.Bloom.RecordRev.html.
2 J. Peter Burkholder, Museum Pieces: the Historicist Mainstream in Music of the Last Hundred
Years. 2 Journal of Musicology (1983): 115-134.
3 Leonard Bernstein, The Joy of Music (New York: Double Day, 1994), 46.
4 Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music, 5th Ed. (New York: W.W.
Norton and Co., 1996), 760.
5 James Fry, The Composers Art, Accessed online at http://www.und.edu/dept/mcr/other1.html.
6 Grout, 784.
7 Milton Babbitt, Words About Music: The Madison Lectures. (Madison, WI: University of Wiscon-
sin Press, 1987), 164-66.
8 Fry, The Composers Art.
9 Elliott Carter, Oboe Concerto. (USA: Hendon Music, Inc., 1988), preface.
10 Charles Rosen, The Musical Languages of Elliott Carter. (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress,
1983), 67.
11 Carter, Oboe Concerto, preface.
12 Rosen, 67.
13 Grout, 783.
14 Ned Rorem, Settling the Score. (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Johanovich, 1988), 281.
15 Reviews, Bolcom and Morris, accessed online at http://www.bolcomandmorris.com/.
16 William Bolcom, Spring Concertino for Oboe and Small Orchestra. (Bryn Mawr: EB Marks Music,
1987).
17 John Corigliano, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1975). (New York: G. Schirmer, 1983),
preface.
 THE DOUBLE REED 73

18 Corigliano, Concerto, preface.

19 Robert Howe and J. Robert Moore. Records, 2 The Double Reed 1, accessed online at http://idrs.
colorado.edu/Publications/DR/DR2.1/records.html.
20 John Corigliano, accessed online at http://www.fi neartsmgmt.com/artists/corigliano.htm.
21 Mark Swed, American Composer: John Adams, Chamber Music (August 1997): 12.
22 John Corigliano, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1975). (New York: G. Schirmer, 1983),
preface.
23 John Corigliano, preface.
24 John Corigliano, preface.
25 Corigliano, preface.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid.
28 Corigliano, preface.
29 Corigliano, 43.
30 Rorem, 274-5.
31 Lukas Foss, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. (New York: Southern Music Co., Inc., 1952).
32 Lukas Foss, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. Bert Gassman, oboe. Crystal Records S851; liner
notes.
33 Lukas Foss, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. Bert Gassman, oboe. Crystal Records S851; liner
notes.
34 Shirley Fleming, Harbison Oboe Concerto, New York Post, accessed online at http://www.
schirmer.com/composers/harbison_oboe_concerto.html.
35 John Harbison, Oboe Concerto. (Milwaukee, WI: Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1996).
36 Leighton Kerner, John Harbison- Oboe Concerto. G. Schirmer/AMP Home Page, accessed online
at http://www.schirmer.com/composers/harbison_oboe_concerto.html.
37 John Harbison, Oboe Concerto. (Milwaukee, WI: Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1996), pro-

ARTICLES
gram note.
38 Ibid.
39 Harbison, program note.
40 Swed, 12.
41 Harbison, program note.
42 George Rochberg, Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1983). (Bryn Mawr: Theodore Presser Co.,
1985).
43 George Rochberg, Theodore Presser Co., accessed online at http://www.presser.com/rochberg.
html.
44 Ibid.
45 Ibid.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Babbitt, Milton. Words About Music: The Madison Lectures. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin
Press, 1987.
Berio, Luciano. Sequenza VII for Oboe Solo (1969). London: Universal Edition, 1971.
Bernstein, Leonard. The Joy of Music. New York: Double Day, 1994.
Bloom, Sara Lambert. Oboe Record Reviews, 14 Double Reed 2, accessed online at http://www.idrs.
org/Publications/DR/DR14.2/DR14.2.Bloom.RecordRev.html.
Bolcom, William. Spring Concertino for Oboe and Small Orchestra. Bryn Mawr: E.B. Marks Music
Co., 1987.
Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis, 5th ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace, 1994.
Burkholder, J. Peter. 1983. Museum Pieces: the Historicist Mainstream in Music of the Last Hundred
Years. Journal of Musicology 2:115-134.
Carter, Elliott. Oboe Concerto. U.S.A.: Hendon Music, Inc., 1988.
 74 THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN OBOE CONCERTO: SOMETHING OLD, NEW, BORROWED, AND BLUE

Corigliano, John. Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1975). New York: G. Schirmer, 1983.
Crawford, Richard, R. Allen Lott, and Carol J. Oja, eds. A Celebration of American Music: Words and
Music in Honor of H. Wiley Hitchcock. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1993.
Fleming, Shirley. Harbison Oboe Concerto, New York Post, accessed online at http://www.schirmer.
com/composers/harbison_oboe_concerto.html.
Foss, Lukas. Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. Bert Gassman, oboe. Crystal Records S851, liner
notes.
Foss, Lukas. Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra. New York: Southern Music Co., Inc., 1952.
Fry, James. The Composers Art, accessed online at, http://www.und.edu/dept/mcr/other1.html.
George Rochberg, Theodore Presser Co., accessed online at http://www.presser.com/rochberg.html.
Goosen, Frederic, ed. Thinking About Music: The Collected Writings of Ross Lee Finney. Tuscaloosa:
University of Alabama Press, 1991.
Grout, Donald Jay and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music, 5th Ed. New York: W.W. Nor-
ton and Co., 1996.
Harbison, John. Oboe Concerto. Milwaukee: Associated Music Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Howe, Robert and J. Robert Moore. Records, 2 Double Reed 1, accessed online at http://idrs.colo-
rado.edu/Publications/DR/DR2.1/records.html.
John Corigliano, accessed online at http://www.fi neartsmgmt.com/artists/corigliano.htm.
Kerner, Leighton, John Harbison- Oboe Concerto. G. Schirmer/AMP Home Page, accessed online at
http://www.schirmer.com/composers/harbison_oboe_concerto.html.
Mason, Daniel Gregory. The Dilemma of American Music, and Other Essays. New York: Macmillan
Company, 1928.
Morgan, Robert P. Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and
America. New York: Norton, 1991.
Rochberg, George. Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (1983). Bryn Mawr: Theodore Presser Co.,
1985.
ARTICLES

Rorem, Ned. Settling the Score. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Johanovich, 1988.
Rosen, Charles. The Writings of Elliott Carter. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1983.
Salzman, Eric. Twentieth-Century Music: An Introduction, 2nd Ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall,
Inc., 1974.
Swed, Mark. American Composer: John Adams, Chamber Music (August 1997).
Swed, Mark. American Composer: John Harbison, Chamber Music (June 1997).
Thomson, Virgil. American Music Since 1910. New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, 1971.
Weiss, Piero and Richard Taruskin. Music in the Western World: A History in Documents. New York:
Schirmer Books, 1984.
Yates, Peter. Twentieth Century Music: Its Evolution from the End of the Harmonic Era to the Present
Era of Sound. New York: Pantheon Books, 1967.
 THE DOUBLE REED 75

A Tuning Primer
Dr. Gary Moody
Fort Collins, Colorado

I
was eager to read Terry Ewells product review of Stephen Colleys Intonation Training System in
The Double Reed (Vol. 28 No. 3, pg. 150-153). Mr. Ewell observes some valid points about Colleys
product, but also raises questions about pure tuning that I would like to try to help address.
Tuning is something that many musicians only roughly understand. So often, we encounter con-
fl icting information: we are told to lower the third of a major triad, yet raise the leading tone, which is
nonetheless the third of the dominant chord. No wonder that there is so much confusion. Compound-
ing the problem is the observation that our preferences for intonation are different for the placement of
notes in a chord than they may be for placement of notes in an unaccompanied melody. Pure intervals
are simple ratios that sounding harmonically will be beatless. In a melodic setting, unaccompanied
pitches would have no opportunity to confl ict with others, thus leaving tuning more to subjective
choices.
In order to tune any notes in a scale it is necessary to understand how their positions were deter-
mined. There are a number of different tuning systems, all of which have their advantages and disad-
vantages. Among these varying systems are four of the more common tuning methods - Pythagorean,
Just, One-Quarter Comma Meantone, and Equal Temperament.

THE MONOCHORD

ARTICLES
Intervals have long been calculated through the use of the monochord. The string separated by a mov-
able bridge allows for the tuning of intervals to precise mathematical proportions. The whole tone can
be created by dividing the string into nine parts and sounding nine, then eight of those parts. The upper
note will be the sound created by eight parts and the ratio of upper to lower will be 8:9. The frequency
ratio of the upper to lower note will be the reciprocal of this ratio, or 9:8. Thus, the size of any musical
interval can be expressed by the frequency ratio (or inverse of the string ratio).
Notes of the harmonic series, because each is a multiple of their fundamental, may also be expressed
as ratios. Thus, the interval between the fi fth and fourth harmonics would have the frequency ratio of
5:4. Any two integers may be thought of as harmonics of some common fundamental, for example, the
17:16 could be thought of as the sixteenth and seventeenth harmonics of a fundamental four octaves be-
low the lower note. This same line of thought can be used for higher numbers as well, such as 81:64.
Therefore, interval ratios may be thought of as the ratios of string lengths, frequencies, or harmonics
in an extended series.

THE PYTHAGOREAN SYSTEM

Because of the natural phenomenon of the Harmonic Series, its use for tuning scales comes quite natu-
rally. The 3rd harmonic can be easily heard in many tones, and it is not difficult to understand how it
would have become readily used. The ratio between the second and 3rd harmonics is also quite simple,
being that of 3:2, and is the interval of what we call a Perfect 5th. Two tones whose frequencies have this
relationship blend better together than any combinations except the Unison and Octave.
The Pythagorean scale, therefore, makes use of this 3/2 ratio, and builds its notes on successive 3/2
ratios. Hence, if C is our starting note, the frequency of G will be 3/2 times that of C. D is found to be
a fi fth above G or 9/4 above that of the original C (3/2 x 3/2 = 9/4). This note can be brought to within
the octave above the starting note by dividing its ratio by 2, creating 9/8. The note A will be 3/2 above
D, and the note E will be 3/2 above A, and so on as the series progresses.
 76 A TUNING PRIMER

The note F will be placed at 3/2 below, or at 2/3 the frequency of C. This note is then moved above
C by raising it an octave, that is, by multiplying it by 2 (2 x 2/3 = 4/3). We can therefore continue a suc-
cession of notes 3/2 below C by their inversions - notes that are a series of 4/3 above our starting note
of C. The note B f will be 4/3 above F or 4/3 x 4/3 = 16/9. The note E f will be 4/3 above B f and the note
Af will be 4/3 above that. The ratio 4/3 can also be viewed as the complement of the 3/2 fifth and the
octave (3/2 x 4/3 = 2/1).
All notes, therefore, in the Pythagorean will be either a 3/2 Perfect 5th above or below some other
note as long as there is no enharmonic misspelling.

TABLE 1
PYTHAGOREAN TUNING
C Df D Ef E F Fs G Af A Bf B C
1/1 256/243 9/8 32/27 81/64 4/3 729/512 3/2 128/81 27/16 16/9 243/128 2/1

In the Pythagorean System C s is a series of seven 3/2 above C with the ratio of 2187/2048, while
D f is a series of five 4/3 above C, with a ratio of 256/243. In this system Cs has a larger ratio than D f
(C s 2187/2048 = 1.0687, D f 256/243 = 1.05349) and is therefore a higher note. The difference between
these and, in fact, any enharmonics in the Pythagorean system is the ratio 531441/524288 or about one-
fourth of a half-step. This interval is known as the Pythagorean Comma.
Enharmonic misspellings are possible when tuning is confi ned to twelve notes per octave as would
be found on the standard keyboard. Because nature created a spiral of fi fths, it is impossible to round
a circle of fi fths without encountering an enharmonic misspelling. This misspelled fi fth, or literally a
diminished 6th, as would be found between C s and Af , would be off by the width of the Pythagorean
comma and therefore out of tune. Such misspelled fi fths are known as wolf 5ths.
Because the Pythagorean system is based upon such a simple interval as the 3/2 Perfect 5th, it be-
ARTICLES

comes a standard by which other systems may be measured. In his book Tuning and Temperament,
Murray Barbour used a system of superscript numbers to describe tuning systems in relation to the Py-
thagorean system. The superscript 0 along with a pitch name is a shortened notation for Pythagorean
ratios; for example, A0 equals the Pythagorean ratio of 27/16.
The superscript numbers in the notation of any tuning system denote the intervals comma deviation
from their counterparts in the Pythagorean system.

TABLE 2
SUPERSCRIPT NOTATION FOR PYTHAGOREAN TUNING
C0 Df0 D0 Ef0 E0 F0 Fs0 G0 Af0 A0 Bf0 B0 C0

THE 5-LIMIT JUST SYSTEM

The Pythagorean system makes use of consonant Perfect 5ths, which work well for music that is limited
to open 5ths or 4ths like early Organum. When the use of the Major 3rd as a consonant interval came
about, the 81/64 interval between C and E was found to be harsh. A more consonant sound was created
by making use of the interval between the fourth and fi fth harmonics of the Harmonic series, with a
ratio of 5/4. When building a 5-Limit Just Scale, notes are placed to be either a 3/2 Perfect 5th above a
previously placed note, or a 5/4 Major 3rd above. (Pythagorean Tuning could be considered a 3-Limit
Just System.) Once again starting with C, we can place, like the Pythagorean system, a G at 3/2 above
and an F 4/3 above. The E is placed at 5/4 above, creating a consonant C Major triad. The A is located
at a 5/4 above the F, placing it at a 5/3 Major 6th above C (4/3 x 5/4 = 5/3). This creates a consonant F
Major Triad. The B is placed 5/4 above the G, at a 15/8 Major 7th above C (3/2 x 5/4 = 15/8). If the D
is placed at 9/8, as it was in the Pythagorean, a consonant G major triad is created. This completes the
placement of all the white keys of the keyboard. Additionally, B f with a ratio of 16/9 can be placed by
 THE DOUBLE REED 77

combining two 4/3 fourths (4/3 x 4/3 = 16/9).

The 5-limit Just system produces the interval of a minor 3rd that lies between the 5/4 major 3rd and
the 3/2 fi fth, and has the ratio of 6/5 (5/4 x 6/5 = 3/2). This interval can be used to place E f at 6/5 above
C. By combining with the 4/3 fourth, an Af at an 8/5 Minor 6th is placed. When combined with the
16/9 Minor 7th, the 32/15 minor ninth is placed, which, when lowered an octave, becomes the 16/15
minor second. Fs can be placed as 5/4 above the 9/8 D, giving it a ratio of 45/32 (9/8 x 5/4 = 45/32). All
notes in the 5 Limit Just System are therefore found to be either a 3/2 or a 5/4 above or below previously
placed notes.

TABLE 3
5-LIMIT JUST TUNING
C Df D Ef E F Fs G Af A Bf B C
1/1 16/15 9/8 6/5 5/4 4/3 45/32 3/2 8/5 5/3 16/9 15/8 2/1

All of the ratios above are relatively simpler than those of the Pythagorean System, and it is consid-
ered that the simpler the ratio, the more consonant the interval. (A 3/2 Perfect 5th is more consonant
than 5/4 Major 3rd, which is more consonant than an 81/64 Major 3rd.) It would seem that any debate
over tuning systems would end here and that this will serve all needs.
Compare now the major 3rd interval created in the Pythagorean and Just systems. In the Pythagore-
an, E can be found above C by climbing four 3/2 fi fths and dropping two octaves, with a ratio of 81/64
(3/2 x 3/2 x 3/2 x 3/2 = 81/16, reduced to within an octave gives 81/64). This is a wider interval than
that found between the 4th and 5th harmonics, and the difference is known as the Syntonic Comma
with a ratio of 81/80 (5/4 x 81/80 = 81/64). The difference between the Pythagorean and Syntonic Com-
mas is very small, with a ratio of only 32805/32768, or about one-fiftieth of a semitone, and is known
as the schisma. The difference between these two commas is often discounted with the use of the

ARTICLES
unspecific term comma. The Syntonic Comma becomes the difference between any interval found by
combining a series of 3/2 fi fths, and a version found by combining 3/2 fi fths (or 4/3 fourths) plus one
5/4 major third (or 6/5 minor 3rd). Thus, for example, the 27/16 Pythagorean Major 6th, created by
stacking three fi fths, is a comma wider than the 5/3 Just Major 6th created by stacking a 4/3 fourth and
5/4 major 3rd (5/3 x 81/80 = 27/16). For simplified comparison, Barbours notation can be used, with
the superscript figures representing the comma deviation from the Pythagorean scale.

TABLE 4
SUPERSCRIPT NOTATION FOR 5-LIMIT JUST TUNING
C0 Df+1 D0 Ef+1 E-1 F0 Fs-1 G0 Af+1 A-1 Bf0 B-1 C0
1/1 16/15 9/8 6/5 5/4 4/3 45/32 3/2 8/5 5/3 16/9 15/8 2/1

Using this notation, it is easy to fi nd pure major triads. They have a root and 5th with the same
superscript number and a 3rd with a superscript one integer (or one comma) lower (i.e., C 0 -E -1-G 0 , or
D f+1-F0 -A f+1). Pure minor triads feature same number roots and fi fths, with a 3rd one comma higher
(i.e., C 0 -E f+1-G 0 or E -1-G 0 -B -1). Thus, in the tuning above, some of the triads are pure and others are
not.
Further examination reveals difficulties with this tuning system. D with a ratio of 9/8 is in tune with
the G at 3/2, allowing D to function as a fi fth for the G triad. When D is used as the 3rd of a B f triad,
however, it is too high--B f0 -D 0 -F0. It should be the pure 5/4 major 3rd above B f , instead of the 81/64
Pythagorean major 3rd above. To fit with in the B f triad, the D must be lowered one comma to a 10/9
ratio (16/9 x 5/4 = 20/9, lowered an octave to give 10/9) B f0 -D -1-F0. This 10/9 D, would now create a
pure D minor triad - D -1-F0 -A-1, though would no longer fit with the G triad. To create pure intervals,
it is then necessary for the scale to include two Ds, at 9/8 and at 10/9.
This 10/9 whole tone was already present in the original just scale between the 9/8 D and the 5/4
 78 A TUNING PRIMER

E (9/8 x 10/9 = 5/4). This presence of two sizes of whole tones has been another criticism of the just
scale.
B f at 16/9 is a pure fourth above F, but is not a pure minor 3rd above G, so it does not allow a pure
G minor triad - G 0 -B f0 -D 0. To create a pure G minor triad, it would be necessary to raise B f by one
comma to a ratio a 6/5 minor 3rd above the G, or 9/5 (3/2 x 6/5 = 9/5). Once again, one solution would
be to allow the use of two separate B f s.
Keyboards, being unable to immediately bend the pitch of notes, must either add additional notes
per octave or make a choice between these tuning options. Choices will provide certain pure triads and
sacrifice others. These choices are the reasons for varied ratios within differing just scales.

TABLE 5
OPTIONAL 5-LIMIT JUST TUNING
C0 Df+1 D-1 Ef+1 E-1 F0 Fs-1 G0 Af+1 A-1 Bf+1 B-1 C0
1/1 16/15 10/9 6/5 5/4 4/3 45/32 3/2 8/5 5/3 9/5 15/8 2/1

Since just tuning uses both pure fi fths and pure thirds to place notes in the scale, the possibility
arises that a note may be found using varying combinations of fi fths and thirds, resulting in different
levels for that pitch. C s might be located with the series C-G-D-A-C s , climbing three fi fths and one
third. Alternately, the series C-F-A-C s might be used, using one fi fth (or fourth) and two thirds. A pitch
will vary from the Pythagorean tuning one syntonic comma for every third used in its tuning placement.
Thus, the former C s in Barbours system would be notated as C s-1 and the latter marked as C s-2 . Cs -1
would be in tune with the 45/32 Fs -1, but the C s -2 would be a pure major third above A-1. This difficulty
becomes the primary drawback to just tuning when it is fi xed to twelve pitches per octave. Not only will
the enharmonic misspellings occur, but pure intonation may be prevented by the varying levels of other-
wise correctly spelled intervals. A wolf fi fth can occur in this system when it is correctly spelled, if one
ARTICLES

of the pitches varies from the Pythagorean level. This occurs above in Table 4 between D 0 and A-1.
Special keyboards have been designed that contain more than these twelve pitches per octave, but
they can become cumbersome. Non-fi xed-pitch instruments are not limited to twelve pitches per octave
and may supply several versions of the same pitch class.
In the Pythagorean system, Ff is lower than En by one Pythagorean comma. The just system places E
at E -1, one syntonic comma lower than its Pythagorean level, in order to form a pure major third above
C. Thus, Ff 0 is one Pythagorean comma lower than E 0 and and only a schisma away from the level of
E -1. This difference, is often discounted, making it possible to build a tuning system using only pure
fi fths that will result in nearly-pure thirds whenever they are spelled as diminished fourths, as in the
case of C-Ff.
The 5-limit Just System can be expanded to include another member of the Harmonic Series. This
system goes beyond the 6th harmonic (which is an octave above the 3rd harmonic) and includes in-
tervals that make use of the 7th harmonic and its relationship to other harmonics. This harmonic fits
conveniently into the Dominant 7th chord, where the harmonics 4-5-6-7 may be used to create a sound
more consonant than the chord built using another method of calculating the minor 7th above the root.
Vigorous debate has occurred as to the acceptability of the use of the 7th harmonic, with argument
centered about how dissonant the Dominant 7th chord should be and the practicality of use of the pitch
level on the already limited keyboard.
As bending the pitch makes these notes available to instruments whose pitch is not fi xed, this meth-
od will present techniques for placing intervals found in 7-limit Just Tuning. It is up to the performer to
determine whether their sounds are preferable to those of other tuning systems.
If a tuning system may make use of the 7th Harmonic, why not higher ones? The ninth is coincident
with the 9/8 interval found in the Pythagorean and 5 Limit Just System. Some musicians have gone
beyond to the 11th and even the 13th harmonics, as any stopping point seems arbitrary, and at the dis-
cretion and ability of the performer.
 THE DOUBLE REED 79

TEMPERAMENTS

Any system which results in intervals bent out of their most consonant positions as found in the Har-
monic series is called a temperament. Strictly, even 5-limit Just Intonation when locked in on a key-
board, becomes a temperament in that it forces us to use compromised intervals in certain keys. Because
the standard keyboard is limited to 12 notes per octave, not all notes in the Just Scale have a 5/4 Major
3rd above them. Just Tuning would allow, for example, the 5/4 Major 3rd to exist over each pitch, but
would require far more than 12 notes per octave. A Just Temperament results in some consonant keys,
and other mis-tuned keys.
The purpose of most temperaments is to reduce the mis-spelled intervals and allow for enhar-
monic substitutions. Perfectly tuned intervals are sacrificed to achieve that end. Exactly where and how
far the sacrifices are made is the distinction between the various methods of temperament.

ONE-QUARTER COMMA MEANTONE

In Just tuning, within a series of four ascending fi fths, one is narrowed by an entire comma in order
to create a pure third (i.e., C 0 -G 0 -D 0 -A-1-E -1). The One-quarter Comma Meantone System seeks to
distribute this wolf evenly among the four fi fths, by narrowing each by one-fourth comma (i.e. C 0 -
G -1/4 -D -1/2-A-3/4 -E -1). While there will be no fi fths narrow by an entire comma, there will also be no
pure fi fths, and each will create beats when sounded harmonically.
This temperament also solves the discrepancy of two sizes of Major seconds by averaging the two
sizes together, creating a Meantone. The just-tuned progression of C 0 -D 0 -E -1 has been evened to two
equal whole tones C 0 -D -1/2-E -1.
Unlike the just scale, which, when limited to twelve notes per octave, will give some pure and some
impure major thirds, this temperament gives uniformly pure thirds when they are spelled correctly.
While the One-quarter Comma Meantone system does not give pure minor triads, they are nearly so,

ARTICLES
varying from pure by one-fourth of a comma.
The size of one-quarter comma can be determined by two methods. If one multiplies this ratio of
the comma, 81/80, by 4/4, the result is the equal ratio of 324/320, which can be arithmetically divided
into four parts or quarter commas 321/320, or 1.003125. The quarter comma can also be found Geo-
metrically, by taking the Fourth Root of 81/80, obtaining the figure of 1.003110. Because the Comma
is so narrow, there is a negligible difference.
This system still has different placements for C s and D f , and therefore will have mis-spelled inter-
vals. C s , (which is one comma higher than D f in the Pythagorean system), will be lowered from the
Pythagorean by seven-quarter commas, and D f will be raised by five-quarter commas, giving them a
discrepancy of two commas. This is as wide as the worst discrepancy occurring in the just system, and
will occur in the One-quarter meantone system any time there is an enharmonic misspelling. This wide
discrepancy disallows any enharmonic substitution, that is, G s can never successfully pose as Af , limit-
ing this system to within musical contexts that will create no enharmonic misspellings.

TABLE 6
ONE-QUARTER COMMA MEANTONE TEMPERAMENT
C0 Df+5/4 D-1/2 Ef+3/4 E-1 F+1/4 Fs-6/4 G-1/4 Af+1 A-3/4 Bf+1/2 B-5/4 C0

While strictly speaking, the One-quarter Comma system is the only one which produces a tone
which is the mean between the two sizes of tones in the just system, other systems which bend the
fi fth some portion of the syntonic comma have come to be labeled under the general name of mean-
tone temperaments. These systems narrow the fi fth by 1/6th, 1/5, 1/3rd 2/7ths and even 3/14ths of a
comma.
 80 A TUNING PRIMER

EQUAL TEMPERAMENT

To allow for enharmonic substitution, it is necessary to bend the enharmonics to some position where
they are mutually acceptable. This can be accomplished in a number of varying methods - bending indi-
vidual notes by differing amounts. Temperaments that allow enharmonic substitution make it possible
to modulate to any key. Such temperaments are classified as unrestricted.
Equal Temperament seeks to equalize the scale fully, by dividing the Octave geometrically into
twelve equal parts. This solves the problem of differently sized Whole Tones, and also ends the prob-
lem of enharmonic misspellings, as in this system a C s becomes equal to D f. This results in a system
that can play in all keys equally well, as no key will have any misspellings.
While this would seem to be the fi nal mathematical solution to the problem of tuning, it creates a
new problem. None of the intervals in this system will correspond to notes in the Harmonic series, so
that there will be an inevitable clash of intervals and overtones. The intervals of the Equal-tempered
system are also difficult to hear - they are mathematical abstractions rather than simple ratios.
The Equal-tempered system makes the enharmonics equal by bending the spiral of fi fths into a
circle, so that a B s , which is higher in the spiral of 5ths than the C by the Pythagorean Comma, is
lowered to a level equal to C. This bending occurs evenly throughout what is now a Circle of
5ths and is accomplished by lowering each fi fth by one-twelfth of the Pythagorean Comma. (Geo-
metrically, (524288/531441)1/12 , or arithmetically, lowering the 3/2 Perfect 5th by the ratio of
6,291,456/6,298,609.)

TABLE 7
EQUAL TEMPERAMENT
C0 Df+5/12 D-2/12 Ef+3/12 E-4/12 F+1/12 Fs-6/12 G-1/12 Af+4/12 A-3/12 Bf+2/12 B-5/12 C0
ARTICLES

It is now irrelevant to label a note either Fs or G f. Because F s0 is higher than G f0 by one comma,
lowering the former or raising the latter by six-twelfths or one-half comma creates the same pitch
level.
While this temperament leaves fi fths that are only about a schisma away from pure, it also has ma-
jor thirds that are off by two-thirds of a comma and minor thirds that are off by seven-twelfths. Pure,
beatless intervals never occur within this temperament, though neither do intervals that are off by more
than half a comma.

TABLE 8
FOUR TUNING SYSTEMS
Pythagorean
C0 Df0 D0 Ef0 E0 F0 Fs0 G0 Af0 A0 Bf0 B0 C0
0 90 204 294 408 498 612 702 792 906 996 1110 1200

5-Limit Just
C0 Df+1 D0 Ef+1 E-1 F0 Fs-1 G0 Af+1 A-1 Bf0 B-1 C0
0 112 204 316 386 498 590 702 814 884 996 1088 1200

One-Quarter Comma Meantone

C0 Df+5/4 D-1/2 Ef+3/4 E-1 F+1/4 Fs-6/4 G-1/4 Af+1 A-3/4 Bf+1/2 B-5/4 C0
0 117 193 310 386 503 579 697 814 990 1097 1083 1200
Equal Temperament

C Df D Ef E F Fs G Af A Bf B C
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200
 THE DOUBLE REED 81

Because every semitone is of the same size, Equal temperament provides us with a useful means of
measurement for intervals. Each equally-tempered semitone is divided equally into 100 Cents, so that
the octave contains 1200 Cents. The width in cents of any interval can be calculated by taking Natural
Logarithm of the ratio in question and dividing it by the Natural Logarithm of the twelve-hundredth
root of 2. This system also allows the use of the addition process to combine the intervals. For example,
a 9/8 Major second is 204 wide and an 81/64 Major 3rd (the product of two 9/8 Major seconds) is
408.

EWELL AND COLLEY

Intonation must float, not only because of the need for two Ds while just playing diatonically in the key
of C, but also the needs presented by chromatic harmony and modulation. Further, if one chooses to
employ 7-limit just tuning for Dominant 7th chords, an additional pitch level for F will be necessary.
Chromatic harmony will require additional pitch levels (ex. a new G as the seventh of the V7/ii chord,
or a third level for D as the seventh of a V7/vi chord, and indeed, a new C if it is the 7th of a common
V7/V chord).
The reason temperament is necessary is because this need for varying pitch levels quickly spirals out
of control, especially when one realizes the true inequality of enharmonics. However, many instruments
have the ability to play flexibly and allow the pitch to float. Musicians who play in tune will allow
this, often even without knowing the reasons.
Ewell criticizes Colleys figures and pitch frequencies, and indeed Colley is not clear until later in his
text about the need for two levels of the second scale degree. However, some of the discrepancies that
Ewell found are rounding errors. Yes, A880 divided by D586.66 gives 1.500017, a figure that does not
quite equal the frequency ratio of 1.5 of the pure perfect fi fth. But an examination of the ratios them-
selves shows that the ratio for the fourth scale degree, 4/3 multiplied by the ratio of the Perfect 5th 3/2
does come out to the eighth scale degree 2/1. A rounding error is common when dividing by three. (Take

ARTICLES
a pocket calculator, enter 10, then divide by 3. Multiply that result by 3, and you will get an answer that
is not quite back to the original 10.) This rounding error explains the problem with three of the four
Pefect 5th distances with which Ewell was concerned. We are left with the question about the wolf
that occurs between the second and sixth scale degrees, and the reason for the need of two pitch levels
for the second scale degree - one that is a pure fi fth away from the fi fth scale degree and a lower one that
is a pure fi fth from the sixth scale degree.
As for the discrepancies of the major 2nd intervals, once again, a rounding error is part of the prob-
lem. The larger major second has a ratio of 9/8, which has a decimal equivalent of 1.125. When one
divides E660 by D586.66 the quotient is 1.250127, which Ewell rounded up to 1.13. This same ratio
occurs between the fourth and fi fth scale degrees as seen when one divides 3/2 by 4/3 to achieve 9/8.
Instead of the three versions that notes, there are the familiar two, the distance from the fi rst to second
scale degrees, with a ratio of 9/8, and the distance between the second and third scale degrees, with a
ration of 10/9, known as the small major 2nd.
Indeed this criticism of two sizes of major seconds is not new. How can one reliably ascend a scale
when we have two sizes of major seconds? If our goal is not the distance we travel, but the destination
we seek, the varying sizes may not matter. Think of a trip where our travel directions are to walk down
a street for two blocks until we fi nd the house at the end of the second block. Are we lost if the second
block is shorter than the fi rst?

CONTINUED
ON NEXT PAGE
 82 A TUNING PRIMER

Ewells calculation Ewells calculation

Pitch Pitch
of major 2nd distances of Perfect 5th distances
A440 1/1 (D293.33 to A440) 1.5*
B495 9/8 (A440 to B495) 1.125 (E660 to B495) 1.5
C#550 5/4 (B495 to C# 550) 1.11 (F#366.665 to C#550) 1.5*
D586.66 4/3
E660 3/2 (D586.66 to E660) 1.13 (A440 to E660) 1.5
F#733.33 5/3 (E660 to F#733.33) 1.11 (B495 to F#733.33) 1.48
G#825 15/8 (F#733.33 to G#825) 1.125 (C#550 to G#825) 1.5
A880 2/1 (D586.66 to A880) 1.5*

Tuning choices are complicated by the observation that preferences of pitch levels in a harmonic con-
text are different that those in melodies. While most will choose a justly-tuned chord, where beats are
eliminated, the choices of pitch in melodies are far more subjective and open to variation. Pythagorean
or Equally-tempered pitches are often preferred in a melodic passage.
Ultimately, one must agree with Colleys statement that Fine intonation is an aural skill Indeed,
the ear is the ultimate arbiter, but the choices of the ear may be more quickly directed if the intellect
understands the rules of the game.
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 THE DOUBLE REED
Jim Laslie: Master Bassoon Repairman
Paul Nordby
Indianapolis, Indiana
M
aster bassoon repairman Jim Laslie began
woodwind repair with his father in 1946
at Laslies Musical Instrument Repair in
Indianapolis, Indiana. He later worked at the Sel-
mer Company in Elkhart, Indiana, with Frank
Aman who had once been a teenaged apprentice
to the famous German bassoon maker, August
Heckel. (One of Jims most prized possessions
is a handmade Aman Horn, which is similar
to a Hungarian Tarragotta.) For some years Mr.
Laslie worked in construction, but fi nally, in
1973, settled into full-time bassoon repair and
restoration.
As a musician, Jim attended Western Kentucky
University on a music scholarship, but soon the
Korean war began. He auditioned for the United
States Army 94th Ground Forces Band located
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His band toured
the East Coast presenting concerts to raise money
for war bonds and to entertain the public. They
also performed for formal military retreats and
parades, and once played for General Marshall
and composer Percy Grainger. It was during this
time that Jim worked with many fine musicians
from the East Coast and Midwest. He also met
his loving wife Rachel in North Carolina. After
his tour of duty, he returned to Indianapolis
and continued his tenure with the Indianapolis
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jim became a Fox dealer in 1969 and once
interviewed with Hugo Fox to join their company.
Jim and Hugo could not agree on the weekly
salary, and the rest is history. Jim frequently calls
Alan Fox to makes suggestions for improvement
or just to complain about the new arrival from
Fox. Alan Fox tells the story about the three of us
going out to lunch. As soon as we all sat down, Jim
told Alan what was wrong with his last shipment
of bassoons. After five minutes of instructions, I
looked up and said to Alan, Welcome to lunch.
Of course, I ended up paying!
Among his many innovations to bassoon
making and repair, Jim introduced the use of
silicone rubber for sealing the boot and the use of
83
ultra-suede instead of felt on the keys. He often
discusses key leverages as well as acoustics with
Alan Fox. They both have a mutual respect for
each other, and the women at Fox always enjoy
a call from Jim. Jim ordered Fox 3802 with no
keys, then designed and mounted all the keys by
hand. He used this prototype to help demonstrate
his ideas for key shapes to Fox.
J. Laslie Woodwinds client repair list is a
virtual whos who from the bassoon world.
Most days when the phone rings, it could be from
any part of the globe. Right now, Jim is expecting
a new Heckel from the Israel Philharmonic, and
is busy restoring a 6,000 Heckel for a student at
the Manhattan School of Music. Finally, he just
got off the phone with a bassoonist from Korea.
Some other notable bassoon restorations by him
have been done for the instruments of Leonard
ARTICLES
Sharrow, Don MacCourt, Tim McGovern, Bruce
Grainger, Leonard Hindell, Phil Gottling, Dick
Lawson, Walter Green, Mordechai Rechtman, Alan
Hammond, Patricia Rogers, Don Christlieb, Jack
Spratt, Charles Rader, James Hansen, Sherman
Walt, Otto Eifert, Morgan Griffin, Homer Pence,
and Sid Rosenberg.
Jim has been on staff at the Glickman-Popkin
Bassoon Camp in North Carolina for 27 years.
Mark Popkin tells this story every year about
calling Hans Moennig to invite him to the first
camp, but Mr. Moennig was not available. Mark
said, Well, could you recommend someone
then? Mr. Moennig said, There is no one I can
recommend. He paused and then said, Wait!
There is this guy in Indiana who does good work.
Laslie is his name. From that point on Mark
Popkin, Loren Glickman, and Jim have been fast
friends and great colleagues. Loren says, Jim has
proved to be the greatest boon imaginable for
bassoon camp. He spends time with every campers
bassoon and was only content when every little
problem has been straightened out. But, not only
is his work exemplary, his natural warmth of
personality fills his repair studio even with at least
five or six students all the time. Stories are told by
 84 JIM LASLIE: MASTER BASSOON REPAIRMAN
the dozen--what this or that conductor said, did
you hear this joke about some Maestro--and all
the while Jim is hard at work on the next bassoon
problem. What a man!
Janet Polk relates this story about her first visit
to bassoon camp and the workshop. Education
comes in many forms. I knew that when I went
to my first Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp, I
would learn a lot about musical ideas, bassoon
technique, and reed-making. I did not know that
my education would take several leaps forward
on another front. At the appointed hour, I took
my bassoon over for its repair check-up. From the
moment I entered the repair room, I knew that Jim
Laslie was a master of his craft and art. The pride,
the passion, and the knowledge about bassoons
were stunning and I ended up staying way past
my allotted time. Day after day I would return
to watch, but it was more than that; it was to
experience the charm, the humor, the stories and
his observations on life that make Jim Laslie the
wonderfully memorable person that he is.
Mike DePietro recalls, A visit to the repair
shop at Wildacres is like a visit to an old-
fashioned barbershop. Campers standing around
the workbench listening to Jims stories, jokes, or
ARTICLES
limericks; all the time he is checking the feel and
seal of each joint. Campers tend to congregate
in the shop, because they love to watch his
craftsmanship, ability to locate the mechanical
problem quickly, or improvise a solution when
he has forgotten some tool back in Indianapolis.
Jim gives a lecture on bassoon repair, care, and
maintenance each year at camp, and some veteran
camper always gets a novice camper to ask Jim
about using Vaseline on the bassoon. (There is no
use for Vaseline on the bassoon and its not even
good for either.)
Over the years Jim has brought his latest
project or restoration to camp for the bassoonists
to try. Mark Popkin calls Jim a restorative artist,
because each newly added key looks original, his
constant attention to every detail, his masterful
voicing of the scale, the beautiful hand rubbed
finish with subtle tiger stripes, and his overall
aesthetic approach to bassoon restoration. Jim
restored Loren Glickmans outstanding Heckel
8301 in 2000. Loren played this instrument over
his illustrious 40-year career in New York City.
Loren passed this instrument on to his most apt
student Lisa Alexander. They were both impressed
with the fundamental resonance and viability of
the instrument after the work was completed. Lisa
says, The instrument sparkled with a lustrous
shine, the wood was stained back to the original
color that Heckel put on it, the keywork was this
gleaming silver, and the action of the keys had the
trademark Laslie touch, light as a feather. This
instrument will be viable for another 50 years!
On March 28, 2004, the Indianapolis
Philharmonic Orchestra honored Jim and
his 60 years of service with the ensemble.
John Wetherill, principal bassoonist with the
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, performed
the Mozart Concerto. In addition forty regional
bassoonists performed an interlude of famous
bassoon excerpts with massed bassoons and
orchestra. Doug Spaniol also performed with
the Butler Bassoon Gang. Audience members
included Leonard Sharrow, Bob Williams, Russ
Hinkle, Marcia Blalack, Cheryl Ober, and Mike
Trentacosti.
Indianapolis Philharmonic oboist Regina
Bollinger comments that she has been privileged
to be within an earshot of his hilarious, ingenious
commentary during rehearsals. Aside from his
exceptional musicianship, you could always
count on Jim for a welcome dose of irreverence
to cut through the maudlin, a sparkling wit, an
uncanny ability to get to the truth of the matter
and a remarkable gift for expressing it. It is truly
a comforting thought that in the world, still exists
someone who tells it like it is, unfettered by a need
to go along with trends that fail to align with his
own unwavering standards. Obviously, it is just
this level of commitment that has rightfully earned
him his reputation as one of the best bassoon
repairmen in the world.
Jim Poe nominated Mr. Laslie for the coveted
Sagamore of the Wabash award from the State
of Indiana, bestowed by the governor for this
special occasion. The following is an excerpt from
his letter: He is a restorative artist of vintage
bassoons and is in high demand for his ability
to repair and restore some of the worlds finest
instruments. (Jim Poe has hosted reed seminars,
chili cook-offs, bassoon playing sessions, and
story-telling gatherings each year at his cabin
near Harrison, Michigan. Many reed thoughts
have been exchanged, but more importantly,
many good times were had. Poes guests over the
years have included Alan Fox, Leonard Sharrow,
Charles Rader, Phil Austin, Bob Williams, John
Wetherill, Mike Trentacosti, Russ Hinkle, Keith
 THE DOUBLE REED
Sweger, and John Heard.)
Phil Austin comments that My mutual
friendship with Jim and loyalty since the 70s is
something of which I am very proud. Jim has
checked my horn every year, plus re-plated the
keys, added a high E key, replaced my whisper
key spatula for comfort. He has always done fine
work at a reasonable price. Phil enjoys Jims chili
and sharing a good cigar with him on the deck of
the Poe cabin.
Charles Rader notes that Jims skill as a
bassoon repairman is exceeded only by his talent
as a raconteur and treasury of jokes, tall tales, and
limericks. I have laughed until my sides hurt as Jim
regaled listeners eager to hear a retelling of one
of his favorite stories. The critic who described
a bassoonist as the jovial, elder statesman of
the orchestra must have had Jim Laslie in mind.
The life of a symphonic musician brings one
into contact with many fine musicians; some are
exceptional artists, some are exceptional people,
and a few possess both qualities. Jim Laslie is an
even rarer exception, a triple threat as they used to
say, an artist-performer with the hands of a skilled
craftsman who can brighten any occasion with his
personality.
Jim plays weekly in his beloved Sirocco Wind
Quintet. This group has met for 50 years and
still has three original members. Their woodwind
quintet library contains over 800 quintets. The
oboist in the quintet is David Straubinger. Yes, the
same Straubinger who is the maker of fine flutes
and innovative pads for flute and clarinet.
Jim has played extra bassoon with the
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for thirty years.
He also went on several tours with the orchestra
and actually played a season with the ISO. He
was also offered a position with the Kansas City
Bassoon Camp guest artists. L to R: Willard Elliott, Jim Laslie, Roger Birnstingl.
85
Orchestra but decided to stay in the construction
business.
Phil Gottling writes, Jim Laslie has been
my go-to repairman for thirty years. Jim does
everything from wrapping tenons to refinishing,
plus everything in-between, even though he uses
a cane in recent years, but thats understandable
considering that hes an octogenarian. The really
inspirational thing about Jim is that his passion for
the bassoon has never waned. He works happily
all day and into the evening. All the while he keeps
up a running commentary on the bassoon world,
interspersed with barnyard epithets, playing the
latest bassoon recordings that his many clients
have given him. Not only that, but he still has
time to play and make reeds. Jim, I dont know
how you do it, but I want to be like you when I
grow up!
J. Laslie Woodwinds is located at 9634
Brookville Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46239.
317.862.6193. Jim specializes in bassoon repair,
rebuilding, refinishing, plating, key mounting, and
tuning for the professional bassoonist and their
students. He has never advertised his business (a
fact of which he is very proud). Mr. Laslie does
not use computers, e-mail or websites. You may
ARTICLES
call and talk with him - he does have an answering
machine.
Jim Laslie and Paul Nordby will be presenting
a lecture at IDRS this summer entitled, Smuck,
Go Home and Practice, the horrors of bassoon
restoration. It will be held at Ball State University,
July 25-29, 2006.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Paul Nordby has been Jim Laslies associate for 24
years. You may contact him at nordbypc@aol.com
or 317.359.0259
 86 JIM LASLIE: MASTER BASSOON REPAIRMAN

2 3
ARTICLES

4 5

6
1. Glickman-Popkin bassoon campers listening to Jim at the
repair shop.
2. Bassoon quartets at Poes reed retreat. L tol R: Charles
Rader, Phil Austin, John Heards back, Bob Williams.
3. Leonard Hindells annual visit to J. Laslie Woodwinds. L to
R: Lenny Hindell and Jim Laslie.
4. Two master craftsman. L to R: Jim Laslie and Leonard
Sharrow.
5. Cigars on the porch at Poes reed retreat. L to R: Jim Laslie,
Phil Austin, Paul Nordby.
6. J. Laslie Woodwinds bassoon shop above the garage.
 THE DOUBLE REED 87

7 8

9 10

11 ARTICLES

7. Jim Laslie, soloist with the Indianapolis Phil-

harmonic Orchestra.
8. The Royal Philharmonic bassoonists. L to R:
12 Alan Hammond, Jim Laslie, Dominic Wier.
9. Three great artists. L to R: Robert Bloom, Jim
Laslie, Sol Schoenbach.
10. Some French bassoonist?
11. Indianapolis Philharmonic Concert honoring
Jims 60 years. L to R: Betsy Baltz, David
Straubinger, Bob Williams, Jim Laslie, Jim
Poe, Mike Trentacosti.
12. The Chicago Symphony bassoon section. L to
R: Wilbur Simpson, Jim Laslie, Willard Elliott,
John Raitt.
 88 LA VRAIE MUSIQUE FRANAISE: FOLK SONG SOURCES IN JOSEPH CANTELOUBES RUSTIQUES

La Vraie Musique Franaise:

Folk Song Sources in Joseph Canteloubes Rustiques
Jeffrey Lyman
Ann Arbor, Michigan

I
n 1947, at the end of the concert that included the premier of Rustiques,1 a trio for oboe, clarinet
and bassoon by Joseph Canteloube, the composer was stopped and congratulated by a number of
audience members who felt he had composed a truly French music.2 The sentiments expressed by
these audience members are shared as much today as then, but just how deeply French a work this is
may be difficult for anyone but a native of France to realize. If you compare a Frenchmans experience
of hearing this work with that of an American hearing the music of Charles Ives, or of a Russian hearing
the ballet Petrushka, you begin to get a sense of why the audience members came to congratulate the
composer in those particular terms.
Joseph Canteloube used French folk music in his compositions as freely and as interchangeably with
his original music as did Bla Bartk with Hungarian sources or Aaron Copland with American cow-
boy tunes, but as Canteloube is known today almost exclusively for one work, the exquisite collection
known as the Chants dAuvergne, his career as a folk song collector and even more his work as a com-
poser of great talent and range have been eclipsed by the fame of this single opus. If the average listener
had a sense of just how many folk songs and dances Canteloube collected, assembled and published
during his lifetime, theyd have to wonder how he had time to compose anything of his own at all.
The wind trio Rustiques, arguably his second most popular work, was commissioned by the French
state in 1946. 3 It is his only chamber work for winds, which is surprising considering the obvious fa-
cility in writing for woodwinds he demonstrated in his orchestral works. In Canteloubes own words,
ARTICLES

chamber music is the most elevated of genres, that which shows the rarest of qualities. Here the execu-
tion is simple and there must be a complete accord between thought and form, as both are deprived of
the transformative aspect of the stage and the seduction so often false! of the timbres and colors of
the orchestra. It is therefore imperative, in order for it to be a true masterpiece, that the author really
has something to say and that he knows how to say it in the most appropriate way.4
Many French composers had plenty to say in 1946. They had just passed through the trial of World
War II, which saw France divided by the German Occupation and the Vichy government. They had
witnessed music being variously used as a rallying force for national pride, a propaganda tool of the
Nazis, and even as part of an escape plan to keep French music students safe from the Service du Travail
Obligatoire. 5 After the war, things were consequently very different in the musical establishment, and a
new generation of composers put aside conservatism in favor of the avant-garde. Personalities ranging
from Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez through Pierre Schaeffer and Henri Dutilleux more frequently
took center stage than did their elder colleagues. Yet just as Aaron Copland managed in the age of mod-
ernism to touch the heartstrings of the American public with his ballets and orchestral music that mixed
age-old folk materials and contemporary forms, so Joseph Canteloube was able to speak directly to his
fatigued countrymen by continuing to base his music on what they could commonly call their own: the
folk songs they had known, sang and loved together as a people.
Rustiques is a curious work in that on fi rst hearing one might have a difficult time separating the old
from the new, especially if you are not French and have not known these tunes all your life. Canteloube
published many volumes of French folk music and dances, some in formal collections for musicologists
and some as sheet music to be enjoyed at home by amateurs. Yet he rarely specified any relationships
between what he collected and what he composed outright, unless of course those correlations were
apparent from the title of the piece. The Chants dAuvergne openly declare their ancestry at the top of
each score page, but in Rustiques there is no obvious pedigree to trace from folk song to wind trio, as
the movement titles are non-specific: Pastorale, Rverie and Rondeau la franaise.
A careful review of almost 1500 songs collected in the five-volume Anthologie des Chants Popu-
 THE DOUBLE REED 89

laires Franais groups et prsents par Pays ou Provinces 6 uncovered many of the songs that helped
to inspire and guide the composer in this instance. The odd thing about identifying these sources was
that once found, they seemed glaringly obvious, and it is only in the clever and expert harmonization,
combination and adaptation of these tunes that we see the craft of the composer most clearly.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of playing this work knows that many of its themes are shared
among the movements, and so as a point of organization, the author has decided to list the sources in
this article in the order they appear in Canteloubes anthology, not necessarily in the order they are
heard in the trio. The tunes are then identified relative to their fi rst appearances in the work, or in their
most literal quotation from the anthology, and may appear at numerous other unspecified times in the
piece.
Before the identification begins, however, it is necessary to note that a few themes in the work re-
main unidentified by this author, and are of course either the original work of Canteloube or are yet to
be located in other sources. Perhaps its better that some of the sources remain a mystery, as the seamless
integration of original and borrowed material is what makes this and any number of similar works so
successful and so satisfying. Take for example the opening of the fi rst movement, a florid and wandering
oboe line over a bagpipe drone in the clarinet and the bassoon. While a direct source for this melody
was not found in the research for this article, the line is so typical of pastoral woodwind music that
fi nding its origin is less important than observing how well it fits with the material that follows, both old
and new. Contrast this opening with the oboe melody between 15 and 16 in the second movement, ac-
companied by the longest passages of chromatic harmonic motion in the entire piece. This section must
surely be an original line by Canteloube and not a quotation. Look also at the spare bassoon melody
that begins the second movement. There is nothing terribly complex about it, so it might be an old folk
melody, but at the same time it has a wider range and an entirely different shape from the other tunes
identified below, so how can anyone be sure unless its source shows up in some other collection? Besides
these three examples there are several other moments when it is not so clear what is new and what is
old, and that is exactly what makes this work so engaging.

ARTICLES
THE SOURCES
Joseph Canteloube Anthologie des Chants Populaires Franais groups et prsents par Pays ou Provinces

Volume 1: Provence - Languedoc Roussillon - Comt de Foix - Barn Gascogne - Corse

Page 78
Region of origin: Haut-Languedoc (Toulousain)
LA FENNO DUN PAUR OME (La femme dun pauvre homme)
 90 LA VRAIE MUSIQUE FRANAISE: FOLK SONG SOURCES IN JOSEPH CANTELOUBES RUSTIQUES

This fi rst tune is a perfect example of the way Canteloube sometimes took only a fragment or a
single phrase from a folk tune if that is all he required. The refrain of this tune corresponds to the Plus
vite in the fi rst movement, six bars before figure 7 in the oboe part, and later in the same movement
at eight bars before 13, again in the oboe. The fi rst six bars of the tune as printed in the anthology are
not used at all. Instead he took only what he needed to add an upbeat, major-mode ending to the rather
melancholy melody (Qui Marierons-nous?, see below) quoted just a few bars earlier in the piece.

Volume 2: Savoie - Dauphin - Lyonnais - Auvernge - Guyenne - Aunis - Saintonge - Angoumois

Page 312
Region of origin: Bas-Quercy
LOU TRUQUET, LOU LURET (Le truquet, le luret) (Ronde de neuf)
ARTICLES

This tune is the basis for the main theme of the last movement, the Rondeau la franaise, and Can-
teloube has not only quoted the pitches but also has incorporated interesting aspects of the lyrics in his
setting. The tune is a round that is repeated with the refrain Dansons filles, dansons neuf! Dansons,
filles, vingt et neuf!7 With each repetition, the numbers in the song get smaller (nine and twenty-nine
in the fi rst stanza, eight and twenty-eight in the next, et cetera, until they reach the number one.) Can-
teloube states that the tune is usually sung by a group of girls who form a chain by holding hands, and
as the stanzas repeat and the numbers reduce, the girls each detach themselves from the line until there
is only one left singing. The song therefore gets softer and softer as it fi nishes, just as in the diminuendo
at end of the piece, specifically at the Encore plus vite after 37.
 THE DOUBLE REED 91

Volume 3: Poitu Vende Berry Marche Limousin Nivernais Bourbonnais Bourgogne

- Franche-Comt Lorraine Alsace
Page 37
Region of origin: Poitu
MON PRE A FAIT BATIR MAISON

ARTICLES
This tune acts as the fi rst allegro theme of the Pastorale, and has probably the oddest lyrics in the
entire collection. It begins with the words My father has had a house built followed by the refrain
Good, good winemaker! Whatever the nonsense of the lyrics, the three woodwinds have fun tossing
this bouncy little tune around in imitative counterpoint. You can hear it fi rst in the oboe at the Anim
after figure 2, but Canteloube uses only the fi rst six bars of the tune, immediately connecting and over-
lapping the various entries with his own music.

Page 88
Region of origin: Vende
QUI MARIERONS-NOUS
 92 LA VRAIE MUSIQUE FRANAISE: FOLK SONG SOURCES IN JOSEPH CANTELOUBES RUSTIQUES

One of the darker tunes in the piece, Qui Marierons-nous? (Who will marry us?) fi rst appears
in the Pastorale in the oboe melody at figure 6 over a rhythmic, almost energetic accompaniment, and
again later in the clarinet at 12, accompanied this time by teary sighs in the oboe and doleful chromatics
in the bassoon. Its melody resembles and complements the brighter, major-key melody of Lou Truquet,
Lou Luret, cited above as the theme of the Rondeau la franaise. This is one of the only complete
quotations of any tune collected in the anthology, and oddly enough, despite its complete state Cante-
loube adds the tag of another tune (LA FENNO DUN PAUR OME, above) to bring the minor-key
melody back to the major.

Page 270
Region of origin: Bourbonnais (La Palisse)
COCLICT MARIA SA FILLE
ARTICLES

Here is an example of Canteloube using a folk tune not only as a theme but also as a particularly in-
genious accompaniment figure. This tune fi rst appears as the whirling interlocking figures in the clarinet
and bassoon in the second movement, beginning just before figure 17. The same pitches then turn up in
augmentation over this accompaniment, sounding now as a theme played by the oboe. Its yet another
tune about getting married, and in this case the subject Coclict receives a fairly large measure of cheese
and salt in exchange for marrying off his daughter.
 THE DOUBLE REED 93

Page 305
Region of origin: Bourgogne (Bresse et Bugey)
VTIA LA SAINT-MARTIN QUAPPROUCE (Vl la Saint-Martin qui approche)

As he did with LA FENNO DUN PAUR OME above, Canteloube uses only a portion of this tune,
in this case the fi rst phrase. It corresponds to the last segment of the main allegro tune of the fi rst move-
ment, and appears fi rst at nine measures before figure 4 in the oboe. The fragment also leads the mad
dash to the fi nish of the fi rst movement, in the oboe just before figure 14.

ARTICLES
Volume 4: Flandre Artois Picardie Champagne Ile-de-France Orlanais Touraine Anjou
Maine Normandie Bretagne
Page 261
Region of origin: Anjou (Tierc)
JAIME BEN MON COTILLON ROUGE

The exuberant 6/8 section that begins near the end of the third movement is based upon this tune
about a girl and her favorite dresses. You hear it fi rst in the oboe part at 34, and the tune is quoted in
its entirety, including the crescendo figure that ends the oboe line. This tune is also cited on page 51
of Canteloubes Les Chants des Provinces Franaises,8 but is labeled not as a quadrille chant but a
branle. In this source Canteloube defi nes the branle as an instrumental dance melody without words,
often played by a fiddle, penny whistle or cornemuse, but instead of an unaccompanied line he quotes
this very tune, words and all.
 94 LA VRAIE MUSIQUE FRANAISE: FOLK SONG SOURCES IN JOSEPH CANTELOUBES RUSTIQUES

UNIVERSAL VS. REGIONAL

In fi nal consideration of how the above quotations can act as a kind of musical travel guide for those
who hear a performance of Rustiques, think again of the two comparative examples proposed at the be-
ginning of this article. Imagine the differences between the experiences of an American hearing Charles
Ives Three Places in New England as opposed to a European hearing the same work. No matter how
carefully the hymn tunes are identified in context, or how accurately the clashing marching bands are
described, the work will resonate more with someone who has sung the hymns, who has whistled the
tunes, or who has heard an out-of-tune band in a town square on a holiday in Vermont or Massachu-
setts compared with someone who has not. Likewise, no matter how vivid a description one reads of
the Shrovetide Fair in St. Petersburg, the depiction of that event in Stravinskys Petrushka will always
mean more to a Russian than to anyone else. So in much the same way, this attempt at identification
will surely fall short for most non-French readers unless those readers knew these tunes already or can
recall them thanks to the hints provided above. Of course it is not the intent of this article to judge either
experience, but simply to try and help all listeners to come a bit closer to understanding this love letter
of sorts that Canteloube composed for his countrymen.
Lastly, look back over the roster of folk songs quoted in this work and note the care Canteloube took
in recording the geographic origin of each tune. They come not from a single region, as those collected
from his home province and used in the Chants dAuvergne, but from all over France, seemingly criss-
crossing the country as the movements play out. It could be argued that in sympathy for his beleaguered
nation, Canteloube intentionally used tunes from around the country in thanksgiving or in celebration
of all that had been saved from the tragedy of the war, a war in which they faced the real possibility of
the outright loss of their culture. Could it be that, in a therapeutic sort of way, it was his intention all
along to write some truly French music, and lucky for everyone, he did just that?

NOTES
ARTICLES

1 Monaco: ditions de lOiseau-Lyre 1984

2 Jean-Bernard Cahours dAspry: Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) Chantre dAuvergne et dAilleurs
(Biarritz: Sguier 2000), 104-105.
3 Cahours dAspry, ibid.
4 Joseph Canteloube: Vincent dIndy (Paris: Laurens 1951), 74. Ici la mise en uvre est simple et il
faut donc un accord complet entre la pense et la forme, car lune et lautre sont prives de loptique
dformante de la scne et de la sduction si souvent trompeuse! des timbres et des couleurs de
lorchestre. Il est donc indispensable, pour quil y ait vraiment chef-duvre, que lauteur ait quelque
chose dire et quil sache le dire de la faon qui convient le mieux.
5 For an in-depth discussion of French musical life during World War II, see Myriam Chimnes: La
Vie musicale su Vichy (Brussels: ditions Complexe 2001).
6 Paris: Durand 1951.
7 Some of the songs reprinted here, as with hundreds in the anthology, are printed both in the original
dialect and in modern French translations, hence the difference between the lines quoted here and
the lyrics in the musical example.
8 Paris: Marcel Didier 1947
 THE DOUBLE REED 95

Winds Across the Sea

Hawaiis Spring Wind Quintet and Norways Bergen Wind Quintet
forge a friendship as spectacular as their scenery.

Marsha Schweitzer
Honolulu, Hawaii

CURRENT EVENTS
ter residency at the University of Min-
nesota in 2003-2004, they decided that
they wanted to get away from the cold
weather for a bit, so Per suggested add-
ing a stop in Hawaii to the schedule.
After a few calls and emails between
Per and SWQ musicians Jim and Mar-
sha, the BWQ was booked in Honolulu
to perform the Gounod Petite Sympho-
nie along with the SWQ on a regularly
scheduled concert in January 2004. On
Norway fjords. the same program, the BWQ performed
the Samuel Barber Summer Music. A

T
he sheer cliffs of the north coast of Molo- school concert for the BWQ was also scheduled
kai are said to be the steepest and most in Honolulu, but there was still plenty of time be-
inaccessible sea cliffs in the world. Just as tween musical activities for the group from the
imposing, however, are the majestic cliffs along chilly North to get a thorough sunburn on the
the fjords of Norways rugged coastline. Despite beach!
being half a world apart, both lands are known The two quintets are as different - and as
for breathtaking natural beauty, friendly people, similar - as the lands they call home. There are
histories and cultures tied to the ocean, and a rich 11 time zones between them - they are almost
musical heritage. halfway around the world from each other, yet
From these two distant lands - one sub-tropi- the groups share the universal common bond of
cal and the other subarctic, one in the Western Western musical training and experience. The
Hemisphere and one in the Eastern, one white two horn players, Ilene Chanon of the BWQ
with sand and the other white with snow - has and Jonathan Parrish of the SWQ, discovered
come an unexpected but incredibly fruitful col- that they shared another bond - equipment. As it
laboration between two wind quintets: the Spring turned out, Jonathan had once worked for horn
Wind Quintet of Honolulu, Hawaii, and
the Bergen Wind Quintet of Bergen,
Norway.
The seeds of this relationship were
sown in Aspen, Colorado in 1993, where
SWQ clarinetist Jim Moffitt got to know
BWQ bassoonist Per Hannevold. SWQ
bassoonist Marsha Schweitzer met Per
in Aspen a few years later while visit-
ing their mutual colleague and mentor,
Harold Goltzer, who was living near As-
pen at the time. At a later Jim-Per sum-
mer encounter, this time at the Santa Fe
Opera Festival, the idea of a BWQ trip
to Hawaii emerged. When the Bergen
Quintet was planning their regular win- Molokai cliffs.
 96 WINDS ACROSS THE SEA

Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ho-

nolulu Symphony Orchestra, respec-
tively. The SWQ was founded in 1974
as an outgrowth of its Honolulu Sym-
phony activity. The BWQ was similar-
ly formed as an aspect of the Bergen
Philharmonic, initially in 1946, then
reconstituted in 1981. Although the
CURRENT EVENTS

musicians of both quintets continue to

hold full-time positions with their re-
The Spring Wind Quintet and Bergen Wind Quintet at the Honolulu Academy spective orchestras, both groups have
of Arts, January 2004: Steinar Hannevold and Scott Janusch, oboes; James now shed their orchestral tethers where
Moffitt and Lars Brynildsen, clarinets; Marsha Schweitzer and Per Han-
nevold, bassoons; Ilene Chanon and Jonathan Parrish, horns; Susan McGinn quintet business is concerned, working
and Gro Sandvik, flutes. (The two hornists are displaying their matching as independent, self-run, chamber en-
mouthpieces.)
sembles, each musician with a share of
ownership and management respon-
manufacturer George McCracken, where he made sibility. The BWQ has outside agency assistance
custom mouthpieces of his own design, which for touring, while the SWQ works most often
were identified with the letter J for Jonathan under the auspices of Chamber Music Hawaii,
etched on them. In the midst of a rehearsal of a separate nonprofit presenting and supporting
the Gounod Petite Symphonie, Ilene exclaimed, organization. Both ensembles are mature, hav-
Jonathan made my mouthpiece! when she dis- ing been in existence for many years and having
covered the distinctive J on the mouthpiece she many members with decades-long tenures who
was using. have devoted a large part of their professional
Both groups are made up of musicians from lives to the wind quintet genre.
their cities professional orchestras, the Bergen The city of Bergen was founded by King Olaf

Bergen, Norway: Latitude: 60 N, Longitude: 5 E

 THE DOUBLE REED
Honolulu, Hawaii: Latitude 21 N, Longitude 158 W
III ca. 1070; the fi rst Hawaiians settled the land
that would become Honolulu at about the same
time. While Norway takes pride in its homoge-
neous, centuries-old ethnic and cultural tradi-
tions, Hawaii takes pride in its ever-changing,
diverse ethnic and cultural milieu. Yet both old-
world Norway and new-world Hawaii share an
isolationism and self-reliance that comes from
their off-the-beaten-path locations.
That these two quintets found each other
across two oceans and a seemingly huge cul-
tural divide is indeed remarkable. But these two
worlds did meet once before; in 1881 there was a
migration of Norwegians to Hawaii in response
to a call for field laborers to work on Hawaiis
The SWQ and BWQ at Troldhaugen, museum home of Edvard Grieg.
97
CURRENT EVENTS
burgeoning sugar plantations. (A plaque can be
found at McGregor Point on the island of Maui
commemorating this Norwegian immigration.)
The employment deal with the plantation own-
ers didnt last very long, but there is still a Nor-
wegian-American population in Hawaii that
proudly traces its roots to that migration. Perhaps
Hawaiis most notable musical Norwegian was
Alf Hurum, a composer, conductor, and painter
who left Norway for Hawaii in 1924 and served
as conductor of the Honolulu Symphony from
1924 to 1926.
In May 2005, it was time for the SWQ to
complete the second half of the exchange. Armed
with proclamations from the Governor of Hawaii
and the Mayor of Honolulu, two suitcas-
es full of Hawaiian macadamia nuts and
Kona coffee, and unusual (for them) ward-
robe items like winter coats and gloves,
the SWQ embarked on its fi rst European
tour. To break up its long fl ight, the SWQ
stopped in New York and made its New
York City debut at Symphony Space, and
then continued on to Norway.
The SWQs tour repertoire focused on
works written especially for the two groups
- Spring Wind, written for the SWQ by
University of Hawaii composer Allen Tru-
bitt; and Quintet #1 by Harald Sverud,
 98 WINDS ACROSS THE SEA

written especially for the BWQ. Kopsala, and performed again

The SWQ was privileged to per- the Barber Summer Music, last
form these works at Siljustl, the heard in Honolulu as performed
museum home of Sverud, with by the BWQ with Lars on clari-
two sons of composer Sverud in net. SWQ bassoonist Schweitzer
attendance. At Troldhaugen, the wrote a special arrangement of
museum home of composer Ed- Puccinis Crisantemi in memory
vard Grieg, the SWQ and BWQ of Bob and Lars.
CURRENT EVENTS

joined forces again, as they had Also programmed on the

in Honolulu, this time perform- November SWQ concert was the
ing Jean Francaixs Divertisse- Quintet #1 by American com-
ment for double quintet. Like poser David Maslanka, a work
Norway, Hawaii has a unique recommended to the SWQ by
musical culture, and the SWQ Per Hannevold of the BWQ. The
performances in Norway also sharing of repertoire went the
included a sampling of Hawaiis other way, too: The BWQs Min-
own traditional music. nesota tour programs in October
The quintets that eat togeth- 2005 included Schweitzers ar-
er, play together. In Honolulu, rangement of the J.S. Bach Pre-
the BWQ was introduced to Ha- lude and Fugue in C Major, per-
waiian food - poi (mashed taro Spring Wind Quintet in Norway. formed by the SWQ in Bergen.
root), lomilomi salmon The BWQ normally per-
(massaged salt salmon), forms only original works
pipikaula (dried meat) - and for wind quintet, but they
also to the many Asian cui- enjoyed the SWQs perfor-
sines for which Honolulu mance of the Bach so much
is famous. In Norway, the that they were moved to
SWQ was treated to tra- break tradition and pro-
ditional Norwegian foods gram an arrangement.
- aged cheese, salt salmon, The two quintets are
dried meats, and Norways working now on a return
national liquor, Aqua Vita. trip of the Bergen to Ho-
In August 2005, trag- nolulu in 2007, and for the
edy struck both groups. Spring to Europe in 2007
Lars Kristian Brynildsen, Bergen Wind Quintet in Hawaii.
or 2008. Only Loki and
clarinetist of the Bergen Pele, the parallel Norse god
Quintet for 26 years, succumbed to cancer. Lars and Hawaiian goddess of fi re, know what seren-
performance of the Francaix with the SWQ in dipities await these musicians as their converging
May 2005 was his last public appearance. Within musical fi res continue to glow.
a few days of Lars death, Robert Kopsala, the
founding hornist of the Spring Wind Quintet,
who played with the group from 1974 to 1982, Marsha Schweitzer is the bassoonist of the Spring
passed away from heart disease. Kopsala was a Wind Quintet and associate principal bassoon
second generation Finnish-American who re- of the Honolulu Symphony. She is an editor and
tained a close affi nity for his ancestral Finnish author of numerous publications and articles on
heritage, bringing yet another facet of the SWQs music and labor relations. Her writings have been
Scandinavian connection to the surface. These published in Chamber Music, Symphony, Inter-
losses brought the two groups even closer to- national Musician, The Double Reed, The Ho-
gether as they shared not only artistic joys and nolulu Advertiser, Senza Sordino, and Keola O
sorrows, but also personal ones. Na Mele.
The SWQ dedicated its November 2005 con-
certs to the memory of Lars Brynildsen and Bob
 THE DOUBLE REED
Historical Oboes 13.
A Systme 5 Oboe by Franois Lore, Paris.
Robert Howe
Wilbraham, Massachusetts
Beginning in 2000 I wrote a column for this
journal, Historical Oboes, intending to illus-
trate the history of our wonderful instrument
by presenting specimens from my collection and
those of my friends. After publishing 12 articles,
in 2004 I took a couple of issues off due to
overwork, a hiatus that was extended to two
years by the sudden death of my wife Joyce. With
this issue of The Double Reed I hope to resume
a regular column. This years columns will cel-
ebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of
the most famous of the French oboe makers, F.
Lore in Paris, by looking at hitherto unappreci-
ated aspects of the history of the fi rm.
T
he Paris workshop of Guillaume Triebert
(Tribert),1 founded in 1810, was the
leading French oboe maker of the 19th
century. As described in these pages2 and else-
where, 3 the modern oboe was developed almost
entirely by this fi rm, with the able assistance of
such luminaries as A. M. R. Barret, Louis Au-
guste Buffet and Theobald Boehm.4 Although
Triebert made a few flutes and advertised clari-
net mouthpieces and reed accessories, their busi-
Figure 1: Oboe A73 by Franois Lore, Paris, 1882 or 1883. Is this the earliest surviving Lore oboe?
99
ness was otherwise limited to making oboes and
bassoons.
Guillaume Triebert died in 1848, leaving the
fi rm to his sons Charles Louis (1810-1867), who
was primarily an oboe player rather than a maker,
and Frdric (1813-78). In 1878 Frdric Tribert
died unexpectedly, throwing the workshop into
turmoil. Within three years the company, bank-
rupt, was purchased by Gautrot, a leading mass
maker of wind instruments. This led Trieberts
chef datelier (foreman), one Franois Lore
(1835-1902), to strike out on his own and form
his own oboe-making company. One suspects
that Lore did this with the encouragement of
Georges Gillet, professor of oboe at the Conser-
vatoire Nationale, for Gillet promptly appointed
Lore the official supplier of oboes to the Con-
servatoire. Thus, although Gautrot and its own
ARTICLES
successor, Couesnon, advertised oboes, clarinets,
saxophones, sarrusophones, and goodness knows
what other wind instruments marked with the
Triebert name until at least 1934, 5 it was Lore
who carried on Trieberts work and tradition.
The oboe shown here (figure 1) is the earli-
est Lore oboe of which I am aware. Purchased
 100 HISTORICAL OBOES 13. A SYSTME 5 OBOE BY FRANOIS LORE, PARIS.
ARTICLES
Figure 2: Left, Lore oboe A73. Right,
system 5 oboe by Triebert, Paris, 1849-
78. Can you tell them apart?
from a London musical antiquities dealer, the early history of
this oboe is lost. The serial number of A73 dates it to 1882 or
1883. It is a Systme 5 or thumbplate oboe.6 Guillaume
Trieberts systems 3 and 4 were early mechanizations of the
French simple system oboe; they used more or less the same
fi ngers on the same toneholes to produce the same pitches as
did the simple system oboes.7 The system 3 and 4 oboes had
significant weaknesses. Most important was that b f1 and c2
vented through tiny holes on the side of the instrument;8 the
player had to move his right hand out of position to reach
the touchpieces for these keys. There also were several combi-
nations of notes that required the simultaneous opening and
closing of two keys, and thus were effectively impossible at
speed. These included b to c#1, g1 to b f1, C# to D# in both
octaves, and F# to G# in both octaves.
Charles Louis Triebert solved some of these problems by
applying a mechanism modified from the Boehm flute and
oboe. This is a touch for the left thumb which when depressed
closed two tiny holes on the upper joint. One of these vented
the note c2, and the other, b f1. Thus, covering hole 1 and
depressing the thumb gave b1; covering holes 1 and 2 while
depressing the left thumb gave a1. The same combinations
played with the left thumb lifted opened one or both of the
tiny keys and produced c2 and b f1 respectively.9 Thus, instead
of playing a1 and pressing fi nger 4 to create b f1, the player
would lift the left thumb off the instrument; similarly to go
from b1 to c2, or b2 to c3. While this sounds cumbersome
to a player of the modern French Conservatory oboe (the
Systme 6bis of 1906), the motion is actually very natural
and intuitive.
The system 5 oboe is to my mind the most perfect, least
flawed oboe in use today, despite its lack of acceptance in the
United States and France.10 The mechanism has the significant
advantage that there is no connection between the upper and
lower joints. Moving between g1 or g2 and b f1, c2, b f2 or c3
does not involve the cumbersome picking up of one fi nger and
placing down of another, which introduces audible glitches
into so many legato passages played on a system 6bis oboe.
The b f1 is less stuffy than on a system 6bis oboe. Passages
involving the left hand which are virtuosic on the system 6bis
oboe are childs play on the system 5. Nigel Clark of Howarth,
Englands leading oboe maker, noted that ...the reason that
the Conservatoire system took off, and the reason Gillet liked
it so much, was that it allowed you to keep more fi ngers on
the instrument....But to any English person whos learned on
a thumbplate system, they consider the Conservatoire system
to be so illogical and so (will say) Why should you (when
youre playing notes with your left hand) suddenly be using
your right hand? The Conservatoire system makes some pas-
sages very, very difficult. You dont have that problem with
thumbplate.11
The system 5 was in fact Lores best selling oboe before
 THE DOUBLE REED
1900, comprising nearly half of their sales in that
epoch.12 This specific oboe is in remarkable con-
dition, although it shows the expected signs of
wear. The serial number, which is only on the
bell, is clearly visible. The paint in the trademark
appears under magnification to be original, as
there is no pigment within the fibers of the wood.
There is a small crack in the bell over the metal
tenon socket, but the grenadilla13 is otherwise in-
tact. The bell wire is loose and likes to fall off,
another sign that the wood is very dry.
Placing this oboe next to a system 5 oboe made
by Triebert between 1849-7814 shows how closely
Lore followed in Trieberts footsteps (figure 2).
Apart from the plateau on 5, cosmetic differences
in the upper joint, the shapes of the short F keys,
and the fact that Lores pad cups are squared off
while the edges of Trieberts are rounded, these
might be two examples of the same instrument;
their bore and tone hole dimensions are very sim-
ilar, and they both will fit in the Lore case.
Early in his career, Franois Lore no doubt
found it prudent to mimic the fi nely crafted, hand
made oboes he had built for the Triebert compa-
ny.15 As he gained confidence and sales, however,
he rapidly fell into the same mode of constant
research and innovation that had characterized
his former employer, introducing new designs of
the bass and Boehm oboes in 1889, working in
competition with Mahillon of Brussels to devel-
op the modern oboe damore, and working with
Georges Gillet to further improve the system 5
and 6 oboes. This collaboration, continuing with
Franois son Adolphe Lucien (1867-1945), would
eventually produce the system 6bis oboe that so
many of us use today.16 I will have more to say of
this in the months to come.
Robert Howe plays oboe and English horn in civic
orchestras in Connecticut; he has a special inter-
est in the bass oboe and heckelphone. He has pub-
lished papers on woodwind history in the Journal
of the American Musical Instrument Society, the
Galpin Society Journal and Larigot. The father
of four children, all of whom play brass instru-
ments, Robert has degrees in chemistry, music
and medicine; he will begin DMA studies in the
fall of 2006. He will be grateful to learn of any
very early oboes by F. Lore or its competitor A.
Robert, at arehow@charter.net.
101
NOTES
1 Born Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Triebert in Hes-
sen, now part of Germany, he emigrated to
Paris in 1804 and became a French citizen in
1811. His name is variously spelled with and
without the accented . My attempts to un-
derstand this suggest that the name was Galli-
cized after the Franco-Prussian war. Since no
document from his lifetime or that of his sons
uses the accent, I shall honor their usage and
exclude it.
2 Robert Howe, The First Mechanized Oboes-
-Triberts Systmes 3 and 4. The Double
Reed 24:2, 17-29, 2001.
3 Robert Howe, The Boehm Oboe and its Role
in the Development of the Modern French
Oboe. Galpin Society Journal, 56:27-60,
2003. Geoffrey Burgess and Bruce Haynes,
The Oboe, (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 2004), 133-145. This marvelous book,
which succeeds Philip Bates The Oboe as the
standard history of this instrument, will be
further footnoted as B&H.
ARTICLES
4 Robert Howe, Invention of The Boehm
Oboe. The Double Reed 26:1, 2003. B&H
162-66.
5 Robert Howe, A Bleuzet Model Oboe by
Tribert/Couesnon, Paris. The Double Reed
25:2, 2002. B&H, 172. I have encountered
each of these species of instruments marked
as Triebert from the Couesnon years, in-
cluding a handsome E f sopranino saxophone
in my own collection.
6 This refers to the catalogue number from a
Triebert prospectus of circa 1860, reprinted
in B&H, 142. For simplicitys sake I will refer
to their oboe models as systems.
7 Robert Howe, Development of the French
Simple System Oboe. The Double Reed 24:1,
59-75, 2001. Also Howe, First Mechanized
Oboes; B&H, 138-9.
8 The higher octaves of these notes were gener-
ally played as long fi ngerings, just as on the
simple system oboes.
 102 HISTORICAL OBOES 13. A SYSTME 5 OBOE BY FRANOIS LORE, PARIS.
9 To simplify playing in four sharps or flats, he
introduced articulations between the C s and
Ds keys, allowing a clean passage between
the tones and a true, properly tuned trill. The
Fs -G s trill requires an alternate fi ngering for
Fs.
10 The system 5 oboe was further modified at
the suggestion of A. M. R. Barret in a model
introduced in 1862. Barrets earliest oboes
parrotted the Triebert system 3. In the 1860s,
Barret added a low b f to the system 5, intro-
duced the left hand F (which is clearly illus-
trated in his Method) to Western Europe,
placed an articulation between the joints to
allow a true Fs -G s trill, and made the choice
of octave keys automatic. The most impor-
tant aspect of the Barret system was that it
presented an alternative to the use of the left
thumb for creating b f1 and c2. Any of fi ngers
4, 5 or 6 when depressed moved a lever that
acted across the upper joint to open the little
keys otherwise activated by the left thumb.
Thus, the player could move (for example)
from d2 to c2 merely by closing the half hole
and lifting 2 and 3. Neither a movement of
ARTICLES
the thumb nor a shift of the right hand was
necessary. This mechanism was modified by
British makers to be activated by a touch de-
pressed by the right fi rst fi nger, which is now
generally included in place of the right hand
G s on thumbplate (system 5) oboes.
11 www.norapost.com/howarth.html,
March 12, 2006
12 Excluding cors anglais, system 5 oboes sold
over 500 of 1213 Lore oboes made before
1900; the system 6, essentially a modern oboe
with open holes, sold more than 400. There
were also 49 specimens of Barrets modified
system 5, eleven Boehm oboes and a handful
of systems 3 and 4. B&H 172.
13 The bell sinks in water, leading me to con-
clude that this oboe is of grenadilla and not of
ebony.
14 Quite possibly under Franois Lores supervi-
sion; he was chef de fabrication for Triebert
from 1867, before becoming chef datelier.
William Waterhouse, The New Langwill In-
dex (London: Tony Bingham, 1993), 241.
15 Even as today such makers as Alfred/Paul
Laubin, Paul Covey, and Thomas Hiniker
(as well as other small workshops in Europe)
produce a very limited number of oboes for a
discerning clientele.
16 Older models of oboes remained in general
use well into the 20th century. Isidor Lot of
La Couture sold 12 key simple system oboes,
with no brilles, as late as 1870. Early 20th
century catalogs, including those of Lore,
typically show an array of oboes from system
3 to 6 to 6 bis. An ad for the fi rm of E. Ber-
cioux dated from 1902-14 shows a system 3
oboe, with separate axels rather than a but-
terfly for the b and Ds keys. An ad for Evette
& Schaeffer from 1901-27 shows both system
4 oboe and English horn, again with axels for
b and Ds. Linton of Elkhart, Indiana built
system 4 oboes (presumably for school use) in
the 1950s. The system 5 remains in use today,
especially in Britain; Marian Whittow, in her
enjoyable and insightful book The Oboe: A
Reed Blown in the Wind (London: Puffit Pub-
lications, 1991), considers it to be as good as
the systems 6 or 6bis (191-2).
 THE DOUBLE REED
An Afternoons Conversation with Neil Black
Aryn Day Sweeney
Ann Arbor, Michigan
N
eil Black began to play the oboe at the age
of eleven. He did not intend to make music
his career, but took a degree in history at
Oxford University. However, his experiences in
the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
fi red his enthusiasm, and within three years of
leaving Oxford he was appointed principal oboist
of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Here he
gained invaluable experience, playing under such
conductors as Steinberg, Monteux and Boult.
Most of his musical life, however, has been
devoted to solo playing and performing with
chamber orchestras and ensembles. He has been
principal oboist of the Academy of St. Martin-
in-the-Fields and, for many years, the English
Chamber Orchestra, with which he toured the
world and performed many concertos. As soloist
he has played in many of the worlds great musi-
cal centres. Recent performances include the Mo-
zart Oboe Quarter in London and Japan, a tour
of Denmark, and performances at the Marlboro,
Sarasota and Spoleto USA festivals.
He is much in demand for coaching and
masterclasses and is currently a professor at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Lon-
don, and musical director of the Kirckman Con-
cert Society.
Neil Blacks numerous solo recordings for all
the major record companies have brought him in-
ternational acclaim. Amongst them are the Bach
Double Concerto with Perlman, the Strauss and
Vaughan-Williams concertos with Barenboim and
103
the English Chamber Orchestra, Mozart, Bach
and Vivaldi Double Concerto with Menuhin and
the Polish Chamber Orchestra.
He was awarded the O.B.E. by the Queen in
the New Years Honours 1989.
Aryn Sweeney (AS): Thank you so much for
agreeing to sit down and speak with me, Ive
never actually given a proper interview before
youre my very first.
Neil Black (NB): Well I havent either, except for
Singapore Radio - or it might even have been tele-
vision. We were all lined up on a couch (Jan
Black piping in helpfully, You did something for
Band magazine in Tokyo.) Oh the Band maga-
zine, yes, and this chap who was ever so pleas-
ant said, I also am oboist and I still study, so I
ARTICLES
replied that I hoped he got on very well with his
studies. This is extraordinary really. A year later,
I had just done a concert in London and a lad
came up to me and said, You will not remember
me - I interviewed you for Band magazine in To-
kyo. Oh yes I said, You are an oboe player
arent you? How are your studies going? And he
relied, I think I am doing well. I am now prin-
cipal oboe in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
(Much laughter.) It was one of those feelings, as if
youve dropped down in a lift a couple of floors
it was Keisuke Wakao!
AS: (laughing) That is such a funny storybut
down to business. I was hoping you could tell
me what your musical education was like? Your
teachers, method books
NB: It was informal; the point is that, unlike
many people, I didnt intend to become a profes-
sional oboist until quite late on. I went to Oxford
University to study law, but soon discovered I
wasnt suited for it really, by nature or by brain.
I took history instead, with a view to becoming
a professional oboist after Id fi nished at Oxford.
This gave me four years there of really good ama-
 104 AN AFTERNOONS CONVERSATION WITH NEIL BLACK

teur playing. When I came down to London, and
had an apartment in Kensington, I started taking
lessons from the oboist I admired (from the or-
chestral point of view) more then any other that
Ive heard before or I think since. A magical man
called Terence McDonagh who was the principal
oboist of Sir Thomas Beechams Royal Philhar-
monic Orchestra. And after having about six les-
sons from him, he suggested I put myself in the
contractors telephone book. He said, Ill talk
to him because you need orchestral experience.
Now that I certainly did, but I also needed every
other sort of oboe playing experience as well, not
having been to a specialist college or academy,
and not even having read music at Oxford. How-
ever, I started in the freelance orchestral scene in
London, and that was how I was launched. Af-
ter about a month I said very respectfully, Mr.
McDonagh, when is my next lesson? He replied,
Lesson! no more lessons - youre a colleague
now and I dont teach colleagues. So that was
the end of my formal training.
AS: Six lessons!!
NB: Well, prior to university I was taught beauti-
ARTICLES
NB: In the late fi fties. I was born in the thir-
ties (Throat-cutting gesture) and I do mean the
1930s. Now, no getting anything about the 1830s
into it (laughing). Im impossible to insult because
I dont take myself seriously. I was born in 1932,
and Im playing with as much enjoyment as ever
I did, by having a few concert dates. Its noth-
ing like my English Chamber Orchestra days, but
having a few dates gives me great incentive to
keep practising hard. And as long as I have good
reeds I feel I can do the job just as well as always.
So there is hope for the young players, that they
wont be fi nished I was told that I would be
fi nished at 50 because my teeth would have fallen
out and so on, but dentistry has improved a bit
(laughter). The old players had to have a sort of
plate in their mouth to keep their teeth in, and
that wasnt strong enough to keep an embouchure
going. By their 50s they had mostly retired, many
of them to make reeds, because in this country
there wasnt a great tradition of the individual
players making their own reeds. Anyway, look,
Ive wandered from your subject
AS: Sometimes the digressions are the most fun,
but, all right: who were the strong influences on

fully by a lady principal oboist at the time when
many of the men were away in the war fighting,
and so that was a chance for the ladies to get into
the orchestral scene. Her name was Lucy Vincent
and she was one of the senior pupils of Leon Go-
ossens. I think he must have been quite young
when he taught her. She was a very lovely per-
son. I also enjoyed the teaching and very kindly
influence of a lady called Hilda Hunter. She was
herself the senior student of Lucy Vincent and she
took me on in the school holidays after Lucy left
Birmingham, right through my days at boarding
school. At school we also had had a very enlight-
ened bandmaster who taught all instruments, but
he wasnt an oboist in any way. I guess you could
say that my training was a little bit sketchy! It is
difficult to tell a young person today that on the
basis of six professional lessons you entered the
profession! However, those lessons had stood me
in good stead: three years later I was appointed
principal oboe of the London Philharmonic, so
you know they were good lessons.
AS: Im sure they were. When was this, the
1940s, 50s?
you musically or personally?
NB: Well, there are two that stand out (and this
would be the same answer for almost any English
player of my generation); Leon Goossens and Ter-
ence McDonagh. You cannot keep Goossens out
of any story about the English oboe, and I will
probably be referring to him a lot in the course of
our talk, although it was not just in England that
he was such a great influence, as his records (78
RPM) were the only records available of the solo
oboist in the world at that time. Im speaking of
the late 1930s and through the 40s, when con-
cert-going was severely restricted for a kid like
me, so we relied on records a lot, and his Mozart
oboe quartet and his Handel concertos were the
basis of everything. Ive even got a record of my-
self made while I was at Oxford which was so
much an imitation of the style without the sub-
stance of his playing. He was often referred to
as the inimitable Leon Goossens but we certainly
tried to imitate him!
So that was the fi rst influence. Then as I
started going to more concerts and listening to
recordings, I fell in love with the sound that Mr.
McDonagh made, the gentleman from the Royal
 THE DOUBLE REED
Philharmonic that I talk of. He had a tremen-
dous insight into music, as well as being a to-
tally equipped player. He had studied in France,
so he had a conservatoire technique, but he was
an Irishman and his playingpoetic is the only
word I can think of. If you heard him playing
in the opera orchestra - his solos had as much
of the psychological drama as any of the sing-
ers. He was a major player and I just fell in love
with thisit went so much beyond just playing
the oboe in an orchestra. Ive never forgotten a
single performance, and its not just me. Players
would come out of a recording session and say,
My God wasnt Terry marvellous today? On
one occasion a trumpet player apologized to the
conductor in the BBC Symphony Orchestra: Im
sorry I missed my entry on that recording. I was
just so moved by the oboe that I couldnt play.
The conductor replied, I was so moved by the
oboe playing that I couldnt conductbut no-
body knew that. I totally fell for it and that was
why he was the person I wanted to study with
when I was a so-called student.
AS: Wonderful. Well, I am always interested in
other peoples ideas on vibrato. As Leon Go-
ossens was the first to play conspicuously and
consistently with vibrato, and as it is often com-
mented on by Americans when discussing Brit-
ish oboists, I was wondering what your thoughts
are on the subject are?
NB: That is a difficult question. Prior to Leon
Goossens, English oboists played with a very
plaintive, rather straight, edgy sound without
vibrato. Having heard one or two recordings of
English players at the time, I can quite see why
so many oboe players were imported from other
countries. Leon Goossens was the fi rst to bring a
fantastic colour, sweetness and lightness to oboe
playing that nobody in living memory had heard
here in Britain. His vibrato, which was more or
less invariable, nevertheless gave life to the sound
that it had not had previously. He was really a
one-off its rather as in the present generation
in Europe: there is pre-Holliger oboe playing and
post-Holliger oboe playing. Now so much more is
expected technically than in pre-Holliger. In the
same way, Goossens marked a kind of watershed,
and he influenced everyone who came after him.
No one could give you a better idea of all this
than Evelyn Barbirolli, who was his prize pupil.
105
So I feel that vibrato has to be there in your
armory when you need it for particular degrees
of expression, and that expressiveness can very
often include an increase in vibrato. But it is not
something I care to think about. I just think about
making an expressive sound that suits the phrase
at any given point, and if that means more vibra-
to, its not done consciously, it just happens. If
someone came to a lesson and played every piece
with the same vibrato, I would ask them to look
at what theyre doing (its not an automatic thing),
and then have them practise without vibrato, just
to let them know that they could control their vi-
brato and use it as a wonderful colour. I have a
theory of two resonating tubes; the tube down
the oboe and the tube down the human body (in
a very deep, resonant voice). I think that if there
is enough resonance in the body, at least then the
sound has a chance of starting to resonate in a
true way, whether that involves vibrato or not
No, I think Im a rotten person to answer this
question. I never sat down and studied the thing.
I cant think of it separately from phrasing really,
and everything that phrasing involves.
AS: I think you answered it beautifully. What
ARTICLES
about reed making?
NB: In this country, when I started there was just
one little notebook which was circulated from
hand to hand about how you made an oboe reed.
It came from Evelyn Rothwell, and there were
a few copies made. A lot of it was because she
had been in Texas and she had learnt about reed
making from Whitney Tustin. Is that a name you
know? (Yes, nodding head) Quite extraordinarily,
oboists just werent expected to make their own
reeds. They were supposed to buy them.
AS: Well, it is a very unmusical aspect of playing
the oboe.
NB: If you can leave it to someone else then its
very nice, yes, absolutely.
AS: Im sure you have some great anecdotes from
your playing career. Would you mind sharing
one?
NB: This is a very hectic one. I was on a tour with
the English Chamber Orchestra and I was asked
to perform the Strauss Concerto in the Carn-
 106 AN AFTERNOONS CONVERSATION WITH NEIL BLACK
egie Hall. In the hotel the evening prior to my
rehearsal, I felt that there was a bit too much play
in one of the left hand keys. And I thought, Ill
just go down to is it 42nd street where all the
music shops are? Anyway, any American would
know that theres a street in New York that has
music and instrument shops on both sides. I had
been advised by a prominent New York oboe
player not to go there, but rather to go to Long
Island where I think Mr. Laubin was? Anyway,
to go to Mr. Laubin if I wanted anything. But
there wasnt time to go outside the central area
of Manhattan where I was. So I went down to
42nd street, thinking, Well, theres only a bit
of play. I went into the shop and a gentleman
who probably hadnt EVER serviced anything
more delicate then a baritone saxophone took up
my oboe in two enormous hands. As he took the
keys off he bent one or two of the bits. My oboe
has automatic octaves as well as everything else,
so even if he had known about oboes it would
have been a bit beyond his comprehension. Ev-
ery key came off and, as I say, some got bent on
the way. Well he was completely confounded by
this mechanism. There was a nice girl who was
an apprentice there who tried to help, but neither
ARTICLES
of them could do very much. Certainly the bit of
play that Id worried about in the key meant noth-
ing to me by this time, and I was just wondering
how we were ever going to sort it out. After about
an hour of his wrestling with this thing, I said,
Look, have you got a plastic bag? Of course
he had, and I said, Would you mind just put-
ting the keys in the plastic bag. So I went off the
evening before the Strauss with a plastic bag of
keys and an oboe. On the way back to my hotel
I had to pass Carnegie Hall where it announced
English Chamber Orchestra, Strauss Concerto,
Neil Black - Sold Out and I thought, Ugh, and
I havent even got an oboe. So I went back, put
a wet towel around my head and got on with it.
About 1 oclock in the morning I had got it back
together. I took a pair of pliers, bent some of the
keys back into place and put it together, and for
some ridiculous reason it worked. Which was just
as well, because the following morning, I should
think half of New Yorks freelance oboists turned
up to hear the rehearsal. They didnt come to the
show, naturally, but that was one of the more
frightening rehearsals, fi rst because I could see
them all down there (I could see the whites of
their eyes), and second, I didnt really know if my
oboe was going to stand up to all that playing.
After that, no solo performance has ever been
quite the same.
AS: That is a very good story! (laughing)
NB: And it happens to be true, every bit of it.
AS: For the longest time it has been thought that
the greatest goal of a wind player was to get a
job in a good orchestra, but you chose the route
of soloistwhy, and has it been diffi cult?
NB: London is a little bit different from almost
any other city from a musical organization point
of view. Almost nobody considers themselves
exclusively employed, unless they were with the
BBC or one of the opera houses, under a solid
contract. Therefore, players who might be in the
London Philharmonic one day, might be playing
fi lm sessions the next, or with a pick-up band or
anything we were a lot more free to come and
go. As Pinky Zuckerman once said to me, Youre
also free to starve. Playing in the London Phil-
harmonic only lasted three years, and then I did
some cor anglais playing with the Philharmonia,
and after that it has been chamber orchestras.
You called me a soloist, but I always considered
myself a chamber orchestra player fi rst, who hap-
pened to be in the right place when the record-
ing companies had recorded all the obvious con-
certos, like violin and piano concertos, and they
were looking a little bit beyond that. I was prin-
cipal of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
and the English Chamber Orchestra at the same
time, but doing about half the work in each. I was
there when they wanted concertos, so I was in a
position to record them, and it is because of that
that people might think I am a soloist.
However, along with my orchestral work I
would think I averaged about one solo perfor-
mance a month throughout my 27 years at the
ECO.
AS: Thats really quite humble of you to say
that your solo career was simply a by-product
of where you happened to be sitting. So you at-
tribute it all to luck?
NB: I do. I had it all without even having to have
an agent or make any arrangements they were
all made for me. I was travelling with some of
the nicest musicians that you could possibly wish
 THE DOUBLE REED
to meet - nearly all my best friends were sitting
around me in the orchestra and that is a fantastic
boon. When youre three months out of the coun-
try at a time, you know, the orchestra becomes
your family. You know Thea King and my friend
Jimmy Brown, the other oboist, William Bennett,
the flute player, and various fi ne bassoonists
they remain my friends as theyve always been.
Its a good life playing Mozart piano concertos
and symphonies.
AS: What do you think of the adequateness of
the oboes solo literature?
NB: Oboe solo literature? Well I think it has got
a great deal more interesting, a great deal better.
Though I think that when I started playing there
was a tremendous shortage of published music
especially. There were a number of pieces written
for Goossens, but we oboists here all feel it was
a great shame that when he was the outstanding
oboist in the world and acknowledged thus, that
he wasnt able to commission people like Stravin-
sky and Bartok. Bartok who was so much in need
of work when he went to New York, and if hed
written an oboe concerto there were some
missed opportunities I feel. Im always grateful
to Mr. Tancibudek for his Martinu , that Martinu
dedicated his concerto to him. So, I think that we
are short of great pieces, but we are immensely
grateful to Mr. Dorati in his later days for falling
in love with Holligers playing and writing piece
after piece for him, many of which are excellent.
Holliger used to play the Triptych with our or-
chestra, which is for solo oboe, oboe damore,
and English horn, one after the other in three
movements. The reed was always just right for
him, even if it had been sitting on a table for 20
minutes, which is another aspect of Heinz that
is rather bewildering. Anyway, Doratis pieces
include the Concertante, and an early oboe and
strings quartet which is lovely, which was played
and recorded by Roger Lord for Doratis wifes
company, which I believe was Mercury records,
when Dorati was conducting the London Sym-
phony Orchestra. But of course, there is now an
immense amount of contemporary music for the
oboe, so it has improved a great deal.
AS: How do you feel about the 19th century oboe
repertoire?
107
NB: Forgive me if its a clich, but there are times
when the composer is top and the artist is a hum-
ble servant to the composer, and there are times
when the performer is top and the composer is
just providing wonderful ammunition for this
performer to fi re off. I think that the 19th century
was full of the glamorous professionals: Liszt or
Chopin playing their own music and music be-
ing written with the idea of exploiting technique.
Nowadays weve got quite reverent about being
the humble servant of the composer rather then
the other way around, and Im sure there is a
middle ground. But those 19th century pieces
often lack depth, simply because they had to be
showy. So you cant quite compare the Kalliwoda
or such compositions with the violin repertoire of
the 19th century.
AS: The British have contributed a great deal in
the 20th century, more than any other country,
to the expansion of the oboes repertoire. Why
do you think this is?
NB: People called that kind of music British Cow
Pat Music, because it tends to be rural and pas-
toral. Some of it very beautiful. Vaughan Wil-
ARTICLES
liams Concerto is the embodiment of that style
of music. Did you know there was a prize given
for a fantasy work called, I believe, the Corbett
Prize. Every composer, in order to have a chance
of winning this prize, would have to call his piece
a fantasy sonata or fantasy quartet. Which is why
Brittens quartet is called the Phantasy Quartet
in the hope making a little extra prize money on
the side.
And then there was Leon Goossens. He was
such a charismatic individual, and no one could
ignore that. You see, he put us oboists on the
map. People had thought of us as some sound
in an orchestra and it was only with Goossens
that promoters understood that woodwind solo-
ists could be put on without emptying the house;
you could have a woodwind soloist who would
give pleasure. You might think, Well what hap-
pened to all of those 19th century concertos?
Surely the players then were outstanding soloists,
but for some reason in Britain the oboe had gone
into a bit of an eclipse and Goossens brought it
out into the sun. So, I think that if it hadnt been
for him and Evelyn Rothwell there would have
been no more pieces written for the oboe than
in any other country. It is very hard for you to
 108 AN AFTERNOONS CONVERSATION WITH NEIL BLACK
imagine today, when there are oboe soloists all
over the place, but then there was really only one.
If you mentioned the oboe it was Leon Goos-
sens. He was so charismatic; he was one of those
people who could wear a cloak and a deerstalker
hat without looking ridiculous. He had a bearing
rather like that of a great actor. Even if you saw
him in the street and didnt know who he was,
you thought, Now thats somebody. This is the
reason why he attracted all these young lady pu-
pils ... they flocked to him. I met him when I was
in the National Youth Orchestra, which was in
1947, and he was in his middle age and still a fan-
tastically attractive person. I remember him in his
later age, of course, when I used to make his reeds
for him. In those last years he went through his
supply of reeds that were made by other people.
He bought an enormous consignment just before
the war when he realized that France might be
cut off. When he had run through those, which
was probably by about 1970, he suddenly had no
reeds left. He bought about 100 I think - bought
the shop out. So when those were fi nished, I used
to go over and have lunch with him, and make
him a few. He would still (in his early eighties) be
playing the Eugene Goossens concerto, and play-
ARTICLES
ing along with his own record of it. He would
say, I like to do that to make sure I havent de-
teriorated in any way. (laughing) It was lovely.
He used to say, Its very difficult you know, very
difficult.
AS: People must have expected a lot when they
heard him play, and it would have been hard to
live up to as he got older.
NB: Thats the trouble with being at the top in
anything I imagine
AS: Your career has been so rich and so full,
has anything over the years changed in the ap-
proaches, in the teachings, or in the standards of
your instrument in Britain?
NB: Yes, well that is a very big question. I think
the fi rst thing I would say about oboe playing
in Britain is that there are so many more of us.
I was advised by people in the profession when
I was thinking about it towards the end of my
Oxford career, and trying to be a historian,
that there were far too many players in London
already, that I shouldnt be considering oboe
playing. There were about 50 oboists in London
then, now I think there are 350, or something
like that. The fi rst thing we have is quantity, we
have 4-5 colleges in London, one in Birmingham,
Glasgow, Manchester, and there is a Cardiff mu-
sic school as well. All producing oboists, so there
is no shortage of players thats one thing.
As well as this, just as in America, suddenly
people are hearing oboists from all over the world,
and thanks to the faithful reproduction of CDs,
they can actually hear what a German player
sounds like, a French player and so on; as a result
of all this there is a convergence in styles. Which
Ive noticed particularly in America since 1992
when I fi rst started going to Sarasota. Its been so
incredibly fast, that they seem to almost be los-
ing their Tabuteau inheritance through looking
beyond the American scene. I fi nd it absolutely
fascinating that without changing the reed style,
they have changed so much. Now English players
also go abroad to study and they are subject to
influences, like, on the one hand Holliger and the
Holliger school, and on the other, the German
tradition starting with Lothar Koch, which since
the last war has had an immense influence. There
isnt one British style of oboe playing, because as
long as you are a fi ne musician, no one is actually
very concerned what your sound is like. Obvi-
ously, at extremes it would be noticeable if you
were overly thin or overly uninteresting in sound,
and you could be disregarded at an audition. But
no one comes with a preconception of what an
English oboe sound is, and I think that that is a
good thing because everybody can have a sound
that suits them. Theyre not trying to suit some-
body else or some invisible standard with their
tone quality. Since were all made differently, we
will naturally all make a slightly different sound,
and Im the last to say, Oh no, that wont do,
its got to be uniform in this style or that style.
Im delighted to fi nd in America great teachers
such as Richard Killmer and Allan Vogel who are
so broad-minded in their attitude that people are
allowed to develop in the way that they should
develop, instead of having to conform to what
Mr. Tabuteau would have liked, had he still been
alive.
AS: I found that very liberating when I studied
here at the Royal College, that people were not
so worried about the sound quality. In America
it is easy to become obsessed with it, and I feel
 THE DOUBLE REED
that can be so limiting and constrictive to your
musical voice.
NB: It is less so now. Each year I go to Sarasota
and I notice that less, which is delightful. I remem-
ber hearing from one girl at Sarasota say, Im not
going in for that audition because they want the
Bloom sound or they want the de Lancie sound or
the Mack sound, and hers wasnt whichever one
of those they wanted. And I remember I thought
how sad, that she cant even consider going in for
an audition because they belonged to a different
tradition. As a foreigner I couldnt hear the dif-
ference between the three styles of tone anyway
Im afraid. But they all clearly were descended
from Mr. Tabuteau at the time, and, as you can
probably guess from this, Im not whole-hearted
in my admiration for his legacy. But, you asked
me also about Britain, and I think the same di-
versity applies more and more with each passing
year. So now in Europe, we have a Frenchman
playing principal oboe in the Bavarian Radio Or-
chestra and we have an Englishman as the princi-
pal oboe of the Berlin Philharmonic. Now if you
were to go back even 30 years that would have
been an utter impossibility. So hurrah! Let there
be diversity. But I do still want the Viennese to
go on playing their own oboe. Otherwise, I think
that would be very sad. I am in favour of diversity
and everyones developing along their own lines,
with the teacher just being there on the sidelines,
to make sure they dont go too far out in a direc-
tion that may be unacceptable.
AS: Having given master classes around the
world, what is your perspective on oboe play-
ing today globally? How is the oboe changing or
how has it changed in your lifetime?
NB: I would say that the arrival of Mr. Holliger
is the biggest single thing. I cant speak enough
of his influence, because he embodies with modi-
fications the French tradition of oboe playing.
He studied in Paris as you most probably know.
Yet, there are plenty of players who dont follow
in that sort of style, who nevertheless have been
completely influenced by his playing because he
has brought the oboe from being the sort of lame
duck of the woodwind into a solo instrument that
has really no limitations in terms of flexibility
and versatility. No one has been unaffected by
Holliger, even us oldies. We realize that there is a
109
lot more technical study to be done then we ever
thought, especially me with my six lessons! Now
people talk about six years not being enough.
AS: You were probably just exceptionally bril-
liant; you could learn everything in six lessons,
whereas most of us are quite slow
NB: No! Ive spent most of my life trying to learn,
thats the thing. The result is youre a perpetual
student and you are trying to study the thing and
give performances at the same time. It certainly
makes life interesting.
AS: If we are becoming more homogeneous as
an international school of playing, what do you
think that Americans could learn from British
oboists? What qualities should Americans learn
from the British to make us better players and
vice versa, what qualities could the British ben-
efit from learning from American players?
NB: I was thinking about this. What I would say
to Americans is that, from the standard I hear, it
is the very, very advanced students that we have at
Sarasota. I ask them to think far, far more about
ARTICLES
the music theyre playing, not intellectually but
emotionally, and to think less about their oboe
playing, which is already so good. There are so
many players with very good techniques, but I do
fi nd from time to time that if they approached
it through the music rather then the technical
side which is embodied by that burden they
carry around called excerpts. I dont know how
many people will have read Pilgrims Progress by
John Bunyan, but there is a moment where the
pilgrim looses that baggage from his back, when
the burden drops, and that is the moment when
the American player wins a job and can forget
those excerpts for a few years. There is so much
concentration on getting it perfect, getting every-
thing absolutely right: in time, in tune, a beauti-
ful sound. But if there could be more emphasis on
the imaginative side of music sometimes I have
to encourage that a bit.
The complete opposite is true here in Brit-
ain - we should be spending more time thinking
about the oboe and its technique and the reeds,
really working at producing a beautiful sound,
with the complete control that I often hear, even
from those American players who are not so far
on musically. They are complementary really, and
 110 AN AFTERNOONS CONVERSATION WITH NEIL BLACK
teaching on both sides of the Atlantic, I have the
best of both worlds. Im very lucky to hear both
schools in action.
When I talk, or give a class in America I fi nd
myself talking 95% about interpretation and the
music, which is the interesting part anyway, and
only 5% about the oboe because mostly they
dont need to be told about the oboe, or how to
play it. It is quite a different experience really.
AS: What do you hope to be your legacy, what
would you like people to remember you for?
NB: Id like to be remembered as a good colleague
among my friends, someone who was supportive
and tried to help the young with advice and en-
couragement. I havent any great ambitions for a
legacy. I would like to be thought of as some one
who helped others in the course of helping him-
self! (laughing)
AS: What have you found to be the most reward-
ing throughout your career: orchestral playing,
teaching?
NB: Quite defi nitely the Chamber Orchestra, on
ARTICLES
both a personal and a musical level. I lived among
them and they were like my family. I do wish Id
had an opportunity to play more opera and in
more in symphony orchestras I did do a few
operas, with Barenboim doing Don Giovanni
and Figaro. That cant be bad can it? It was amaz-
ing, top casts at the Edinburgh Festival. I would
have liked to have done more of that sort of thing,
but I havent very many regrets at all. I consider
that Ive had the most phenomenal life.
AS: When Americans think of an English oboist,
we often think of you and I believe that many
people will find your ideas and stories very
interesting.
NB: Well its because of my recordings, thats all.
Ive never been one of the outstanding well Ive
been one of a number of fi rst oboists in this city,
but certainly not known as a soloist. Its just the
recording studio thats done that: one day you
wake up and youre going to play a childrens con-
cert, and the next day its the Strauss Concerto
and you go along and record it. I suppose one of
my greatest musical experiences was in recording
the Strauss with Daniel Barenboim. What made it
so special was that Jackie Du Pre was present al-
ready ill and sitting in her wheel chair in EMI stu-
dio 1, and the whole orchestra and I were playing
to her. We gave a performance of the Strauss for
her, and there was no one else in the studio apart
from the sound people behind the glass screen.
That was a very special sensation because her
face registered the very emotions of the music; al-
though she was already half paralyzed she was
so much in the music. We all rose a little bit to the
occasion for that recording. I think that might be
the single experience Ill remember longest.
AS: Thank you so much for your time and
knowledge.
NB: Its been a great pleasure, Aryn.
Aryn Day Sweeney was a recent prize-winner in
the 2005 Barbirolli International Oboe Competi-
tion. As a recipient of a prestigious Frank Hun-
tington Beebe Foundation Fellowship to study
abroad, she completed a Solo Artist Diploma
from the Royal College of Music in London,
England. She has also completed her Doctor of
Musical Arts from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, a Masters of Music Degree from Rice
University, Houston, Texas and her Bachelor of
Music Degree Cum Laude from the University of
Southern California. In addition, Aryn has per-
formed with several prominent artists including
Zubin Mehta, Jeffrey Tate, Peter Schreier, and
members of the Dallas Symphony, Houston Sym-
phony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as
giving solo recitals throughout the United States
and England. She has studied with Nancy Am-
brose King, Robert Atherholt, Allan Vogel, Neil
Black, and John Anderson.
 THE DOUBLE REED 111

NEIL BLACK - DISCOGRAPHY

Albinoni-Oboe concerto in D minor ECO/Watson Virgo

Albinoni-Double concerti in C major & G major ECO/Zanfir/Judd Phillips
Beethoven-Quintet for piano and wind Perahia/ECO Ensemble CBS
J.S. Bach-Oboe concerto in F major ASM/Marriner Boston Skyline
J.S. Bach-Oboe damore concerto in A major ASM/Marriner Boston Skyline
J.S. Bach-Concerto for violin, flute and oboe ASM/Marriner Decca
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerti nos. 1 & 2 ASM/Marriner Philips
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerti nos. 1 & 2 ECO/Leppard Philips
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerti nos. 1 & 2 ECO/Ledger Pickwick
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerti nos. 1 & 2 Philomusica of London Dart
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerti nos. 1 & 2 ECO/Watson Virgo
J.S. Bach-Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 ECO/Marsalis/Leppard EMI
J.S. Bach-Concerto in D minor for ECO/Perlman/Barenboim
oboe and violin
J.S. Bach-Concerto in D minor for ECO/Sitkovetsky Novalis
oboe and violin
J.S. Bach-Concerto in D minor for ECO/Zimmerman EMI
oboe and violin
J.S. Bach-The Art of Fugue Members of the Philomusica of Decca
London/Malcolm
J.S. Bach-Suite no. 1 in C major ECO/Ledger

ARTICLES
J.S. Bach-Qui sedes from Mass in B minor LPO/Ferrier/Boult Decca
Geoffrey Bush-Wind Chamber Music ECO Wind Ensemble Chandos
Connolly-Triad 3 Vesuvius Ensemble Argo
Dvorak-Serenade for Wind ECO Wind Ensemble EMI
Handel-3 Oboe Sonatas and 3 Trio Sonatas ASM Chamber Ensemble Philips
Haydn-Lira Concerto for flute and oboe ECO/Bennett/N. Cleobury Beep
Honegger-Concerto da Camera for flute and ECO/Bennett Beep
cor anglais
Mozart-Sinfonia Concertante in Ef ASM/Brymer/Civil/Chapman/ Philips
Marriner
Mozart-Oboe Concerto in C major ASM/Marriner Philips
Mozart-Serenades no. 11 & 12 New London Wind Ensemble Classics for
Pleasure
Mozart-Divertimento in D major K. 251 LMP/Blech Abbey records
Mozart-Quintet for piano and winds Perahia/ECO Ensemble CBS/Sony
Mozart-Quintet for piano and winds Uchida/ECO Ensemble Philips
Mozart-Oboe Quartet in F major K. 370 Chamber Ensemble of ASM Philips
Respighi-Concerto a Cinque ECO/Viotti Claves
R. Strauss-Oboe Concerto ECO/Barenboim CBS/Sony
R. Vaughan Williams-Oboe Concerto ECO/Barenboim DGG
Villa Lobos-Chamber Music William Bennett and Friends Hyperion
Vivaldi-Concerto in A min. ECO/Garcia CBS/Sony
 112 AN AFTERNOONS CONVERSATION WITH NEIL BLACK

Vivaldi-Oboe Concerto in D minor op. 8 no.9 ECO/Zuckerman CBS/Sony

Vivaldi-Oboe Concerto in F major ASM/Marriner Decca
Vivaldi-Concerto for 2 oboes in D minor ASM/Nicklin/Marriner Decca
Vivaldi-Concerto for violin and 6 Wind ASM/Marriner Decca
Instruments
Woodcock-Oboe Concerto in Ef Thames Chamber Orchestra/ CRD
Dobson
Grand Polanaise Salon Music for Wind ECO Wind Ensemble EMI
Twentieth Century Music for Wind Trio London Wind Trio Pickwick Masters

ECO=English Chamber Orchestra

ASM=Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
ARTICLES
 THE DOUBLE REED
Notes from abroad from Lyndon Watts
(The following article first appeared in the Vol. 8 #3 is-
sue of the Reeding Matter newsletter of the Australasian
Double Reed Society. Reprinted with permission. Ed.)
A
nyone who attended the IDRS Conference
Iin Melbourne in 2004 would remember
Lyndon Watts and his stunning perfor-
mance of Mathewmatics by Heinz Holliger and
Hummel Bassoon Concerto with the Melbourne
Symphony. Currently principal bassoon with
the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, he is now
recognized as one of the leading bassoonists in
Europe.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, his family moved
to New Zealand and later Australia where he be-
gan playing the piano. He became fascinated with
the exotic nature of the lower tones of the bassoon
and began lessons with John Cran. Soon after he
won a music scholarship at Newington College,
Sydney, was fi nalist in the ABC Young Perform-
ers and became principal bassoonist of the
Australian Youth Orchestra.
In 1994 he commenced his studies
with Eberhard Marschall at the Munich
School of Music, completing his Mas-
ters in 2000. He won the international
Pacem in Terris woodwind compe-
tition in Bayreuth, and in 2000
was awarded the Yamaha
Scholarship for Wood-
wind Instruments which
he used to begin playing
Baroque bassoon. He
studied with Alberto
Grazzi (Ensemble Ze-
fi ro) at the Conserva-
torio F.E. DallAbaco
in Verona. He won
third prize in the Inter-
national ARD (German
Radio) Music Competi-
tion and a special award for
the best interpretation of
the set work by Heinz Hol-
liger. He has made record-
ings for Bavarian Radio,
Southwest German Radio
and North German Radio Lyndon Watts
113
and has performed as guest principal bassoonist
with the West German Radio Symphony Orches-
tra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the
Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, the Internation-
al Bach Academy Stuttgart, the Munich Chamber
Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and the
Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.
Since October 2002 Lyndon has been teaching
at the Munich School of Music, and from October
2005 he will also be teaching at the University of
Fine and Applied Arts in Bern, Switzerland.
EARLY YEARS STUDYING WITH JOHN CRAN
From 1988 to 1991 I attended Alstonville High
School on the North Coast of NSW. Du-
ring the week I usually used to practi-
se up to 45mins bassoon and 30mins
ARTICLES
piano every morning before going to
school. The afternoons after school
were used initially for bassoon and
piano lessons, as well as karate (!)
lessons. After about 18 months of
lessons with Gordon Yemm in Bal-
lina (he still lives and works in
that lovely part of the world),
I then played for Peter Mus-
son in Brisbane and John
Cran in Sydney. Although
Peter was closer, it took
longer to get to Bris-
bane by car than to
Sydney by plane, so
I had the luxury of
being able to choose
the Sydney option. Of
course the fl ights to Syd-
ney on the noisy little Fok-
ker planes were a great adventu-
re, and being picked up at the
train station in Sydney by John
Cran in his speedy Alfa Romeo
was almost as much fun as the
lesson itself... I had the luxury
 114 NOTES FROM ABROAD
of being able to rehearse with piano as often as
necessary, my mother was always ready to make
time for me in her busy work schedule. She also
taught me how to practise effectively, employing
the right practice techniques with the metronome
and tuner and using my time efficiently.
From the very beginning I enjoyed long, inspi-
ring lessons with Mr. Cran, mostly weekends. We
worked our way through most of the standard
repertoire, my mother usually accompanying me
to Sydney. My fi rst orchestral experience was at
Toowoomba Music Camp, playing the fi rst bas-
son part of Rimsky Korsakovs Capriccio Espa-
gnol on my $4000 plastic Fox. This was close-
ly followed by annual state and national music
camps. At 13 I well remember being thrown in
the deep end at National Music Camp at Kings
School in Parramatta, playing 2nd bassoon in the
Sibelius Symphony with the number two orche-
stra from the camp. Back then Andrew Barnes
was playing fi rst bassoon in the the number one
orchestra (which was the AYO in residence). I was
surrounded by very good bassoon students from
around Australia.
When I was in grade 10, an AMEB examiner
who had connections to Newington College in
ARTICLES
Sydney recommended I apply for a music scholar-
ship. This was a difficult step for my parents, but
they always supported my musical ambitions and
even if it were hard for them to part from their
son beginning boarding school, they didnt show
it, always believing in me. I was then able to have
regular bassoon lessons with John Cran, and also
piano lessons with Margaret Hair. At my fi rst les-
son with her, she said very clearly to me: You
are going to be a very good bassoonist! Piano
was always hard work, requiring at least twice
the input I needed for bassoon, but I thorough-
ly enjoyed the challenge of lessons from such a
gifted piano teacher. In addition to this, the di-
rector of the music deparment, Elisabeth Swain,
and the headmaster, Tony Rae, were always on
my side when I encountered any problems with
skipping lessons in favour of music. Together
with a generous, caring boarding house master,
I was surrounded by many supportive teachers,
who always encouraged me and showed me they
believed in my ability.
BEGINNING STUDIES AT THE MUNICH SCHOOL
OF MUSIC WITH EBERHARD MARSCHALL.
The year after completing my HSC was a very
exciting year. After having met and played for
Diethelm Jonas when he was in Australia tea-
ching, he and John Cran both suggested I au-
dition for a study position in Germany. Having
done two years of HSC German (2unitZ by cor-
respondence), I then organised a trip to Germany
in order to meet and play for Klaus Thunemann,
Sergio Azzolini, Milan Turkovic, Alfred Rinder-
spacher, Karl-Otto Hartmann and Matthew Wil-
kie, who Diethelm said, knew all about the art of
bassoon playing. When Klaus Thunemann also
gave his approval, I realized I had to meet this
man.Thanks to Matthews expert advice, I came
to know my future teacher. We got on well from
the very beginning, we seemed to be on the same
wavelength, even though my school German was
very stiff and formal. I was particularly impressed
by the lessons I heard. One pupil whom I heard,
Henrik Rabien, later became principal bassoonist
of the West German Radio Orchestra and is now
also professor at the Frankfurt School of Music!
In Summer 1994 I went to Europe again, on tour
with the AYO. Before, during and after the tour
I auditioned in Stuttgart, Freiburg, Vienna and
fi nally played a belated audition in October for
Professor Marschall in Munich. Having passed
all auditions, I had an extremely difficult deci-
sion to make. How-ever, I instinctively felt that
Eberhard Marschall was the right teacher for me.
I had heard him in July perform a Vivaldi con-
certo (even using circular breathing for an ama-
zing phrase in the slow movement!), after which
I joined him at a restaurant, and he insisted on
paying for my meal and providing transport back
to Munich. He is a very generous, kind-hearted
man, who was a kind of surrogate father from the
difficult beginning in Germany, as an 18-year-old
speaking a foreign language without any English-
speaking acquaintances in Munich.
THE TEACHING AND PLAYING STYLE OF EBER-
HARD MARSCHALL.
He has bassoon playing worked down to a fi ne
art. One of his many goals was to teach me how
to teach myself. This he seems to have done suc-
cessfully! A particularly important factor of his
teaching is learning to observe oneself while play-
 THE DOUBLE REED
ing either listening to oneself more closely (espe-
cially for a warm tone on EVERY note and good
legato), technically (air supply, embouchure,
fi ngers etc.), locating tension, learning how not
to show ones limits or perfecting phrasing. Al-
though the lessons at the beginning were very
heavily technically oriented, I am most grateful
for the solid technical foundation I gained from
these sometimes tiring sessions. And of course,
once the good foundations were laid, then the
work on expanding my repertoire was a genuine
pleasure and musically highly rewarding with
Eberhard, who was always open to my musical
ideas, and never forced his interpretation on me,
rather he helped me develop my own suitable in-
terpretation for each piece, old and new.
Prof. Marschalls playing style is very refi ned
and highly musical, with a generous dose of vi-
brato, (always convincingly, musically employed),
characterised by an excellent technique, warm
dark tone over the whole dynamic range, and a
very stable, reliable embouchure. He has a perfect
combination of the heart and the mind in his play-
ing: he thinks a lot about how he will play every
passage, but in the concert situation he is always
able to let loose and make the music come alive.
He prefers performing as an orchestral or cham-
ber musician (as testified by the huge number of
recordings he made with the Linos Ensemble),
and has therefore not recorded any solo CDs for
commercial sale, although I do have a few Bavar-
ian Radio recordings. His personal qualities are
also not to be underestimated: modesty and hu-
mility are great virtues in the ideal professor!
THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STUDYING
OVERSEAS COMPARED WITH STUDYING IN
AUSTRALIA?
I cant speak for overseas in general, I can only
speak for Germany. Here, there are two main
differences. Lessons with the professor are most
important, all other subjects are insignificant in
comparison. There are only a few other compulso-
ry subjects for which all lessons are optional, and
if you are sufficiently talented to pass the exam,
it doesnt matter if you didnt attend lectures! No
essays are required, and written examinations are
relatively simple compared to Australia.
In general, I consider the weighting of the de-
gree to be much closer to reality than in Austra-
lia. After all, at an audition the most important
115
thing is how you play, not what else you can do
or know!
Until this year, studies in Germany were free
for all students. From October 2005 there will
be a fee of 500 Euros per semester - even this
is a small amount compared to university fees
in Australia. In Bern, the cheapest university in
Switzerland, the fee is 400 Euros per semester.
At the University in Vienna, foreign students pay
1100 Euros per semester. In Italy, I paid 220 Eu-
ros for a whole year of Baroque bassoon studies,
but only had lessons for six months and had no
other subjects.
There are also many opportunities for stu-
dents to gain valuable orchestral experience
through programmes similar to the Sydney Sin-
fonia (correct me if this is wrong). The pioneers
in Germany were the Berlin Philharmonic Orche-
stra with the Karajan Academy. In the past few
years most orchestras in Germany have founded
their own academies. Students up to the age of
25 or 26 receive approximately 500 Euros per
month, usually for two years, and perform regu-
larly with the orchestra. The work opportunites
here are considerably better for music students, as
is student life, with cheap standing tickets to the
ARTICLES
opera, and excellent transport discounts in the
city and between cities and neighbouring coun-
tries. There is also almost always cheap student
accommodation available from each music colle-
ge for which overseas students are given priority.
ADVICE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING STUDYING
OVERSEAS.
I recommend every serious Australian music stu-
dent consider studying overseas, in order to fully
measure their standard in relation to the rest of
the musical world, be it in Europe or America. Of
course its easier said than done! The fi rst questi-
on is when: either straight after school, or after
completing the fi rst degree. It is difficult but pos-
sible to audition after second or third year and be
placed in second or third year in Europe. Travel
is expensive and some undergraduate degrees are
not compatible with Bachelor degrees. The main
organisational problem is that the academic year
starts in October, and it is not usually possible to
commence studying earlier in the year. For Ger-
many, the fi rst thing an interested student should
do is learn German, preferably for one or two
years in advance, because the entrance examina-
 116 NOTES FROM ABROAD
tion procedures have recently been changed to in-
clude either a German language test or presentati-
on of the Zertifikat Deutsch or equivalent from
the Goethe Institute. I learned 2-unit-Z German
by correspondence for the final two years of high
school in NSW, which proved to be a very wise
choice. In Salzburg and Bern, proof of German
skills may be presented one semester after com-
mencing studies.
At the moment in Germany I recommend
interested bassoonists consider playing for my
former teacher, Eberhard Marschall in Munich,
or Dag Jensen in Hanover and Georg Kltsch in
Cologne. There are other excellent teachers in
Frankfurt, Freiburg and Weimar, but the overall
standard of the bassoon students is best in Hano-
ver and Cologne. Of course this is a constantly
changing situation. In Berlin, Klaus Thunemann
had the best class until he recently decided to stop
teaching. His successor has not yet been announ-
ced, and in Freiburg, Stephan Schweigert, prin-
cipal bassoonist of the Berlin Philharmonic, has
also started teaching, so I am sure the standard of
the bassoon students in these cities will rise in the
coming years. I am also starting up a small bas-
soon class (4 to 6 bassoonists) in September this
ARTICLES
year in Bern, Switzerland. I am looking forward
to the challenge of having my own bassoon class,
as opposed to assisting in Munich.
It is best to apply for as many of the above
music schools as possible. All applications must
be sent by the end of March, so it is best to start
collecting all the necessary documents and forms
as early as January! Auditions take place from the
end of May to mid July, most occurring in the
Lyndon Watts performing in the Live Music Now programme with the
Bennelong Trio. This programme aimed to bring live classical music to
people who were unable to attend concerts themselves, such as sick chil-
dren, prisoners, and mentally and physically diabled people.
second half of June. Then, if you can afford it,
do a mastercourse or language course in Summer
(northern hemisphere: July-August) before com-
mencing studies. Alternatively the DAAD (Ger-
man Academic Exchange Service) offers scholar-
ships for a select few, and there are some other
shorter exchange programmes available, for ex-
ample between the Conservatorium in Brisbane
and the School of Music in Munich.
SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE
EXPERIENCES HAD WHILE PLAYING IN AN
ORCHESTRA OR CHAMBER GROUP.
Two of the most memorable experiences were
three concerts with the Munich Philharmonic
Orchestra in Carnegie Hall with James Levine
conducting, and in Munich performances of the
Beethoven and Mozart piano quintets with James
Levine on piano. One funny story is about Ivan
Fischer, chief conductor of the Budapest Festival
Orchestra and regular guest with our orchestra
- a very temperamental, impulsive, dictatorial but
immensely musical personality. During rehearsal
a cell phone started ringing. One of the violin-
ists immediately went to his case and switched
off his phone. Cell phone offenders have to pay
quite a high fine for their offence in our orches-
tra. A few minutes later, when the same signal
rang again, yet another violinist reached into her
handbag and switched off her mobile. Although
Ivan Fischer was not at all amused, we all had a
good laugh before the rehearsal resumed. Min-
utes later the exact same signal sounded again.
Then Ivan Fischers face took on a look of hor-
ror as he slowly delved into his trou-
ser pocket and removed his offending
mobile phone, ringing loudly. Suitably
chagrined, he then proceeded to open
his wallet, generously handing over the
money for the fine to the principal cel-
list, our orchestral representative!
At the end of my trial year, I per-
formed Rite of Spring (or Sacre as we
call it here in Germany) five times with
Ivan Fischer while my fate was being de-
cided by members of the Munich Phil-
harmonic. He really tested me by wait-
ing until the Philharmonie in Munich
(which seats 2400 people) was so quiet
you could hear a pin drop. By then the
crook was cold and the moisture from
 THE DOUBLE REED
inside the crook had fi lled the reed, but when
the whole concert hall is so quiet, you cant take
your crook off and blow the water out... When
I recently performed Sacre with Zubin Mehta
he let me begin when I wanted to, and gave me
complete freedom in both high solos. That was
the highlight for me this season. I recall another
fantastic concert with Zubin Mehta and pianist
Mitsuko Uchida. Her vivacious, energetic and ex-
quisitely musical playing combined with his sheer
pleasure and delight in accompanying her were
highly contagious!
I also enjoyed performing the Mozart Con-
certo without a conductor in the semi-fi nal of
the ARD competition in 2002 with the Munich
Chamber Orchestra. We made real chamber mu-
sic, the way I wish it would feel more often in the
larger symphony orchestra. In this respect, one
of my favourite soloists is violinist Christian Tet-
zlaff. Last season we performed a very demand-
ing programme with the Beethoven concerto
before the interval and the Schoenberg concerto
after the interval. Both pieces are very rewarding
for the principal bassoonist, and apart from the
performances in Munich, the concert in Lucerne
in one of the best concert halls in the world was a
real highlight for me.
There are many other memorable concerts and
exciting tours I could mention, but I think they
will have to be kept for another time
BAROQUE BASSOON PLAYING AND SOME
RECENT EXPERIENCES.
Until June this year, I took lessons from Alberto
Grazzi in Verona. Aside from being a superb mu-
sician who possesses a beautiful, warm tone on
the Baroque bassoon, Alberto is a real gentleman
who speaks perfect English, having lived and
worked in London for a number of years. Verona
is a delightful place to visit, always 5 or 10 de-
grees warmer than Munich. I will miss Alberto
very much - now that I am starting teaching in
Berne, there will be no time left for hopping over
the alps to have lessons in an idyllic Shakespear-
ean setting.
I spend approximately fi fty percent of my time
performing with the Munich Philharmonic. Dur-
ing the remaining fi fty percent, aside from teach-
ing, solo performances and chamber concerts, I
generally try to organise most concerts on either
Baroque or classical bassoon. I prefer to play in
117
Munich as often as possible, although if time
allows I sometimes travel to Innsbruck, Linz,
Cologne, Wrzburg, Augsburg and other cities.
There is an ensemble here, the Neue Hofka-
pelle, which has a few programmes each year.
My fi rst real Baroque bassoon experience in Mu-
nich was the Bach b minor Mass a few years ago,
closely followed by a couple of Baroque operas
and recently the Christmas oratorium. Also last
year at the Munich School of Music I performed a
concert with Vivaldis concertos for flute, violin,
oboe, bassoon and basso continuo: perhaps some
of the best writing for Baroque bassoon. I really
enjoy playing the continuo part - provided the
cellist has good intonation and articulates in the
Baroque manner, without vibrato in the recita-
tives! Playing continuo is a welcome change from
symphonic repertoire because the bassoonist
has a completely different role. Although many
people play early instruments, it is actually very
difficult to fi nd versatile, well-versed players with
a convincing individual style.
Like Alberto Grazzi, I play on historical cop-
ies by Peter de Koningh from Holland. Perhaps
the hardest task as a player of historical instru-
ments is fi nding the right instrument, the right
ARTICLES
crook and the right reed. I dream of owning an
original Grenser classical bassoon, and being
able to perform the beautiful solo and symphonic
repertoire on such a fi ne instrument! My classical
bassoon requires more work than the Baroque in-
strument, because it is not yet fully played in.
I had to get my Baroque bassoon rebored four
times before I was happy with the intonation,
and the classical one is gradually getting better.
In June I was invited to play Gran Partita with
Ensemble Philidor, with rehearsals in Versailles
and a short tour of the Czech Republic. After 11
years, my rusty high-school French skills fi nally
came in useful, and I thoroughly enjoyed going
for a jog in the famous Baroque gardens after
rehearsals!
IN THE CD PLAYER AT THE MOMENT.
Dee Dee Bridgewater: This Is New. (All songs
composed by Kurt Weill) This is the fi rst vocal
jazz songbook dedicated to Kuert Weills music
and is without doubt my favourite CD. Aside
from the odd jazz CD like Dee Dee Bridgewater,
I always try to have the latest Sergio Azzolini CD
in my collection. A new recording with 20th cen-
 118 NOTES FROM ABROAD

tury concertos conducted by Maurice Bourgue ing in. My reeds last anything from one concert
and Sergios Kammerakademie Potsdam has to a few months, depending on the pieces I have
just been released. This is by far the best version to play and how much I need to prepare for solo
of Villa-Lobos which I have ever heard, although performances or difficult orchestra programmes.
I must confess that I have yet to listen to the entire I very rarely give reeds to pupils, preferring them
Gubaidulina and Hindemith (plus trumpet) con- to make their own. BME students usually do not
certos... I also really enjoy listening to his Fasch have enough time to make their own, so I recom-
(concerto) recording on Baroque bassoon with La mend reeds by Urban He (www.fagottrohr.de)
Stravaganza - the whole CD is of consistent per- or equivalent.
formance quality throughout. I am in the process of getting the University of
Fine and Applied Arts in Bern to order a digital
REACTION TO THE IDRS CONFERENCE IN hardness tester and the new Flexter from Udo
MELBOURNE LAST YEAR. Heng (www.reedsnstuff.de), in order to help my
students fi nd good cane with which to learn the
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, juggling business art of reedmaking. I have wasted too much time
and fun with family, even though everything was with bad cane during my career...
over too quickly. The only problem was, when-
ever I was playing or preparing for a recital,
there was something else happening which I re-
ally wanted to hear and see! I was frankly very
surprised that anyone came to hear the Baroque
bassoon at 10am on a Sunday morning, while
Kim Walker and Andrew Barnes were playing the
Gubaidulina Duo, or the only four Kontrafortes
in the universe were being puffed on simultane-
ously... Anne Gilby and her team deserve enor-
ARTICLES

mous respect and a huge compliment for such a

fantastic achievement. I particularly enjoyed see-
ing the Australian bassoonists who inspired me
most before leaving Australia for Europe: John
Cran, Richard McIntyre, Peter Musson and oth-
ers. And the opportunity of performing as solo-
ist with the MSO was all thanks to Anne Gilbys
support - harking back to National Music Camp
days!

INSTRUMENT- REEDS AND CROOK.

I play on Heckel No.14581 with a CD1 crook. I

use a Rieger No.2 shape, but the tube of my reeds
is 2mm shorter than standard, due to the fact that
my orchestra usually plays at A443, and our prin-
cipal oboist sometimes inadvertantly squeezes the
pitch up to A446 (ouch!). I used density-tested
gouged cane from Proreeds (www.proreeds.de)
for a while, but since this is unfortunately no
longer available, I am making the next batch of
reeds with 50 pieces of hardness-tested gouged
cane from Rolf Potratz (www.rolfpotratz.de). I
hope they will come close to the density-tested
results. I make about 50 reeds a year, but only
a dozen of them reach the fi nal stages of blow-
 THE DOUBLE REED
Embouchure Leaking:
Tips for Plugging the Leak
Barrick Stees
Cleveland, Ohio
H
ave you ever gone back stage after a the-
atrical performance to greet the actors?
You may notice how grotesque they look
with stage makeup still on. Due to the fact that
humans are naturally near-sighted it is necessary
to exaggerate certain features of the face with
makeup to convey character and expression from
the stage to the seats.
The same holds true for musical performances.
Those who heard the great violinist Jascha Heif-
etz up close said there was a surprising amount of
non-musical sound in his playing associated with
bow and instrument noise. However, this was not
noticed in the seats.
For the bassoonist, performing a marcato
articulation in a large auditorium may require
what up close sounds like an exaggerated, heavy
articulation. Likewise, executing an exuberant
sfz attack in the low register may require an
embouchure loose enough that a small amount
of air leaks at the beginning of the note. An ac-
complished bassoonist will take care that none
of this extra effort or noise is noticed by the
listener. However, leaking air by habit around
the embouchure can detract from the effect of a
performance.
A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM
The audible leaking of air around the em-
bouchure is a common problem for bassoonists.
However, leaking air around the embouchure
while playing is mostly unnecessary and can be
very distracting for the player and listener.
Some fallacies about embouchure leaking:
1. It cant be heard past a few feet. Breathe, Dont Blow in The Double Reed mag-
2. It helps me get a full tone.
3. It proves Im using good breath support.
Some bassoonists are so used to leaking that
they do not even hear it! When, by chance, they
do not leak they often feel something is missing
119
from the sound. It is a bit like the bassoonist who
has become so used to a noisy key mechanism
that, after quieting the key action, feels the sound
is now smaller. They have gotten used to the noise
and no longer fi nd it objectionable.
Embouchure leaking often begins in the high
school or early college period. It can coincide
with a stage in which the player is trying to stop
biting and using the jaw to hold the reed in the
mouth. At this point the muscles of the lips are
often not developed enough to substitute for the
holding with the jaw. Therefore, the muscles tire
quickly and collapse, causing air to escape.
Another cause of leaking is the lack of in-
volvement of the corners of the mouth in making
a seal around the reed. Pulling the corners back
or rolling the lips in too much over the teeth can
result in leaking.
ARTICLES
Leaking can also be caused by an exaggerat-
ed overbite. The lips may not actually meet near
the corners of the reed, causing a breach. Since
most people have a natural overbite, it is not usu-
ally necessary to affect one. Many young play-
ers overdo the overbite because theyve been told
thats correct on the bassoon. This can lead to a
dull, leaky tone.
Simple over-blowing can cause leaking.
Flooding the reed with too much air will not re-
sult in a bigger or more projecting tone. In fact,
the opposite can be true. Try a crescendo on a
C s in the staff. This note is especially sensitive to
over blowing. At a certain point in the crescendo
the tone will actually get smaller. The player must
use the amount and speed of air that is appropri-
ate for the demands of the music; no more, no
less. For an excellent view on the topic of over-
blowing, see the article by C. Robert Reinert,
azine Vol. 21, No. 3, 1998.
B. SOME SOLUTIONS
Simple awareness may be the easiest way to
solve the problem. Listening to a recording of
 120 EMBOUCHURE LEAKING: TIPS FOR PLUGGING THE LEAK
your playing can be revealing - a bit like discov-
ering you have bad breath! Youll never want to
sound that way again and will do what it takes to
correct the problem.
Some students arent resourceful enough to be
able to stop leaking on their own. For them I sug-
gest the following:
Practice articulating a short, loud note in
all ranges. Isolating a single note should
allow the student to focus on sealing the
reed completely with the lips. Listen for
any escape of sound. Be careful not to
over-correct! Don't accept a choked tone!
Use only the amount of embouchure pres-
sure necessary for a good seal for a pitch
that is in tune and sounds good.
Do the same thing with a sustained tone.
Watch for the good characteristics listed
above. Gradually add more notes, a scale,
a phrase, etc.
For those who tend to bite the reed, long
tones provide a great opportunity to build
the lip muscles independent of the jaw or
ARTICLES
larger facial muscles that often substitute
during biting.
To build greater awareness of the role
played by the corners of the mouth in seal-
ing the lips around the reed, the player can
try to play with the reed twisted on the
bocal 90 from normal. In other words,
the edges of the blades should point up
and down instead of left and right. Al-
though uncomfortable, the player will
have to bring the corners way in just to
seal enough to get a sound out of the reed
in this position.
The teacher and student can also examine
these aspects:
Look to see if the overbite is excessive.
The lower jaw should stagger under the
upper with little or no extra effort from
the player.
The amount of red showing on both lips
when making the embouchure could be
wrong for the student. The skin of the
lips provides a unique friction that, if po-
sitioned on the reed correctly, need not
be accompanied by much embouchure
pressure to make the seal. Check to see
if enough lip is contacting the blade of
the reed or if too much lip is rolled over
the teeth. Remember that each person's
lips are shaped differently, so what looks
good to the teacher from a distance may
not always be correct for that particular
student. There is no "textbook" embou-
chure from a visual standpoint.
A reed that is too light or too heavy in
scrape, or a tip that is too open or too
closed can cause leaking. To a lesser ex-
tent this can be true with equipment that
is too responsive or too stuffy. The player
should encounter a pleasant resistance
when playing the bassoon.
In conclusion, the bassoonist must consider
at all times how performance is perceived by an
audience either real or imagined. We play music
for others to enjoy, after all. The integrity of the
product is all-important. When given a choice
audiences, audition committees, colleagues and
teachers will choose a sound that is beautiful in
its purity and richness, unencumbered by extra-
neous noise.
 THE DOUBLE REED
double talk Interview with Alexandre Ougey and Jillian Taylor
(The following article first appeared in the Vol. 8 #4 is-
sue of the Reeding Matter newsletter of the Australasian
Double Reed Society. Reprinted with permission. Ed.)
C
urrently principal cor anglais in the Sydney
Symphony, Alexandre Oguey was born in
Neuchtel, Switzerland, initially studying
oboe in La Chaux-de-Fonds with Franoise Faller.
He completed his undergraduate and postgradu-
ate studies at the Zurich Conservatorium, with
Thomas Indermhle and participated in courses
with Maurice Bourgue and Emanuel Abbhl.
He is the winner of several competitions in-
cluding the Swiss Radio Competition, the Migro
Chamber Music competition and the Martigny
International Chamber Music competition. He is
an active chamber musician, and has performed
throughout Europe with the prize-winning Wild-
wind quintet, the Lamalo and La Patisserie trios,
the wind ensembles Banda Classica and Octo-
mania as well as the contemporary music group
Opus Novum Ensemble.
He has played principal oboe with the Musik-
kollegium Winterthur, the Zurich Opera Factory,
the Basel Chamber Orchestra (previous Serenata
Basel), Opera Orchestra of the Bayreuth Interna-
tional Youth Festival and the Jeunesses Musicales
Symphony Orchestra. Before moving to Austra-
lia, Alexandre Oguey was also associate principal
oboe in the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra from
1990 to 1997.
Here Alexandre talks to Jillian Taylor.
Jillian Taylor (JT): What were your first musical
experiences? How did you come to be an oboe /
cor anglais player?
Alexandre Oguey (AO): My fi rst musical rev-
elation happened quite late, when I was nine: a
school teacher made us listen to Beethoven 6,
explaining some of it, and I just couldnt believe
my ears!! My parents are music lovers and regu-
lar concert goers and my mother could play the
piano pretty well, but there is no professional
musician anywhere in my family. My siblings all
learned an instrument (piano, violin and flute),
and as the last child it took me a while to fi nd
121
the one. As a little boy I did say that I wanted to
learn the trumpet, but my parents saved me from
that huge mistake (I dont like the trumpet, sor-
ry....!). It was only after the Beethoven 6 episode
that my sister played a Telemann quartet (from
Tafelmusik, I guess) with a friend of hers trying
hard to blow in an oboe, and I decided that Id
play that one. A few weeks after that a French
oboe player came to do a recital in Neuchtel (my
home town), so my parents and I went to tell him
that I wanted to learn the oboe, and I received the
reaction that I have when a kid tells me the same
thing: NOOOO!!!!! Dont do that... (and all the
rest, I dont need to tell you: the reeds, bloody
reeds!) But I did start when I turned 12 and my
fi rst teacher was Franoise Faller at the Conserva-
torium of La Chaux-de-Fonds, another small city
in Neuchtel Canton. The Faller family was quite
ARTICLES
well known; my teachers husband was the direc-
tor of the Conservatorium and a great regional
conductor who dedicated his life to teaching in-
stead of travelling.
JT: What was your first make of instrument?
AO: I cant remember my fi rst instrument, apart
from that it smelled, had holes in the keys and
made a disgusting sound! My grandfather bought
me a Lore when I was 15, and my teacher made
the mistake of telling me that in order to under-
stand the complex mechanics of an oboe, every-
one should take their instrument apart and put
it back together. Well, here I was with my brand
new oboe, I thought that I really had to know it!
So on a Saturday morning, no school, I unscrewed
all the screws I could fi nd, and found myself four
hours later with a naked oboe on my desk. After
lunch it took me five hours to put it together... or
nearly, as I did have an accident and broke a key!
It sounds awful, but I did learn a lot!
JT: When did you first play cor anglais?
AO: The cor came much later: I was 21, a student
 122 DOUBLE TALK (INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDRE OUGEY AND JILLIAN TAYLOR)
of Thomas Indermhle in Zrich, and I knew
that one day I would play the cor - I just loved the
sound. Craig Dean came to me asking if I want-
ed to buy a cor, as he had found a really good
Rigoutat. I found the money, bought it, and voil!
I loved it straight away, as its so much closer to
my natural resonances, I guess - I could make the
cor instantly sing, much easier than I ever could
make any oboe sing!
JT: Tell me about your university study at Zrich
Conservatorium with Indermhle, Bourgue, and
Abbhl.
AO: First I have to start with the best: when I
decided that it was time to move on and fi nd a
new oboe teacher, I asked an oboist who used
to come to play in our regional orchestra, the
Neuchtel Symphony Orchestra. Her name was
Peggy Wey, and she was married to Markus Wey,
both ex-students of Holliger. She told me that the
teacher everyone was talking about was a young
Dutch (!) oboist called Thomas Indermhle, and
he had just started a class in Zurich. (Although
he lived in Amsterdam, Thomas is actually Swiss,
from Berne, the same Canton as Holliger and Ab-
ARTICLES
bhl.) I found his address, wrote to him straight
away, and he rang me within five days - I was so
amazed! He told me when he was in Zurich, and
that he would like me to go and play for him, and
bang, I was in! I just couldnt believe it!
It was a big revelation, fi rstly having a teacher
who could play so well, and secondly being in a
very cosmopolitan and multilingual class. Thom-
as is extremely dedicated to his teaching, with this
unique way of fi nding an exercise for everything.
He likes to fi nd tricks for every technical diffi-
culty, and he can have this great attitude towards
music which is like taking it as a game, with some
healthy distance. It can sound superficial (and it
could be) but doesnt have to be. Music is so rich
that fun and games can be a great part of it, to-
gether with a huge range of emotions. The game
aspect can help by taking some of the dangerous
pressure off and helping you to cope with diffi-
culties, allowing the emotion to happen without
you suffering like a martyr! Thomas taught me
lots of technical aspects of playing, and made me
think and re-think about style and taste, as often
deep down I didnt agree with some aspects of his
ideas. He is a musician of the details, and is very
impressive as such, but I remember when learn-
ing the Strauss that I just didnt want to look at
every note under the magnifier; I needed to feel
the big line much more. After three years with
him, I needed to go into more musical depth and
less technical detail, but still didnt have enough
technique in reserve to satisfy both sides.
When I did the master class with Maurice
Bourgue, it was the bucket of ice cold water I was
craving for at that time. Bourgue is probably the
most organic, physical, philosophical, metaphysi-
cal (you name it!) oboist, and he never thinks of
technique, apart from rhythm, which is all that
matters. I was seeing the fi rst true musician play-
ing the oboe, and thats exactly what I loved. I
remember once he was, as often, completely an-
noyed by a student and talking in his usual crap-
py philosophical language (il faut te dbarrasser
de cette croute de merde qui temprisonne - you
should be disencumbered of this crust of sh*t
which imprisons you). So he played the whole
slow movement of Mozart quartet, by himself, no
accompaniment. We were all absolutely melting.
That was IT! For those who dont know the story,
he says that when winning the Geneva competi-
tion he thought that he just wasnt there yet, so he
listened to heaps of musicians. He saw the light
when hearing Rostropovich one day, and its all
in what we see in him now: Rostropovich was
dying for the music, there wasnt any doing,
only feeling and being the music.
Emanuel Abbhl was very useful in a different
way. He is a unique player - he is somehow a good
mixture of Holliger and Indermhle. He was fan-
tastic at ping-pong lessons, where without really
being able to explain he would demonstrate and
I would try to imitate. What I tried to learn from
him - and Im getting it at about 17.4615% after
all these years - is his amazing sound coming from
old dead reeds. Like Bourgue but in a smoother
way, HE makes the sound whatever the reed, and
thats such an amazing plus, isnt it?!
JT: Are there any other players that you see as
having an important influence on your develop-
ment as a musician?
AO: How can I avoid her?! Diana has been an
influence like no one else! [Alexandre has been
married to oboist Diana Doherty for fi fteen
years Ed] You know, Diana is a funny one: sev-
enteen years ago she was scared of my unbearably
opinionated views, said sorry for everything, and
 THE DOUBLE REED
yet could play anything at any time, anywhere,
and all more convincingly than 99.9% of us!!!
What the...? Can anyone explain that to me?
Well, look, I dont need any answer, really. Living
with, working with and loving such an amazing
musician and performer has been incredible for
me.
Eighteen years ago, when we fi rst met, oboe
wasnt much in my life. All I was interested in was
music, and oboe was only a tiny part of it. The
composers, performers, and their music - Bach
at the top, Furtwngler, Lipatti, Kleiber, Giuli-
ni, Mnch, the young Menuhin, Casals, Vegh,
Schwartzkopf, and lots of others - were my daily
food. I couldnt care less about oboe as such. All
I care to add really, is that my real teacher has
always been Clara Haskil. Through her record-
ings I learned all I know or feel in music - thank
you, Clara!
JT: You are now a sought-after teacher among
Australian students; how do you compare the
learning environment here in Australia with
your own student experience? Do you think that
it is still necessary for Australian students to
study in Europe in order to become fully round-
ed players?
AO: Teaching is one of the most wonderful yet
complex and scary things for me (together with
parenting, which is probably quite similar in
many ways!) When I went from the small town
of La Chaux-de-Fonds to Zurich, I thought that I
would basically become a kind of free musician
doing a mixture of chamber music/small ad-hoc
chamber orchestras and teaching. I was going to
learn to teach, as I honestly thought that it was
THE hard thing to learn, unlike orchestra play-
ing which was something I was going to learn
anyway on the spot! (My views have changed
a lot since, as I realize how much I could have
learned about orchestral playing directly from
experienced players.)
What I did learn about teaching was the re-
alisation of how much it is a life-long learning
curve. Now that can sound a bit scary, but I must
admit that the other side of my own experience is
also a kind of comfort to teachers - when I think
of my two main teachers, I could think in two
ways: they were great, right for me, or they could
have been much better and didnt fi nd what would
have really helped me. The thing is that I had to
123
discover everything by myself, and so does every-
one. If a teacher says something which appears to
be a revelation at the time, you might think hey,
wow, what a great teacher, but that very thing
might get forgotten for many years until you re-
ally discover it by yourself. And if a teacher is
trying to teach a student the wrong way, it might
be THE thing which is going to help the student
discover something different, and thats exactly
why actually you cant go too wrong if you are a
nice caring teacher!
Australia is probably just as good and bad a
place to study as anywhere else, depending on the
mixture teacher-student and all the other sur-
rounding life factors. The big difference is that
if you go to Munich to study you are close to so
many different cultural centres and oboe classes.
I would say that it is extremely important to go
overseas for some time, but one two week course
and a couple of visits to other teachers might be
the right thing for some, while a full post-grad
course might be much better for someone else.
Australia is certainly lucky to have great players/
teachers of different backgrounds and personali-
ties, but the real difference with Europe (or the
USA) is the whole musical environment, and that
ARTICLES
is the factor which should convince everyone to
go at least for a while to a big centre like London
or Paris or Berlin, and even smaller places which
are just as great!
JT: You have won a number of chamber music
competitions in Europe, and have played in
many ensembles in Europe and Australia. Does
chamber music have a special meaning and im-
portance to you?
AO: Chamber music is probably the more satisfy-
ing form of music for me. I love it. Orchestra is
unbeatable for the quality of music as an oboe
player, but chamber music has another dimension
with the musical dialogues and contact with the
other players - the give and take element. Would
you believe it, I think that the greatest fun I ever
had is some oboe trio concerts with Diana, the
intensity, the total engagement for a whole con-
cert, the exhaustion at the end, its just great!!!
I wish orchestra would be more of a bigger scale
of chamber music making, but apart from a few
places in some pieces, it hardly ever feels as good.
At the moment I have only one group, the New
Sydney Wind Quintet, and we have a few concerts
 124 DOUBLE TALK (INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDRE OUGEY AND JILLIAN TAYLOR)
next year. We have fun and we laugh a lot, which
is the number one rule if you are mad enough to
join a wind quintet!
JT: What is the current set-up of your cor anglais
and your reeds?
AO: I play a 1993 Lore Royal which has had a
lot of work: fi rst Alain de Gourdon had to do a
lot to improve the middle B and the relationship
between B and C. As for all my instruments, the
mechanics have been completely altered by Guy
Dupin, which makes it much smoother, and I
have Joseph Ortusos octave inserts instead of the
really unstable original gold ones. Its good for
the opera house concert hall as its an instrument
which will hold even if you play really loud. It
does frustrate me when I want to play small and
really softly, but hopefully that will be fi xed when
I visit de Gourdon and have the bore checked in
December. The recent normal Lores I tried felt
ARTICLES
really good, much better than the recent Royal,
so I might end up with another instrument pretty
soon! With that I have a 2H golden crook which I
have sanded to fit staples. The only staples I really
like are old no-name ones... sorry, cant remem-
ber what they are! My reeds are not very good,
but much more stable since I discovered Le Ro-
seau Chantant de Montral; Dimitar Jordanovs
gouged medium Alliaud is close to perfect for me
- well... it works at the moment! I have played
Hrtnagls shape no. 12 for years, and am trying
a few different ones at the moment. I cant say
much more... my reeds have to be pretty easy; I
dont like hard reeds. They are 58mm long, scrape
about 12mm, and they do look like... reeds!
JT: Do you enjoy living in Australia - does it feel
like home now?
AO: Home is wherever my family and I live, my
wife and two kids - they live in Sydney, so home
is Sydney, voil! And I do enjoy living in Austra-
lia, so that I just couldnt imagine living in Swit-
zerland anymore, and we are too settled here to
think of another place for now. And I hope I will
be feeling even more at home from November 16,
when I will receive Australian citizenship!!
Jillian Taylor (Sydney) thanks Alexandre for his
very generous replies to her questions. Biograph-
ical notes reproduced courtesy of the Sydney
Symphony.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Peter Scott-Wigfields Concerto for Contrabassoon
and Orchestra: A Report and Review
Ronald Klimko
Moscow, Idaho
P
eter Scott-Wigfield (b. 1940) is a British
musician/composer, former horn player,
teacher and conductor who is now retired
and living in Cornwall, England where he contin-
ues to compose actively. Much to the benefit of
the double reed world, Peter is also the godfather
to Tim Mallet, one of the UKs premier free-lance
bassoon and contrabassoon players, for whom the
work was composed. Tim gave the premiere per-
formance of his godfathers Concerto for Con-
trabassoon and Orchestra on March 31st, 2003,
with the Havant Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by the composer. A full review of the work was
written by fellow bassoonist Richard Moore,
which appeared in the Double Reed News (issue
64, Autumn, 2003, p. 35) of the BDRS. It is re-
printed here with the permission of the Editors.
On Saturday 29th March 2003 the concert-go-
ing public of Havant and district were treated to
two concertos from the bassoon stable. The con-
cert given by the Havant and District Orchestral
Society was hosted at the Ferneham Hall Fare-
ham in Hampshire. It opened with a performance
of the Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra Op.
68 by Elgar, and concluded the fi rst half with the
fi rst performance of the Contrabassoon Con-
certo by Peter Scott-Wigfield. In both works the
soloist was Tim Mallett.
It was a pleasure to hear these pieces. Peter
Craddick, Director and Principal Conductor of
the Havant Symphony Orchestra, is to be con-
gratulated for having undertaken the program-
ming of work of this genre. His gamble, if it were
a gamble, in offering two works unfamiliar to the
general public, paid off with a full house atten-
dance. As is the practice with HSO concerts, a
pre-concert talk is given to all who care to attend.
On this occasion the composer, Peter Scott-Wig-
field had been invited to give a synopsis of his
new concerto.
The Contrabassoon Concerto was written
for the composers stepson, Tim Mallett, a well-
known freelance bassoon and contrabassoon
125
player. The composer was inspired to write this
concerto on hearing Malletts playing in Ravels
Daphnis & Chle and other works that featured
prominent contrabassoon solos while Mallett
was engaged by the BBC National Orchestra of
Wales.
There is much in this concerto to interest the
audience: it has rhythmic vitality, humour and
pathos. It is through-composed as a series of nine
contrasting sections lasting a total of 25 minutes.
Many of these sections develop fragments of
thematic material that occur earlier in the piece.
One of the amusing aspects of this work is its
reference to other composers - not blatant quo-
tations, more as stylistic hints. For example, the
opening theme is very much modeled on the sort
of thing Shostakovich might have written for the
contrabassoon. A little later the composer uses a
ARTICLES
device that has been exploited by Dohnanyi in his
Variations on a Nursery Theme: the sharing of a
theme between piccolo and contrabassoon - an
amusingly grotesque effect. Much use is made of
unusual tonal possibilities by pairing the contra
with other instruments. At one point we become
aware of a borborygmic emanation form the
bowels of the orchestra when bass clarinet and
contrabassoon enter into dialogue. For the most
part however, this is a serious work. The com-
poser does allow himself one joke: the blatant
and unexpected quotation from Dukas in the an-
tepenultimate bar.
Potentially, the sustained use of the contra-
bassoon as a solo instrument is problematical.
There is the matter of balance: the contrabas-
soon is easily over-powered. As an instrument
of expression it is hard for the contrabassoon to
compete with the human voice, violin or piano.
And there is, of course, the matter of pitch: nearly
every instrument of the orchestra lies above the
contrabassoon. Furthermore, the lower range of
the contra operates at the extreme low-end range
of the ear. The composer addresses these issues
well. Matters of balance and pitch are handled
easily by the ensuring that the orchestra is lightly
 126 PETER SCOTT-WIGFIELDS CONCERTO FOR CONTRABASSOON AND ORCHESTRA
scored when accompanying the contrabassoon;
in addition he makes use of complementary solos
in other parts of the woodwind section thereby
better balancing the range of pitch for the ear.
This device is, in my opinion, the key to the suc-
cess of this work. In effect this concerto is really
a concerto grosso; soloistic material is nearly al-
ways shared with other instruments, mostly with
the woodwind. By conceiving this work thus, any
suggestion that the range of expression might be
limited is at once vitiated.
In terms of virtuosity and difficulty, this work
is written sympathetically for the contrabassoon
and should be manageable by any competent play-
er. The composer avoids the extreme high range
as encountered in works such as the Concerto
by Donald Erb. Perhaps the most virtuosic sec-
tion is that of the Adagio quasi misterioso where
against a sustained ppp chord in the strings, the
contra plays a theme starting on high tenor B (7th
above written middle C). This is complemented
by a fi ligree counter-melody in demisemiquaver
sextuplets played by the clarinets. It is another
example of subtle management of the contra by
soloistic use of other instruments. This work de-
mands all-around competence from the orches-
ARTICLES
tra. In particular great demands are placed on
the woodwinds. In this respect the playing from
Robert Blanken, principal clarinet of the HSO,
was of particular note.
The concerto was extremely well executed by
the HSO and soloist alike. If I had a criticism at
all, it would be that the contra is used in some
tutti sections unnecessarily doubling other lines
where there is no chance of being heard. When
this fi rst happened it worried me; but luckily I had
the score to hand and was able to assure myself
that I was not missing anything of significance.
Finally, Tim Mallett is to be congratulated on
having performed two concerti with great skill
and affection, on two different instruments in the
same concert.
Richard Moore
In reviewing the musical score and recording of
the performance, I found myself very much in
agreement with the analysis by Richard Moore,
and can only add a couple of observations. First
of all the opening introduction seems overly pon-
derous to the general character of the work, but
fortunately it is quickly swept away by the light-
Shostakovich-like melody the contra introduces
following this introduction. Secondly, this con-
tra theme contains a series of short motivic-like
themes that are then interspersed and developed
extensively throughout the nine contrasting sec-
tions that comprise this basically single-movement
composition. These motives are interesting and
very singable for the most part, which make
their development easy to recognize throughout.
I particularly like the three note descending mo-
tive of a repeated descending perfect 4th in eighth
notes followed by a quarter note fi rst a step lower,
then third lower, etc. in a nice melodic pattern.
Thirdly, the two Adagio Mesto sections which
Richard Moore refers to as the contra in the high
register on a high tenor B are very poignant and
movingly emotional sections - a rarity in a con-
tra work to be sure. As a fourth observation, the
overall style starts out in that somber introduc-
tion as being in a severe atonal style, only to give
way happily to a much gentler neo-classical style
of greatly expanded tonality when the contra en-
ters. And fi nally, that quotation from Paul Dukas
The Sorcerers Apprentice the second bar from
the end is a real surprise and a hoot. It totally
catches the character of the entire work as if to
say: In the fi nal analysis, despite the variety of
moods and characterizations I have presented,
dont take me too seriously-after all, Im still a
contrabassoon.
For you contrabassoon specialists in the US
and Europe, not familiar with this work, I rec-
ommend it strongly to you. Peter Scott-Wigfield
can be reached via email at peter.scott-wigfield@
virgin.net or by writing to him at Chantmarle,
Middle Dimson, Gunnislake, Cornwall. PL18
9NG, England (Tel: 01822-835811). As a ser-
vice to US contra players, I will be glad to mail a
copy of the full score and a recording of the fi rst
performance for your perusal prior to contacting
Mr. Scott-Wigfield, if you wish to do so. DO SO,
however, because I really feel this is a fi ne work,
a real showcase for the contrabassoonist: a piece
of music that the audience can thoroughly enjoy-
even on fi rst listening.
 THE DOUBLE REED 127

Janet Craxton - 25 Years On

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Polmear

Remembering Janet Craxton and the London Oboe Quartet

Brian Hawkins
London, England

Janet Craxton (d.1981) founded the London
Oboe Quartet in 1968. In the twelve years of
its existence it played at most of the major UK
music festivals and made frequent BBC broad-
casts. A new CD celebrating its work is reviewed
elsewhere by Dan Stolper. In this article, Brian
Hawkins, viola player with the Quartet, remem-
bers working with Janet.
About this time, Janet had received the score
of an oboe quartet from Lennox Berkeley, and
was keen to perform it. As the Oromonte Trio
was about to dissolve, Perry and Janet decided
to ask Kenneth Heath, then principal cello of the
Academy of St.-Martin-in-the Fields, if he would
like to join the three of us. He agreed, and the
London Oboe Quartet was born. Later, as the
LOQ, we recorded the Rainier Trio and Quanta

I
n January 1967 I was asked by Perry Hart if on the Argo label for the British Council.
I would be willing to step in at short notice Beginning work on Lennox Berkeleys new
to deputise in the Oromonte Trio for their piece, we now looked forward to our fi rst pub-
indisposed viola player at a BBC Invitation Con- lic performance. Janet booked the Wigmore Hall
cert. The programme of works by
Priaulx Rainier was to include the
fi rst performance of his String Trio
of 1965 (dedicated to the Oromonte)
and Janet Craxton would join us for

ARTICLES
a performance of Quanta for oboe
and string trio - a work they had al-
ready played together - and the Mo-
zart Oboe Quartet K370. Janet and
I had not met or worked together
before, and I was immediately cap-
tivated by her charm and sense of
humour. I remember those rehears-
als well. The Rainier Trio was quite a
complicated score and our work was
made more difficult by the spidery
manuscript. Quanta on the other
hand, was already well-known by
the others and much more approach-
able. Janets playing in this and the
Mozart inspired us all. Our live
transmission from the Concert Hall
of Broadcasting House was fuelled
with adrenaline, but the tension was
eased by the familiar and comforting
voice of Alvar Liddel who introduced
the programme. Priaulxs insistence
on rewriting the closing bars of the
String Trio during the fi nal balance
test did not deflect us, and the broad-
Janet Craxton
cast went very well.
 128 JANET CRAXTON - 25 YEARS ON
and, with oboe quartets by both J.C. Bach and
(naturally) Mozart included in the programme,
we performed the Berkeley for the fi rst time on
22nd May 1968. The BBC came along and the
concert was recorded before a full house for Ra-
dio 3. (Tracks I0-l2 of the CD.)
Lennox Berkeley took a close interest in his
new composition from the beginning and at-
tended some of our rehearsals. An oboe quartet
frequently aired then, as now, was the popular
Phantasy Quartet by Benjamin Britten, his close
friend. This appears on Oboe Classics CC2009
played by Janets former pupil George Caird. The
Oromonte had played it frequently with Janet,
and the parts we subsequently worked from in
the LOQ contained markings and suggestions
directly from Brittens earlier supervision. To
discover an equally attractive work would be a
welcome addition to the relatively slim repertoire
for this ensemble and we approached our score
with eager anticipation. We were pleased at once
with what we heard, and felt that we had another
potentially popular piece to add to our repertoire.
Berkeley, unlike some composers in my experi-
ence, was happy to correct things that did not lie
well or did not seem comfortable. For example,
ARTICLES
he re-grouped a semiquaver passage in the cello
part of the second movement, to make the pas-
sage lie more comfortably in the bow. Later, we
played the quartet in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee
Hall in a recital attended by Britten. At a recep-
tion afterwards in the Red House, he welcomed
the work warmly.
Janet now applied herself to encouraging
other composers to write for her and the quartet.
High on the list was Elisabeth Lutyens who in
1971 gave us Driving out the Death, her Op.81.
This ephemeral, highly effective piece was a won-
derful vehicle for Janets playing. Her command
of wide range and of sustained line can be ad-
mired in this recording (Track 13). Lutyens was
most insistent on detail and nuance and she was
an inspiring and spirited presence at many of our
rehearsals. She once grabbed my viola and dem-
onstrated noisily on it saying, I was once a viola
player, you know!
This recording, made in the Concert Hall of
Broadcasting House, was produced by Eleanor
Warren with Elisabeth Lutyens in attendance.
Both women puffed away non-stop, and cigarette
smoke fi lled the control room. I remember the
play-backs being intense. Deriving great satisfac-
tion from this work, we included it in many of
our programmes, playing from her immaculately
written score. A further work by Lutyens, O Ab-
salom, was commissioned by Perry Hart with
funds from the Arts Council, and entered our
repertoire in 1977. The composer wrote:
Its real origin lies in my enormous admiration of
the violinist Perry Hart. The work is meant as a
homage to her.
In this work, the oboe doubles with cor an-
glais. Madrigal, for oboe and violin, a six-minute
piece written later for Janet and Perry, was com-
posed by Lutyens in memory of Kenneth Heath
after his sudden death.
The Bee Oracles for tenor, flute, oboe, strings
and harpsichord was another commission from
Lutyens, premiered in a Wigmore Hall concert on
21st March 1971 with Peter Pears as a guest per-
former. The programme also contained another
fi rst performance, the Quartet for cor anglais
and string trio by Jean Franaix. There had been
a wonderful and very French correspondence
between Janet and Franaix as movement after
movement arrived through the postal systems,
accompanied by wry letters apologising that the
speed of delivery was at the tempo of the build-
ing of the Autoroutes in France. Although we all
agreed that the French were actually rather good
at laying motorways across their rolling coun-
tryside, this did not stop Janet from quoting the
Franaix letters to delighted audiences whenever
we played the piece. (A subsequent BBC record-
ing was later lost.)
Unfortunately, Janet was reluctant to commit
her playing to commercial recordings: Franaixs
Cor Anglais Quartet would have been an excel-
lent basis for such a disc. Janets cor anglais sound
was incomparably rich and all too rarely heard.
She loved playing the Mozart Adagio K580a to
enhance our programmes. Janets unmistakable
voice was pitched quite deep; rather like the cor
anglais, I suppose. (The BBC once sent a cheque
addressed to J. Craxton Esq, which was opened
in surprise by her brother John, the artist. The
secretary in the fi nance department had mistaken
Janet over the telephone for a man!)
We performed the Mozart Oboe Quartet
many times. I had played this great work with
several oboists but, typically, Janet shed fresh
light on the score each time. Even when on tour
 THE DOUBLE REED 129

performing it nightly, we would

rehearse it afresh and our en-
thusiasm never dimmed. The
fi nal bars, especially the fi nal
note on a diminuendo (many
players produce an unintention-
al crescendo!) always brought a
real sense of wonder. In Sunder-
land on one occasion, playing
to the Music Club, the closing
notes spun such a web that the
audience did not seem able to
applaud. We walked off to the
sound of our own feet. Hadnt

Photo courtesy of Richard Adeney

they realised wed fi nished? Or
was it Janets magic spell? We
were relieved that the clapping
burst out when we were out of
sight.
Through Janet, other com-
missioned works began to flow London Oboe Quartet (L to R) Kenneth Heath, Janet Craxton,
in, from Elizabeth Maconchy, Brian Hawkins, Perry Hart.
Richard Stoker, Frances Routh,
Douglas Young (commissioned by Peter Pears) with the rather pastoral mien of the work which
and others. It was always exciting to arrive at had revealed itself in earlier rehearsals, showing
rehearsal to fi nd Janet waving some new music the composers very distinctive harmonic slant.

at us with a triumphant smile. This CD contains
some of those works, and there is still more to
tell. When a distinguished composer agrees to
write a work for ones group, there is a feeling of
satisfaction and anticipation. Berkeley and Fran-
aix, for example in the early days, caused us
great excitement. Premieres were obviously very
much in our hands as performers, and I think the
responsibility produced some very exciting, even
dramatic performances.
When Alan Rawsthorne was approached
- and his Oboe Quartet scheduled to receive its
fi rst performance at a City Music Society concert
in Goldsmiths Hall in the City of London in May
1970 - we were on the edge of our seats as usu-
al, impatient to lay our hands on the music and
get to work. A second performance had already
been scheduled the following January, also for
the City Music Society, this time at a lunchtime
concert in Bishopsgate Institute. The programme
note for the second concert welcomed the oppor-
tunity for club members to hear a repeat of this
important addition to the Oboe Quartet reper-
toire. We started to work on the piece and invited
Rawsthorne to attend an afternoon rehearsal at
Perrys house in Barnes. We were quite pleased
ARTICLES
But there was a sense of disappointment too,
which we did not feel able to impart to Raw-
sthorne there and then. Janet, later, considered
returning the fi nal movement for a re-working,
but we thought that this would be churlish under
the circumstances: Alan Rawsthorne was very
near the end of a most distinguished career as a
cherished English composer, and this was almost
his last composition. We were in the presence of
a very distinguished man and we just enjoyed his
company.
John McCabes Oboe Quartet was dedicated
to Alan Rawsthorne on the occasion of his 60th
birthday.
When Ken Heath died suddenly in 1977, Ja-
net asked Oliver Knussen to write a piece to com-
memorate the event. The Oboe Quartet (In Me-
moriam Kenneth Heath) was commissioned, and
once again the Wigmore Hall was booked for a
special concert to be held on 12th October 1977.
The rest of the programme was to be the Mozart
C major Quartet K171 (285b) - actually one of his
three flute quartets which works very effectively
with the oboe - the three Madrigals for violin and
viola by Martinu, the Britten Phantasy Quar-
tet, and K370. One evening when we were at my
 130 JANET CRAXTON - 25 YEARS ON
house in Wimbledon rehearsing the few pages we
had been given, Ollie appeared with more music.
But the work was by no means complete and the
concert was only a week away. There was an ani-
mated confrontation, and we heard Janets voice
raised - a very rare event. The programme had to
be changed. At the end of our morning rehearsal
at the Wigmore, an apologetic Knussen appeared
with more music:
Please play at least some of it. But there was
no possibility of playing unrehearsed, and the
concert went ahead as amended. The cellist was
Charles Tunnell, who subsequently joined us as a
member of the LOQ. The fi rst performance of the
Knussen Quartet was ultimately given by Janet,
Marcia Crayford, Christopher van Kampen and
myself.
In 1978 we were ten years old. It was espe-
cially sad that Ken Heath was not with us to cele-
brate, but our Wigmore programme on 14th June
that year looked well tried and tested. Ken would
have recognised it as a nice distillation of all the
music we had played together since that thrilling
opening-night with the Berkeley. Charles Tunnel
was part of the team now, and we played the old
favourites - Mozart, Berkeley, Franaix, some Lu-
ARTICLES
tyens - and to allow hard-blowing Janet a chance
to rest her lips, we strings played a Beethoven
string trio and a little Skalkottas. A nicely bal-
anced evening for the audience we thought, just
like a good meal.
There were three more years to go before we
lost Janet. Ollie Knussen, who had known Janet
since childhood and worked with us regularly
in the London Sinfonietta, observed in the pro-
gramme for Janets memorial concert on 24th
April 1982, that the most beautifully sung Mo-
zart one could ever wish to hear were her solos
in the London Sinfoniettas performances of the
Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments. His tribute is
telling. He goes on to say:
Janets quiet support and understanding, despite
more than ample cause for annoyance, is some-
thing I shall never forget.
Other written tributes paid in the beautifully
presented programme for this most moving Wig-
more concert were from Priaulx Rainier, Elisabeth
Lutyens, Elizabeth Maconchy, Rudolf Schwartz,
David Atherton, Denis Matthews, Lennox Berke-
ley, and by her old friend and fellow oboe player,
Evelyn Barbirolli. The programme was given by
four members of the London Sinfonietta, the Trio
Canaletto, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, and
the remaining three members of the LOQ. We
played the Mozart E f Piano Quartet with Nina
Milkina. Sir Peter Pears spoke in tribute.
Tess Miller played with us later, and Perry
Hart re-formed the Oromonte as an ensemble
playing similar repertoire to the old LOQ. Perry
eventually returned to her homeland in Australia,
and died in Sydney.
Our repertoire had never been big: the scale of
our concerts was intimate and our work together
assumed the qualities of a family gathering. Ja-
nets loyal husband Alan Richardson was never
far away in the homely surroundings of the top
flat at Kidderpore Avenue, offering his shrewd,
invaluable advice. Working in an intense way
with Janet over the years meant that we evolved a
style of string playing that fitted with Janets oboe
sound, and we tried to reflect the innumerable
nuances of tone of which she was capable.
My own familys enduring memories of the
Craxton household are of (Janets parents) Essie
and Harolds copious Christmas-time parties at
Kidderpore Avenue, with blazing fi res in every
hearth, mountains of glorious fare, and shadowy
figures of guests, a wide and fascinating range
of friends and colleagues, eating, drinking and
happily chatting. It is hard to believe that Janet
died in 1981. I still miss her.
(This article fi rst appeared in Double Reed News,
the journal of the British Double Reed Society. It
is reprinted here with permission.)
 THE DOUBLE REED
A Bassoon Lite, PLease...
Puff Puff, Tamp Tamp
Alan Goodman
Bedford, Wyoming
I
was having trouble with high notes on my
Sox Bassoon. Short bocals, short reeds, short
shorts. Nothing seemed to help. So, I drove
over to Etna, a town of one-hundred folks, situ-
ated about fi fteen miles uphill along Highway 89
in the direction of Alpine. There - in the middle of
downtown Etna - Pat Bolt runs a music store. If it
can be blown, beaten, picked or plucked Pat sells
it, repairs it, and if need be, shoots it.
Looks good to me, he said peering out from
under half-glasses.
You sure theres no leak?
He slid the small bulb down the tenor joint
and bent to see if light was showing from under
the pads.
Yup, this looks as good as the other joints.
Everything is as tight as she could be, he said.
I cant fi nd nothin to explain your high note
problem.
Sheet music, guitars, clarinets, saxophones,
flutes, violins, trumpets and cases of varying
shape and size were displayed in a beaten old
show case and on hooks along the walls. A low
partition running front to back separated the re-
pair shop from the sales area. Outside, snow blew
past the metal-sided building, across highway 89
and up against the rest of downtown Etna - Et-
nas Easy Eats Cafe.
Here, he said shoving a chair my way. Try
her again.
I slipped the tenor and bass joints into the
boot, topped it off with the bell joint, stuck in
my best Sox Triple Dipple CVBFRDIHNFXP bo-
cal, and played through my best, worst - and only
- reed. The top notes came easily. The bottom
notes disappeared.
Hey, now what? I complained. High notes
are good now, but nothing on the bottom.
Pat lit his pipe. The pipe is the fi rst piece of
equipment every woodwind repairman acquires
at Screwdriver University. If you ever fi nd a bas-
soon repairman that doesnt suck a pipe, run like
hell. All the great ones use the pipe - its the best
clue to a good repairman.
131
Probably in the chair, he ventured.
Say what?
The chair, he repeated after a couple of
puffs. See that chair youre sitting on. Got it
special from the Sox Bassoon Company.
I stood up and took a look at the chair.
Looked just like any other type chair Id seen in
offices around the country. Looks like a chair to
me, nothing more.
Pat leaned back and sucked a bit more on
the pipe. A knowing grin rippled out from the
pipe-stem along with an aroma of Sailors Spe-
cial Smoking Blend. Yeah, cost me five thousand
dollars that chair.
Five thousand dollars for a chair?!
Pat paused to tamp down the glow in the pipe
bowl. Yup. Seems the Sox Company discovered
the secret to bassooning is in the chair. More to it
ARTICLES
apparently than just sitting down. Course, not all
chairs come off the factory floor playing equally
well.
Damned repairmen. Between puffi ng and
tamping, they got you. Once I ignored the signs
of greatness and took the bassoon to a repairman
that didnt smoke. Last time I try that - the bas-
soon croaked like a frog until I got it to a guy
with a pipe.
Id never pay that for a chair, I said. Why
I got the same chair at Gall-Mart for three
bucks.
The folks at the Sox Bassoon Company say
theyve been experimenting with different metals
trying for just the right effect. Lately they claim
theyve found the perfect paint to bring out the
upper partials without leaving the fundamentals
down around your ankles. Of course, there are
still kinks to be worked out, like the best kind
of rubber footings that dont leave marks on the
floor, inhibit overtone phase out, ease gluteus ges-
ticulation and such.
Cmon, I said. Really, whatd you do to
my low notes?
Puff, puff. Tamp tamp. Pat leaned around his
bench and shoved another chair at me. Here, try
 132 A BASSOON LITE, PLEASE... PUFF PUFF, TAMP TAMP

this one.
I sat on the newly offered chair and played
perfect low notes. The high notes were missing
again. Whats with this? I asked. Now the
highs are gone and the lows are back.
Puff, puff, Tamp tamp. The fi rst thing taught
in bassoon repair is to never reply to a question
without at least two puffs and two tamps.
Easy, he explained. The fi rst one you sat
on is the First Chair model. Gives you high
notes, a touch of arrogance, a week off every
month of the season, and access to the conductor.
The other one is the Second Chair model. Gives
you flexibility of pitch, low notes, patience to en-
dure arrogance and access to a beer after each
concert.
First thing I did when I got home was throw
out my Gall-Mart chair and try to convince my
wife I need five-thousand bucks for a new chair.
I told her it was a question of access to either the
conductor or a beer, and that while its a tough
decision, Pats advice is that high notes are over-
rated.
ARTICLES
 THE DOUBLE REED 133

Musical Musings: Counting Measures of Rests

Terry B. Ewell
Towson University

A
s a student one of the scariest moments I
had counting rests was when I was draft-
ed to play the tam-tam in Mahlers First
Symphony. After hundreds of measures of rests
I had to whollop that very big frying pan on cue.
Experiences such as that one have prompted me
to employ the most reliable counting method I
could fi nd. The system I discovered allows me to
Figure 3. Finger position for 7.
count up to 99 measures of rests in a way that
is uniquely coded on my fi ngers. It is almost like When all the fi ngers are employed in the right
making an abacus out of my hands. The fi ngers of hand (9) the next count (10) is given with the
the right hand each have the value of 1, the thumb left index fi nger. Measure 11 starts the counting
of the right hand has the value of 5. The left hand anew in the right hand with the right index fi n-
fi ngers each receive a value of 10, the left hand ger. The fi nger pattern for 17 is given in Figure 4.
thumb gets a value of 50 (Figure 1). When I reach 20 I then add the left second fi nger
to the left index fi nger, starting the right hand
pattern all over again. Figure 5 gives the fi nger
count for 64.

ARTICLES
Figure 1. Numerical Value of each finger.

Figure 4. Finger position for 17.

When counting to three, for instance, I start
with the right index fi nger then add the next fi n-
ger and then the ring fi nger (Figure 2).

Figure 5. Finger position for 64.

You can engage this fi ngering system while

Figure 2. Finger position for 3.
Continuing to count to seven I add the little
fi nger (count of 4), then lower all right hand fi n-
gers and raise the right thumb (5), then add the
index fi nger and the next fi nger (Figure 3).
holding the bassoon, fi ngering the bassoon, or
applying slight pressure to your legs with your
fi ngers. I have employed this system since I devel-
oped it as an undergraduate student. I fi nd it now
second nature and even if I daydream a bit during
measures of rest my fi ngers still keep counting!
134 REVIEWS

Reviews
 THE DOUBLE REED
Oboe
RECORDING
REVIEWS
REVIEW BY MICHAEL FINKELMAN
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Oboe 1903-1953
(2 CDs + booklet).
London: Oboe Classics CC 2012, 2005.
Compiled and annotated by Geoffrey Burgess;
remastered by Lani Spahr;
produced by Jeremy Polmear.
Available directly from the publisher at
www.oboeclassics.com
or from the compiler at
geoffreyvb@yahoo.com.
(The set will also be for sale by several of the
vendors at the IDRS meeting at Ball State
University [Muncie, Indiana] in July of this year.)
The sonic documents constituting the recorded
legacy of instruments and the human voice are
an extremely valuable constituent of the history
of music. In the case of the voice, the surviving
artifacts of the early years of recording (ca. 1895-
1925) are very plentiful, due to the relative ease
with which the human voice could be recorded
in the acoustic period, and of course to the far
greater demand for such items against that for in-
strumental music. In the latter sphere, exigencies
of the commercial recording field dictated that
short violin solos and band pieces be the order of
the day, and these dominate the early catalogues,
along with those for the solo voice. The piano re-
corded less well, and orchestras had to be very
limited in size and banked on high risers in order
to accommodate the limitations of the acoustical
recording horn.
These conditions left little room for orches-
tral woodwind solos, and of the total body of
such recordings in the early days, those of the
flute and piccolo alone dwarf all other woodwind
offerings. None the less, more material of this na-
ture survives from the acoustic and early electric
eras than one might expect. Naturally, these re-
cordings are not only few and far between, but in
many cases fragile or in poor listening condition,
due to improper storage or rough handling. Had
it not been for the late Melvin Harris, the bulk
135
of whose exceptional private audio archive was
acquired in the 1970s by the University of Wash-
ington through the efforts of Laila Storch, we
would be very much poorer in this respect than
we are. {In this regard, too, one can only won-
der what has become of the 78rpm and cylinder
oboe recordings archive of the late Richard H.
Lea of Calgary, Alberta, the largest of its kind
ever assembled.}
All of these things said, and not forgetting the
many and high engineering hurdles which had to
be negotiated by Mr. Spahr in remastering the
present crop of recordings, what we have here is
something to treasure. The collection opens with
one of the earliest recorded oboe solos, by the
Naples-trained, New York-based Cesare (Cae-
sar) Addimando on a cylinder made in 1908.
The piano accompaniment of the salon piece
chosen has been arranged for band, not because
oboe solos with band were the norm, but because
wind ensembles recorded a good deal more suc-
cessfully in this period than did orchestras or
pianos. Addimando, at the time principal oboe in
Damroschs New York Symphony Orchestra, was
referred to by the young Marcel Tabuteau (then
English hornist in that group) as The King of
New York. His tone strongly resembles that of
a toy trumpet, though this is probably in part due
to the primitive recording techniques then in use.
His playing is essentially in tune and acceptably
nuanced.
The second item on the fi rst disc is a duet for
flute and oboe with piano acompaniment, ar-
ranged from the ranz des vaches section of Ros-
sinis William Tell Overture, a perennial favorite
throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The soloists are Leopold Lafleurance, flute and
the legendary Georges Gillet, oboe, both section
principals of the Paris Opra. Despite unavoid-
able surface noise, Gillets full, round sound and
fi ne pitch control come through admirably. There
REVIEWS
is not a great deal of nuance in the melodic line
here, but the quality of ensemble playing with the
flute is beyond reproach. This and one other ar-
ranged duet from the same work (not included
here) appear to be all we have of this exceptional
artist, both recordings of circa 1905.
For the sake of comparison, the next offer-
ing is another recording of the same piece, this
time in its original scoring (flute, English horn,
strings). While the names of the two soloists are
not given on this 1906 La Scala recording, Dr.
 136 REVIEWS
Burgess has determined (from the original pro-
ducers memoirs) that the English hornist was
known as Giorgio. Despite the recording being
somewhat muffled acoustically, his fi ne tone and
pitch control come through clearly. Although this
piece was frequently recorded in the early days,
this is one of very few examples preserving the
original instrumentation.
One Housset (given name unknown) is next
heard in a salon piece with piano in the earliest
entry (1903) in this collection. The recording is
crystal clear, indicating that under the right cir-
cumstances, such effects were possible even in this
era. He has a very small, unresonant tone with a
quivering vibrato which seems to have been cul-
tivated by a number of woodwind players on the
Continent at this time. His pitch control is good,
but the melodic line is very little nuanced. Hous-
set is not known to a have been a Gillet student
and was not a Conservatoire graduate.
The once widely performed Concertino by
Guilhaud is the next item on tap, played in an
abridged version with band accompaniment by
Joseph Fonteyne, a Belgian-trained musician who
spent the most important years of his career in
London, where the present offering, including an
additional Farandole (also by Guilhaud and with
band) was made in 1910. The recording quality
here is again very clear. This performer has a very
small tone, without vibrato, but with acceptable
pitch control. The solo line is very little nuanced.
Another salon piece in an arrangement with
band is next heard, here played by Louis Gaud-
ard in 1910. Gaudard, one of Gillets most out-
standing students, has the distinction of having
made the earliest known solo oboe recording (in
1899, not included in this collection, as no copy
is known to survive). While again the solo line is
very little nuanced, the pitch control is good, and
the tone fi ne and clear. Like some of the others
here, Gaudard espoused the then popular quiv-
REVIEWS
ering vibrato, which does not enhance the pre-
sentation. His photo graces the front cover of the
booklet included here.
The same piece, again with band, is heard on
the following track, this time played by another
Gillet student, Louis Mercier, for the renowned
Path label, also in 1910. The balance between
soloist and accompaniment is better here. Merci-
er has a small, clear tone, without vibrato, which
records well. While the solo line is again very
little nuanced, the pitch control is good.
For the sake of comparison, Dr. Burgess has
opted to include yet another rendition of the same
piece, in its original form with piano. The oboist
in this 1926 recording is Paul-Gustave Brun, at
that time the solo cor anglais player of the Col-
onne Concerts Orchestra. The sound reproduc-
tion, clear as on a modern studio recording, was
made using electrical techniques. Brun, who was
noted almost exclusively as a cor anglais player,
exhibits an unremarkable oboe tone with very
noticeable quivering vibrato, which diminishes
the value of his work, and does not succeed in
disguising his poor pitch control.
British-born and -trained Arthur Foreman,
one of the early oboe professors at the Eastman
School of Music, is next featured in the fi rst of
Schumanns 3 Romances (all of which he record-
ed). This 1911 performance, which may be char-
acterised as simply adequate in all departments,
is not equal to the quality of the composition.
Georges Longy, the remarkable solo oboist
(1898-1925) of the Boston Symphony Orches-
tra is next heard in one of his exceedingly rare
solo recordings, made just prior to WWI. Of-
fered here with piano are two movements from
one of Colins concert pieces. It would appear
that Longy was standing with the instrument
too far inside the recording horn, as his tone here
sounds small and rather nasal, which is not the
case in other recordings. The performance is also
somewhat rushed, perhaps in order to fit it to the
technical restrictions of the day, which at most
allowed about four and a half minutes per side
(on a twelve-inch disc). While Longys consider-
able digital skill is highly in evidence, this is not
a very highly nuanced rendition, something for
which he was, in fact, very well known, and doc-
umented in the BSOs earliest recordings, which
began shortly after this.
The justly renowned Lon Goossens is next
represented in his earlier (and less well known)
recording of the Mozart quartet. This 1926 per-
formance is close in quality to a modern studio
recording, and surely used electrical means. It
reproduces with fidelity Goossens clear and re-
freshing quality of tone and superb pitch control.
The solo line is nicely nuanced with a limpidity
unmatched at the time, and remarkable by any
standards. This must have been a revelation in
its day.
The famous Amsterdam Concertgebouw Or-
chestra is next heard under Mengelberg in the
 THE DOUBLE REED
slow movement of a rather little-known sinfonia
by J. C. Bach. This features the solo oboe, in this
case the French-trained Georges Blanchard in
a recording made in 1927. The sonic quality is
good, and reproduces Blanchards small but plas-
tic tone and fi ne pitch control well. The solo line
is lightly but acceptably nuanced.
The same piece with the same conductor but
a different orchestra is next offered, by way of
comparison. In this recording, made ten years lat-
er, Mengelberg leads the New York Philharmon-
ic. The balance in this case is poor, the strings
all but swamping Bruno Labates solo line, which
is fi nely nuanced, with good tone and solid pitch
control.
The same piece is heard yet again for further
comparison in a 1950 recording from the fi rst
year of LP production by Deutsche Grammo-
phon. One of the Berlin City Orchestras resident
conductors is on the podium and the oboist is not
credited. The tempo here is a good deal slower
than Mengelbergs. The solo is very little nuanced
and the trills awkward, but the tone and pitch
control are good.
Saties Gymnopdie No. 1 is next on the
program, with the BSO under Koussevitzky in a
1930 performance taken at a tempo so slow as to
strain belief. Fernand Gillet, the well- respected
fi rst oboe of the BSO (and student of his uncle
Georges) is the soloist in a crystal-clear electrical
recording which perfectly reproduces his bell-like
tone, sans vibrato, and superb pitch control. This
is an essentially unnuanced solo, in part due to
the exceptionally slow tempo taken by the con-
ductor. Gillets breath control, supremely docu-
mented here, is a marvel in itself.
The fi rst disc closes with the two delightful
Fantasy Pieces, op. 2 by Carl Nielsen, played in
their fi rst recording (1937) by the leading Dan-
ish oboist of the day, Svend Christian Felumb.
Felumb at fi rst studied in Copenhagen, probably
with Olivo Krause, for whom the two Nielsen
pieces were written; his fi nishing studies were in
Paris with Louis Bleuzet. One can only assume
that Felumb, very well regarded in Copenhagen
at the time, was not at his best the day this re-
cording was made. His tone is quite small, and
the reed appears worn out, especially in the more
rapid second piece. This is a clear but unremark-
able performance.
The second disc opens with an unusual offer-
ing in the form of a piece of wind chamber music,
137
Milhauds charming Suite daprs Corrette. It
is performed here in the year of its composition
(1938) by the Paris Reed Trio (Myrtile Morel,
oboe; Pierre Lefbvre, clarinet; Fernand Oubra-
dous, bassoon), for whom it was written. This is
a fi rst-class recording, well reflecting the stellar
abilities of its three executants. Morels tone is
small but resonant, his pitch control excellent,
and his solos very well nuanced. This is a superla-
tive effort by the cream of Parisian wind soloists.
There follows the Sonatine, op. 13 by the Par-
is-domiciled Romanian composer, Marcel Miha-
lovici, a piece comparable in style and difficulty
to Enescos third violin sonata (The Romanian,
a work very few violinists care to approach). Per-
formed by Louis Bleuzet, then professor at the
Paris Conservatoire, and its apparent dedicatee,
this has to be taken as the most remarkable item
in the entire collection. Bleuzets tone is superb,
as is his pitch control (in a piece with huge chal-
lenges in this respect), his solo line magnifi cently
nuanced. While Dr. Burgess notes that Bleuzet
elsewhere proved an inadequate recording artist,
he is clearly at the top of his form here, render-
ing the very demanding passages with a perfec-
tion few oboists of his day (or any other) could
have mustered. This is an altogether exceptional
sonic document representing a master oboist in
a most extraordinary undertaking. There can be
no wonder why this recording (made ca. 1938)
was a favorite of the late John de Lancie.
In a complete contrast to the preceding, one of
the sonatas ascribed to Handel follows, this with
Louis Gromer, another of the several students of
Gillet in this set performing. The accompaniment
in this recording, made after the outbreak of
WWII, is the proper cembalo and cello continuo
- remarkable in an era when piano was normally
used in playing all accompaniments, irrespective
of the musics period. The solo line, however, is
all but completely unornamented. If one can ig-
REVIEWS
nore this, it is a very good performance, with at-
tractive tone and fi ne pitch control, though but
lightly nuanced.
There follow three orchestral excepts played
(with piano accompaniment) by Henri de Buss-
cher, one of the most notable oboists of the pe-
riod under consideration here. These are taken
from studio performances made for an educa-
tional label in the early 1940s in a quite unusual
undertaking for the time. The masters are all that
remain of these unissued documents. None the
 138 REVIEWS
less, they offer us the opportunity to hear one of
the true masters of the oboe who is badly under-
represented on commercial releases of any kind.
{Indeed, his recording of Schumanns 3 Romanc-
es, made in London at an earlier stage in his ca-
reer with the famous conductor, Sir Henry Wood
at the piano, was deemed by both artists sonically
unacceptable, and never issued.} De Busschers
tone, while small and bright, has an attraction
all its own, exhibited nicely in solos from Tchai-
kovskys fourth symphony, Rimsky-Korsakovs
Sheherazade and the Brahms violin concerto. His
flawless pitch control and superb phrasing are a
real lesson in what superior oboe playing was
meant to be. It is a true loss that these materials
were not issued in their time and that the masters
have since been so roughly handled. On the other
hand, it is most fortunate for us that these valu-
able documents have now been retrieved. (The
same can be said for this collection as a whole.)
By way of comparison, Dr. Burgess now in-
cludes three more examples of the opening sec-
tion of the slow movement of the Brahms violin
concerto - a test of any oboists tonal control and
musicality. The fi rst, ca. 1926, with Fritz Kreisler
as soloist, is with the Berlin Philharmonic under
the much-recorded Leo Blech. While the name of
the oboist is naturally not furnished, it is all but
certainly Fritz Flemming, the veteran fi rst obo-
ist of that organisation. While the tempo chosen,
possibly to fit onto one side of a 78 disc, is far too
fast, the French-trained Flemmings clean, clear
tone and fi ne pitch control are well to the fore.
The solo line, however, is not much nuanced, pos-
sibly as a result of the absurd tempo taken. The
next performance is again with Kreisler as solo-
ist, but from about ten years later, this time with
Barbirolli on the podium conducting the London
Philharmonic, of which Lon Goossens was at
that time fi rst oboe. The rendition cannot but be
considered absolutely flawless, with lovely phras-
REVIEWS
ing of the solo line, as the music demands. The
fi nal item of this trio presents Marcel Tabuteau,
the most influential oboist of the day in North
America, and principal in the Philadelphia Or-
chestra 1915 to 1954. He is here playing in that
ensemble, under Ormandy, with Szigeti as soloist
in a 1945 recording. This performance too can
only be described as flawless in every respect,
with a much more articulated line than in Goos-
sens interpretation, to which it forms an attrac-
tive contrast.
The last group of items in this amazing col-
lection features Beethovens Variations on La ci
darem la mano for two oboes and English horn
in its three earliest recorded renditions. The fi rst
(ca. 1939) is by the New York-based players Lois
Wann, Ferdinand Prior and Engelbert Brenner.
There is remarkable homogeneity of timbre be-
tween these three, and fi ne pitch control. The
performance, however, is almost totally devoid
of nuance and very mechanical, especially in the
opening variations. The next (ca. 1951), ema-
nating from London, features Sidney Sutcliffe,
Roger Lord and Natalie James, the fi rst- and
last-named only recently departed. This is a par-
ticularly excellent recording from the sonic point
of view, and a much livelier and more musical
rendition than the preceding. Surprisingly, this
is a recording of which quite a few copies sur-
vive. Finally comes a performance from the early
1950s by Hans Kamesch, Manfred Kautsky and
Hans Hadamowsky, all members of the Vienna
Philharmonic. There is great homogeneity of tone
here too, featuring the unique Viennese timbre,
of which Kamesch was the principal exponent.
This is a very well rehearsed, most carefully nu-
anced presentation, forming the impressive fi nale
of a remarkable collection.
*** *** *** *** ***
In assembling the recorded legacy of an instru-
ment, generally speaking, the larger the sampling,
the more meaningful the effort. One is thus very
glad to have no less than 140 minutes of recorded
oboe playing from eight different countries over a
full half-century represented here. The variety of
performers and performance practice presented
in this collection make one sorry it could not have
been a four- or five-disc set instead of only two,
impractical as this would have been.
One now hungers for a scholarly discography
of the oboe prior to the LP era. (Here is a fi ne top-
ic for a DMA paper.) Given the preponderently
French emphasis of the present collection (12 of
the 31 artists therein), one would enjoy a com-
pilation of similar size that would balance these
with performers and performances not figuring
here, such as Hermann Tttcher and Richard
Lauschmann from Germany, a solo selection
(such as the Mozart quartet) by Hans Kamesch
from Austria, Waldemar Wolsing from Denmark
(that countrys leading soloist after Felumb, who
 THE DOUBLE REED
gave up playing for the conductors baton), Jaap
Stotijn from the Netherlands, as well as James
and early Terence MacDonagh from England, all
of whom are well represented on recordings. One
would in addition like to see similar examples
from Italy, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Rus-
sia and Sweden. Such a collection would comple-
ment the present one very effectively.
Dr. Burgess has done very well with this set of
offerings, however, dictated as they were by avail-
ability of the originals and the condition of same.
Unquestionably, there were a number of record-
ings he would have liked to include but whose
dubious playability made that impossible. Mr.
Spahr has done a good job in remastering these
for CD presentation, knowing where to draw the
line as far as fi ltering is concerned (where a little
generally goes a long way). And Mr. Polmear is
strongly to be congratulated for producing such
a fi ne piece of work. There truly cannot be many
collections of recordings assembled/annotated,
engineered and produced by a trio of professional
oboists, but here is one, and an exceptional ac-
complishment it is.
The booklet, written by Dr. Burgess, is highly
informative and includes a number of rare pho-
tos depicting eleven of the performers featured in
the collection. The program notes are quite good,
although a few misprints have crept into the text
and rear liner. A handful of small errors appear
in the biographical notes too, primarily those
regarding Labate and de Busscher. These minor
criticisms aside, the historical work and editing at
the core of this set of offerings form an extraor-
dinary and to date unique achievement. The pres-
ent collection constitutes an aural reference book
that belongs on the shelf of every oboist and in
every conservatory and university library.
REVIEW BY JEANNE BELFY
Boise, Idaho
Solaris: American Quintets.
James Ryon, oboe; Lynette Diers Cohen,
bassoon.
Capstone Records CPS-8677, 2000.
Horn player William Hoyts striking arrangement
of Gershwins First Piano Prelude is an auspicious
start to a strong CD of American wind quintets.
His setting is just right - alternately languorous
139
and frenetic clarinet licks supported by other
reeds, and a stunning display of horn dexterity.
Solaris has no weak link, but clarinetist Hkan
Rosengren is particularly appealing in his effort-
less-sounding fluidity. The mellow, diffused bas-
soon tone of Lynette Diers Cohen features in the
center of the sultry second prelude, surrounded
by the careful projection of oboist James Ryons
framing solos. The third prelude is even better
for woodwind quintet than the fi rst two - Hoyt
is truly gifted in his understanding of how to use
the five players to get the most out of the score.
The piccolo fi nish is an inspired idea.
So these players from the University of Akron
brought together as Solaris under the leader-
ship of 1976 founding member, flutist George
Pope, are continuing their successes with two
new members who have joined the quintet since
this recording was made. Oboist James Ryon has
joined the faculty of Louisiana State University
and has been replaced in the quintet by Cynthia
Watson Sperl. Their former bassoonist, Lynette
Diers Cohen, who died in August of 2003 has
been succeeded by Barrick Stees of the Cleveland
Orchestra. They have collaborated in a master-
ful way to assemble a musically gratifying and
diverse program of modern literature for wood-
wind quintet. The centerpiece is Samuel Barbers
Summer Music, my personal favorite. Its bas-
soon-horn blend at the opening is nothing short
of miraculous. The flute and clarinet cadenzas
are supple and free; each small gesture projects
through the texture and each ensemble articula-
tion is beautifully matched and precise. James
Ryons homogeneity of tone through the haunt-
ing oboe theme speaks to his fi ne training under
Bloom and Mack. The recording is expertly bal-
anced - one can hear each instrument projecting
from the proper space. Flute and clarinet handle
the virtuosic stretto with aplomb, the nostalgic
theme is traded off one more time, and the noc-
REVIEWS
turnal insects make their second and fi nal appear-
ance - one last fi refly shooting off into the dark.
The rest of the CD offers lesser-known music,
all worth the acquaintance. Leonard Bernsteins
Anniversaries - aphoristic character pieces for
piano in three groups spanning 1943-1954 - have
been arranged for brass quintet, but flutist George
Popess woodwind quintet versions are at least as
gracious. Im a sucker for Bernsteins Copland-
esque, sometimes parodistic, sometimes jazzy,
and highly economical style. The personalities
 140 REVIEWS
he describes are always programmatically inter-
esting, short and to the point. The timbral blend
and harmonic intonation of Solaris Wind Quintet
is superb. Im not a big Henry Cowell fan, but
am glad for the chance to examine his Suite for
Woodwind Quintet of 1931. Described as neo-
classical by liner annotator Brooks Toliver, this
work displays some of Cowells tamer experi-
ments in counterpoint - without, to my ear, much
charm, but with his own peculiar stamp. Well-
played, anyway, the four-and-a-half minutes
worth of four movements insert a truly unusual
voice into the mix. Jack Gallaghers Ancient Eve-
nings and Distant Music, though presented in
nine discrete movements, reads more like one set
of very short variations, less involved, say, than
the last movement of Carl Nielsens Quintet. Un-
der the aegis of a suite, stylized dances such as
Forlane and Siciliano, along with attitudes
of Scherzo and Toccata, give the composer
scope for contrasting, brief exercises in quintet
scoring. Well-played and pleasant, the work may
be most remarkable for its year of composition,
1971. Gallagher, a composition professor at the
College of Wooster, was either behind or ahead
of his time.
I cant pretend to have assimilated enough
of Roger Zahabs musical language to describe
it well or evaluate it. He is the Director of the
New Music Group at the University of Akron, as
well as a violin teacher and orchestra director at
the University of Pittsburgh. His original work
for woodwind quintet, your offending kiss, in
one 4-minute movement, has some dissonant
counterpoint in a relaxed texture, relatively tra-
ditional phrasing and rhythmic movement, and
it is convincingly played. It bears repeated lis-
tening. Nikola Resanovics The Golden Canon,
on the other hand, suggests a type of process
music currently in vogue. He plays with the
sweet modal melody (aptly set as an oboe solo
REVIEWS
in its fi rst appearance) through countless repeti-
tions and overlaps. The tunes harmonic implica-
tions are congenial to this dense treatment, even
in fragmentation, augmentation, and diminu-
tion. On top of this quasi-minimalist gimmick,
British-born Resanovic (who is not, apparently,
American) piles the layers of variation deep until
he builds a tonal climax at the golden mean of
the 144-measure score. There are some very dif-
ficult technical passages for just about everybody
when the perpetual motion machine gets going,
but this is a piece everybody will want to try to
play. Its effect reminds me of the third movement
of Ligetis Six Bagatelles. Audiences will immedi-
ately embrace it, and the sonic fun will be worth
the effort of learning it.
Sincere (and, alas, belated) congratulations to
Solaris - this CD has both depth and immediate
appeal; the performances are top-notch. And al-
most all the composers are American.
REVIEWS BY DAN STOLPER
Palm Desert, California
Bremen Town Musicians
Powers Woodwind Quintet
Jon Deak: The Bremen Town Musicians
Anthony Plog: Animal Ditties VI for Woodwind
Quintet and Narrator
Keith Amos: Lupin the Pot-Bellied Pig
Luciano Berio: Opus Number Zoo, Childrens
Play for Woodwind Quintet
Sergei Prokofiev/Robert Ostermeyer: Peter and
the Wolf, Op. 67
Joanna Cowan White, flute and alto flute; Roger
Rehm, oboe; Kennen White, clarinet; MaryBeth
Minnis, bassoon; Bruce Bonnell, horn; Sue Ann
Martin, narrator
Centaur Records CRC 2774
www/centaurrecords.com
Quintet aficionados will want to have this ter-
rific disc. It includes premiere recordings of the
works by Jon Deak, Keith Amos, and Robert
Ostermeyer, and they are invaluable additions to
the catalog. The well-written liner notes discuss
performance art: this disc features works that
unite the art of woodwind quintet performance
with those of narration and storytelling.
Jon Deaks work The Bremen Town Musi-
cians is the most substantial piece (at more than
twenty minutes) on the disc; the text comes from
the famous fairy tale of Jacob Grimm in which
four animals - each with a distinct personality -
escape from their harsh masters to live as musi-
cians in the town of Bremen. The charming cover
art (by Jay Fosgitt) shows the animals playing
their instruments (the cat - the flute; the rooster
- the clarinet; the hound dog - the horn; and the
 THE DOUBLE REED
donkey - the bassoon) as they blithely promenade
away from their abusive former master - a tail-
coated gentleman brandishing the oboe! Deaks
own introduction to the work is telling: I wanted
to do more than just set a text to the accompani-
ment of music. Just as common speech contains
music - pitch, dynamics, articulation, rhythm - so
music conveys meaning, even literal meaning. I
love to mix up the two - to imbed one into the
others, as it were. Thus the musicians and their
instruments tell the story.
Jon Deak is associate principal bassist of the
New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonics
Creative Education Associate, and in the words
of the annotator, a notorious composer(!) In
his written instructions to performers of this
work, he tells them that both the music and the
theatrics are inseparable and should be experi-
enced by the audience as such. He has crafted
a work that is gratifying for the performers - if
challenging enough in spots - and an enchanting
entertainment for audiences.
Luciano Berios Opus Number Zoo was com-
missioned by the Dorian Wind Quintet in 1970.
This version is a reworking of the 1951 work
for woodwind quintet and narrator. This newer
version requires the musicians to speak, literally
while they play. Berios marriage to the singer
Cathie Berberian seemed to spark his interest in
instrument-voice syntheses. Opus Number Zoo
has become something of a quintet classic, and
most every serious group understandably in-
cludes it in their repertoire. The text - by Rhonda
Levine - is seemingly quite simple, but it actually
conveys serious and profound truths about the
human condition.
Anthony Plogs work was written for the
Westwood Wind Quintet and it depicts the ani-
mals in Ogden Nashs famous and witty poems
- the canary, kangaroo, fly, ostrich, and guppies.
Robert Ostermeyers transcription of Proko-
fievs childrens classic Peter and the Wolf has
quickly assumed an important place in the rep-
ertoire of many wind quintets, especially those
that perform for school children. It is quite a
successful recasting of the orchestral works, and
only in certain places, the triumphal march with
the captured wolf, for example, does one really
miss the full orchestral forces. Some techniques
- string tremolos especially - dont translate into
woodwind language very successfully either.
And what IS the instrument used to depict the
141
shots of the hunters? Perhaps its just an under-
powered popgun! And how about some of that
stratospheric horn writing, so skillfully played by
Bruce Bonnell? Narrator Sue Ann Martins dul-
cet, news-reader style doesnt quite work for the
more terrifying moments in this tale.
The Powers Woodwind Quintet is the ensem-
ble in residence at Central Michigan University at
Mount Pleasant. All the members of the quintet
are fi ne professional players and its obvious that
their commitment to this group is almost a full-
time one. They play this challenging repertoire
with enviable ensemble skills and they toss off the
occasional multi-phonic or flutter/double-tongu-
ing passage with ease. I have long been an ad-
mirer of Roger Rehms fi ne oboe playing, and its
a pleasure to hear his work again on this disc. He
has become the associate dean at the universitys
college of communication and fi ne arts: Roger
is obviously as skilled with the computer as he
is with the oboe. The Powers Quintet is sched-
uled to perform at the Ball State conference of
the IDRS in July with their new oboist, Jennifer
Gookin. Dont miss them! And to whet your ap-
petite, buy this exciting and enjoyable CD!
Mist Over the Lake
Joao Guilherme Ripper: Kinderszenen for Oboe,
Cello and Piano
Pierre-Max Dubois: Ballade Medievale for Oboe
and Piano
Arthur Bliss: Conversations (for flute/bass flute,
oboe/English horn; violin, viola, and cello)
Patrick Stoyanovich: Seven Short Pieces for
Oboe and Piano
Napoleon Coste: Three Pieces for Oboe and
Guitar
Leone Sinigaglia: Twelve Variations on a Theme
of Franz Schubert
REVIEWS
Amilcare Ponchielli: Capriccio
Jan Freidlin: Mist Over the Lake (for Oboe and
Guitar).
Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, oboe; Rhian Kenny,
flute; Andres Cardenes, violin; Paul Silver, viola;
David Premo, cello; Marina diPretoro, piano;
James Feria, guitar
Crystal Records CD729
www.crystalrecords.com
 142 REVIEWS
I have been an admirer of Cynthia Koledo DeAl-
meidas playing for a long time now - actually
since I fi rst moved to Michigan when I soon be-
gan to hear about the oboist prodigy in nearby
Ann Arbor - and I envy subscribers to the Pitts-
burgh Symphonys concert season who get to
feast on her artistry on a weekly basis. I can nev-
er forget her extraordinary performance of the
Vaughan Williams concerto at the Morgantown,
West Virginia convention of the IDRS, for me the
highlight of the 2001 event. This was a stunning
example of pacing, of handling silences, such as
one might hear in a poetry reading.
This new Crystal CD is a welcome follow-up
to her recital on Boston Records of two years ago.
Some of the assisting artists are the same, and
there is the same creativity in programming that
I so enjoyed on the previous disc. Much of this
music - especially the works with guitar - sounds
as though theyd been recorded in the artists liv-
ing room; theres such an appealing intimacy and
a very gentle ambience which is so satisfying for
an oboe recital. Only the works with piano sound
a bit unbalanced; I found myself wanting to hear
a bit less of the piano, skillfully played though
it is. The repertoire is endlessly fascinating, and
I found myself listening to this CD again and
again. I recommend it highly.
Following on her stunning performance of
Arthur Blisss Quintet for Oboe and Strings from
the 2004 CD, this program includes the compos-
ers rarely heard Conversations, an intriguing
and attractive chamber work that deserves more
performances. The fourth movement of this work
- Soliloquy - is an extended English horn solo; it
receives a heart-felt performance. I had admired
the Kinderszenen of Joao Guilherme Ripper in a
performance by James Ryon and colleagues - if
my memory is correct. This suite for oboe, cello
and piano has a wonderful, earthy south-of-the-
border flavor that is tremendously appealing. By
REVIEWS
all counts though, my favorite work on this disc
is Leone Sinigaglias Variations on a Theme of
Franz Schubert, a lovely work for oboe and piano
that Ive often played myself and that has a very
pronounced influence of Brahms. The variations
are on a song of Schuberts from 1815 - Heidenro-
slein (The Heath Rose) to a text by Goethe. Ms.
De Almeidas interpretation of the simple melody
that serves as the basis for the twelve variations
is quite indescribable. Articulation, vibrato, a
melting, almost portamento-style legato all add
to the enchanting effect. The theme itself - with
its fermata - can be rather a challenge to pace,
but certainly not for these artists. The very stac-
cato upbeat style in the siciliano-style variation
was a surprise, but its growing on me! Im happy
that this piece seems to be regaining a place in the
repertoire. I enjoyed a performance by Ms. DeAl-
meidas PSO colleague, Scott Bell, in the summer
of 2005, and I treasure earlier recordings of it by
Evelyn McCarty and John Anderson.
Ponchiellis Capriccio is an eleven-minute
tour-de-force - almost a built-in encore for this
program, even though its the penultimate track
on the disc. Ponchielli is of course known as an
opera composer, and primarily for his famous
La Gioconda. This oboe work is obviously influ-
enced by opera, with the oboe taking the role of
the singer, the piano that of the orchestra. It opens
with an extended recitative like section, followed
by a flowing, melancholy aria. A cadenza leads to
a virtuosic fi nal section, sort of a cabaletta, with
brilliant fi reworks for the soloist.
Jan Freidlin (also spelled Friedlin in the liner
notes) is a composer now teaching at the Levin-
sky College of Music in Tel Aviv. His work Mist
Over the Lake gives its title to this CD; it was
composed in 1985 as part of a suite for violin and
piano entitled Forest Pictures. In dedicating the
CD to the memory of her father, Ms. DeAlmeida
writes: When I play Freidlins Mist Over the
Lake, I imagine my father in his happiest mo-
ments in a boat on the water, with his cup of cof-
fee and a fishing pole. Its no wonder then, that
this performance is invested with so much inten-
sity and deep emotion.
Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida has been princi-
pal oboist of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 1991.
For two years prior she was associate principal
oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She studied
at the University of Michigan with Arno Mari-
otti and at Temple University in Philadelphia as
a student of Richard Woodhams. In Pittsburgh,
she teaches at Carnegie Mellon University, where
she is also co-ordinator of the woodwind depart-
ment. She has also been a member of the faculty
at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Bar-
bara, California since 2002. She is a frequent
guest artist at annual conventions of the Interna-
tional Double Reed Society.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Janet Craxton - Music for Oboe and Strings
Francis Routh: Oboe Quartet, Op. 34 (1977);
Elizabeth Maconchy: Oboe Quartet (1972)
Richard Stoker: Polemics for Oboe and String
Trio, Op. 40 (1970)
Nicola LeFanu: Variations for Oboe Quartet
(1968)
Lennox Berkeley: Quartet for Oboe and String
Trio (1967)
Elisabeth Lutyens: Driving out the Death for
Oboe and String Trio, Op. 81 (1971).
The London Oboe Quartet: Janet Craxton, oboe;
with Perry Hart, violin; Brian Hawkins, viola;
Kenneth Heath (cello); and Charles Tunnell
(cello in the Routh Quartet only).
Oboe Classics CC2011
www.oboeclassics.com
We reprinted a two-page feature from the Gram-
ophone in a recent issue in which leading British
oboists were asked to name their idols. Nicholas
Daniel, who is well-known to IDRS members
from his many magnificent performances at the
conventions, named his former teacher Janet
Craxton and lamented the dearth of recordings
by this unique artist. With this wonderful CD,
Jeremy Polmear and Oboe Classics have made
Nicks wish come true. The whole oboe commu-
nity is the richer to have this testament to Janet
Craxtons artistry. I knew her only slightly from
my visits to the UK, and then mostly through our
mutual friend, Evelyn Barbirolli, who introduced
me to Janet when the IDRS and To The Worlds
Oboists were in their infancy. Janet kindly sent
an article on contemporary oboe techniques
shed written for us to use in the very fi rst issue
of TTWO.
This CD with its handsomely produced liner
notes - full of great photos (some of which are re-
produced in this issue of the DR) is tremendously
informative. Nick Daniels thoughts on Janet
Craxton the musician are alone worth the price
of the CD. These recordings of works inspired by
Janet for her London Oboe Quartet are recorded
here for the fi rst time. They are all by prominent
British composers, and they were all written in
the late 60s and the early 70s. They are stylis-
tically wide-ranging but they share the use of
extended tonality, and even some nods toward
143
atonality. There is an over-riding seriousness and
expressive intensity about all these works, and it
is obvious that the London Oboe Quartet was not
an ad-hoc ensemble. These are not works for an
evenings enjoyable sight-reading session. They
present rather formidable ensemble challenges
- in some cases, very contrapuntal and rhythmi-
cally complex. There are some few examples of
extended oboe techniques. Richard Stokers
work includes some upward portamenti, but he
mentions that Janet had to practice them long
into the night. Im not Holliger, she protested.
This disc is far from easy-listening! Each work
is so stimulating intellectually and emotionally -
and most of them are rather unsmilingly serious
- that I preferred listening to them one at a time.
I fi nd the works of Routh, Stoker and Bennett es-
pecially intriguing, but I may have other favor-
ites when I listen to the CD again!
There is an air of elegance, of almost artis-
tocratic ownership of these works in these
performances, and well there might be. The
London Oboe Quartet performed most of them
many times, and these performances - some of
them live, but several are studio recordings - all
sound confident and poised, and one can imag-
ine how much the composers enjoyed this level
of advocacy.
Janet Craxton was born in 1929 and she
studied the oboe with Helen Gaskell at the Royal
Academy of Music in London (1945-48) and
with Pierre Bajeux at the Paris Conservatoire
(1948-49). She was principal oboist of the Halle
Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the BBC
Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta,
and the Royal Opera House. It was at the ROH
that she played in her last performance - of Wag-
ners Tristan und Isolde - on the evening before
she died in 1981. She was appointed professor of
oboe at the Royal Academy in 1958, and she was
also tutor to the National Youth Orchestra. In ad-
REVIEWS
dition to her work with the London Oboe Quar-
tet, she was a member of the Leonardo Ensemble
and the London Concertante. She was married to
the pianist and composer Alan Richardson, who
wrote several works expressly for her. More in-
formation about Janet Craxton can be found at
www.craxtonmemorialtrust.org.uk - follow links
to the Craxton Family.
Nicholas Daniels observations on Janet, the
person and the artist, are immensely illuminat-
ing. He comments about this CD: Right from the
 144
fi rst track, the Francis Routh Quartet, I thought
Ive got to play this! And I felt that about each
of the works. I can only echo Nicks reaction;
Ive already ordered scores and parts for these
intriguing works. They deserve to be much bet-
ter known. About Janets playing: Nick remarks
What comes through again and again on this
CD is the sheer emotional power of Janets play-
ing. And to help her is an incredibly strong tech-
nique and a distinctive, warm yet flexible sound.
Ten years ago that sound might have seemed dat-
ed, perhaps being thought of as too light in qual-
ity. But more people nowadays are beginning to
see the thick sound favoured in many European
orchestras - including Britain - with its stodgy,
single-colour timbre is ultimately inexpressive
- and really rather boring. Janets sound devel-
oped from her English background, her studies
in France, and her use of the soft, long-scraped
reeds that are favoured in America.
The recorded sound of these 1970s-era per-
formances and sessions is realistic and concert-
quality. Balances are consistently successful and
the oboe is recorded especially well. With a tim-
ing of 77:35 this disc is an incredible value. It be-
longs in the collection of every serious oboist.
REVIEW BY of:
Review TERRY EWELL
Towson, Maryland
The Oboe 1903-1953
Oboe Classics CC2012
www.oboeclassics.com
Also available from Geoffrey Burgess
When I fi rst learned of the availability of this col-
lection through an e-mail message from Geoffrey
Burgess I was intrigued by the opportunity to
hear performances dating from as far back as a
REVIEWS
century ago. I eagerly opened the CD when it ar-
rived and to my delight found that the collection
well exceeded my expectations. Indeed, this is a
collection that should be a part of every double
reed aficionados collection not to mention uni-
versity recording libraries.
The two CD set contains recordings of twen-
ty-four oboists and one English horn performer
with an excellent representation from all decades.
For instance, in the fi rst decade the collection
includes four recordings, the earliest of which
REVIEWS
is by Housset of Huguenins La nuit de Nol.
Other fi rst decade recordings are by Caesar Ad-
dimando (principal oboe, New York Symphony
Orchestra), Georges Gillet (French pedagogue),
and Giorgio (musician at La Scala). Although
French oboists or oboists tracing their heritage to
France dominate the collection, there are still a
significant number of recordings made through-
out Europe and America. A performance on Vi-
ennese model oboes by the Vienna Philharmonic
Wind Group round out the CD set.
I strongly encourage those who receive the
collection to re-read (or read for the fi rst time!)
Mr. Burgesss article Vibrato Awareness in The
Double Reed 24/4 (2001), pages 127-135. In the
article he references Georges Gillets performance
of the William Tell Overture and comments on
his flute-like tone with no trace of vibrato (p.
130). (This very performance is contained on the
second track of the fi rst CD.) A few lines later
the article also touches upon Lon Goossens use
of consistent breath vibrato and the opposition
he faced from his contemporaries. My listening
experience of the recording confi rmed this part of
the Burgess article as well. After naturalizing my
ears to the early oboe and flute performances in
the collection in which the musicians used little if
any vibrato I was quite shocked to hear the Goos-
sens recording of the Mozart Oboe Quartet. The
range of his musical expression and especially his
ever present and highly audible vibrato stands in
contrast to his oboe colleagues. I was left with
the impression that Goossens was advocating for
an entirely new world of musical experience of
which vibrato is just one component. His playing
is all the more remarkable when considering his
contemporaries.
The anthology allows not only for an explo-
ration of performance styles but also for a com-
parison of performers playing the same selection.
For instance, the collection contains juxtaposed
performances of J. S. Bach Sinfonia in B f, op.
18/2 by Georges Blanchard, Bruno Labate, and
an anonymous oboist; recordings of the opening
of Brahms Violin Concerto by Henri de Busscher,
Fritz Flemming, Lon Goossens, and Marcel
Tabuteau; and versions of Beethovens Variations
on La ci darem by the London Baroque Ensem-
ble, the Vienna Philharmonic Wind Group, and
others. For the double reed teacher this provides
excellent material with which to engage students
in discussions of style, musical interpretation,
 THE DOUBLE REED
qualities of vibrato, and many other issues.
The notes and track commentary are every
bit as valuable to this collection as the recorded
music itself. Mr. Burgess supplies more than just
your typical CD notes with obligatory dates and
a few facts. The notes and commentary are best
described as listening guides to the collection. In
them he makes astute comments on style, inter-
pretive nuance, and provides helpful suggestions
for ways in which the listener can understand the
performance. The notes are informative and illu-
minating and they advocate for a compassionate
and informed view of these historical gems. Illus-
trative of his notes is the way in which he puts the
collection into perspective.
It is always dangerous to draw general conclu-
sions from limited date, so rather than viewing
these recordings as documents of the essential
characteristics of each oboist, it is wiser to treat
them as snapshots of unique performances.
Out-of-focus or underdeveloped due to the short-
comings of the recording apparatus, these pass-
ing glimpses are still the closest we can get to the
artistry of these lost musicians.
Passing glimpses they may be, but they are still
precious performances that would otherwise no
longer catch our attention. Bravo to Mr. Burgess
for bringing to a wider audience this wonderful
collection! I am, however, left with one nagging
question: When will the companion bassoon col-
lection come out?
Oboe
MUSIC
REVIEWS
REVIEWS BY ROBERT J. KRAUSE
Canyon, Texas
Margaret Griebling-Haigh
Bocadillas Floridianos for Oboe and Piano
Publisher: Jeann, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
The work was premiered by John Mack with pi-
anist Elizabeth De Mio at the John Mack Oboe
Camp in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, on
June 9, 2000.
145
Margaret Griebling Haigh studied the oboe in
Cleveland with John Mack and Harvey McGuire.
She continued her studies at the Eastman School
of Music with Robert Sprenkle, and then received
a masters degree at the San Francisco Conser-
vatory where she worked with Marc Lifschey.
She lives in Cleveland with her husband Scott
Haigh who plays double bass in the Cleveland
Orchestra.
From program notes by the composer:
Bocadillos Floridianos is a set of four descrip-
tive pieces for oboe and piano commissioned by
one of the icons of the oboe world, John Mack...
The movements are based upon distinct impres-
sions of various creatures which inhabit the sandy
Florida beach, vividly remembered from a short
vacation at the seashore.
The word bocadillo is Cuban Spanish for a
little mouse, and I interpret the word as a paral-
lel of the French bagatelle. However, Florida is
considerably more Spanish than French! and thus
the choice of language for the titles.
I. Juego de las Coquinas (The Play of the Sea-
shells ...those who dwell at the edge of the
waves)
represents the calm motion of the waves lap-
ping the flat sand on a peaceful day as the tiny
shells wriggle down into the sand to escape the
warm sunshine.
Oboe range: c#1 - e3
Tempo marking:
Tranquillo, quarter note = c. 72 mm
Meter signatures used:
4/4, 7/8, 3/4, 5/8, 6/8, 2/4
Harmonic structures: basically tertian (fre-
quently using open fifths in the left hand of
the piano and filling in the other chord notes in
REVIEWS
the right hand), some secundal (clusters), and
some polychordal structures.
There is a nice variety of oboe colors through-
out this aba form. The piano opening sets the
mood of the lapping waves while the oboe en-
trance in measure three represents peacefulness
with the upward leaps of a fi fth and sixths. The
middle (b) section is much more active rhythmi-
cally and technically giving the impression of
the shells wriggling into the ground. When the
 146
a theme returns, it is stated an octave higher,
sounding thinner and more fragile (sort of at a
distance). The closing section of the movement
(subito tranquillo - come prima) presents the
opening material in a reverse order, using the fi fth
and sixths of the oboe theme, but in descending
leaps, and then the opening material of the piano
shared by the piano and the oboe.
The various meter and tempo changes
throughout the movement make for an interest-
ing combination, but one that will need a great
deal of attention for a successful performance.
Moderately difficult to difficult
II. Bajamar (Low Tide ...those who die upon the
beach)
Following a solo oboe introduction which is
really a premonition, a somewhat uneasy waltz
is here along with the recurring 3 against 4
rhythm. As the movement progresses, the
waltz gradually ebbs away until the opening
melody returns and then dies away. The move-
ment makes use of oboe harmonics, which
have hollow, eerie sound.
Oboe range: b f - c3
Tempo marking:
Freely, quarter note = ca. 80 mm
Meter signatures used: 4/4, 3/4, 2/4
Harmonic structures: basically tertian, some
secundal (clusters), and some polychordal
structures.
This movement contains some rhythmic com-
plexities (ties across the bar lines, groupings of 16
and dotted eigths, 4 beats within a 3 beat mea-
sure, etc.) and the alternation of ordinary and
harmonic fi ngerings throughout. Moderately
difficult to difficult
III. El Sereno (The Watchman ...owner of the beach)
REVIEWS
The movement represents an absolutely
imperturbable heron which seemed to stand
guard over the beach morning, noon, and
night. The word sereno can mean a number
of things: watchman, serene one, or evening,
all of which seemed appropriate. The move-
ment features a chorale-like, 8-bar progression
which is repeated four times but is inter-
spersed with cadenza-like passages of material
from the first movement.
REVIEWS
Oboe range: c1 - f3
Tempo marking:
Lento, quarter note = 48-52 mm
Meter signatures used: 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 5/4
Harmonic structures: tertian, some secundal
(clusters), and some polychordal structures.
This movement really showcases Ms. Grie-
bling-Haighs ability for writing sensitive as well
as very descriptive music. The oboe melodies are
very haunting and attractive and the use of quasi
cadenzas gives the performer the opportunity to
play very expressively. Moderately difficult
IV. Lagartijas Ligeras (Darting Lizards ...those who
cavort around the swimming pool)
The piece is in a jerky 7/16 meter which alter-
nates with material based on the Cuban dance
known as the guaracha.
Oboe range: b f - e3
Tempo marking:
Allegro giocoso, quarter note = 88-92 mm
Meter signatures used:
7/16, 5/16, 2/4, 7/8, 5/8, 3/8,
Harmonic structures: tertian, some secundal
(clusters), and some quartal structures.
This fast, dance movement creates an unusu-
ally hyper kind of atmosphere with its 7/16 me-
ter. The alternating guaracha sections add an
interesting contrast to the jerky rhythms of the
original theme. The difficulty in this movement
is keeping up with the 7/16 meter and the con-
stant vitality of all the rhythms in the movement.
Letter H could pose some problems with having
to slide the right hand little fi nger (low c to low d
flat) at a rather quick tempo. Difficult
Bocadillos Floridianos is a very attractive
piece that is very well written for both the oboe
and the piano. Ms. Griebling-Haighs composi-
tional style and ability to write music that really
paints pictures is very noteworthy. I highly rec-
ommend this alluring addition to the oboe reper-
toire. It will make a great recital piece, both for
the performer and the audience.
 THE DOUBLE REED
Margaret Griebling-Haigh:
Night Swimming for English Horn, Soprano and
Piano
Publisher: Jeann, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Composed as part of a collaborative project
between the Cleveland Composers Guild and the
Poets league of Greater Cleveland. It is a setting
of a poem by Mary Grimm and was premiered
on February 20, 2000.
Ranges: Voice - e1 to a f2
English Horn - e1 to c3
Tempo marking:
Andante: always rocking, wave-like
Meter signatures used:
9/8, 12/8, 6/8, 2/4, 3/4, 9/16
The composer gives the following information
about Night Swimming in her program notes. In
the song I have written, I have represented the
smoothness of the water at night with a simple,
languid rocking motif. As the poem and the song
progress, the water ripples more and more quick-
ly and fi nally is agitated into a froth of activity by
the pianos rapid, alternating arpeggiated clusters
and the trills of the English horns obbligato. Sud-
denly, the water calms and the music retuns to the
tranquil wave-like motion heard at the beginning
of the song.
The vocal line tends to reflect the pictures
painted by the text, and contains wonderful ex-
amples of musical onamatopiea. The words glid-
ing and sliding are approached with melodies
that move chromatically in a gliding/sliding man-
ner. The vocal writing is very singable and very
well thought out.
The English horn is used as a solo and an ac-
companying instrument. Ms. Griebling-Haigh
writes well for the instrument using its unique
timbre to establish various mood effects. An agi-
tated mood is produced by using the upper regis-
ter, and a calm and soothing mood is produced
by using the middle/lower registers of the instru-
ment. The piano writing ranges from simple to
highly complicated with large stretches in both
hands.
The harmonic vocabulary is basically tertian
with a great deal of chromaticism. Polychordal
writing and arpeggiated polychords are used fre-
quently. Some of the polychords are written in an
overlapping manner, making the sonorities sound
like clusters. The treatment of dissonance is rela-
147
tive (tension and release - more dissonant to less
dissonant). Ms. Griebling-Haigh ends the com-
position by harmonically accompanying the line
Dark line on the edge of the world with triads
and seventh chords, ending with a C7 - leaving
things unresolved, being able to go on forever.
Moderately difficult
Night Swimming is wonderfully descriptive
music that is well written for all of the instru-
ments. It is a needed addition to the repertoire for
English horn and voice, and I highly recommend
it for personal performance and teaching.
Frdric Chopin:
Music of Frdric Chopin
Arranged for oboe and piano by Michael Ericson.
Publisher: TrevCo Music.
Michael Ericson is associate professor of oboe at
Western Illinois University at Macomb. He per-
formed these lovely Chopin transcriptions at the
Austin IDRS conference in June of 2005.
Mr. Ericson has very sensitively adapted select-
ed piano music of Chopin for oboe and piano. The
oboe part is, for the most part, the material of the
right hand of the original piano part, but with rests
inserted in very appropriate places (in those places
the piano plays what was originally written.)
Nocturne No. 9 in B major, Op. 32, No. 1
Oboe range: b - b2
Meter: Common time
The key may create a problem for some play-
ers, but it is one that oboists need to be able to
play in without difficulty. This nocturne contains
many lovely, flowing lines and is a great piece for
learning the style of rubato and expressive play-
ing. Moderately difficult
REVIEWS
Nocturne No. 16 in Ef major, Op. 55, No. 2
Oboe range: d1 - d3
Meter: 12/8
There are some rhythmic concerns that will
have to be worked out carefully between the obo-
ist and pianist. Polyrhythms: 4 against 3 and
7 against 6 could create problems, but are very
playable. The harmonic fi ngering for b flat2 is
required in measures 59-60. The use of the har-
monic produces an ethereal and quiet sounding
 148
timbre which is so effective at this point in the
nocturne. Moderately difficult
Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. Posthumous
Oboe range: d1 - g3
Meter: Common time
The florid playing in this nocturne requires
a very fluent and elegant style. Rhythms are not
very complicated, but 10 and 11 notes per beat
are found. The most difficult technical passages
are those that require upper register dexterity
that must be performed with delicacy and even-
ness. Moderately difficult
Souvenir de Paganini, Op. Posthumous
Oboe range: d s1 - a3
Key: A major
Meter: 6/8
Tempo marking: none
This is another set of variations on The Car-
nival of Venice, although not as complicated as
Lalliets Prelude and Variations. The rhythms
are straight forward and the technical dexterity,
although demanding, is very playable. The most
difficult passages are those with legato octave
leaps into the upper register. Also upper register
fingerings and response to a3 may create some
problems. Difficult
The music of these Nocturnes and Souvenir
de Paganini is from the early part of the ninteenth
century when Frdric Chopin and Vincenzo
Bellini were writing music with florid right-hand
piano melodies and florid vocal parts, respec-
tively. This florid writing was known as slow
coloratura, and it took a great deal of training
and control to master its performance. These four
arrangements include slow coloratura with grace-
ful and expressive rubato playing for the oboist.
What wonderful tools for training younger play-
ers and what wonderful recital pieces for any
REVIEWS
performer! These fill a much needed void in the
oboe repertoire.
REVIEWS
Alexander Wright:
Sonatina for Oboe and Bassoon
Publisher: Whichpond Music
An oboe and bassoon duet in four short
movements.
1. Allegro: quarter note = 100 mm
Ranges: Oboe - c1 to e3
Bassoon - Ds - f1
Meter signatures used:
3/4, 5/8, 2/4, 4/4, 3/8, 1/4
Syncopation, rhythmic activity, and alternat-
ing meters give this movement a great deal of vi-
tality. Upper register dexterity is required of the
oboist. Harmonically both tertian and secundal
structures are used. The movement ends with
major second sonority. Moderately difficult
2. Andante: quarter note = 70 mm
Ranges: Oboe - d1 - eb3
Bassoon - C# - g1
Meter signatures used:
3/4, 2/4, 6/8, 4/4, 5/8, 3/8, 2/8, 1/4
The voices interweave with lots of rhythmic
diversity. Melodically there are some interest-
ing places when the bassoon is playing higher
than the oboe, and harmonically both tertian
and secundal structures are used. The movement
ends with major second sonority. Moderately
difficult
3. Scherzo. Vivace: quarter note = 152 mm
Ranges: Oboe - b f - d3
Bassoon - Contra Bf - c1
Meter signatures used:
4/4, 5/4, 2/4, 3/4
This movement if full of pep and energy.
There is a nice motivic use of seconds and thirds
throughout, and Mr. Wrights use of accents help
bring out the playfulness and forward motion
of the movement. There is a limited use of 16th
notes, quarter note triplets, and a measure of 3/4
containing four dotted quarter notes which adds
just the right amount of diversity to help make
this movement very successful. Moderately
difficult
 THE DOUBLE REED
4. Finale. Andante con moto: dotted note = 54
mm; and Allegro capriccioso - quarter note =
116 mm
Ranges: Oboe - d1 - e3
Bassoon - Contra B - g#1
Meter signatures used:
6/8, 3/4, 4/4, 4/2, 7/8, 5/8
The movement begins with a short introduc-
tion that outlines the thematic germ of the move-
ment (oboe, measures 3-4 - slower note values).
The movement proceeds in a brief aba form, and
when the a theme returns, Mr. Wright also
cleverly uses snippets from the b theme. Care-
ful scrutiny of the accents and dynamics play an
important role in making this movement charm-
ing and effective. Modedrately difficult
This duet contains some very clever and
unique writing. I would certainly recommend
performing it and having students learn this in-
teresting little chamber piece.
DRASTIC MEASURES:
New Oboe Music
REVIEW BY LIBBY VAN CLEVE
New Haven, Connecticut
New Oboe Music by Bill Douglas
All of the pieces discussed in this
installment of Drastic Mea-
sures were written by the pro-
digiously talented bassoonist/pianist/composer
Bill Douglas. My introduction to Douglass music
was as a graduate student at California Institute
of Arts in a wonderful class called Beatin Out
a Rhythm. In class, we worked through many
of the rhythmic challenges in store for those in-
terested in contemporary music, and we learned
a series of pieces called Rock Etudes by Bill
Douglas. In typical Southern California fashion,
the class was held in the sunny courtyard next
to fragrant eucalyptus trees, and we were usually
on our feet, dancing out the meter while singing
through the etudes. It was a joyful and physically
engaging way to learn. In the next year, I found
myself studying at Yale School of Music. I took
a course called Performance Problems in Con-
temporary Music in which we studied similar
material, but we did it sitting at our desks in a
cold classroom under fluorescent light, using our
149
brains to conquer the so-called problems in
new music. Obviously, the process was less en-
joyable than the work in California, but I was
gratified to encounter a strong cerebral perspec-
tive, which complemented the more intuitive and
practical approach. The juxtaposition of the two
classes always amused me because it exemplified
numerous dichotomies, among them: heart and
mind; California hedonism and New England
Protestantism; play and work; intuitive and intel-
lectual approaches. But the fi nal lesson was that a
blending of apparently opposing poles can yield a
deeper and richer approach to music.
I share this personal tale because it seems a
fitting introduction to Bill Douglas, a musician
who transcends these and other categories. In his
workshop at the 2005 IDRS conference, the heart-
felt, exuberant aspect of his music was palpable
as he led a group through one of his etudes. But
the breadth and depth of the composers knowl-
edge also became evident as Douglas shifted flu-
ently between Mozart, Brazilian riffs, and Latin
grooves on the piano. A look at his influences fur-
ther demonstrates his catholic tastes: J.S. Bach,
Elvis, Josquin, Keith Jarrett, Anton Webern, and
Ali Akbar Khan, to name a few.
Bill Douglas:
Sonata for Oboe and Piano (2004)
Songs & Dances for Oboe and Strings (2003)
TrevCo Music: PO Box 4; Tallevast, FL 34270.
Telephone: 941-907-6944;
Website: www.trevcomusic.com
Irish Spirit for Marimba and English Horn
(2003)
Woodwind Quintet (c. 1980)
Desert Star, Karuna, Return to Inishmore
(various dates)
Vocal Rhythm Etudes (1997)
Available through Bill Douglas:
REVIEWS
1527 North Street, Boulder, CO 80304.
Telephone: (303) 447-0110.
Website: www.billdouglas.cc;
E-mail: billdouglas@comcast.net
Bill Douglas was born in 1944 to a musical fam-
ily and grew up in a town near Toronto where he
studied and performed rock, jazz, and classical
music. His education includes degrees in piano,
music education, bassoon, and composition from
the Royal Conservatory of Toronto, University
 150 REVIEWS
of Toronto, and Yale School of Music. While
at Yale, he met clarinetist Richard Stoltzman,
who became a long-time friend and musical col-
laborator. From 1970 to 1977, Douglas taught
at California Institute of the Arts where he be-
came interested in African and Indian music and
started writing short rhythmic studies influenced
by popular and world musics. In 1977, he moved
to Boulder, Colorado to teach at the Naropa In-
stitute, a progressive school inspired by Buddhist
principles. He continues to teach at Naropa, tour
with his own groups, produce recordings, and
compose. In 2004, Douglas was commissioned
by a consortium of twenty-nine bassoonists to
write Partita, a bassoon and piano sonata. (See
Commissioning New Works: A Look at a New
Bassoon Sonata by Bill Douglas by Lori Wood-
en in The Double Reed, Volume 28, Number 1.)
This year, fi fty bassoonists and clarinetists com-
missioned him to write a trio for their instru-
ments with piano, and it will be performed at the
upcoming IDRS conference.
Sonata was written for Allan Vogel, who per-
formed the premiere of the piece with Bill Doug-
las on piano. (It was their performance that in-
spired the commissioning of the bassoon sonata
described above.) Like most of Douglass oboe
writing, this piece is full of soaring lyrical melo-
dies that are very well written for the oboe and
make the instrument sound great. The piece fol-
lows classical sonata form with three movements
in a fast/slow/fast order. The fi rst movement is
based on chord progressions from the jazz stan-
dard, Autumn Leaves, and the last movement
is loosely based on How Deep is the Ocean
and includes some West African rhythms. Doug-
las states, These movements follow the standard
bebop jazz form: a somewhat complex theme
played in unison, followed by an improvisation
on the chord progressionand then a return to
the theme with variations. In this case, however,
REVIEWS
the improvisation sections are completely writ-
ten out. Although the fi rst and third move-
ments have been influenced by jazz, do not try
to swing them. Sing expressively, as though you
were playing Mozart or Bach. The second move-
ment is expansive and tonal.
Most oboists will fi nd this an extremely re-
warding piece to perform. When asked about the
sonata, Allan Vogel responded with a cascade of
enthusiastic comments including, theres a sense
of wholeness, of groundednessan enlightened
feeling to the workfull of good humorchild-
like. Some performers may initially encounter
rhythmic challenges, but the piece is so clearly no-
tated and the rhythms are so lilting and natural,
that most oboists should be able to master them.
With its lyricism and snappy rhythms, Douglass
Sonata will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
Songs and Dances can be performed as an
oboe concerto or in a chamber version for oboe
and string quartet. It consists of five movements,
three lively dances, interspersed with two slower
songs. Movement titles are Bebop Jig, Folk
Song, Afro-Cuban Baroque, Lament, and
Celtic Waltz. The fi rst movement, Bebop Jig,
is based on the jazz standard, Stella by Starlight
which alternates with a Baroque style progres-
sion. The dance movements have powerful rhyth-
mic vitality and gorgeous string writing, and
the modal song movements are euphonious and
expressive.
Like Douglass Sonata, the oboe writing is
idiomatic and not too complex. The piece is espe-
cially gratifying to play because it makes the in-
strument sound beautiful, and audiences respond
enthusiastically. A practice CD is included in the
TrevCo edition, and this will help those perform-
ers who fi nd Douglass rhythms challenging.
Irish Spirit was commissioned by percussion-
ist Mika Yoshida who performed the premiere
with Tom Stacy, English horn. It consists of two
movements, Ballad, and Celebration Dance.
The dulcet ballad and lively syncopated dance
are both original compositions written in an Irish
style.
Woodwind Quintet was written in Douglass
earlier atonal style, following a serious study of
the works of Webern and Elliott Carter. It was
written for the York Winds with assistance from
a grant from the Ontario Arts Council, and it
consists of three movements in a fast/slow/fast
progression. It is interesting to compare this piece
with those he wrote decades later because, with
the exception of the atonal harmonic language,
there is remarkable consistency. His indications
include Playful and Joyous, and Graceful and
Poignant, phrases that could be applied to many
of the pieces above. Rhythms in the fi rst and last
movement have similar energy and drive. I fi nd
the fi rst movement rather light-hearted and comi-
cal. The middle movement includes compelling
modal melodies; and the fi nal movement provides
a showy virtuosic ending with great rhythmic
 THE DOUBLE REED 151

vigor. these etudes. His website includes a sample: click

Woodwind Quintet may be somewhat com-
plex and challenging to perform, but is well with-
in reach of any professional or advanced student.
A sophisticated audience will immediately appre-
ciate it, and it would be an excellent piece for any
quintet that would like to stretch their listeners
ears a little.
Desert Star, Karuna, and Return to In- trediscs Tzadik, New World, OODisc, Braxton
ishmore are among the many songs that Doug-
las has written and included on his CDs. They
are available in a form similar to a lead sheet: a
written out melody with chords notated above,
and they can be played by oboists with piano or
guitar accompaniment. Excerpts can be heard
on Douglass website. Desert Star is from the
CD, Homeland, a Prayer for Peace. Return to
Inishmore is from Deep Peace, and Karuna is
from Jewel Lake. For those whose accompanists
might prefer written notation, other Bill Doug-
las songs are included in The Richard Stoltzman
Songbook, available by Carl Fischer. Although
the solo part is transposed for clarinet, an obo-
ist can read the C part from the score. A group
of these mellifluous songs could be performed as
a suite, or individually, they would make good
encore pieces.
Vocal Rhythm Etudes derive from the Rock
Etudes mentioned at the beginning of this col-
umn. When Bill Douglas taught at CalArts, he
on Vocal Rhythm Etude Medley to hear a very
funky rendition, complete with tabla, percussion,
and bass.
Libby Van Cleve is an oboist specializing in new
music. Her contemporary music performances are
featured on the New Albion, CRI, Aerial, Cen-
House, What Next?, and Artifacts labels. Nu-
merous compositions have been written for her
and have been commissioned by organizations
such as the National Endowment for the Arts,
Connecticut Commission for the Arts, Canada
Council, and Minnesota Composers Forum. She
is the author of Oboe Unbound: Contemporary
Techniques (Scarecrow Press,) and the co-author
of Composers Voices from Ives to Ellington
(Yale University Press.) Ms. Van Cleve received
her DMA from Yale School of Music, her MFA
from California Institute of the Arts, and her BA,
Magna cum Laude, from Bowdoin College.
If you would like to submit a piece to be
considered for inclusion in this column, please
send it to Dan Stolper; Oboe Editor, The Dou-
ble Reed; 7 Hermosillo Lane; Palm Desert, CA
92260-1605.
CONTINUED
ON NEXT PAGE

wrote a series of rhythm studies that were influ-

enced by African, Indian, and Brazillian music,
as well as contemporary classical music, jazz,
and funk. The original set of twenty Rock Etudes
included eight instrumental pieces and twelve
vocal pieces. The vocal pieces became the Vo-
cal Rhythm Etudes. (For those whose interest is
piqued, Douglas has also written Latin Etudes,
Bebop Etudes, Swing Etudes, and Blues Etudes,
but only the Bebop Etudes are presently available.
Contact Douglas for more information.) Anyone
REVIEWS

interested in sharpening their rhythmic skills or

simply engaging in a high-spirited and ebullient
exercise would benefit from these etudes. They
consist of vocal syllables based on western drum
sounds that articulate rather complex rhythms,
syncopations, accents, and grooves. Some in-
clude changing meters; some include subdivisions
in triplets, sixteenths, and quintuplets. Ever the
practical musician, Douglas includes a practice
CD with slow and fast versions of each etude.
Douglass most recent CD, Sky, includes three of
 152 REVIEWS
Bassoon
RECORDING
REVIEWS
REVIEWS BY RONALD KLIMKO
McCall, Idaho
Musica Franca:
The Music of Michel Corrette (1707-1795)
Nadina Mackie Jackson, solo bassoon; Ma-
thieu Lussier, Kathleen McLean, bassoons;
Fraser Jackson, contrabassoon; Terry McKenna,
baroque guitar; Paul Jenkins, harpsichord and
organ.
MSR Classics (www.musicafranca.com Available
online at Magnatune www.magnatune.com)
Holy Mackeral! Every time bassoonist Nadina
Mackie Jackson comes out with a new CD I have
to revise the standards by which I evaluate bas-
soon recordings - always to a higher standard in
her case! This is one of the most delightful record-
ings I have ever heard. It contains the classic Le
Phnix bassoon quartet and the six sonatas for
two bassoons and harpsichord: Les Dlices de la
Solitude, Op 20, by Michel Corette (1707-1796)
as well as an exciting Concerto No. 1 in G Ma-
jor, Op. 28 for Organ, also by Corrette, this lat-
ter work in an especially delightful arrangement
for organ, bassoons, contrabassoon and baroque
guitar by Fraser Jackson.
These are, to be sure, traditional Baroque
pieces. These performances are anything but
ordinary, however. First of all, you have the
delightful interpretation, phrasing and ornamen-
tation by consummate artist, Nadina Mackie
Jackson playing the solo bassoon parts through-
out. What a delight it is to hear how she can make
REVIEWS
the music dance for your ears! Most impressive
is her expressive use of vibrato (and non-vibrato)
in the slow movements - truly exquisite. Secondly,
you have an accompanying cast of bassoon artists
adding their excellent assistance as well in abso-
lutely perfect ensemble playing, with kudos also
to Paul Jenkins for his crystalline harpsichord ac-
companiments. Finally, you have lots of surpris-
es throughout the recording, such as contrabas-
soonist Fraser Jackson often playing the second
bassoon parts in the Dlices two bassoon sonatas
in style and technique that can only be described
as awesome (to borrow a word from the pres-
ent generation). Sometimes the contra plays all
three movements of the six sonatas, sometimes
Mathieu Lussier plays the second bassoon part
on some of the slow movements, and occasionally
both Mathieu and Fraser play the second part,
with contra as a kind of continuo voice. And
to hear Fraser trucking along so powerfully on
the contra with these second-but-equal parts is
worth buying this disc for all by itself! The Fuga
third movement of the third sonata, for instance,
is guaranteed to knock your socks off tech-
nique-wise! This wonderful music is performed
with just the right amount of elegance through-
out - it is an absolute thrill to hear.
Everything is so beautifully handled in this
record, from the musical interpretation, balance,
recording technique, sound presence, etc., etc.
And what a nice touch it is to both open and close
the CD with the bassoon ensemble pieces and
have the lovely six sonatas sandwiched between
them. Exquisite programming as well!
Once again Nadina and company have raised
the bar to a new height of artistry toward which
we mortal bassoonists must ever strive. I sim-
ply cant say enough positive about this CD. You
must all get it and enjoy it as much as I have.
(Nadina, Im still jealous of your marvelous
bassooning!)
Rating: 5 Crows!!!
Musica Franca: Sonatas for Two Bassoons and
Continuo by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier:
Mathieu Lussier, solo bassoon; Nadina Mackie
Jackson, bassoon; Fraser Jackson, contrabas-
soon; Sylvain Bergeron, theorbo; Richard Par,
harpsichord and organ.
MSR Classics (website previously given)
MS 1170.
This lovely CD could almost serve as a com-
panion recording to the one above. It contains
mostly the same personnel, but with a different
starring role and a different composer, Joseph
Bodin de Boismortier (1689-1755) featured as
well. Now the principal bassoon parts are ably
taken by Mathieu Lussier with Nadina Mackie
 THE DOUBLE REED
Jackson and contrabassoonist Fraser Jackson
performing backup roles.
The recording contains many of Boismortiers
numerous and most well-known bassoon sonata
collections - two from Op. 14, three from Op. 26,
two from Op. 40 (plus a lovely Rondeau in A mi-
nor), two from Op. 50, and fi nally a sparkling
Chaconne in A minor, Op. 66, which brings the
CD to a solid conclusion. As with the other al-
bum, the second bassoon and contra often alter-
nate playing the second continuo part, with both
playing it together from time to time. Also, ac-
companist Richard Par can be heard alternating
between harpsichord and organ throughout.
While this is an excellent recording, I have to
admit, however, that I prefer the Corrette record-
ing to this one for a number of small, but impor-
tant reasons, at least to me. First of all, Boismort-
ier is, to my ears, not as exciting or innovative
a composer as Corrette. Boismortier seems more
fi rmly entrenched (stuck?) in the standard Ba-
roque style and practice, so that a whole CD of
his music lacks for variety, mostly - no matter
how well played.
Secondly, again a personal preference, I sim-
ply like the playing of Nadina better than that
of Mathieu. This is splitting hairs, of course,
because both are such fantastic players. But it is
the little things that make the difference. I love
Nadinas use and non-use of vibrato, as opposed
to Mathieus almost total non-use, substituting
an expansive use of dynamics for vibrato. Also
when Mathieu plays staccato articulation pas-
sages - marvelously, I might add - I hear too much
tongue in them, while Nadinas fast passage work
is always impeccable. This is not to take away
anything from the interpretive skill of either per-
former. They are both fabulous artists!
I encourage you to get BOTH CDs and do
your own comparison test. It is, to be sure, a good
lesson in comparing high level interpretive skills
by two wonderful modern bassoonists. Then you
can decide for yourself! It goes without saying
that the technical qualities of the recording, as
with the Corrette are excellent - sound presence,
balance, etc. So get both albums and enjoy!
Rating: 4 Crows
153
Caliban Does Christmas:
Caliban Quartet of Bassoonists (Nadina Mackie
Jackson, Mathieu Lussier, Kathleen McLean,
Fraser Jackson, bassoons); Mary Lou Fallis,
Valdy, Heather Bambrick, Bonnie Brett, and
Alan Glasser, singers; Guido Basso, trumpet and
flugelhorn; Alan Trudel, trombone; Guy Few,
trumpet; Michael Francis, guitars; Scott Alexan-
der, bass; Brian Barlow, drums and percussion;
Mark Duggan, mallets and percussion.
ATMA Classique ACD2 2334
(www.atmaclassique.com)
OK, OK. What is a review of a Christmas album
doing in a Spring issue of The Double Reed??
Good question. Well, to my understanding, this
CD was released in Canada before Christmas 05,
but has not been released elsewhere yet. So this is
actually AHEAD of time, rather than late. At any
rate it is a great recording, and you will want to
get it as soon as you can - Christmas or not!
With the clever arrangement of bassoon/con-
tra artist Fraser Jackson and a few other local
Toronto arrangers and musicians, combined with
the incredible technical and musical abilities of
the Caliban Quartet, this CD is a cant miss for
both bassoon and general music-lovers alike. The
recording contains all the Christmas standards,
but with the usual Caliban flair: jazz licks, hu-
morous quotes, and of course groovy contra
work by Fraser, himself. Four notable guests in-
clude vocalists Mary Lou Fallis, Valdy, Heather
Bambrick, Bonnie Brett, and Alan Gasser, who
provide wonderful rendition of many, many of
the traditional Christmas carols: I Saw Three
Ships, to name just one of many.
There are some particularly humorous instru-
mentals by the group alone, the most notable of
which is the Nutcracker Digest of excerpts from
Tchaikovskys ballet from a bassoonists perspec-
tive. (We fi nally get to play the fun flute, violin,
REVIEWS
licks!, etc.) Moreover, Mary Lou Fallis rendi-
tion of the venerable humorist Tom Lehrers A
Christmas Carol is a wonderful spoof on the
follies and foibles of the traditional Christmas
hassles. There are at least three sleighrides: (
Leroy Andersons-which opens the recording,
Siberian Sleighride by Raymond Scott/Fraser
Jackson, and of course the Troika from the Lieu-
tenant Kije Suite by Prokofieff - a stunningly
flashy and technical masterpiece by the Quartet,
which brings the album to a close). Others, like
 154
Heather Bambricks rendition of What Are You
Doing New Years Eve? are pure jazz with nice
flugelhorn improvs added by Guido Basso, as well
as Valdys Secret Santa, with trombone additions
from Alain Trudel. Not only are the Twelve Days
of Christmas included, (with authentic animal-
and-other sounds provided by the Quartet and
a battery of percussionists), but they are fol-
lowed immediately by the Twelve Days AFTER
Christmas, another rendition by Mary Lou Fallis
not to be missed.
It is not all humorous insanity, however.
There are many tender and lovely moments as
well. Marie-Noel with the combination of the
quartet, and a cadre of brass players is a beautiful
arrangement by bassoonist/composer/arranger
Mathieu Lussier, another talented member of the
Caliban. This is a beautiful example of the sheer
beauty and loveliness one can fi nd in this album.
I could go on and on, but I dont have to. This
CD sells itself. I LOVE the Caliban Quartet! They
have taken over where the old Bubonic Bassoon
Quartet left off and have carried the fun and pure
joy of bassoon quartet music making to an even
higher level. And they have done this not only
with incredibly clever arrangements but with an
incredibly high performance level. God bless you
guys n gals! You make me proud to be a member
of such a community of great artists and certified
kooks that comprise our bassoon world. To
my mind you are our ambassadors of our special
crazy (but always musical) insanity.
If you dont get this album then you are not a
serious bassoonist! You havent discovered yet
the dual personality of us orchestral clowns. So
get it and let this CD serve as a primer to the
world of the Compleat Bassooniste. Nuf said.
Bravos, Caliban!! And thanks.
Rating: 5 Crows!
REVIEWS
Beck and Call:
Carolyn Beck, bassoon; Delores Stevens, piano;
Kira Blumberg, viola.
Crystal Records (28818 NE Hancock Road,
Camas, WA 98607; Tel: 360-834-7022;
Fax: 360-834-9680;
Email: info@crystalrecords.com
Website: www.crystalrecords.com) CD 846
REVIEWS
I fi rst heard bassoonist Carolyn Beck perform
as a young, fiery student of the late great IDRS
Honorary Member Don Christlieb at the 1978
IDRS Conference in Los Angeles, (sadly still the
only Conference we have ever had in California!).
She performed beautifully the two crazy, modern
songs for soprano and bassoon by Alan Strange:
The penny candy store behind the el and Dont
let that horse eat that violin based on poems by
Beat Generation poet Laurence Ferlinghetti. Al-
ready at that tender age she was a champion of
contemporary music, and with this CD she so-
lidifies her role in this important capacity. This
album is loaded with new music for bassoon and
piano (Alex Shapiro: Of Breath and Touch; An-
dr Previn: Sonata; Moshe Zorman: A Grizzlys
Dream; Marcel Bitsch: Concertino); bassoon and
viola (Michal Spisak: Duet Concertino); contra-
bassoon and pre-recorded track (Alex Shapiro:
Deep); and fi nally the signature piece of the CD:
Don Chamberlains Beck and Call for bassoon
and pre-recorded track - loaded indeed!
Not all these works are unknown or brand
new. The Duetto Concertante for viola and bas-
soon by Polish/French composer Michal Spisak
(1914-1965) is a nice four movement neo-classical
piece written in 1949. Similarly, Marcel Bitschs
well-known Concertino for bassoon and piano
was written as the morceau du concours for the
1948 bassoon class at the Paris Conservatoire.
With the exception of the new Previn Sonata
(composed for Pittsburgh bassoonist Nancy Go-
eres), the remaining four works on the CD are
modern ones closely associated with Carolyn,
herself. The Moshe Zorman (b. 1952) work
A Grizzlys Dream for bassoon and piano is a
three-movement sonata written in the 12 tone se-
rial tradition and premiered by Carolyn in 1984.
Similarly, the Don Chamberlain (b. 1952) com-
position for bassoon and pre-recorded track Beck
and Call (from which the album draws its name)
was written for Carolyn and premiered by her in
1993. The other two pieces are by Alex Shapiro
(b.1962), both to commissions by Carolyn: Of
Breath and Touch (1999) and Deep for (appro-
priately!) contrabassoon.
Throughout the recording Carolyn does a
beautiful job of selling these pieces to the lis-
tener with both her enthusiastic and impressive
technicality and her expressive lyricism and tonal
quality. As one example of her salesmanship,
she got me to really enjoy the Previn Sonata a
 THE DOUBLE REED
lot more than I had on other occasions when I
had heard it played live. I always considered it
a bit trite, but in her capable hands it had just
the right balance between showboating and
the warmth and lyricism that the composer
probably intended. Another example is the lovely
lyricism she displays in the opening of the Bitsch
Concertino, which is fortunate in that modern
music does not often give the performer much op-
portunity to wax lyrical. And as a fi nal exam-
ple, I loved the dark, deep, almost gothic lyricism
of the contrabassoon/pre-recorded track work
Deep, providing us with a truly unique and origi-
nal composition for contrabassoon.
In summary then, the music provides Carolyn
with excellent opportunity to display the broad
kaleidoscopic qualities of the music of the late
20th and early 21st centuries - everything from
traditional 12 tone music, to jazz influenced,
to neo-romantic and neo-impressionistic, to pre-
recorded track music as well. Throughout the CD
the balance between soloist and accompanist is
excellent and the recording technique is mostly
concert hall quality, with only a couple selec-
tions sounding too much like they were done in
a recording studio. Combine the excellence of
playing and good recording technique with well-
written program notes, and I am very happy to
give this fi ne CD a strong recommendation to you
with a high rating.
Rating: 3 Crows
Bravura Bassoon:
Benjamin Coelho, bassoon; Maia String Quartet
(Amy Appold, violin; Margaret Soper Gutierrez,
violin; Elizabeth Oakes, viola, Hannah Holman,
cello); Christine Rutledge, viola; Volkan Orhon,
bass; Anthony Arone, conductor.
Crystal Records (Address given earlier) CD 844
Bravo, Ben Coelho, for giving the bassoon pub-
lic this beautiful recording of works for bassoon
and strings ranging from the early Romantic to
the Contemporary era. Joining forces with the
Maia String Quartet, the in-residence quartet at
Bens school, the University of Iowa, the group
gives us excellent readings of quartets and quin-
tets by Johann Brandl (1760-1837), Gordon Ja-
155
cob (1895-1984), Bernard Heiden (1910-2000),
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), and Gerardo
Diri (b. 1958).
The Quintet in B f, Op. 52, No.1 by Brandl is
the convincing opening work on the album. It is
a typical late-Classical-to-early-Romantic sym-
phony for chamber ensemble in the standard
four movement format, but with the untypical
instrumentation of one violin, two violas, and
cello in the strings. Generally the only surprise in
the work, however, is the last movement, which
is not the usual rush to the fi nish, but a stately
moderato which builds its musical interest with a
variety of dynamic contrasts and with frequent,
rapid key changes.
The brief-but-interesting Suite for Bassoon
and String Quartet, by British composer Gor-
don Jacob which follows is a nice contrast to the
Brandl, beginning with its somber Prelude, fol-
lowed by its playful Caprice, mournful Elegy, and
sprightly Rondo fi nale. Also, while still being es-
sentially tonal, the contrast is not so striking as to
be shattering in any way.
One of my favorite bassoon/string chamber
works follows next: the Serenade for bassoon
and string trio by Bernard Heiden. Often consid-
ered a disciple of Paul Hindemith, I have found
Heidens music to have a warmer, more gentle
quality than one normally fi nds in the music of
Hindemith, despite the stylistic similarities. This
is particularly true in this lovely, five movement,
22+ minute extensive work by a composer who,
I feel, deserves to be performed more often than
he is nowadays.
The last two compositions on the CD are
even less well known than the Heiden. The fi rst
is Villa-Lobos brief Corrupio, Bailado for bas-
soon and string quintet, a full 2 minutes and 18
second bit of Baroque-ish super-activity, with
bassoon essentially playing a basso continuo role
to the hyperactive upper string lines. The second
REVIEWS
and fi nal work is by Argentinian composer Ge-
rardo Diri: Anjo Breve (Small Angel), which is a
three movement composition almost 18 minutes
in length, which was composed and premiered for
and by Ben Coelho. The piece consists of three
sections, beginning with a short, somber Preamb-
ulo, followed by a lively and highly rhythmic sec-
tion entitled The Cane Whistled in the Air, which
rises to a dramatic climax before evolving into a
middle section where the bassoon flows lyrically
over a still rhythmically active string accompa-
 156 REVIEWS
niment. After a few outbursts, the roles reverse
and the strings flow lyrically over brief rhythmic
outbursts in the bassoon. This leads to a quiet
ending of the second section. Section three, en-
titled As Time Passes, evolves slowly and quietly
throughout, evoking the words of the Brazilian
poet Carlos Drummond the Andrade, whose po-
etry inspired the creation of this work: I am an
angel and parade through time/without urgency
of flying. It is in this mood of quiet contempla-
tion that the work (and this lovely album) comes
to an end.
For those bassoonists looking for interesting
bassoon/string pieces to perform, you will want
to get this excellent CD. For the rest of the bas-
soon (and general musical) public you will want
to get this recording for its beautiful bassoon
playing, excellently recorded and mastered as
well. Ben has such a gorgeous sound, such im-
peccable technique, and such sensitive musicality,
that it is a real pleasure to recommend this album
very strongly to all of you!
Rating: 3 Crows
Bellissima: Italian Tunes for the Big Bassoon:
Susan Nigro, Contrabassoon; Mark Lindeblad,
Piano.
Crystal Records (Address previously given)
CD845.
In her latest recording, contrabassoon specialist
Susan Nigro takes on the music by Italian compos-
ers from Baroque to Romantic to Modern. These
include music by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741),
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), Girolamo Besozzi
(1704-1778), Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868),
Otmar Nussio (1902-1990) and Teresa Procaccini
REVIEWS
(1934-), the later being the only one alive today as
well as the least familiar of these famous Italians.
Accompanied by pianist Mark Lindeblad, Su-
san has a lot of fun playing the various roles that
Italian music often demands. The prima donna
diva in Rossinis Cavatina from his opera La
Gazza Ladra is a particularly good example. But
there is also the grief enveloped baritone voice
role she plays in Albinonis funereal Adagio in g
minor (a beautiful performance that I found to be
particularly touching); the Baroque virtuoso artist
she portrays in the Sonata in Bf Major by Besozzi
and Vivaldis Sonata No.3 in a minor; and the Ro-
mantic tenor required in Rossinis Allegro (edited
by William Waterhouse in a Universal Edition).
While most of the literature on this CD was
originally written for (or played most often by)
the bassoon, some of the works are contrabassoon
originals. These include a lovely 4+ minute contra/
piano piece by Roman-based modern composer Te-
resa Procaccini entitled Moments, op. 153. This is
a somber, expressive new work for the contra that,
while modern, still retains the beauty of bel canto
writing for which the Italians are so famous. More-
over, Susan also plays Otmar Nussios Divertimen-
to for contrabassoon and piano, a 9+ minute, five
movement composition originally composed for
contra and first performed by Fernando Ghilardot-
ti of the Italian-Swiss Radio Orchesta (according
to the excellent program notes). This latter work
is a fun piece of witty, humorous, often tongue-in-
cheek music in Neo-Classical style which is a de-
light to hear.
The final work on this fine CD is a George
Zuckerman arrangement of Rossinis Introduc-
tion, Theme and Variations from his Wind Quar-
tet #6, a piece Rossini wrote late in his life. And
while this is again a work originally transcribed
for bassoon and piano, Susan makes it work very
well for the contra. And in the process she is able
to show off both technically and musically in the
delightful variations.
Throughout the recording Susans playing is
superb. With her excellent musicianship and style
she often makes you forget that you are listening to
a lowly contrabassoon (pun intended), and you
find yourself concentrating instead on the beauty
of her tone, her flawless technique, or the lovely ex-
pressiveness of her phrasing. In short, she presents
the contrabassoon as a musical instrument and not
as a freak show, and for this she has my deepest
admiration and respect. Mark Lindeblads piano
accompaniments match Susans style and presen-
tation perfectly as well. The recording technique,
too, is excellent in terms of balance and presence
between the two instruments. This is a wonderful
recording showcase for the contrabassoon, and I
recommend it strongly to you.
Rating: 3 Crows
 THE DOUBLE REED 157

Something Old, Something New, Something
Borrowed, Something Blue.
Lyrique Quintette (Ronda Mains, flute; Theresa
Delaplain, oboe; Robert Umiker, clarinet; Timo-
thy Thompson, horn; Richard Ramey, bassoon)
Nuance 1524.
This is a CD by the Lyrique Quintette of the Uni-
versity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in which they
play four works, each of which fits perfectly one
of the described somethings of the title of the
recording. The old music is the Ernest Lubin
arrangement of Variations on a Folksong by Jan
Pieters Sweelinck (1562-1621); the new, the
Sextet for Piano and Woodwinds by Bohuslav
Martinu (1890-1959), where the group is joined
by pianist Mary Scott Goode and the bassoon-
ist Lia Uribe replaces the traditional horn in
the woodwinds. The borrowed work is Mark
Popkins fi ne arrangement of Antonin Dvoraks
String Quartet, op. 51 for wind quintet; and the
blue is the well-known Sextuor for piano and
winds by Francis Poulenc (1899-1963).
As a former wind quintet performer, myself,
these works, with the exception of the Dvorak/
Popkin, were very familiar to me. It would seem
that it is less the task of this fi ne recording to in-
troduce new music to the listener, but rather to
provide him or her with exceptional interpre-
tations of these more-or-less familiar composi-
tions. The recording of the Martinu is one such
example. The ensemble playing is very clear and
tight and the balance between the dry wood-
winds and the fullness of the piano is perfectly
recorded. This is a wonderful work which should
be performed more often than it usually is.
By contrast to the Martinu, the Poulenc Sex-
tuor is probably the most often performed of the
fours works on this CD. Here the interpretation is
very straightforward, and the performance pretty
solid throughout.
movement, the folkish second movement Dum-
ka, the unabashed romanticism of the the third
movement Romanze, to the spirited, festive at-
mosphere of the last movement, this major 28+
minute work could be a nice highlight for your
next Quintet recital. It behooves you wind quin-
tetters out there to acquaint yourselves with this
very fi ne transcription.
The performance of the quintet is generally
strong and fi nely wrought throughout, display-
ing excellent ensemble playing as well as good
individual musicianship. My personal prejudice
shows through, however, in that I found the dou-
ble reed playing, of oboist Theresa Delaplain and
bassoonist Richard Ramey to be the most solidly
musical members of the group. The recording
technique is also mostly well done, displaying
a nice concert-hall like sonority throughout.
My only criticism of the CD is that the program
notes consist only of biographical sketches of the
performing artists and nothing on the music - a
minor point at best. I am happy to strongly rec-
ommend this recording to all, but most especially
to you quintet buffs, so that you can become
acquainted with the Dvorak/Popkin.
Rating: 2 Crows
REVIEWS

The one new and novel work on this CD,

however, is the Popkin transcription of the Op.
51 String Quartet for wind quintet. It has been
very cleverly scored by Mark and literally fits
the quintet genre like a glove. And of course,
since Romantic music for wind quintet is gener-
ally such a rarity, it certainly fi lls a gap nicely in
the traditional quintet repertoire. In four move-
ments, this lovely work contains all the folk-song
Slavic touches so often found in Dvoraks music.
From the warm pastoral sonorities of the fi rst
158
Contributing Members
The Society thanks those who have given additional financial support by becoming
contributors. Their additional support is vital to the accomplishment of our goals.
BENEFACTOR
Carlos E. Coelho Woodwinds
Carla DeForest
Richard E. Killmer
Buffet Crampon - Francois Kloc
McFarland Double Reed Shop
Richard Meek
Alexander L. Miller
Frank A. Morelli, Jr.
Musik Josef - Yukio Nakamura
Lowry Riggins
Christopher Weait
PATRON
American Bassoon Company, Inc.
Lewis Hugh Cooper
Michael A. Ellert
K.A. Fenner
Forrests Music- John Goebel
Fox Products Corporation
Kathy Henkel
Norma R. Hooks
T. W. Howarth & Co.
Charles B. King III
Alain De Gourdon-Lore
Yoshiyuki Nakanishi
Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds, Inc.
Michio Sugihara
Pipers Magazine Tokyo
James M. Poe
Seth M. Powsner
Lawrence M. Probes, M.D.
James C. Prodan
Nancy Huang -
President RDG Woodwinds, Inc.
Philippe Rigoutat & Fils
Harry G. Searing
Sharons Oboe Shoppe
John J. Wisniewski
William E. Wright, M.D.
DONOR
Accurate Manufactured Prod. -
Mark S. Franko
Alex Goldberg -
Accurate Double Reeds
Alexander & Helen Ackley
Ann M. Adams
Lisa M. Alexander
Pierre Cotelle Arpeges Diffusion
CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS
Mark Eubanks -
Arundo Research Company
William P. Baker
Sue Schrier Bancroft
Robert Barris
Jeanne Marie Belfy
Charles Bell
David J. Bell
Owen Berendes
James T. Berkenstock
B. Thomas Blodgett
Edward T. Bowe, M.D.
Dr. Howard J. Buss -
Brixton Publications
Paul Buttemer Reed Products
Ferald Buell Capps
Gene C. Carter
Cascade Oboe Reeds
Nancy Jamieson Cash
Charles Double Reed Company
Peter Christ
Anthony Christlieb -
Christlieb Products
Mark Chudnow Woodwinds
Dale Clark
Paul Covey Oboes
John Craig
Trevor Cramer - TrevCo Music
Tong Cui - Innoledy
Custom Music Company Marrich
Michael Davenport
The Davie Cane Company -
Philip Shapiro
Jerryl Davis
William J. Dawson, M.D.
Heiko Dechert
John J. Dee
Michael H. Dicker
Raymond H. Dust
B & D Publications -
David E. Dutton
Jan Eberle
Theodore J. Eckberg, M.D.
Herbert W. Fawcett, D.D.S.
Michael W. Fay
Marc D. Fink
Wayne B. Gaver
Gem WW Products - Gary Moody
Robert G. Gemmell
Julie Ann Giacobassi
Anne Gilby
Lauren Green Gombolay
Meg Cassell -
Good Tone Guild Double Reed
Wilhelm Heckel GmbH
Thomas C. Heinze
Udo Heng - Reeds n Stuff
Martha Pineno Hess
Leonard W. Hindell
Thomas M. Hiniker
Sally Jo Hinkle-Teegarden
North Texas Oboe Reeds and Cane
Ann Hodge - Hodge Products, Inc.
Carolyn M. Hove
Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, DMA
Fraser and Nadina Jackson
Japan Double Reed Inc.
Jeann Inc.
Ke-xun Ge
Peter Klatt
Jay C. Klemme
Harold W. Kohn
Markianos Koutroulis
Edwin V. Lacy
Kim Laskowski
Stephane Levesque
Susan M. Lundberg
Donald V. Mac Court
Stephen Margolis, M.D.
Bruce McCall
Prof. James R. McKay
Roger O. Miller
Anne W. Miller
John W. Miller, Jr.
James A. Moore, III
Bernd Moosmann, Ltd.
James H. Moseley
James W. Mullins, Jr.
Precision Music Products Ltd.
Paul Nordby
Georg Noren
Margaret Noble - Oboe Works
Eric P. Ohlsson
Mark S. Ostoich
David M. Panicek, M.D.
Fratelli Patricola
Jenifer H. Patterson
Janet Polk
J. Pchner Spezial -
Holzblasinstrumentbau
Gregory Quick

Jean L. Smith, -
Pres. QUODLIBET INC.
Robert P. Raker, M.D.
Carl Rath
John Richardson
RKM Double Reeds
Roger Roe
Dan Ross
Bruce M. Salad
Leo H. Settler, Jr.
Richard D. Simon
Scott W. Snyder, M.D.
Robert and Bailey Sorton
Michael T. Spevak, Ph.D.
Gordon Stenger
Virginia K. Stitt
Daniel J. Stolper
Hitomi Sugawara
Rykle van der Heide
Charles O. Veazey
Allan Vogel
Gail Warnaar Double Reeds
Lyndon Watts
David Weber - Weber Reeds
Karl-Friedrich Wentzel
Alan J. Werner, Jr.
Westwind Precision Machining
Richard O. White
William Wielgus
Jan Henrik Eyvind Wiese
Guntram Wolf
Womble/Williams Double Reeds
Richard C. Woodhams
William S. Woodward
Yamaha Corporation of America
Ye Yu
David Zar
Wilma Zonn
SUSTAINING
Susan Aaron
Rodney F. Ackmann
Ann Caldwell Adair
James E. Addison
Meyrick Alexander
Robert F. Allen
Barbara J. Anderson
Richard Aronson
Arundo Reeds and Cane
Keith C. Atkinson
Ernest Baker
Alexander Bakker
Frdric Baron
Paul H. Barrett
Lindsey M. Bartlett
John H. Baxley
THE DOUBLE REED 159
Scott J. Bell Michael A. DiPietro, M.D.
Michael A. Benoit Jonathan Dlouhy
John E. Bentley Elaine Douvas
Lantz and Karen Berets Barbara Jackson Duke
Michel Bettez Dan J. Duncan
Donald Beyer Daryl W. Durran
E. Edwin Bloedow Harold Stephen Emert
Donna Bogan Pamela S. Epple
Mindy Braithwaite Manuel Prez Estells
James and Kimberly Brody Frances Estes
Dr. Andrew F. D. Brown Terry B. Ewell
Wesley A. Brown Nancy Greene Farnetani
Gonzalo Brusco Julie A. Feves
William F. Buchman Lewis T. Fitch
Dr. Truman C. Bullard MaryAnne & Harvey Fleet
Marsha C. Burkett Solomon M. Foster
Michael J. Burns Elizabeth Foushee
James Butterfield Dr. Nancy Fowler
Donald W. Byo Anita Fox
Michael K. Byrne James M. Franklin
Sandro Caldini Jens Frederiksen
Janet F. Carpenter Jonathan Friedman
Brenda L. Casciani Masahiko Furukawa, MD
Ren Castro Adrienne C. Gallagher
John Tim Chance Trina Baker Gallup
Dr. Joseph C. Ciechalski Lawrence A. Gardner
Nancy Clauter Bernard Garfield
Timothy Clinch Dr. Edward L. Gaudet, D.D.S.
Fredric T. Cohen Geralyn A. Giovannetti
Stephen Colburn Alain Girard
Jack Cole Irving W. Glazer
Roger Cole Nancy E. Goeres
Cedric Coleman Harold M. Goldner
Julia C. Combs Doris and Albert Goltzer
Donna Conaty-Cooley Kazuhiro Goto
David P. Coombs Gene Marie Green
Silvia Fanny Coricelli Ann E. Greenawalt
John H. Corina Julie A. Gregorian
Timothy H. Cronin Peter Grenier
Jerry A. Dagg H. Gene Griswold
Cecil F. Dam Hafsteinn Gudmundsson
Kermit Daniel James M. Hall
Glen R. Danielson Per Hannevold
Lewis J. Dann Lisa Harvey-Reed
Robert Danziger Donald E. Hassler
William D. Davis John R. Heard
Troy Davis Theodore C. Heger
Juan A. de Gomar Janie Hicks
David A. DeBolt Sandra G. Hirby-Moore
Renee Anthony Dee Charles G. Huebner
Gilbert Dejean Robert G. Humiston
Doris A. DeLoach Steven and Jennet Ingle
Sharlotte A. DeVere & Arnold Irchai
Mark Dalrymple Junji Ishibashi
Jos A. Diaz Peter Aaron Janick
Steven A. Dibner James Jeter
160 CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS

Ronald L. Johnson Bojin Nedialkov Laura Jaeger Seiffert

Stacie Johnston Rev. Greg W. Neteler Sasaki Seiki
Richard A. Kandetzki Amelia Russo-Neustadt, MD, PhD Kristen Severson
Charles L. Kaufmann, Jr. Bo Nathan Newsome Mark Sforzini
Wayne Kawakami Daina L. Nishimoto Susan L. Shaw
Mary C. Kemen Coreen L. Nordling Alan Shlachter
Leo Kenen Rebecca J. Noreen Joyce Sidorfsky
Burton Kester Earl C. North Keith Sklower
Andrew Jonathan King Patricia Grignet Nott Kathryn R. Sleeper
Bruce P. King David P. Oakley Rheta R. Smith
Nancy Ambrose King Janelle Oberbillig Roger C. Soren
Stanley E. King Jason Owen Onks Douglas E. Spaniol
Ronald James Klimko Barbara R. Herr Orland Jennifer Kelley Speck
Edward A. Knob Gustavo E. Oroza Thomas J. Stacy
David B. Knorr Mats stman Frank S. Stalzer
Phillip A. M. Kolker Havner H. Parish, M.D. Sylvia Starkman
Lisa A. Kozenko William L. Peebles Robert J. Stephenson
Lawrence D. Kramer, M.D. Homer C. Pence Bob Stevens & Son
Robert Kraus, M.D. Tedrow L. Perkins Eugene E. Stickley
Cecile Lagarenne Gail Perstein Jim R. Stockigt
Miriam Lahey Steven Pettey Valerie Sulzinski
Andr Lardrot Lesley Petty Keith W. Sweger
David P. LeRoy Christopher Philpotts David E. Taylor
Robert P. Lewis James Poteat Jane Taylor
Martin S. Lipnick, DDS Darryl E. Quay Fernando Traba
Vincente Llimer Dus Paul Rafanelli Barry Traylor
Robert Lohr Richard Rath Robert M. Turner
Richard W. Lottridge James F. Reiter Charles G. Ullery
Jos Lozano Scott E. Reynolds John J. Urban
Jeffrey G. Lyman Shawn R. Reynolds Steve Vacchi
Mary Maarbjerg Andrea J. Ridilla Gary Van Cott
Jan Irma Maria de Maeyer George T. Riordan Eric Van der Geer
Alice H. Magos James E. Roberson, Jr. Robert Wagner
Dennis Mancl Christian P. Roberts Lisa Waite
Tilden Marbit Wilfred A. Roberts Stephen J. Walt
Donald C. Mattison Howard Rockwin Wolfgang R. Wawersik
Michael A. Maxwell John Rojas Laura Weaver
Wendy K. Mazer Mark L. Romatz Doug Webster
Susan Lawrence McCardell D. Hugh Rosenbaum Abraham M. Weiss
Evelyn McCarty Steven J. Rovelstad David E. Weiss
D. Keith McClelland Edwin Rowand Steve Welgoss
Susan McCollum Harrison E. Rowe Arnold Wexler, MD
Charles McCracken Richard Irwin Rubinstein Elizabeth Lyon Wheeler
Bret McCurdy William T. Safford Charles C. Wicker
Donald J. McGeen Shu Satoh Lori Wike
Dr. Janis L. McKay Dean H. Sayles Kerry M. Willingham
Eugen Meier Theresa A. Scaffidi Karol Wolicki
Kristy L. Meretta Richard H. Scheel Saul L. Woythaler
Dennis P. Michel Grover Schiltz Malcolm John Wright
W. Stuart Mitchell, Jr Peter J. Schoenbach Bryan Young
Gene E. Montooth Tracey Scholtemeyer Peter Zeimet
Dr. Paige R. Morgan Clare Scholtz David Zimet
Candi Morris David Schreiner MS Bernadette Zirkuli
Dorothy E. Mosher Martin Schuring Marilyn J. Zupnik
L. Bud Mould William J. Scribner
Franklin Pieter Mulder Kimberly W. Seifert

Lost Sheep
Members are classified as LOST when first class mail is returned as undeliverable. Your assistance
in locating these members will be appreciated. If you live close to one of these members please
consult the phone book and call them. After a year or so, lost members are placed in the archives.
JAVIER ABAD
Avda. Lluis Companys 3,3
San Cugat del Valls
08190 Barcelona SPAIN
JULIE AHARRAH
910 South Taylor Avenue #B
Oak Park, IL 60304-1635
KATHERINE A. ALBERTS
1120 South Williams; Apt. # B-12
Westmont, IL 60559
JULEEN AMBROSE
1 Oxford Boulevard
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
KYLE ANDERSON
5116 Highland Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
CATHLEEN M.L. ANTOINE
612-2975 Albion Road North
Ottawa, Ontario K1V 8S3
CANADA
WENDY ARNETT
500 West Prospect Road Apt #16K
Fort Collins, CO 80526-2050
GRAHAM ARNOLD
437 North Belmont Place #260
Provo, UT 84606
HEATHER ARNOLD
HHC 2BDE CMR 464
APO AE, 09226
MICHAEL ARTHUR
785 Eighth Avenue Suite 4
New York, NY 10036
HEATHER A. BARMORE
747 East Avenue #5
Rochester, NY 14607
MICHAEL BEERY
4000 M - 137
Interlochen, MI 49643
LINDABETH E. BINKLEY
4271 North River Grove Circle
Apt #236
Tucson, AZ 85719-1172
NANCY BLUM
12536 Pinecrest Road
Herndon, VA 20171
FELECIA BONHAM
4728 Loma Del Rey
El Paso, TX 79934
SAM BORTKA
20-70 28th Street
Astoria, NY 11105-2932
ASHLEY BOUGHTON
808 West Nevada Street
Urbana, IL 61801
MICHELE BOWEN
753 North 1250 E
Provo, UT 84606-2050
THE DOUBLE REED
BRIAN BOWMAN
403 Wilkins Avenue
Jonesboro, AR 72401-5074
DEBERAH L. BREEN
10540 Avenida Magnifica
San Diego, CA 92131-1404
DANIEL BRIMHALL
PO Box 211
Sweet Grass, MT 59484
RACHEL BROWN
600 North 15th Street
Selleck Quadrangle 7225
Lincoln, NE 68508
DANIEL BRUNS
3866 Grosvenor Road
South Euclid, OH 44118-2340
BRENDON BUSHMAN
5501 Glenridge Drive Apt #929
Atlanta, GA 30342
GILLES CABODI
Bief de Lcluse, 15
Ronquires, B-7090 BELGIUM
AMY CAMACHO
1530 East 7th Street
Tucson, AZ 85719
ANA-SOFA CAMPESINO
363 Cardinal Medeiros
Cambridge, MA 02141
SARAH JANE CARDWELL
1220 East 11th Street
Vancouver, BC VST 2G3 CANADA
JASON CARLSON
1609 Ridge Avenue #L2
Evanston, IL 60201
KELLY L. CARTWRIGHT
1805 Hookupa Street
Pearl City, HI 96782
STEVI CAUFIELD
11 Feneno Terrace #3
Allston, MA 02314
YUNG-KAI CHANG
611 Silver Bridle Road
Walnut, CA 91789-4704
SAMUEL CHILDERS
407 North Ingalls Rm. B-12
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
KATHRYN L. COCHRAN
1890 San Rafael Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
CHRISTOPHER COLEMAN
1700 Williams Street Apt D-32
Valdosta, GA 31602
LINDY COOK
2101 Manhattan Boulevard
Apt K305
Harvey, LA 70058
JENNIFER LYNN COOK
27731 Sand Canyon Unit D
Canyon Country, CA 91387
161
CRISTINA PORTO COSTA
QI 23 Lote 12 Ap 301 - Guar II
Brasilia, DF 71060-230 BRAZIL
REBECCA COTTRELL
14080 Nacogdoches Road #136
San Antonio, TX 78247-1944
RYAN COWARD
2545 N. Sheffield Avenue #309
Chicago, IL 60614-2217
MEAVE COX
1430 28th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
CASSANDRA CROWELL
1806 West Eastman
Boise, ID 83702
JOSEPH DAIGLE
43486 Michelli Lane
Hammond, LA 70403-6339
RENEE DEBOER
88 Grove Street
Rochester, NY 14605
MARTIN DCARIE
237, rue Bourget
Montreal, Quebec J4K 2V2
CANADA
MARIO EDGARDO DESCALZI, MD
62 Grosvenor Road
Rochester, NY 14610
DANI DUNN
2201 Cardinal Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
ERIN DUNNING
1918 Haeger Avenue
Arcata, CA 95221
SUSAN DYER DIAS
1240 Mayette Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125-4130
NICOLE EGANA
606 Saint Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
JAN EKSTEDT
Bangardsgatan 16
SE-753 20 Uppsala SWEDEN
AMANDA L. ENGLISH
1020 West Market Street #4
Greensboro, NC 27401
KEIICHIRO ENOMOTO
Dornbacher Str. 41-3: Baron Int.
Art. M
A-1170 Vienna AUSTRIA
KATE FAGAN
610 Merlin Drive Unit #303
Lafayette, CO 80026-2921
JRGEN FASTING
Kalmarvgen 46
85730 Sundsvall SWEDEN
BERNHARD FORSTER
Lindenstrae 1
04420 Grosslehna GERMANY
162
RICHARD J. FOSTER
307 Rogers Street
Decatur, MI 49045-1001
CASSIE FOX-PERCIVAL
1811 Willow Tree Lane
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
CLUDIO MLLER DE FREITAS
3709 Olive Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90807-4123
PATRICK FUNSTON
10945 West 170th Terrace
Olathe, KS 66062
NISSA GAINTY
45 Thompon Street
Concord, NH 03301
TANYA GALLOWAY
350 Powell Road Apt #1415
Columbia, SC 29203
PHILLIPPE GAYET
62, Cours de Vincennes
Paris, 75012 FRANCE
SHELLEY GILBERT
1501 Chace Lake Parkway
Birmingham, AL 35244
BORIS GLOUZMAN
512 East San Ysidro Boulevard,
Apt.#11
San Ysidro, CA 92173
ONDREJ GOLIAS
9754 87 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6E 2N4
CANADA
MAHLON GRASS
36 Cottage Lane
Mill Hall, PA 17751-8651
THOMAS GREAVES
Calle Menendez Pelayo #7
Apt #7D
15005 La Coruna SPAIN
GREGORY GROBE
1406 D Bass Avenue
Columbia, MO 65201
SUHO HA
Looren Strasse 74
Zurich, 8053 SWITZERLAND
MATT HABAN
PO Box 06223
Columbus, OH 43206-0223
JESSICA L. HALL
124 Raymond Drive
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
REBECCA HALUSKA
524 Sunset Road
Culpepper, VA 22701
GILLIAN HANSEN
Olberstrasse 8,
10589 Berlin GERMANY
AMY L. GILL HANSON
26 West 97th Street Apt 1-C
New York, NY 10025
KARA HARDY
1050 West Dickson
Gibson Hall #127
Fayetteville, AR 72701
LOST SHEEP
JARROD OLIVER HARMANING
11203 224 Avenue Court E
Buckley, WA 98321
ELIZABETH D. HARPER
39-X Jane Lacey Drive
Endicott, NY 13760
LAURA HARRIS-SMITH
1650 Kronshage Drive #210
Madison, WI 53706-1203
ANGELA HAUGEN
Box 1357,Wartburg Coll.222 Ninth
St.NW
Waverly, IA 50677
LAURA HAUSS
10550 Lakeview Drive
Whitmore Lake, MI 48189-9332
RENEE HENNING
4220 Downers Drive
Downers Grove, IL 60515
NEIL HEYMINK
PO Box 662
Bribie Island, Queensland 4507
AUSTRALIA
HIKO HAGOPIAN- HIKO
3707 Mary Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21206
MATTHEW B. HILLER
248 East Southwest Parkway #1418
Lewisville, TX 75067
ROBIN HILLYARD
73 Kodiak Way #2241
Waltham, MA 02451-0260
LEIGH ANNE HINMAN
6913 Ellis Court Apt A
Fort Polk, LA 71459-3195
JON FREDIK HJEMLI
Dornacherstrasse 323
Basel, CH-4053 SWITZERLAND
KIMBERLY HOFFMAN
923 West Waveland Avenue Apt 2B
Chicago, IL 60613-4342
GEORGE HOLDCROFT
527 West Mifflin Street #1
Madison, WI 53703-2613
VICTOR G. HOULE
1560 Rue Chenonceaux
Lachenaie, Quebec J6W 5R1
CANADA
SHU-HSI HUANG
5421 North East River Road Apt
#1104
Chicago, IL 60656
GREGORY HUGHES
266 Allentown Drive
Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017
NANDOR ZSENI MATAF HUNG.
BSNS.
Editio Genius Bt; Legszeszgyar u. 5
Pecs, H-7622 HUNGARY
JOSAFAT JAIME
2200 Montgomery Park Boulevard
#902
Conroe, TX 77304
ERIN JENNINGS
47-13 160th Street
Flushing, NY 11358
EMILY JOBE
409 East Woodruff
Searcy, AZ 72143
JOHNNA JONES-STAFFORD
430 Francis Avenue
Florence, AL 35630
ALEXIS ANNE IWANIK JOYCE
850 North Burlington Street
Arlington, VA 22203
MIRIAM KAPNER
121 Seaman Avenue Apt 3B
New York, NY 10034-1925
DAWN KILMER
950 South kanner Highway #125
Stuart, FL 34994
GWENDOLYN S. KIRK
100 Tyler Crescent West
Portsmouth, VA 23707
CAMERON KIRKPATRICK
309 Huntington Avenue Apt 5C
Boston, MA 02115
ELISABETH KISSEL
18 Quai Pierre Scize
Lyon, 69009 FRANCE
ALEX KLEIN
PO Box 421
Winnetka, IL 60093
STEPHANIE KOHER
250 Windsor Drive
Fayetteville, GA 30215
JEANINE L. KRAUSE
Barengasse 11
65719 Hofheim am Taunus
GERMANY
RACHEL LANDERS
7479 Saybrook Trail
Jonesboro, GA 30236
ALAN LANIER
2902 Mable Drive Apt B
Canyon, TX 79015-4808
I-SHAN LEE
20 Grand Avenue Apt #504
Brooklyn, NY 11205-1320
MARISSA LEFEVRE
2715 Red Barn Road
Crystal Lake, IL 60012
JENNIFER LEJA
36th Army Band Building 51001
Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613-0000
KAREN LICHNOVSKY
340 Ellis Avenue Apt #34
Iowa City, IA 52246-3719
BRADLEY LINBOOM
1342 South Finley Road Apt 1N
Lombard, IL 60148-4321
LORI LINTON
4601 DeZavala #125
San Antonio, TX 78249
CANDACE LIVELY
1421 Cronic Town Road
Auburn, GA 30011-2537

SANDRA LLOYD
3147 Broadway Apt 10
New York, NY 10027
BERNARD LOVELL
746 Back Road
North Windham, CT 06256
ABBY LYON
Box 1174 Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA 16172
SHEILA M. MACRAE
34 Howe Circle
Princeton, NJ 08540
GYRGY LAKATOS MAFAT
HUNG.BSN.
Logodi u. 49 IV/2
Budapest, 1012 HUNGARY
GRETCHEN A. MAIA
125 North Main Street
Suite 500 PMB 236
Blacksburg, VA 24060
KARIA MARCUS
239 East Main Street Apt B
Shermanstown, PA 17011-6318
Commanding Officer 4th Marine
Corps
Bldg 54; Suite 3, Box 806
New Cumberland, PA 17070-0806
ALESSANDRO MASI FAGOTTI
Via Santa Maria Novella 24
50050 Certaldo Firenze ITALY
SHERI L. MATTSON
N10615 Vanderhagen Road
Ironwood, MI 49938
ELIZABETH MCDANIEL
PO Box 186
Franktown, VA 23354
TONY MCGOVERN
3324 South P arkside Drive
Tempe, AZ 85282-4673
RHONDA MILLER
606 West Evergreen Road
Evansville, IN 47710
BRUCE MILLS
4535 Hawkhurst Drive
Plano, TX 75024
ZACHARY MILLWOOD
3060 Marshall Ave Apt #113
Cincinnati, OH 45219-1333
LAURA MOHR
9513 Samoa Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
MITCHELL MORRISON
1251 Browning Avenue #3
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
KENNETH T. MOSES
1461 Alice Street Apt #204
Oakland, CA 94612
CHRISTOPHER NGUYEN
33 Gainsborough Street #305A
Boston, MA 02115
GREGORY NIMTZ
1989 Harrison Avenue Apt A
Muskegon, MI 49441-1501
THE DOUBLE REED
ALISON NISTAD
Rutgers University
16668 CPO Way
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
ALEX OGLE
534 South Street Apt #2
Brattleboro, VT 05301-4232
CAROLYN OLSON
801 South Roosevelt Street
Green Bay, WI 54301
BILLY ONEAL
4334 North Hazel Street #1314
Chicago, IL 60613
ARTUR ORTENBLAD
2207 19th Street Apt 45
Astoria, NY 11105-3603
NAOMI OTSUKI
6040 North Sheridan Road Apt
#502
Chicago, IL 60660-2997
MARCELLO PADILLA
Sollingergasse 31-7
1190 Vienna AUSTRIA
CARRIE LEIGH PAGE
580 East Main Street
Spartanburg, SC 29302-0006
ELIZABETH M. PAINE
832 Baldwin Ave Apt #2
Norfolk, VA 23517-1776
KYOUNG-SHIK PARK
RM202 Wuejin Building
706 Banpo 1 -dong Socho-ku
Seoul KOREA
BILL PARRISH
5 Oakland Terrace
Maplewood, NJ 07040
RAUL PEREIRA
Av. Atlantida C/Calle 8
C.C. Lucymar Local 4 P.B.
Catia La Mar, Vargas 1162
VENEZUELA
ELIZABETH PERLEY
651 Vanderbilt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11218
DAVID PETERSEN
Alte Gartnerei 9
D-04651 Bad Lausick Sachsen
GERMANY
RICHARD G. PETERSON
1274 Country Road #309
Evergreen, CO 80439
SARA R. PHILLIPS
1010 Grayland Street
Greensboro, NC 27408-8414
ALINA PLOURDE
6214 Florio Street Apt #3
Oakland, CA 94618-1352
D. HUGH W. PONNUTHURAI
14 Wachumba Street, Dutton Park
Brisbane, Queensland 4102
AUSTRALIA
DAVID POWELL
475 Central Park West #3A
New York, NY 10025
163
JOANNE PRAKAPAS
2919 East Menlo Street
Mesa, AZ 85213
IRMA PREN
8433 Pinon Street
El Paso, TX 79907
MARAT RAHMATULLAEV
5490 Braesvalley Drive #80
Houston, TX 77096
ANGELA REBEK
SPO 1883 Luther College
700 College Drive
Decorah, IA 52101
SAMUEL RETAILLAUD
12, rue des Orchides
Strasbourg, 67000 FRANCE
ROMAN REZNIK
11 Empress Place
Singapore Symphony
Singapore, 179558 SINGAPORE
AMY RHODES
6764 North Sauganash Avenue;
# GS
Chicago, IL 60646
TYRUS RIDGEWAY
110 Boulder Trail
Athens, GA 30605
CARMEN S. RIVES
1020 North Quincy Street #811
Arlington, VA 22201
ASA A. ROACH
758 Sherwood Hills
Bloomington, IN 47401
PATRICIA ROLLAND
640 East Armour Boulevard
Apt #404
Kansas City, MO 64109
MONICA RUIZ
PO Box 230714
Boston, MA 02123
JESSICA RUNCK
300 South 4th Stree Apt E
Dunlap, IL 61525
SALLY SACHS
1102 Cedar Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
ARNOLD SALINAS
PO Box 732
Mission, TX 78573-0013
MARK A. SALLEE
2333 Water Cress Court
Longmont, CO 80504-7370
DR. SUSAN A. SAVAGE
9500 Pondside Lane
Charlotte, NC 28213
CARLA SCHARTON
2101 Clifton Avenue
Lansing, MI 48910-3534
ROB SCHMIDTKE
1744 Cypress Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103-4613
JAMIE SCHNEIDER
390 Westgate Street
Iowa City, IA 52246
164
SARA SCHULTZ
100 Greystone Lane #7
Rochester, NY 14618
HOLLY SCHWARTZ
1440 East Broadway Road
Apt #2085
Tempe, AZ 85282
JUSTIN J. SCREEN
PO Box 574
Hornsby, NSW 1630 AUSTRALIA
STACEY L. SEAVER
916 West Fullerton # 1
Chicago, IL 60614
DAVID M. SHAFFER
14306 E 51st St
Yuma, AZ 85367-8282
ANDREA SHAHEEN
1317 Stuart Road
Denton, TX 76209-1030
SEAN SHEPHERD
403 South Jordan Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47401
ALLEN SMITH
Liechtensteinerstr. 74
A-6800 Feldkirch AUSTRIA
LINDSEY SMITH
1523 West 4th Avenue
Stillwater, OK 74074
JOHN VANCE SNOW
5 San Diego Crescent NE
Calgary, Alberta T1Y 7C3
CANADA
JULIA H. SNYDER
314 Meadowview Drive Apt #801
Boone, NC 28607-5232
ELIZABETH STAFF
3721 Reacroft Drive
Charlotte, NC 28226
WARREN STOKES
18012 Villa Creek Drive
Tampa, FL 33647
LISSA J. STOLZ
925 West Oakdale Avenue Apt 3E
Chicago, IL 60657-5041
KIMBERLY M. SURBER
10238 Hatton Court
Sun Valley, CA 91352-3603
CERISE SUTTON
2309=6335 Thunderbird Crescent
Vancouver, BC V6T 2G9
CANADA
ELIZABETH SWANEY
401 Clement Street Apt J
Radford, VA 24141-1963
FRANK SWANN
6020 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
FLEUR SWEETMAN
150 East 16th Avenue Apt #206
Vancouver, BC V5T 2T2
CANADA
HEATHER SYLVESTER
60 Coral Sea Way #20
Satellite Beach, FL 32937
LOST SHEEP
VICTORIA TATUR
rua Rotary 106, Centro
Manaus, AM 69020-270 BRAZIL
DANIEL TAYLOR
530 Oval Road
Irvine, CA 92604
CRISTY TROIA
2018 Pratt Court
Evanston, IL 60201
SZU-HUI TU
Fir.3rd, 134-11, 57th Road
Flushing, NY 11355
AMY TURNBULL
505 Driftwood Trail
Denton, TX 76209
MARCUS TURNER
501 West 24th Place Apt #906
Chicago, IL 60616
CAROLE ULICH
790 Memorial Drive Suite 202
Cambridge, MA 02139-4649
PETER UNTERSTEIN
7825 McCallum Boulevard
Apt 1511
Dallas, TX 75252-6391
PHILIPPE DOUCHIN - VAR REEDS
Les Moulens
Rochegude, Gard F-30430
FRANCE
JOHN VELOZ
25347 Via Oriol
Valencia, CA 91355
GWENDAL VILLELOUP
18 Rue Petramale
Avignon, 84000 FRANCE
IOURI VODOLAZSKI
1303 Volker Boulevard Apt #1E
Kansas City, MO 64110-2171
JONATHAN A. VOTA
410 East Washington Apt #108
Bloomington, IL 61701
CHIS WAI
111 University Gate NW
Rundle Hall - Room 737
Calgary, Alberta T2N 4 V8
CANADA
CHRISTOPHER WALKER
4307 North Wall Street
Spokane, WA 99205-1172
MARION WALKER
Trumso Gate #7
N-0565 Oslo NORWAY
CONRAD C. WAN
142 South Prospect Room 126
Orange, CA 92869-3842
LIANG WANG
2045 Cabrillo Street Apt #14
San Francisco, CA 94121
KAYCEE WARE
4700 NW 70th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
CATHERINE WEINFIELD
726 University Place
Chapin Hall Room D
Evanston, IL 60201
ADRIENNE WEST
1235 Humboldt Street #2
Bellingham, WA 98225
TARYN R. WEST
3261 Desota Avenue
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118-1834
CHRISTOPHER WICKHAM
4412 Darrington Dr
Potsdam, NY 13676-2271
PL ANDERS WIEN
Harlad Hrfagres Gate 10D Leil
810
0363 Oslo NORWAY
MEGAN L. WILLIAMSON TOLER
170 Baldwin Street
Jenison, MI 49428
JAMES A. WILLIS, M.D.
17960 Crother Hills Road
Meadows Vista, CA 95722
ELIZABETH WILTSHIRE
8 Homer Place, Uperr Riccarton
Christchurch, 8004
NEW ZEALAND
JENNIFER WYATT
2634 Ar
South Bend, IN 46628
FEI XIE
OCMR 837
135 West Lorain Street
Oberlin, OH 44074
AMY YEOU-MEI YANG
5430 Birdwood Road #307
Houston, TX 77096
KATRINKA YOUNG-RIGGS
3716 Warwick Boulevard #5
Kansas City, MO 64111-1750
SARAH JANE YOUNG
700 Memorial Mews Street #7548
Houston, TX 77079
DONALD A. YOUNGDAHL, M.D.
14880 Tamiami Trail
Punta Gorda, FL 33955-9763
MICHELE ZEBROWITZ
4749 Towering Oak Drive #4
Memphis, TN 38117
 THE DOUBLE REED 165

Stolen Oboes and Bassoons

This is our continuing list of known stolen oboes and bassoons. It is hoped that the listing of these
instruments, along with particulars leading to their disappearance, might be of assistance in their
eventual recovery and return to their original owners, as well as serving as a source for identifying sus-
pected contraband instruments. If there is some way the Society can further discourage the theft of so
vital a tool to the performing artist, further suggestions are encouraged from the readers. Please add to
(and hopefully, delete from) the list by writing to the oboe and bassoon editors. The list will be printed
in all future issues of the publications. Please include as much information as you can pertinent to the
instrument (distinguishing characteristics, special keywork, etc.) and to its theft (where, when, etc.).

1. Puchner bassoon, serial number 8501 (1976), stolen from Albrecht Holder,
Lindpaintner strasse 81, 7000 Stuttgart, Germany, in Copenhagen, Denmark,
when the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra was on tour.
2. Loree oboe, serial number EM67; stolen March, 1983, in Wichita, Kansas
(Witchita State University Campus), from Susan D. Laney, 612 E. Boone St.,
Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464, Tel.: (918) 456-2298; stolen while attending
Wichita State University.
3. Heckel bassoon, serial number 11953, stolen from Nusio Kato, of the Orchestre
de la Suisse Romande, Geneva, at Carnegie Hall.
4. Oboe: Loree, serial number AY28. Stolen December 12, 1987 in New York City
at 9th and Broadway. Contact Ernest Meyer, 7916 Burholme Ave., Philadelphia,
PA 19111. (Tel.: 215-725-3249).
5. Marigaux oboe, serial number 15552, stolen February 23, 1988 in Philadelphia
(Temple University campus), from Lesley Nowell, lesleykay99@yahoo.com
6. Lore oboe, serial number ER 08, stolen March 2 from the Tobey-Kendall din-
ing hall, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado. Contact Benham
Ignacio at 10913 Bannock Street, Northglenn, CO 80234. (303) 452-7832, or
at 3044 West Logan, Chicago, IL 60647. (312) 252-2963.
7. Bassoon: Fox model 101, serial number 8874, stolen March 7th 1988, from the
home of Michael and Lori Garvey, 854-48th Ave., San Francisco, CA, Please
contact Michael or Lori Garvey, 542 Center Ave., Martinez, CA 94553. Tel.:
(925) 370-6272.
8. Oboe: F Loree, serial no. DD89. If found or recovered contact Marianne Ingels,
2310 Revenwood, Norman, OK 73071. Tel.: (405) 321-1008.
9. Loree English horn, serial no. GL-28. Stolen in Kingston, Ontario, July 20,
1989. Contact Etienne de Medicis, 428 Dufferin, Sherbrooke, Ont. J1H 4M8
Canada. Tel.: (819) 346-2093.
10. Heckel bassoon, serial number 10800, stolen from Martin Hoffer, P.O. Box
111633, Anchorage, Alaska 99511, Tel.: (907) 346-2572.
11. Bassoon: Fox Renard Model 220, Serial #14f993. Stolen from the York High
School band area locker rooms on Friday, February 23, 1990. If found contact
Kenneth Potsic, 444 Rex, Elmhurst, IL 60126. Tel.: (708) 832-6782.
12. Oboe: Fox model 300, serial number 4098. Stolen in Osaka Japan on Novem-
ber 1, 1987. In a french style case and a Jean Cavallaro case cover. Please con-
tact Mike Morgenstern, 10777 Bill Point Crest, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110,
USA. Tel.: (206) 842-1155.
13. Oboe: Lore, serial number FV56. Stolen August 27, 1989 in Westwood, LA
near UCLA. Contact Michele Forrest, 1725 Camino Palmero, #322, Holly-
wood, CA 90046. Tel.: (213) 969-8205.
14. Heckelphone: Serial #3283. Stolen in Detroit, MI, July 7, 1983. Contact Fred-
eric Dutton, 19553 Gault St., Reseda, CA 91335-3624. Tel.: (818) 344-2513.
15. Stolen: Oboe: Lore: Serial IA06, an AK model. Stolen in NYC on October 2,
1991. If found contact Robert Walters (215) 748-7354.
16. Pchner Bassoon, No. 759O. Stolen from the Secondary School of Music (Hrit-
feldska Gymnasiet), Gothenburg, Sweden, 30th of August, 1989. When the bot-
tom cap on the butt-joint is removed, a mended crack can be felt (and seen) in
the larger bore. If found, please contact Rebecca Ekenberg, Nordhemsg.45 C,
S-413 06, Gothenberg, Sweden.
17. Oboe: F. Gillet, serial # C42. The case is from a Rigoutat oboe. English Horn:
Marigaux, serial #4697. Stolen July 22, 1991 in Foster City (San Francisco pen-
insula). Please contact Rich Wash-ington at (415) 493-2056 or (415) 725-3859
with any information.
18. Stolen: Oboe - Lore: Serial # HQ93, Tabuteau Model. Also, Korg tuner and
15-reed case. Stolen April 20, 1992, in Durham, NC. Contact: Bo Newsome,
122 E. Seeman St., Apt. A, Durham, NC 27701; Tel.: 919-688-2298.
19. Stolen: Wooden oboe Lore serial # GY 23 from NYC apartment. Reward
offered. Call 212-689-3083.
20. Lore oboe #DY27, stolen from a San Jose, California-bound Greyhound bus
in December, 1982, Purchased from Pat McFarland in June, 1980. Reward for
return. Contact SSG David L. Wheeler, PSC-457, Ft. McPher-son, GA 30330.
21. Loree oboe #JS96 stolen on October 2, 1992 in Tucson, Arizona. Please contact
Alyssa Tomoff, 544 Glenwood, Prescott, Arizona 86303. Telephone: 602-778-
2626.
22. Pchner Bassoon: Student model serial #6201, stolen from Lionel Hampton
School of Music, University of Idaho, in the Spring, 1991. Reward. Contact:
Richard Hahn, Director; L.H. School of Music; University of Idaho, Moscow,
ID 83843. Tel: (208) 885-6231; FAX: (208) 885-8964.
23. Lore oboe (serial #DG66). Stolen last winter between Dec. 15, 1991 and Jan.
14, 1992 from a locked school locker at Williamette University, Salem, OR.
Any information should go to: Robert or Joanne Wilgus, 28060 Farmhill Dr.,
Hayward, CA 94542, (510) 889-6176.
24. Rigoutat oboe, serial number 598AJ; stolen on June 8, 1993 in Prague, Czech
Republic. Please contact Pirkka Sipila, Juhaninv. 2, SF-60150 SEINAJOKI FIN-
LAND. Tel. + 64 4121 242. Reward for return.
25. Laubin English Horn #1057. Stolen from Sue Goff with Loree Oboe CF 37.
Contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
26. Rosewood Laubin Oboe #1482. Stolen from David Woolsey in New York City
with Loree Oboe BP 24 - circa 1970. Contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave.,
Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
27. Laubin Oboe #1465 and Laubin EBH #C42 from Jessica Murrow. 212-663-
9042 or A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
28. Rosewood Laubin Oboe #1405. Stolen from Josh Siegel, 914-858-8526 or A.
Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
29. Barre Oboe #522. Stolen from Judy Rabinovitz. Contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638
Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
30. Laubin Oboe #1546. Stolen from Jonathan Darnell, 914-834-9354 or A. Lau-
bin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
31. Laubin Oboe #1651. Stolen from Matthew Dine November, 1988, 914-793-
9383 or A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
32. Laubin Oboe, #1494. Stolen from Alice Monego. Contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638
Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
33. Barre Oboe #7404. Stolen from Joan McDonald, April, 1989, 203-259-0342 or
A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
34. Laubin Oboe #1366. Stolen from McDuff Sheehy, April, 1990, from dorm
room Brown University, 914-763-5158 or A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave.,
Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
35. Laubin English Horn #966. Stolen from University of Texas at Austin, Feb.
1991. Contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566-2007.
36. Heckel Bassoon, serial #9266, stolen in San Francisco, September, 1964, from
Bob Zimmerman. If found contact him at P.O. Box 1182, Chemalis, WA
98532.
37. Fox Bassoon, Model 1, Serial #12966 with case, black leather cover and Fox
2 cvx and 3 cvx bocals. Stolen from Heather N. Schneider at the University of
Maryland, College Park, MD. If found, please contact Heather N. Schneider at
(410) 761-7078 or (301) 314-3079.
38. Lore English Horn serial #DC 48; purchased on June 17, 1974 from Claude
Reynolds, Dallas. It was stolen from the music department office in late July,
1993, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Please contact Lorna Nel-
166 STOLEN OBOES AND BASSOONS
son, Music Dept., MSU, Bozeman, MT 59717. The EH was the property of
MSU MUSIC #053756.
39. Rigoutat Oboe, French conservatoire system (with third octave). No. 433 AD.
Stolen in Paris between February 12 and 19, 1994 from Katrin Steinke, Am
Hoelzle 50, D-78628 Rottwell/GERMANY. Tel. +49741/15960.
40. Oboe: Springer-Pfoffenhofen No. 9283. Stolen in Joensuu, Finland, from Keijo
Aho. Contact at Mntylntie 274 FIN-82210 Suhmura. Tel. 358-73-749227.
41. Heckel Bassoon, Serial #5712 w/French Key System (World System). Stolen
in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 10, 1994. Reward for return. Contact St. Paul
Police (612) 292-3748, complaint #94-045-489) or Mary Banti at 15194 75th
Ave. No., Maple Grove, MN 55311, Tel. 612-420-9803.
42. Fox (RENARD) 222 serial #16187, September, 1994, Montreal, Quebec, Cana-
da. Any information contact B. Finch, 33274 Whidden Ave., Mission, B.C. V2V
2T2 (604) 826-6285.
43. Lore oboe, serial number HV96, stolen in Irving, Texas, September 1994. Con-
tact Dan Gelber, Band Director, Lamar Junior High School, Irving, TX. Phone:
(214) 986-9155.
44. Lore oboe, serial number HL78, stolen September 16, 1994, near NCSU cam-
pus in Raleigh, NC. Contact Carolyn I. Shull, 8512 Southbriar Drive, Raleigh,
NC 27606-9618. Phone: (919) 851-5471.
45. Lore oboe, serial number LC45, stolen September 16, 1994, near NCSU cam-
pus in Raleigh, NC. Contact Carolyn I. Shull, 8512 Southbriar Drive, Raleigh,
NC 27606-9618. Phone: (919) 851-5471.
46. Two Fox Renard oboes, serial numbers 4194 and 5567, stolen from the Uni-
versity of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, in January, 1994. They also had USF
decals with numbers 160352 and 175651 respectively. If found, please contact
Nancy Warfield at (813) 974-2311
47. Lore oboe, serial # GJ22 - thumb plate modified to a Conservatoire System,
entire body of high intensity plastic. Stolen in Calgary, Alberta on November
23rd, 1994. Send any information on its whereabouts to Mr. Richard H. Lea,
#24-2323 Oakmoor Drive SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2V 4T2.
48. Fox Bassoon: Model 220, Serial Number 12910, stolen on Jan. 4 1995. Contact
Dr. Nicholas J. Contorno, Director of Bands and Orchestra, Marquette Univer-
sity, Varsity Theatre, 1324 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233. Tel.
(414) 288-7476.
49. Bassoon: Gebruder Monnig serial #11377 (University of Delaware tag 120489)
missing from the campus of the University of Delaware since 1990.
50. Fossati Tiery oboe, serial #1452, in a black Orly case, with accessories, stolen
July 6, 1995 from City Centre, Manchester, England. Please direct any infor-
mation to Joseph Nagy, 4 Kirkup St., Bay Shore, NY 11706-6900. Tel. (516)
665-5946.
51. Laubin oboe #1995 was stolen on Dec. 2nd, 1995 from John Wright, 4425 Tise
Ave., Winston-Salem, NC 27105.
52. Bassoon: Heckel Serial Number 12782/2. Stolen from Fernando Traba, Mexi-
can bassoonist studying at the Juilliard School in New York. It was stolen from
him in a jewelry store on West 47th St., while he was shopping with his wife.
Contact the IDRS bassoon editor if the instrument is located.
53. Bassoon: Schreiber, model 5014, serial number 29014, with accessories, stolen
on July 12, 1995, from the home of Marcelo Padilla. Please contact him at the
following address: Casa J-5, Los Colegios, Moravia, COSTA RICA, or phone
number (506) 236-7246.
54. Oboe: Lore JC29 AK, Model stolen from Karen Hosmer in Philadelphia. If
found contact K.H., 319 N. 34th St., Philadelphia, PA 19104.
55. Gordet oboe, serial #A331, stolen February 1996, in Springfield, Illinois, from
locked school locker. (Springfield Southeast High School). Approx. 30 yrs. old,
wooden, third octave key. From Allison B. Baker, 3301 Ivyton Drive, Spring-
field, IL 62704. (217) 787-6372.
56. Oboe: Lore, Serial # BC-36. Its Northern Illinois University number is 37727.
Stolen in DeKalb, Illinois, from the Northern Illinois University School of Mu-
sic, April 15, 1996. Please contact Jennifer Swenson, Large Ensemble Office,
Northern Illinois University School of Music, DeKalb, Illinois 60115. (815)
753-1551.
57. Oboe: Loree, serial number LN13. Stolen from high school locker on May 28,
1996 at South Lakes High School, Reston, VA. Contact Don Pittenger, 12343
Coleraine Ct., Reston, VA 22091. (703) 860-4419.
58. Lore Oboe: AK model LM26, stolen September 30, 1996 from my apartment
in Cincinnati, Ohio, together with a Korg tuner and a Seiko metronome. Con-
tact me at: Janna Leigh Ryon, 2247 Hidden Cove Road, Cookeville, Tennessee
38506. (615) 528-2340.
59. Loree Oboe: Serial number II34, stolen in June, 1993 from my home in Lucas,
Texas. Contact Jennifer Allen. (972) 727-4456.
60. Leblanc Wood Oboe (Serial #1317) no left F. Stolen on September 17, 1996
from the band room at Hamilton Music Academy, 2966 South Robertson Bou-
levard, Los Angeles, California 90034. If found, please contact music director
Jeff Kaufman at (310) 559-9468.
61. Moosmann bassoon, serial number 91039, date of buy 05-03-91, stolen in the
small southwest German village D-66620 Kastel (Saarland), Im Aller 3, with
a housebreaking, stolen from Muriel Thiel. tel. 00496873 400 or 0033387
937145.
62. Marigaux, Serial No. 19892, with a thumbplate key (English fingering system).
Stolen from her hotel room in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on 26 February,
1997, while on tour with the wind soloists of the European Chamber Orchestra.
She can be reached at (44) 171 437 0493, Fax (44) 171 437 0495, e-mail: Toby
Scott <basker@cix.com-pulink.co.uk>.
63. Heckel bassoon #6698. Stolen from the rooming house of Willard Elliot on
March 12, 1945. If found or located contact Willard Elliot at 6731 Trail Cliff
Way, Fort Worth, TX 76132. Tel.: (817) 346-9508.
64. Oboe of Lore, Paris. No. EY 64. Lost in Bat-Shlomo, Israel, July 4, 1997. Has
distinct mark... worn spot on the silver of the F# key. Please contact Israel, Asaf
Beri, Ayelet-Hashahar 12200 (no need for PO Box). Tel.: 972-06-6932184 or
972-06-6932740.
65. Lore oboe #CO33 stolen in Minneapolis in November, 1996. Please contact
David Cantieni, 105 Hawks Road, Deerfield, Massachusetts, 01342.
66. Lore oboe, #HQ25 stolen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands December 8, 1997.
Please contact Kathy Halvorson, Kanaalstraat 158-l, 1054 XP Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, Tel.: 31-20-689-8066, email: halvobo@xs4all.nl.
67. Lore AK model oboe, #KT71 stolen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands Decem-
ber 8, 1997. Please contact Kathy Halvorson, Kanaalstraat 158-l, 1054 XP
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tel.: 31-20-689-8066, email: halvobo@xs4all.
nl.
68. Lore oboe #JD88 - stolen during the LA Philharmonics 1992 tour to Salzburg.
Please contact: David Weiss, 6226 S. Corning Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90056. Tel.
(31) 337-0962, fax (310) 337-7431, email: Weiss440@aol.com.
69. Laubin oboe, serial number 1981. Stolen in October 1997 in New Haven,
CT. Owned by Laura Chamberlain, 10 Frost Road, Lexington, MA 02173.
(781)861-3759, messages (781)736-2245. E-mailcontact: c/o mcculloch@bi-
nah.cc.brandeis.edu.
70. Laubin Oboe #1981. Stolen in New Haven, CT in October 1997. Contact Lau-
ra Chamberlain, 10 Frost Road, Lexington, MA 02173 Tel. (781) 861-3759; or
contact A. Laubin, Inc., 638 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566.
71. Oboe: Lore, #DP82, stolen in Oklahoma City on Feb. 26, 1998, and resold
soon thereafter in the Texas area. If found, contact Kim Monk at the Fenton
Law Firm, 211 N. Robinson, St. 800-N, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102. (405)
235-4671 x 3316, fax: (405) 234-5247. Email: fenton@ionet.net
72. Rosewood Lore AK-reproduction serial #MA-88, stolen on June 10, 1998 (it
is the property of UT-Austin). Please contact David Garcia, 1071 Clayton Ln.
#1217, Austin, TX 78723. (512) 452-8620, or contact the UofT police depart-
ment.
73. Stolen: Fox 601 bassoon, serial # 23502, stolen Dec. 21, 1997 in Minneapolis.
Contact Coreen Nordling, 612-925-0620 or e-mail cnordling @yahoo.com.
74. Heckel Bassoon #10704 stolen from Gainsville, Florida, on Nov. 3, 1998. This
is a very distinguishable instrument with extra keys and custom features. $2000
reward for its return. Contact John Tileston at 352-338-1800 or e-mail at jen-
nifer@intelx.net.
75. Lore Oboe AK, serial #IW99, stolen from Lisa Geering in Chicago, Illinois in
March, 1997. If found contact Lisa Geering at 920 Via Cartago, #13, Riverside,
CA 92507. Tel: 909-369-3387. E-mail: lgeeringtomoff@earthlink.net
76. Marigeaux Oboe, serial #9459, stolen from the Leeds University Music Build-
ing, England, on April 21, 1999. It is gold plated and gorgeous! If found, please
contact Helen Woolliscroft, 22 Hurstleigh Drive, Steate RH1 2 AA, England.
Tel: 01737 763727, E-mail: mus7hsw@Leeds.ac.uk
77. Stolen: Laubin oboe, serial #1240 from Univ. of Iowa, Voxman Music Bldg.,
May 8-9. Please contact Christopher Scheer/Melissa Etling. Address: North-
western University, Steate, IL, USA. Phone: (319) 354-1032. Email: c-scheer@
blue.weeg.uiowa.edu.
78. Antique E-flat oboe by Triebert, Paris, c. 1850, missing January 1999 from
Royal (British) Mail - U.S. Mail. Only 45.5 cm. long; missing its bell ring. Con-
tact R.W. Abel at 814-374-4119, fax 814-374-4563, e-mail abel@csonline, net.
79. Lore Oboe, Serial No. CQ78, stolen Dec. 18, 1999, at Cleveland State Univer-
sity, Cleveland, OH. If found, please contact Alice Mantey, Chesterland, Ohio.
 THE DOUBLE REED
(440) 729-2869.
80. Lore Oboe Full Conservatory, Serial No. MX27, stolen from Clear Brook High
School, January 13, 2000. Contact John Stuckey, (281)-996-2763 or email JR-
STrek@aol.com.
81. Lore Oboe, Serial No. CQ78, stolen from Cleveland State University parking
garage, Dec. 18, 1999. Contact Alic Mantey, 8655 Camelot Drive, Steate, OH
45026. (440) 729-2869. email dermantey@now-online.com.
82. Lore English Horn, Serial No. CQ22, stolen from my home in Edwardsburg,
Michigan, May 15, 2000. Phone (616) 663-8230.
83. Bassoon: Heckel # 4878. Stolen in 1990 in transportation by a parcel service
between Munich and Stuttgart, Germany. Please contact Robert Polzer, Fhren-
strasse 48a, D-83052 Bruckmhl, Bavaria, Germany. Phone; 08062/6992.
84. Schweizer Bassoon: student model serial number Op. 23 with a Puchner bocal
CC 2, stolen from School of Music - UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November
27, 2000. Owner: School of Music-UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rua do Pas-
seio, 90, Steate RJ, Brazil, Phone: 55 21 5324649, Email: afagerlande@open-
link.com.br
85. Laubin oboe #334, stolen from luggage at Chicagos OHare Airport United
Airlines area on December 18, 2000. Please contact owner - Christopher
Warmanen, 553 West Oakdale Avenue, #207, Chicago, Illinois 60657. Tele-
phones: 906/875-2095 or 773/929-1968; Fax: 906/875-3193.
86. Laubin English horn #1150 missing from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Mu-
sic. The case may have University of Cincinnati inventory ID #279751 on it.
Contact Mark Ostoich, Professor of Oboe, CCM, at 513/556-9551 or at os-
toich@ucmail.uc.edu
87. Loree oboe, Ferrillo model, #NP49. Stolen from the St. Arlington Church in
Boston, MA on Sunday, February 18, 2001. Please contact Misa Dikengil at
973/543-2194 or via Email at tsuta22@aol.com
88. Loree AK model oboe (with 3rd octave key). The serial number is LJ-57. This
oboe was stolen at Orem, Utah at about 11:40am on April 14, 2001. Chase
Chang, chasechang@hotmail.com, (206) 919-3375
89. Heckel Bassoon: Serial number 14018-5, stolen: August 20, 2001 at National
Superior Music School (CNSM), Lyon, France. Contact:Audrey Luzignant 92,
gusi pierre Sige, Lyon 69006 France Tel:+66-246-3530 Fax + 049-327-3530
90. Bassoon: Puchner Serial number 6226, stolen: October 26-28 from East Caro-
lina University Fletcher School of Music, Greenville NC, 27858. Contact: (1)
252-328-4281 Email: ulffersj@mail.ecu.edu
91. Stolen: Bassoon:Heckel Serial number 12523,stolen: October 20, 2001 (es-
timate) from the Garvey Fine Arts Center, room 319, the bassoon studio at
Washburn University,1700 College Avenue, Topeka Kansas 66621-0001 Con-
tact: (1)785-231- 1010x1511 Email:zzdpmu@washburn.edu Comments: This
instrument may also still have a Washburn University inventory sticker on it
with the number 43225. Whoever stole this instrument knew what they were
looking for as nothing else was taken,and there were two other lesser quality
instruments in the studio at that time.
92. Stolen: Kreul Oboe, Serial number 44093, stolen: 28/10/01 at Stonebridge
lane, Fulbourn, nr Cambridge GB. Contact: Camilla L. F. Haggett,7 Grafton
Street,CAMBRIDGE CB1 1DS GREAT BRITAIN Tel:07771 761493 email:
camilla.haggett@carterjonas.co.uk
93. Stolen: A.Laubin oboe, Serial number 1048 stolen: September, 2001. Contact:
Takahiro Yamada, 47-117, Miyazakicho, Chuo-ku, Chiba Chiba 2600805 JA-
PAN Tel:043-261-8660 Email: laubiner@livedoor.com Comments: granadilla
body with gold plated keys.
94. Stolen: Puchner Bassoon,Serial number 9822, stolen: August 9, 2001,while be-
ing returned from Germany to the US in the US postal system. Contact:Chris-
topher D. FitzGerald, PO Box 260, Shady Cove OR, 97477. Tel: (1)541-878-
2726 Email:Bsncdf59@hotmail.com Comments: By following my instructions
that there was no need for a zip code, the bassoon never reached the Puchner
firm and was sent back from Geramny. (These were instructions given by the US
postal Service to me.) Both parties cannot locate the instrument, the US postal
service still says it has been delivered. It has not. No one seems to know where
it is. It may have been in the customs office in the WTC, as I was told that is a
possability.
95. Stolen:Loree automatique oboe serial number HP 89, stolen out of an apart-
ment in Amsterdam. Contact: John Groeneveld, the Netherlands at: oboehorn@
home.nl
96. Portland oboe, Serial number 9934, one year old, wooden, covered hole, sil-
ver-plated, dual system. Stolen: October, 2001, during a break-in at a pupils
home. It was in a BAGS case. Contact: Southampton Music Service, 5th Floor
Frobisher House, Southampton Hampshire, England Tel: 023 8083 3633
167
Email: i.green@southampton.gov.uk
97. Stolen: Springer Pfaffenhofen Oboe, Serial number 9283, Stolen in 1993,Owner
Keijo Aho, Pajalahdentie 12 A 10, 00200 Helsinki 00200 Helsinki, Finland
Tel: +358-1356510 or +40-5433227 Email: keijo.aho@siba.fi (Stolen at the
city of Joensuu, Finland, about 1993 from a baggage at the Concervatory of the
City Of Joensuu. No sign of the instrument has been found since the theft. It is
probable that this oboe, one of the first ones that Hans-Peter Springer has made
in this model, has been transported to Russia or elsewhere in eastern Europe.)
98. Stolen: Fox Oboe 400,Serial number 9309,Stolen on or about November 1,
2001 Owner Charles Scurlock, 506 First Street, Langley Washington 98260
Tel: (360)221 8123 Email: Charless@whidbey.com (Stolen in residential bur-
glary at residence in Langley, along with 2 saxophones and three clarinets.)
99. Bassoon:Puchner, Superior model (U.S. model 6000) Serial number 12899.
Stolen at: McDonalds in Moscow. Date Stolen: At the end of 2001. Contact:
Prof. Valeri Popov, Malaya Bronnaya 21/13-34, Moscow 103 104, Russia, Tel:
(7) 095-290 6643, Email: archer14@rambler.ru Comments: This model is a top-
model Puchner bassoon with engravings Superior on the ferrule of the wing
joint, it is equipped with mother-of-pearl rollers.
100. Stolen: Heckel Oboe: Serial # 4956 (Brand New). Stolen November, 2001 from
the private home of Edith Reiter. Notes:It was the last Oboe Heckel produced.
It is a conservatory system with silverplated keywork. If found, contact Edith
Reiter at: edith-reiter@heckel.de
101. F. Loree oboe, AK model, #MS26, stolen on June 9, 2001 from a car in a park-
ing lot in Washington, DC at 2200 East Capital Street, S.E., Lot #8. Please
contact: Emily Hay, 1230 Red Oak Lane, #202, East Lansing, MI 48823.
517/333-1505 or 443/416-8897.
102. Fox oboe, model 450, #12291, with a Cavallaro case cover. Stolen from 1531
Sherwin Avenue, Chicago, IL. Please contact: Sean McNeely at smcneely@
rcnchicago.com
103. Stolen: Huller Bassoon, Serial number 48003
104. Stolen: 1st November, 2001,from automobile in Upper Street, London, UK
Contact: Alan Anderson, 16 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB, UK Tel:+44
(0)1603 613604 , email: alanjanderson@aol.com
105. Laubin oboe #2003, stolen May 2, 2002 from Disa English in Barcelona, Spain.
Contact her at 011 3493 650 0170 or at A. Laubin 914-737-3778
106. Stolen: Oboe by F.Loree Serial number NL70 Date Stolen: March 25, 2002
(from under the seat of an automobile parked in Modesto Junior College Lot
A) Contact:Kathleen Talbert, 119 N. Oak, Oakdale CA 95361 Tel: 209-847-
7173Email: ktalb12411@aol.com Comments: The instrument was marked with
the Modesto Junior Colleges ID at the time of the theft.
107. Stolen: Heckel Bassoon #7410, including a pre-war cc bocal, taken along with
Mark DeMios van, which was stolen in Cincinnati, Ohio. The van is a 1992
Dodge Caravan, Gold in color, with OHIO license plates: WNY989. Contact:
Mark or Liz DeMio at 216-870-1016 or Demio@earthlink.net.
108. OBOE: Rigoutat Evolution, Serial number 194-AM Stolen on 28 September
2002 Stolen at: Villacastn, Segovia, (80 Kilometers Northwest of Madrid)
Contact:Carlos del Ser Guilln, c/o Fidel Recio n4 5C, Valladolid Val-
ladolid 47002 Spain, Tel:00 34 983 20 44 10/ Fax:00 34 616 89 46 34 , Email:
carlosdelser@hotmail.com. Comments: In the oboe bag I had three reed boxes
and accesories.
109. Oboe:Loree Serial number #LM02 Stolen on Aug.2,2002 at Boston/Somerville,
MA Contact:Sandra Gresl, 4039 9th Ave., Seattle WA 98105, Tel:206-633-
0573, Email: orangecranberry@yahoo.com. Comments: Deluxe professional
case, custom Cavallaro case cover. Fresh Samantha Sticker
110. English Horn: Selmer, Serial number 2096. Stolen on Aug. 26, 2002, from the
instrument room, room 214, in the upper level of Price Music Center at NC
State University. Contact:Erika Westphal, 9704 Kingsford Drive,Raleigh NC
27606-9538. Tel: 919-362-5967. Email: anoboe@aol.com. Comments: Person
who has an office in room 214, told me I could put it right outside the office,
since they couldnt issue me a locker, where he would watch it since he is there
all day. He said apparently someone must have come in to use the copier and
didnt shut the door, then that thief came in and took the EH. I came back the
next day and the EH was gone, as well as the Baritone next to it.
111. Bassoon:Puchner,Serial number 9043, Date Stolen: On october 28, 2002, Sto-
len at: On october 28, 2002 I was robbered near Galoushkin street, Moscow
Thieves took my bassoon, Puchner 9043, with some family documents, includ-
ing my passport. There were also several bassoon accessories. Contact:Alexan-
der V. Popov, Moscow, Russia Email: archer_14@mail.ru or archer14@rambler.
ru
112. Oboe: Rigoutat,Serial number 332AJ, Date Stolen: October 24 2002, Stolen at:
168 STOLEN OBOES AND BASSOONS
University of Oregon, Eugene, Comments: Instrument has gold keys, Contact:
Jennica H Smith,University of Oregon, 61199 Hamilton, Eugene Oregon,USA
Tel:541-346-9233 Email:jentenica@yahoo.com
113. Oboe: Fox 330,Serial number 13991, Date Stolen: 11-13-2002, Stolen at: An-
tioch Bible Baptist Church 800 NE 72nd St. Gladstone, MO 64118, Contact:
Jillissa Meek, 7516 Lake Rd.,Kansas City, MO 64151 USA, Tel: 816-741-
0579. Email: jranmeek@peoplepc.com
114. Stolen: Oboe Artley 19Q, Serial number 100079, Date Stolen: October 26,
2002, Stolen at: Park Hill High School, Kansas City, Missouri, Contact: Julie
Bredemeier,6913 NW 79th Street, Kansas City Missouri 64152, USA Tel:816-
746-1348 Email: jbred@kc.rr.com
115. Stolen: oboe, Lore, Tabuteau Conservatory, Serial number EI32, Date Stolen:
March 20, 2002, Stolen at: Falls Church High School Auditorium, Falls Church
VA, Contact: Robert LeChevalier,2904 Beau Lane,Fairfax VA 22031-1303,
USA Tel:703-385-0273 Email: lojbab@lojban.org
116. Stolen: Bassoon Moosmann - model 200A, Serial number 3664, Date Stolen:
November 22, 2002, Stolen from the back of his car (concealed, car locked)
at Minnekhada Regional Park, Port Coquitlam BC Canada, Contact:Isaac
Bull,1022 - 7th Avenue, New Westminster BC V3M 2J5, Canada, Tel:(604)
220-2753 (home) / (604) 267-2832 (work) Email: contrareed@telus.net, Com-
ments: Reward for return!
117. Stolen: Laubin Oboe Serial number 883, Jan. 25, 2003, Stolen at: 1218 Como
Ave.S.E.,Minneapolis MN 55414, Contact: Lisa Skelton,3261 Zimmerman Rd.,
Duluth MN 55804, Telephone: 218-525-9459, Email: lisasue32@hotmail.
com
118. Stolen: Fox Renard Bassoon 240, Serial number 30488, Date Stolen: 1-28-03,
Stolen at: Wilton High School Band Room; Wilton, CT, Contact:Cheryl A.
Sickler,21 BALD HILL ROAD,Wilton CT 06897, Tel: 203-834-2058, Email:
sickler21@yahoo.com
119. Stolen: Loree Oboe AK,Serial number ML 64, Stolen on: December, 2002 at
New Braunfels High School Campus, New Braunfels, TX, Contact: Beth Bronk,
Band Director:New Braunfels High School, 2551 Loop 337,New Braunfels TX
78130, Tel:(830) 625-6271, Email: bbronk@newbraunfels.txed.net
120. Bassoon: Heckel,Serial number 9975, Stolen on 2/19/03 from Wayne State Uni-
versy. Detroit MI., (The bassoon is a university instrument. It was taken from
the directors office area.), Contact:Jeremy Duby,43125 Carlyle Place #221,Clin-
ton Twp. Michigan, Tel:(586)381-3847, Email:ictus384@hotmail.com
121. Stolen: Bassoon, Fox 220(or 240),Serial number 18214, Stolen from Room
206 of the Macalester College music building. 1600 Grand Ave. St. Paul, MN
55105, on Feb.26,2003, Contact: Morgan Feigal-Stickles, 1466 Fairmount
Ave,Saint Paul MN 55105, Tel.(651) 698-0594, Email: mfeigalstick@macal-
ester.edu
122. Stolen: Fox Contrabassoon, Serial number #259, on 3/30/2003, Stolen from car
at Logans Road House Restuarant 3060 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, Florida.
Contact:John Kehayas,3420 West Leona Street, Tampa, FL 33629, Tel: 813-
263-7739 Email:desmo67862aol.com
123. Stolen: Oboe Loree, Serial number FY28, Stolen on: March 28, 2003 from Kelly
Walsh High School, Casper, Wyoming, Contact: Erin Culver, 1912 Rustic Drive,
Casper WY 82609, Tel: 307-472-0369, Email: eculver54@vcn.com
124. Stolen: Fox Renard Oboe 330, Serial number #18647, Stolen: May 2003.
Stolen from the Baltimore County Schools (Baltimore, MD). Contact: Lt.
Lanesman,Baltimore County Police Department (410) 887-1608
125. Stolen:Fox Renard Oboe 330, Serial number #20121, Stolen: May 2003. Sto-
len from: Baltimore County Schools. Contact: Lt. Lanesman, Baltimore County
Police Department (410) 887-1308
126. Stolen:Fox Renard Bassoon 222,Serial number #25541, Date Stolen: May
2003. Stolen from: Baltimore County Schools (Baltimore, MD). Contact: Lt.
Lanesman, Baltimore County Police Department (410) 887-1608
127. Stolen: Bassoon,Puchner Professional Model, Serial number 10097, Stolen on:
6/9/03 from apartment in NYC, Contact:Timothy Kulp, 201 E. 69 10-U,New
York NY 10021, Tel: 212-535-1702, Email:tim_kulp@mcgraw-hill.com
128 Stolen: Bassoons: Puchner-Cooper #8208 and Fox Renard #20056, Stolen on
Aug. 7, 2003 from a private home in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Contact:
Katie Legere, Tel: 613-544-9129, Email: katie.legere@sympatico.ca
129. Stolen: Oboe,Fox 300,Serial number 3195, Stolen on: June 2003, at: Residence
(Possibly stolen as early as January 2003) Contact: Richard Gehlbach,3321
Pepperhill Ct., Lexington KY 40502, Tel:859-269-6658, Email: rdgehlba@
gehlbach.com
130. Stolen: Bassoon, Puchner, Serial number unknown, Stolen on: 7-06-03,out of
my car in front of my house. Description: Bassoon has a dent in the wood on
the lower part of the boot. The key on the bell has a loose pad. There is no place
to screw in a hand crutch, it was replaced by a key guard made from a contra
bassoon part. One of the bocals is split on the curve. The thief was seen walk-
ing down Harrison. Long hair, olive skin, 21-30 years old. Contact: Walker
Kermode, 277 Harrison St., Ashland, Oregon 97520, Tel: (541) 552-0524,
Email: Walker.kermode@district6.org.
131. Stolen: English Horn, Loree, Serial number LR80, Stolen on: 4/2003, at Rice
University Band Hall, Contact: Rice University Bands, PO Box 1892, Houston
TX 77251-1892, Tel:713-348-2346, Email: cthrock@rice.edu
132. Stolen:Rigoutat oboe, Serial number AM 221, Stolen on: June 13, 2003,in
Gent,Belgium, From the parking area of the St-Lucas kliniek, Contact:Stijn
Heyde, Rechtstraat 304, Lokeren 9160,Belgium, Tel: 0032(0)475 805 604,
Email: stijn.heyde@pandora.be
133. Stolen: Oboe, Loree Royale, # NINH 36. Stolen from a student locker at
the University of Kentucky. Contact: Nancy Clauter, University of Kentucky
Tel:859.913-3426 (cell phone) Email: oboenan@uky.edu or Megan Bitzer, Tel:
859 492.1924.
134. Stolen: Bassoon, Heckel #12804. Stolen in Santa Barbara, California, October
10, 2003, Contact: William Wood, Tel:(323) 660 9473 Email: wjw61@aol.
com
135. Stolen: 1) Lore Royal Oboe (semi-automatic w/3rd octave) S/N MH 27; 2)
Matching plastic top-joint for above, Lore Royal, also S/N MH 27 in a custom
made hardwood case (looks like a flute case); 3) Lore oboe dAmore, S/N II
66. (semi-automatic, no 3rd octave), in case w/brown canvas (Lore) case cover.
Stolen from apartment in Montreal, Canada. Contact: Victor Houle, Tel: 514-
247-6263 or 514-398-5193, or Montreal Police at 514-280-0143 and quote file
number 43-03090-016.
136. Loree oboe, #EG20. Stolen March 26, 2005 from a Super 8 hotel in Nephi,
Utah. Characteristics: c.1978, grenadilla, full conservatory, no 3rd octave key.
In black shearling case. Tel. 503-668-3656
137. Stolen: 2 Period Oboes in a luggage bag: 1) Baroque oboe by Pau Orriols
(Stanesby model). Unstained box wood (light colour), in a dark red velvet cover.
2)Classical oboe (2 keys) by Alfredo Bernardini (Grundmann and Floth). Also
unstained box wood and with an identical cover. Stolen on: February 19, 2006
Stolen from: A train at Gava (near Barcelona), Spain. Contact: Molly Marsh:
Spanish mobile number: 0034 677271442 ; English mobile number: 0044
7713256227.
138. Stolen: Fox Bassoon (Renard) Model 240, Serial Number:35244. Stolen From: A
locker in Music Building of Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville,
Georgia. Date Stolen: February, 2006. Contact: Kara Hardy, 124 Springbrook
Drive, Cornelia,Georgia,USA. Phone:479-575-4177 or 706-499-0343.
E-mail: kara_hardy@mycats.gcsu.edu, or: rcramey@uark.edu
Comments:This is a unique Renard 240 with the following modifications: 1.
rollers on: Bf/Fs/Af (on butt joint), low C/D ( on long joint),Cs/whisper key (on
wing joint) 2. low C extension on long joint, 3. French whisper key (little finger,
wing joint), 4. High A bridge on wing joint, 5. balance hangar.