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The Recorder MagazineSuMMeR 2014 ISSN 0961 3544 QuARTeRLY £6

BLOCK4 triumphant! Quartet win Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Competition

Home-made great bass?Steven S. Ngai shows us the possibilities

What’s in a name?Douglas MacMillan traces the origins of the word ‘recorder’

Plus a

ll the n

ews f

rom

the S

RP and e

RTA

43Summer 2014

The Recorder Magazineincorporating Recorder News

Vol.34 No.2ISSN 0961 3544Summer 2014

EDITOR & REVIEWS EDITOR (Music & CDs)LAURA JUSTICEScout Bottom Farm, MytholmroydHebden Bridge HX7 5JSTel: 01422 882751Email: [email protected]

CENTRE SPREAD EDITORSTEVE MARSHALLColeman’s Cottage, May Hill, Longhope GL17 0NPEmail: [email protected]

PUBLISHERSJEREMY & RUTH BURBIDGEScout Bottom Farm, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge HX7 5JSTel: 01422 882751 Fax: 01422 886157Email: [email protected]

PRINTINGCustom Print Limited, 13-23 Naylor Street,Liverpool L3 6DR

ADVERTISINGIAN DAVIESScout Bottom Farm, MytholmroydHebden Bridge HX7 5JSTel: 01422 882751 Fax: 01422 886157

DESIGN D&P Design and PrintEmail: [email protected]

AMERICAN DISTRIBUTORMAGNAMUSIC DISTRIBUTORS INC.P.O. Box 338, 74 Amenia Union Road,Sharon CT 06069 Tel: (860) 364-5431 Fax: (860) 364-5168

Front cover: Block4 (Emily Bannister, Lucy Carr, Katie Cowling and Ria Smith)Credit: Chris Christodoulou

CONTENTS45 Editorial and Centrespread introduction

46 Three-Dimensional Printing for the Construction of Large Recorders Steven S. Ngai

51 What’s in a Name – The Recorder? Douglas MacMillan

55 BLOCK4 interview

57 From Small Beginnings in Cangerra Margaret Wright

60 Competition

62 The Centre Spread: ‘Prelude’ from Suite for Recorders Russell Pascoe

64 Reviews Music, recordings, concerts and courses

69 Classified

70 Footjoint

71 Letters

71 Listings

73 Checklist of Courses

75 SRP News

79 ERTA News

NOTE: The remaining copy dates for 2014 will be: Autumn edition, 7th July 2014; Winter edition, 6th October 2014. The SRP News copy for the Summer 2014 issue is Tuesday 1st April, 2014. (See SRP News for details)

All queries regarding subscriptions and distribution should be made to the Publishers at Peacock Press

The Index is now available online at http://www.recordermagazine.co.uk/rm_index.htm

44 The Recorder Magazine

45Summer 2014

Martin gave a fascinating talk on the history of recorder making, comparing ancient techniques to those he and his colleagues

use in his workshop today. I learnt many unusual things about the process that I had never appreciated. For example, I never imagined the recorders would be given a bath of hot (70 degrees) linseed oil in what can only be described as a deep fat fryer! Martin explained that linseed oil is used in this process because it hardens off, protecting the wood, rather than something like almond oil that you use to oil recorders with for maintenance purposes.

Martin brought with him a large selection of descants, trebles and voice flutes in various pitches, along with a range of baroque flutes after different makers, which we all delighted in trying out. A certain lucky person even made a purchase. I had to content myself with picking my favourite and then putting it back! Later in the afternoon he gave a workshop on maintenance which I really wish I could have stayed for. One of my students attended this and said she feels a bit braver about knocking the blocks out of her recorders now! If Martin comes back to the early Music Shop at some point, I would definitely recommend paying him a visit.

Now hopefully you won’t have missed the exciting news (as it is splashed over the front cover) that BLOCK4, an up-and-coming recorder

quartet from The Royal College of Music, have won the prestigious Royal Over-Seas League (ROL) ensemble Competition. This is the first time in the competition’s 62-year history that this has ever been achieved by a recorder ensemble. It was this time last year that Jill Kemp, the first ever recorder player to win the ROL Wind and Brass competition in 2007, launched her CD ‘english Recorder Works’. The ROL hosted the launch in London, so let’s hope they support BLOCK4 in the same way. I’d like to congratulate them on a fantastic achievement. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from them in the future.

Now, anybody interested in a summer holiday project (or just interested in saving a few pennies!) might appreciate Steven Ngai’s article on making your own great bass recorder. It has always amazed me that some of the big plastic recorder manufacturers like Yamaha and Aulos have never embraced the idea of a plastic great bass. I bet there’s a big market for them as I’m sure many of those plastic F bass players would consider the investment in a C instrument worthwhile if it wasn’t going to break the bank. Let’s face it; buying a wooden great bass is a big investment for most people! Maybe there’s a technical reason that makes the process difficult that I don’t understand. Still, if Steve can achieve this with a length of plastic piping and the aid of a 3-D printer, anything seems possible!

This issue’s centre spread is by Russell Pascoe, who writes “I usually write for orchestral or choral forces, so it was a pleasure to be asked to write for Sarah Whomersley’s Recorder ensemble at Richard Lander School in Cornwall. The ensemble members are fine players and each movement of my Suite for Recorders was dedicated to a

student in Year 11, knowing that this would be the last piece they played before leaving the school. One, Ben Cracknell, has gone on to study the recorder at the Royal College of Music. The opening Prelude, printed in this magazine, is a sprightly bit of fun for the performers, and was dedicated to Jenny Byatt”.

EditorialJust before I escaped to southern Spain for the Easter holidays I spent a fascinating morning in the company of recorder maker Martin Wenner at the The Early Music Shop in Saltaire. Martin and his wife Vicki were on a mini tour, first visiting the Early Music Shop in London, where I understand they had a good number of recorder and flute players attending, and then crawling up the motorway to Saltaire to enlighten a small but select group of enthusiasts.

The Centre Spread


�hree-�imensional�rintin� for

the �onstruction of �ar�e �ecor�ers

Steven S. Ngai

In recent years, three-dimensional (3-D) printing technology has become an increasingly useful tool for both professional and hobbyist builders. Using this tool, hobbyists are now able to design and produce inexpensive wind instruments with remarkable fidelity and reproducibility. On the internet, for instance, one may find several designs for soprano recorders that can be 3-D printed as a single piece. A laboratory at MIT has even used a top-of-the-line 3-D printer to produce a multi-material flute, including keywork and rubber keypads, in a single pass.

In 2000, The Recorder Magazine carried an article describing the construction of a wooden great bass recorder with brass keywork. While the

instrument described in the article is a remarkable achievement in workmanship, the complexity of its construction limits the number of people who would attempt such an undertaking. In this article, I sketch the design of a great bass recorder that is very inexpensively and easily built, with special attention to how 3-D printing has allowed me, an amateur in 3-D modeling, to achieve those objectives. In fact, the design is so conveniently realized that in the few months since I made available the design details, several hobbyists in different areas of the world have successfully replicated the design.

FIGURE 1: Photograph demonstrates the penultimate and ultimate prototypes (the difference being minor adjustments

in tone-hole positioning). The use of 3-D printed parts allows for a high degree of uniformity between the two instruments.

FIGURE 2: Photograph

demonstrates the author’s

preferred playing position, with

the instrument held diagonally

across the body.

The instrument

is short enough

that no bocal

is necessary.

47Summer 2014

Although there is a fair amount of mathematics that goes into validating the design, for the sake of simplicity I will focus on its more practical aspects. I will outline the design as it pertains to three primary components:

• Instrument body and toneholes• Flue mechanism (fipple)• Keywork

Instrument Body and ToneholesIn order for a part to be produced as a single piece on a 3-D printer, the part must fit within the fabrication volume of the printer. Therefore, while it is simple to print a soprano recorder in one piece, the great length and volume of a great bass recorder makes the corresponding task physically impossible. even printing in segments would be impracticable: 3-D printing services typically charge by volume of material (at Shapeways.com, for instance, about uS $1.40 per cubic centimetre), often adding a surcharge for highly hollow parts, which take up usable space in the fabrication tray. Consequently, for producing the bore of a large hollow instrument, 3-D printing is of limited utility.

But perhaps that is not too great a pity, since the bore of an untapered instrument is nothing more than a long tube. Hence, instead of unnecessarily invoking 3-D printing where it does not offer any great advantage, I have based my design around a plentiful, inexpensive, and easily machined source of tubing: 1.5-inch nominal Schedule 40 PVC pipe (uSA), which is standardized to an inner diameter of 1.60 inches and an outer diameter of 1.90 inches. Builders outside the united States have adapted the design to similar local sizes of pipe with success.

For simplicity, and to allow the use of bare fingerpads on two holes, all toneholes measure 3/8 inches in diameter. Tonehole positions, initially estimated via a simple non-recursive algorithm, have been refined by hand over several prototypes; details on final hole placement, as well as all 3-D parts subsequently discussed, are available from the author.

Flue MechanismHaving become interested in home recorder-building by way of home organ-building, I am very sensitive to the importance of the flue mechanism (i.e. the fipple). even a small change in its geometry can alter

the timbre of the instrument or, by changing the acoustic end-correction, alter the tuning. Therefore it is essential that the design of the flue mechanism be highly reproducible: presumably identical parts should be guaranteed to behave identically, without variance introduced by human error. At the same time, for purposes of experimentation, it is helpful also to be able to alter the flue design in a carefully controlled manner – for instance, by adding a few tenths of a millimetre to the thickness of the windsheet or a few millimetres to the mouth height. In these respects, 3-D printing proves to be of immense assistance.

In order to limit the cost of the flue mechanism, my design fixes the geometry of all its crucial parts – the windway, the flue, the mouth, and the upper lip – into the minimal amount of solid volume. Specifically, this objective is achieved by incorporating all of these components in a thin circular 3-D printed cap (costing less than uS $10 at Shapeways) designed to fit over the end of the pipe (FIGURE 1). In this configuration, therefore, the player blows perpendicular to the long axis of the instrument (FIGURE 2). Although such a design is not traditional, it has been employed successfully in commercial models produced by William Koch, and it offers the nice side effect of shortening the instrument to the point that a bocal is no longer necessary. My particular fipple cap speaks comfortably at frequencies spanning at least two octaves from C ~128 Hz to C ~512 Hz, and probably more. It is remarkable that one can print this inexpensive part, temporarily tape it over the end of any moderate length of 1.5 inch PVC pipe, and immediately transform it into a rich-sounding organ pipe.

FIGURE 1: Schematic depicts the cost-saving design of the

fipple cap (in red) as it appears during 3-D modelling. Although

such a perpendicularly-blown design is not traditional, it does

have commercial precedent, and it shortens the instrument to

the point that a bocal is no longer necessary.


FIGURE 2: Photograph demonstrates the use of the fipple cap,

with a musician blowing perpendicular to the long axis of the

instrument. Though this position bears a superficial resemblance

to blowing across the top of a bottle, the instrument is a true

flue instrument with a discrete windway and an upper lip.

KeyworkOnce the holes have been drilled in the appropriate locations and the fipple cap mounted, the instrument is theoretically playable. Practically, however, it cannot be played alone without the assistance of keywork. Since the design described here utilizes a cylindrical body, the keypads must be similarly curved.

Keywork – and especially curved keywork – was once a very formidable task. Writing before 3-D printing became widespread, Bart Hopkin, in his well-known Musical Instrument Design, lamented that precision keywork “is a difficult and exacting business; that is why casual home builders don’t often get into it.” Yet in this new era, his statement need no longer be true. It is fairly easy to design a part to interface with a standardized product such as PVC pipe; once the design is perfected, it can be used reliably with any similar pipe in the future.

To reduce the amount of keywork, my design does without keys for the right and left middle fingers; these two toneholes are closed by the player’s bare

finger pads. For the remainder of the toneholes, the design utilizes three different types of keys:

• The first type, good for spanning short distances, is entirely 3-D printed at a cost of less than uS $10 (FIGURES 3 and 4). It consists of an integrated key (touchpiece and keypad), along with the mountings necessary to hold the key axle against the instrument body. The keypad is designed with the proper curvature necessary to close against the instrument body, with allowance for a pad of 2mm craft foam to seal the tonehole.

FIGURE 3: Photograph demonstrates the first type of key as it arrives from the 3-D printing service. The key mountings are temporarily attached to the key proper by means of a plastic “tree.”

FIGURE 4: Photograph demonstrates the first type of key as

installed on two instruments.

49Summer 2014

• The second type of key, good for spanning variable or long distances (such as the most distal key), is much the same as the first, except that the touchpiece and the keypad are not contiguous. To span the gap, the builder inserts an appropriate length of 3/16-inch diameter wooden dowel (FIGURE 5). The interposition of the wooden dowel allows for a moderate savings in printing cost, as well as the ability to reuse a single 3-D printed design for many different touchpiece-to-keypad distances.

FIGURE 5: Photograph demonstrates the right-hand keys, including two flap-style (type 3) keys, a bare tonehole, and the extended (type 2) key, which utilizes a wood dowel to span the

gap between the touchpiece and keypad.

• The third type of key, suitable for spanning short or moderate distances, relies on a fortuitous coincidence to reduce dramatically the cost of a key. It so happens that the next larger size of Schedule 40 PVC pipe, 2-inch nominal, happens to have an inner radius (half of 2.047 inches) that is larger than the outer radius of the instrument bore by roughly 2mm – coincidentally, the thickness of the piece of craft foam described above. Therefore, much like the flap-style keys found on Paetzold recorders, this type of key consists simply of a 120-degree segment of the

larger-diameter pipe (FIGURE 6). For keys constructed in this manner, the only components requiring 3-D printing are small custom hinge pieces that hold the curved segment in place at the correct clearance: two on the key flap, mating with two on the instrument bore (FIGURE 7). The total cost of these four components is uS $2 (dividing the overhead cost of a pack of hinges across multiple keys).

(For those who prefer a more classic appearance for keywork, it is worth noting that 3-D printing services do offer printing in metals, which are formed either directly in layers or indirectly by casting via a 3-D printed mould.)

FIGURE 6: Photograph demonstrates three keys cut from a

larger diameter of pipe, with foam applied and 3-D printed

hinge pieces attached. When the keys are mated with

corresponding hinge pieces on the instrument bore, they pivot

at the precise height necessary to achieve a good seal.

FIGURE 7: Photograph demonstrates the left-hand keys,

including one integrated (type 1) key, one bare tonehole, and

one flap-style (type 3) key.

ConclusionThanks to the revolution of 3-D printing, it is now possible for anyone to order a uS $10 cap that transforms a 4-foot length of 1.5-inch PVC pipe into


an organ pipe. With a few additional drill-holes, about $30 in additional parts, and a few hours of construction time, the casual experimenter can convert the pipe into an inexpensive, easily constructed prototype of a great bass recorder – the commercial versions of which cost in the thousands of uS dollars.

I regard this design as proof that, with today’s tools, large recorder construction is within the reach of novice home builders. Though I am happy to provide specifics to those who are interested, I do not regard my design necessarily as an exemplar to be copied precisely. My design choices reflect the premium I place on cost savings and ease of construction. Other builders may not value these

objectives to the same degree; for instance, more courageous builders might prefer non-uniform tonehole sizes, keys for the middle fingers, or a dedicated design for each key – alterations in the design that would increase cost or difficulty of construction, but possibly improve performance or aesthetics. That is all very well, for with the assistance of 3-D printing, the average home builder is no longer restricted by lack of wood- or metal-working proficiency or by unwanted variations inherent in manufacture – and is instead freed to follow his or her imagination.

(Specific details are obtainable by writing the author at [email protected],)

Jackey Birch

07931 442207

BA (Hons) FVCM (TD) LLCM (T&P) LTCL (Mus Ed)

Recorder workshops and demonstrationsRecorder teaching - all ages

Ensembles - Small groups - IndividualsEast Surrey and High Wycombe areas

Easter Recorder Course9th-16th April 2015

Venue: The Hayes, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 1AUTutors: Sophie Middleditch, Pam Smith, Brian Blood, Ruth Burbidge, Josef Manser, Steve and Ann Marshall, Andrew Melville, Janice Ormerod, Rosemary Robinson

For further details contact: Jan Epps [email protected]••

••

51Summer 2014

Reference to edgar Hunt’s seminal work The Recorder and its Music will indicate the names which the instrument has been given in english, German, Italian and French, some of which require further elucidation.3 The flûte à neuf trous described a Renaissance-type recorder with a seventh finger-hole on either side of the instrument: if the player played (as today) with the left hand uppermost, he would plug the left-hand hole with wax, and vice-versa. The French term flûte douce (sweet, soft) is used as a general reference to the recorder, but has a more specific use in relation to a particular type of small recorder made in the nineteenth century, and also as an alternative name for the csakan in early nineteenth-century Vienna.4 Much confusion has also arisen with regard to ‘english flute’, a name which is customarily applied to the recorder in the later eighteenth century but which is also used by William Bainbridge in the early nineteenth

century in relation to his larger english flageolets.5 However, the French referred to the recorder not only as la flûte à bec (beaked flute) and la flûte douce but also as la flûte d’Angleterre. In england in the late seventeenth century the term ‘recorder’ was used, but by the time of Händel in the early eighteenth century the recorder was known in england simply as the flute, the transverse flute being designated ‘German flute’: subsequently the recorder became known as the common flute, again in contradistinction to the transverse instrument.6 The French petite flûte—and the Italian flautino–may refer to a small recorders, flageolets or piccolos.

In early eighteenth-century england, the nomenclature of the various sizes of recorder was founded on the basis of the alto (treble) in f ’, which may be referred to as the consort flute (although the days of the traditional consort were long past). For example, John Baston’s recorder concerti published

�hat’s in a �ame – �he �ecorder?

Douglas MacMillan

The word ‘recorder’ will mean many things to many people, and a recent Google search revealed 38,400,000 entries under ‘recorder’, ranging from the musical instrument through electronic devices to legal officials and a newspaper. Refining the search to ‘recorder–musical instrument’ produced no fewer than 2,240,000 results.1 This article will examine some of the many terms applied to the instrument in different languages and expose misunderstandings which arose about the instrument and its terminology in the early days of its revival. Finally, an attempt will be made to define the recorder. The etymology of the name ‘recorder’ has been examined in papers by Brian Trowell, Dale Higbee and Anthony Rowland-Jones. Christopher Welch provided an eloquent account of the instrument in mediaeval and Renaissance England: these matters will not be further discussed in the present article.2


by Walsh and Hare in 1729 are headed “Six Concertos in 6 parts for Violins and Flutes, viz., a Fifth, a Sixth and Consort Flute, the proper Flute being nam’d to each Concerto”. The fifth flute is pitched a perfect fifth above the consort flute in f ’ and is, of course, our soprano in c’’: similarly, the sixth flute lies a major sixth above the consort flute. A fourth flute would be represented by either a tenor recorder in c (a fourth below the alto) or a small recorder in b flat’ (a fourth above) and the rare third flute would be a recorder in a’. In 1801, Thomas Busby equated the terms ‘common flute’ and ‘english flute’ with the recorder “now indifferently called the Common Flute or english Flute”.7

The recorder became obsolescent — but not totally eclipsed — by the end of the eighteenth century until its revival in the last two decades of the nineteenth. The instrument was perceived as a museum piece and its nomenclature forgotten, so it is interesting to reflect on the perceptions held about this ‘ancient’ instrument (as it was considered) by nineteenth-century organologists. In the catalogue of a ‘Special exhibition of Ancient Musical Instruments’ at the South Kensington (now Victoria and Albert) Museum, the curator, Carl engel, noted that “Not many have seen a recorder as it has become very scarce”.8 Nine recorders were exhibited, variously described as english flutes, flûtes à bec, flauti dolci and recorders. One exhibit was a curious instrument by Goulding dating from the early nineteenth century possessing a windcap in which is pierced a hole for a vibrating membrane. Both Carl engel and William Chappell came to regard this feature to be an essential constituent of a recorder, and considered the membrane itself to be the ‘recorder’.9 At the International Inventions exhibition in London in 1885, 22 recorders were on display, and at the Royal Military exhibition five years later 17 recorders were shown. In the catalogues of the International Inventions exhibition, the instruments were indiscriminately referred to as flûtes à bec or flauti dolci, whereas all the recorders in the 1890 exhibition were styled FLuTe DOuCe.10 The original catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection (now located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) dating from 1902–1905 used ‘FLuTe DOuCe. Recorder’ but confused the recorder (here called flute a bec [sic]) with the flageolet and its windcap “In those described as flute a bec, the plug is covered by a hollow cap, usually containing a sponge to absorb the moisture of the breath, at the

top of which is a small ivory beak or mouthpiece”.11 By the time of the Worshipful Company of Musicians Music Loan exhibition in 1904, the recorders were simply entitled ‘recorder’. However, the catalogue contains the surprising statement:

“The transverse flute was preceded by the flute with a fipple mouth-piece, known as the fipple flute or recorder, or by the French name of flûte à bec, now surviving only in the flageolet or penny whistle…the lack of artistic quality in their tone fully accounts for their disappearance”.12

The first of Christopher Welch’s Six Lectures on the Recorder was delivered to the Musical Association in 1898, and the word ‘recorder’ is used throughout the text: similarly, Galpin’s historic text Old English Instruments of Music, published in 1911, also used the term ‘recorder’, the name by which the instrument is now known throughout the english-speaking world.13

In england, a player of the instrument is referred to as ‘recorder player’, a term which translates directly into German as Blockflötenspieler but our transatlantic colleagues have coined the neologism ‘recorderist’. In French, a recorder player may be styled either as jouer (player) de flûte à bec or flûtiste à bec. Just to confuse the issue, Jean Paul (a nom de plume of C P F Richter, 1763–1825) in his Flegeljahren (adolescence) of 1804, described an unseemly brawl between a bass player and a recorder player: the recorder player was referred to asa Flüte-a-beccist!14

In terms of a definition, the standard dictionary is of little help to the organologist: “Recorder 3. A kind of flute held forward and downwards from the mouth as it is played”.15 It would be more helpful in attempting an accurate, comprehensive description — if not a definition — to look at the characteristic features of the recorder which all recorders possess. The nearest that can perhaps be achieved is ‘an internal duct flute, with an inverted conical bore, seven front tone-holes and a rear thumb-hole’. All recorders possess these features (even if some of the tone-holes are covered by open-standing keys, as on larger recorders) but there are many early english flageolets and Viennese csakans with these characteristics. All recorders have a block (or plug) which gives the origin of the standard German name Blockflöte, but the possession of a block is implicit within the term duct flute. A less-commonly encountered description also used in German is Kernspaltflöte, describing the block, windway

53Summer 2014

and lip characteristic, again, of all duct flutes.16 A further typical feature of the recorder is its beaked mouthpiece, giving the instrument its French name flûte à bec and the alternative German name of Schnabelflöte, the Spanish flauta de pico and the Italian flauto a becco — but many basset and bass recorders do not have a beaked mouthpiece. At least, it eliminates the windcapped english flageolet and most csakans, which have either a crook-handle or a knob type of mouthpiece. Another term encountered in the German tongue is Langsflöte, implying a vertical (as opposed to a transverse) flute and the similar Spanish and Italian terms flauta recta and flauto diritto have similar meanings so perhaps it is appropriate to include this in our description,

omit the beaked mouthpiece, and consider the recorder as ‘an internal duct flute, played vertically, with an inverted conical bore, seven front tone-holes and a rear thumb hole’. This at least eliminates the single flute-flageolet, but even the comprehensive classification of Hornbostel and Sachs fails to distinguish between the recorder, csakan, flageolet, tin whistle and galoubet (classification 421.22).17

Twenty-first century standardization certainly lends enhancement to etymological and organological clarity, but, in terms of the Platonic philosophy of ideas, we shall each have our own individual visualization of a recorder—even if the instrument does defy definition.

1 www.google.co.uk., accessed 18 December 2013.2 Brian Trowell, ‘King Henry IV, Recorder-Player’, Galpin Society Journal X (1957), pp.83-84; Dale Higbee, ‘The etymology of

‘Recorder’’, Galpin Society Journal, XVIII (1965), p.128; Anthony Rowland-Jones, ‘Some thoughts on the Word ‘Recorder’ and How

it was First used in england’, Early Music Performer VIII (March 2001), pp.89-97; Christopher Welch, Six Lectures on the Recorder

and other Flutes in relation to Literature, (Oxford: Oxford university Press, 1911), pp.1–47.3 edgar Hunt, The Recorder and its Music, (Mytholmroyd: Peacock Press, 3rd. ed, 2002), p.6.4 Peter Thalheimer, ‘Fleitl, — Flûte douce — Flötuse: Drei Blockflötentypen des 19. Jahrhunderts’, Tibia 3 (2008), pp.176–183;

Douglas MacMillan, ‘An Organological Review of the Recorder 1800–1905’, The Galpin Society Journal LX, (2007), pp.191–202. 5 William Bainbridge, ‘Improvements on the flageolet or english flute, whereby the fingering will be rendered more easy and notes

produced that have never before been produced’, Patent No.2693, 2 April 1803.6 Thomas Busby, A Complete Dictionary of Music, (London: R.Phillips, 1801), s.v. ‘common flute’.7 Hunt, op.cit., p.7; Charles Burney, Music and Manners in France and Italy, (London: new edition for the Folio Society, eulenberg,

1969), p.116.8 Carl engel, Musical Instruments in the South Kensington Museum, (London: 2nd.ed, eyre and Spottiswoode, 1874), p.122.9 Douglas MacMillan,‘A Controversial Tenor Recorder’, The Galpin Society Journal, LXV (2012), pp.197–199. This recorder formed

part of the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum (accession no. 285–1882) and is currently (December 2013) on display in

The Art of Harmony exhibition at the Horniman Museum, London.10 Alfred J. Hipkins, Guide to the Loan Collection And List of Musical Instruments, Manuscripts, Books, Paintings, And Engravings,

Exhibited In The Gallery And Lower Rooms Of The Albert Hall, (London: William Clowes, 1885); C.R. Day, A Descriptive Catalogue

of the Musical Instruments recently exhibited at the Royal Military Exhibition, London, !890, (London: eyre and Spottiswoode,

1891).11 Catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments of all Nations, vol.4.1, (Memphis: digital reproduction, General

Books, 2012), p.48.12 An Illustrated Catalogue of the Music Loan Exhibition held by the Worshipful Company of Musicians at Fishmongers’ Hall, London

Bridge. June–July 1904, (London: Novello 1909).13 Christopher Welch, op.cit.; Francis William Galpin, Old English Instruments of Music, (London: Methuen, 1911), pp.139–144.14 Marianne Betz, Der Csakan und seine Musik, (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1992), p.4715 The Oxford Dictionary, s.v. ‘Recorder’.16 This term is more commonly used generically rather than specifically applied to the recorder.17 Jeremy Montagu, ‘Flute. 2. ‘Classification and distribution’, Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, Oxford university Press,

accessed 19 March 2013, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40559.

55Summer 2014

How long have you playing together as a quartet and when will you graduate from the RCM?

Two of our members; emily and Lucy, will be graduating from the RCM this summer whilst Katie and Ria still have one more year left. We have been performing together for nearly two years. Tell me a bit about you individually.

From an early age emily studied the recorder with Lisete da Silva at the Watford School of Music. She went on to complete her Bachelor of Music degree at the university of Birmingham in 2012, where

she studied with Ross Winters and Chris Orton. emily began her Masters degree at the RCM in the same year. As a soloist, she enjoys performing contemporary repertoire. She has performed on BBC Radio 3 in the new opera by Michael Wolters, The Voyage, as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Since this project, she has collaborated with a number of composers on new contemporary works and is keen to further her knowledge in this repertoire.

Katie began the recorder with Angela Chapman in her hometown in Devon. Now a 3rd-year undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, she studies recorder and baroque oboe. As well as performing with BLOCK4, Katie is the baroque oboist of The elia ensemble and has performed

Formed in 2012 whilst studying at The Royal College of Music, BLOCK4 is a London-based recorder quartet featuring Emily Bannister, Lucy Carr, Katie Cowling and Ria Smith. With recent success in the Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Competition ringing in their ears (see ‘Footjoint’on page 70) recorder consort BLOCK4 are a group to watch out for in the future. Their success in the competition marks the first time a recorder consort has won the competition in its 62-year history – a remarkable achievement.

BLOCK4Photograph: C

hris C

hristodou

lou


with numerous baroque ensembles in London on both recorder and oboe. A special interest in medieval wind instruments has recently resulted in performances at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and in musicals such as Jeremy James Taylor’s, The Ballad of Salomon Pavey.

Lucy will be completing her undergraduate degree this summer having started in September 2010. Previously she attended the Junior Royal Northern College of Music from the age of 11 studying with Alan Davis. Having recently collaborated with RCM percussionist Angela Wai-Hui, Lucy is keen to explore this dynamic ensemble including working with composers to produce new repertoire.

Ria, currently in her 3rd year at the Royal College of Music, started the recorder at an early age and was self-taught up until 16. She went on to study under Rebecca Austen-Brown at the Royal College of Music Junior Department where she found her love for consort playing. Ria is also a trained saxophonist, flautist and clarinettist and has been a member of several orchestras. Who have been your tutors and how have they guided you through your development and the competition?

At the RCM we are very lucky to have internationally renowned recorder players to coach us. As well as working with Ashley Solomon, Head of Historical Performance at the RCM, we focus on contemporary repertoire with Julien Feltrin, and María Martinez-Ayerza for early consort. All of our professors enjoyed competition success and have been able to share their experiences to help guide us. With their suggestions and support, for which we are very grateful, we were able to produce a unique programme for the competition. How did you decide on your chosen repertoire for competition?

As recorder players, we are very aware of how important it is to show the full versatility of the instrument. To do this, we knew that we needed to not only contrast early music with contemporary, but also create a visual experience. To this end we aim to break down the barriers of western classical conventions in performance. Performing from memory is important to us as it helps us to convey

and communicate the music with each other and the audience. The freedom that comes with this allows us to think more creatively and perform in a theatrical way. In the final of the Royal Overseas League, we aimed to create a programme in which every piece displayed a different aspect of our ensemble playing; contrasting the rhythmic complexities of Chiel Meijiring’s Sitting Ducks with the purity of 16th-century Spanish vocal music. How do you choose your repertoire in general and do you have a preferred genre?

As well as performing well-known recorder consort repertoire, both early and contemporary, we have recently begun creating our own editions of early facsimiles. Alongside this, we are working in collaboration with composers from the Royal College of Music exploring new possibilities for recorder consort. At this stage in the consort’s development, we are experimenting with the way in which we present early repertoire alongside contemporary works. Such contrasting repertoire is unique to the recorder as an instrument, and we feel it is important to showcase this when we perform. What are your plans for the future?

Together with preparation for our upcoming concerts in the uK, we are eager to perform internationally. We also hope to further our collaborative work, both with other composers and other artists.

Information about upcoming concerts can be found at www.block4.co.uk

STOP PRESS!With our finger hovering on the print button came the fantastic news that 15-year-old recorder player Sophie Westbrooke from Sevenoaks had reached the final of the BBC Young Musician 2014 competition. She delighted the audience with a newly commissioned chamber orchestra arrangement of Gordon Jacob’s Suite for Recorder and Strings. Sophie is the second recorder player in consecutive competitions to reach the concerto final after Charlotte Barbour-Condini in 2012. Huge congratulation to Sophie for a fabulous achievement! More details will follow in the autumn issue.

57Summer 2014

�rom �mall

�eginnings

in �anberra Margaret Wright

About eighteen years ago, I was asked to teach eight retired adults who wished to learn the recorder. I had been retired from being a general classroom teacher a few years previously, and was working as a peripatetic recorder teacher in different schools in Canberra.

Within a few years, the numbers of university of the Third Age (u3A) recorder learners increased, so that

eventually I abandoned schools to concentrate on Seniors. I now have 160 people on my rolls, covering total beginners to more advanced players.

I now offer six classes, all but one, of two hours’ duration. In the u3A Prospectus, my preliminary course is entitled ‘How to read and Play Music’, using the recorder. No knowledge of music is assumed. This year, eighteen are enrolled in this class. I have about 60 ‘spare’ recorders (all sizes from sopraninos to great basses and a contra bass). These I have been given by retired recorder players, over many years, and just two months ago I was bequeathed a further twelve (sopraninos, descants, trebles and tenors). I clean and catalogue the instruments, and lend them to the new players so that they might ‘try before they buy’. The 2014 Continuing Beginners class (in their second year) has twenty members, and most have now bought their own instruments. Both these beginner classes meet in our front room on different mornings. My long-suffering non recorder-playing husband moves the dining table back against the wall, and puts out chairs in classroom formation. He

hangs up my whiteboard. each lesson begins with about five minutes of listening to a CD of music which features or includes recorders. Some favourites include the Palladian ensemble, Horacio Franco, Amsterdam Loeki

Stardust Quartet, Andrew Collis, Michaela Petri and Australia’s Genevieve Lacey. I have no recordings of recorder orchestras, so that’s an area to be addressed! I talk briefly about the instrument(s), the player(s), the composer and the work. Often comments flow from my husband’s study, adjoining our ‘classroom’. Although not a player, he is a very informed and knowledgeable listener. Sometimes he finds an interesting DVD to show us at the tea break. He is also devoted to the urn on the kitchen bench, and is in charge of tea, coffee and biscuits. everyone pays a few dollars each term to cover the costs.

My instructional book is an oldie: ‘The Recorder Guide’ by Kulbach and Nitka. I use this book because it runs the C and F fingerings together on one page, introducing note by note, with duets from very early on. The pages are not always clearly printed, but I advise my students when we have to make the few corrections. Is there another tutor book that can


run both fingerings together? I’d love to know. We clap and play (on one note) rhythms from prepared rhythm sheets. A good selection of books which we are soon able to use is those written by Dumville. The pieces are for descant, treble and tenor and are nicely graded, with jolly tunes and harmonies. Wednesday afternoons are the Big Days. We hire a hall in the local Seniors’ Club, and I run three groups, one after the other. (And yes, there are some wonderful assistants who set up the chairs, the podium - newly built by a member- and a glass of water and cup of tea for me).

The first session, 12:00-12:30, is of 20 players who have already had two or three years in The Dining Room at home. They are venturing out of that security, but are a bit nervous of joining the Intermediate Orchestra at 12:30. So this is half hour

of rhythm exercises, (rhythm seems to be the area which is most confusing to most beginners...and others!) We clap and play from rhythm sheets, and are working through ‘Accent on Rhythm’ for recorder trio by Walter Bergmann.

We also have scales and arpeggios, and I’ve recently introduced Grade 1 studies and pieces. It’s the fastest half hour known to all!

The Intermediate Orchestra follows at 12:30, and here are 48 players who have been with me for about five years and more, as well as those progressing from the earlier groups.

After scales, studies, and rhythm patterns, we play SAT pieces such as early Dance Music arranged by Andrew Mayes, and Music for Recorders: Five Glees arranged by Benoy. At 1:15 we are joined by five beginner bass players who have spent the past

59Summer 2014

hour practising in a small room. We enjoy pieces from The Quartet Recorder by Burakoff and Strickland, and have begun working on Stanley Taylor’s arrangement of Capriol Suite.

The main orchestra begins at 2:00, and lasts for two hours with a tea/coffee break at 3:00.

Some of the braver Intermediate members stay on for this session. There are 64 on the roll, but it is rare to have the full complement, with issues of health, family and travel needing attention

The orchestra owns two contra basses, and five great basses. To raise the money to buy them, each week we had a ‘bring and buy’ table of fresh produce and hand crafts, jam and cakes for several years. I applied for government grants, and so gradually the money was raised. We were given two great basses and one contra bass by people unable to

continue playing.We have quite a repertoire including

Bloodworth’s Renaissance Dance Suites, works by Paul Clark (whom I visited during my Churchill Fellowship tour in 1991), Ann and Steve Marshall, Sylvia Rosin, Glen Shannon, Ian Farquhar, eileen Silcocks, as well as Handel, Bach, Telemann and the Gabrielis.

My sixth group is a small ensemble, Rubato, meeting every fortnight back in my dining room to play one or two to a part.

During the year I organise special days with a bit more of a social aspect. The next will be St. George’s Day on 23rd April, when about 26 of us will have cream teas in the garden, then adjourn to our lounge room to play english music through the ages. My husband meanwhile is organising the dining room


and extra tables and chairs from indulgent neighbours, and we finally sit down to a shared dinner, flowing over into the next room (Australian open plan living has its benefits!) Red and white roses are de rigeur!

In May we’ll have an All Recorders Playing Day, when recorder players from small towns around the region will spend the day with us experiencing playing in the large group. Last year we had ninety players. The sound was magnificent!

Later in the year the same people are invited to join our Double and Triple Choir Day.

What a feast of Gabrieli (and others), that is!For fun we also meet in early summer for a

cruise on Canberra’s large mill-pond lake playing

any watery melodies we can find. We begin with ‘For Those in Peril on the Sea’, and move on through the Water Music of Handel and Telemann, as well as various folk songs with a watery theme.

This has all evolved over eighteen years, and is an example of how the u3A has provided opportunities freely for so many people to learn to read music in a relaxed and sociable atmosphere, and eventually to play in an orchestra. For some of my members, this had been a hitherto unattainable dream.

In 2011 Margaret Wright was awarded the Order of Australia (the Aussie version of MBE) for her voluntary work helping Seniors to a happy, social and productive retirement.

To celebrate C P E Bach’s 300th birthday this year, you can win a copy of his Sonata in F for Bass Recorder (PAR 310) transcribed from the original Trio Sonata for Bass recorder, Viola and Continuo by Andrew Robinson. Work out what is being described from the two clues below:

My voice is higher than a consort flute, but I’m no soprano.I was favoured by Woodcock and Baston.Send your answers to the editor at Scout Bottom Farm, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, HX7 5JS, or email

[email protected] with the subject title ‘The Recorder Magazine Competition’ by 7th July, 2014. A winner will be drawn from all the correct answers.

Many apologies for the incorrect deadline in the previous competition. All correct answers were included in the draw.

In the Spring issue we asked: Which region of Norway often associated with a particular skiing technique does the Sjøfløyte originate from? The correct answer is Telemark.

Congratulations to Mary Neave from Bristol who wins a copy of Grieg’s Norwegian Dance Op 35, no 2 for SAATTB recorders, arranged by Helen Hooker.

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61Summer 2014

63Summer 2014 63Summer 2014


MUSIC REVIEWSSolo:

Leonello CapodaglioTwelve Diatonic FanciesPRB Publications, PRB CI032, £6.00

Capodaglio is an Italian composer born in 1945. These 12 short pieces are written for recorders in C, oboe or flute and it states in the foreword that they were “composed to form a suite of moderately easy pieces for solo wind instrument. They are in approachable keys and styles and in a variety of tempo.”

The pieces range in length from 3 to 8 lines of music and apart from 2 tunes in F major, all are in C major/A minor with barely an accidental in sight. The pieces have tempo indications such as ‘Dreamy,’ ‘Joyful’ and ‘Happy’. They are not all as easy to play as suggested, several tunes using high Cs and Ds, sometimes with slurs across big leaps which might be easier to play on flute or oboe than descant recorder. As with most collections of tunes, there are some with obvious appeal and others that are less interesting to play. My favourites were the lively, happy movements.

The book would suit somebody looking for short pieces which are not quite studies, to play on their own with no accompaniment.Debbie Porro

Benjamin ThornThree Follies for Bass RecorderOrpheus Music, OMP 242, £13.20

It is good to find a piece of original music for bass recorder which can be played by reasonably competent bass players, without having a diploma tucked under your belt.

Benjamin Thorn’s Three Follies are structured round the Follia ground bass and could be accompanied by a cello or viol playing that bass in G minor. The first movement, marked “Lively and spontaneous”, is indeed a lively syncopated piece with triplets here and there to add to the spontaneity. By contrast, the second Folly, has the feel of an aria, although it does have a brighter middle section. Parts of this movement are to be sung at the same time as being played. I am not very good at that technique and I didn’t think it detracted too much from the movement just to play it straight, although it is not what the composer intended. The final movement is a lively gigue with some syncopated bars which is quite effective and ends the piece with a flourish.

These pieces were originally composed for ocarina so the range of notes is limited, which works in favour of bass players who are not comfortable in the high register. Three Follies are enjoyable pieces to play and to listen to.Janice Ormerod

Duet:

James KurtzThree Episodes for Two For recorder Duo: ATPeacock Press, P 504, £4.00

These three pieces are entitled ‘Playful’, ‘Song’ and ‘Invention’. I played them through with my daughter and we thoroughly enjoyed them.

The first piece has some rhythmic challenges with syncopation and the two parts bouncing off each other. It took us several attempts to get it working successfully but it was great fun when it did.

‘Song’ offers the opportunity for lovely legato playing with a soaring melody. The time signature changes and carefully marked articulation in ‘Invention’ give the player plenty to think about and keep you on your toes.

These would make great concert items for a fairly advanced duo and I’m sure would be enjoyed by audience and players alike. Recommended.Debbie Porro

Quartet:

Les DaveyVariations on Waltzing MatildaFor SATB recordersOrpheus Music, OMP 245, Score and parts, £13.00

As Orpheus music is Australia’s recorder music publisher, it is not surprising to find that one of their new publications is a set of variations on Waltzing Matilda by Les Davey.

There are four variations in this set. The theme has a jazzy introduction but then is a straightforward setting of the tune in F Major. In Variation 1, which is also in F major, The theme isn’t all that apparent until half way through when it pops up in the treble part as the refrain of “ ... waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda …”. Variation 2 is a doleful variation in F minor (be warned , 4 flats!). Variation 3 returns to F Major and is in 6/8 time. This variation is mainly for a nimble-fingered descant player. The final variation is a lively jazz piece with most of the interest in the descant part and is a good ending to the set.

Although at first sight, this set of variations doesn’t appear to be too difficult (apart from the four flats), it does need reasonably competent players to produce a satisfying performance.Janice Ormerod

Marg Hall Klezmer CollectionFor SATB recordersPeacock Press, P 512, £7.50

These pieces were written for the National Recorder Festival, Truro 2014. These five pieces were written in the musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. Fast pieces are ‘wild, raw and energetic’. Slow pieces are ‘plaintive and melancholy’.

‘Valodya’s Farewell to Odessa’ is a Russian Folk Song combined with ‘Bei Mir Bistu Shein’. The second piece, Dobranotsh is also known as ‘The Good Night Waltz’. The third is ‘Odessa Bulgar’ – the ‘Bulgar’ is a kind of line dance. Number four is ‘Hopke’. The fifth, ‘Papirosn’, was originally an up-tempo dance tune which became a slow sentimental song. Marg hopes to have restored this piece to its former feel.

Although this collection has only just been published, I have been privileged to have already been able to introduce it to two different groups. Both groups loved the collection! So much so, that the younger group decided to use two pieces in a concert after just one run-through, even though they had built up quite a repertoire during the year! They chose numbers two and four. The other group has chosen two and five to play in a festival coming up in May. Again this was after one run-through, such is their immediate appeal and playability!

If you loved Hava Nagila, you’ll love these, too. If you don’t know Hava Nagila, you really ought to try that collection as well. Both sets are excellent to play and extremely audience-friendly! Jackey Birch

Quintet:

Johann Strauss juniorAnnen-PolkaArr. Ferdinand Gesell For recorder quintet: SopATBCbManuskriptesammlung, FE MS JS1, £5.00

More Schlagsahne (that is yer actual whipped cream) from the Karlsruhe publisher Manuskriptesammlung. This time it’s a characteristic Strauss polka. Ferdinand Gesell’s scoring for this quintet is unusual. It is obviously intended as a show piece for an enthusiastic and extrovert sopranino player who revels in the chance to demonstrate his skill with lots of acciaccaturas and trills. That’s the froth on the top. The coffee has to be supplied more routinely by the treble, tenor, bass and contra players, modestly providing um-cha, um-cha, um-chachacha pretty much throughout. (Note that there is no great bass or

65Summer 2014

MUSIC REVIEWS continued

descant in this arrangement.) Just before the Da capo the treble gets eight bars to step out of the shadows and share the sopranino’s fun in parallel tenths.

This would make a good fun encore-type item. It is a competently produced publication except for the omission of back repeat dots at bar 37. Again the bass recorder part is shown in treble clef in the score and bass clef in the part – evidently the house style.Christopher Burgess

Sextet:

Daryl RunswickA Scottish Linsey-WoolseyFor SATBGbCbPeacock Press, P496, £7.00

Here is another interesting piece by Daryl Runswick, for small ensemble with access to a great bass and contra bass, which has just been released by the Leicester Recorder Players.

It is a medley of nine well known Scottish songs starting with ‘Wi’ a Hundred Pipers’ and including ‘Bonnie Charlie’s now awa’, ‘Ca’ the Yowes’ and ‘Comin’ thro’ the Rye’, and ending with ‘Scots wha’ hae’. The piece is mainly in 6/8 time but changes into 2/4 time in the middle section to accommodate the melodies. It is in simple keys, G major and C major, with the melodies mainly in the descant and treble parts, but there is some interest in the lower parts with the great bass and the contra bass having independent parts at times.

So why the title A Scottish Linsey-Woolsey? According to the footnote, “Linsey-Woolsey” is a coarse dress material made from wool woven on a linen warp – hence “Linsey-Woolsey” means a strange mixture. There is nothing strange about this medley of tunes. They are just good fun to play and will keep the audience on their toes guessing which tune is being played.Janice Ormerod

Andy MeyersRecorderumbaFor SSAT/ATBPeacock Press, P493, £8.50

This is for flexible ensemble, in that one part can be played by treble or tenor. This is always useful for larger groups which can vary with numbers in each part.

The piece is to be played ‘with energy’, so not a piece to be played late at night when the group is getting tired! The syncopations, accents and articulation indications, along with the cut common time all give the feeling of excitement and fun. The dynamics are a vital

part of the work. The ranges of each part are not excessive and there are few accidentals. Each part has some interest and is not totally relegated to the role of accompanist. The rhythms and syncopations drive the work. Hence this work is fun to play. When given the attention to detail it requires, it is an audience-friendly piece which I have used in concerts. Jackey Birch

Recorder Orchestra:

Johann Strauss juniorGeschichten aus dem Wienerwald(Tales from the Vienna Woods)Arr.Ferdinand Gesell For recorder septet: SopSATBGbCb (possibly with optional zither!)Manuskriptesammlung, FE MS JS2, £9.60

I confess to being intrigued and a trifle perplexed by this publication. This and the other Strauss piece reviewed here are my first encounter with the Karlsruhe-based German publisher Manuskriptesammlung, although their Flautando Edition lists on the back cover an impressive number of pieces from an eclectic range of sources.

Devotees of this quintessentially Viennese repertoire, such as may be heard every year on January 1st, will delight in the chance to compile their own New Year’s Day celebration, with or without the added glamour that only the Musikverein can bestow. This famous waltz and ländler sequence presents players the challenge of negotiating numerous tempo changes and fluctuations. Naturally no attempt is made to represent in the notation the characteristic lilt of the anticipated second beat that Viennese players would respond to so readily. This will have to rest in the hands of the bass, great bass and contrabass players who inevitably must resign themselves to maintaining the inexorable triple-time pulse. (But then the lower strings of the Vienna Philharmonic are used to that.) The melodic interest is entrusted almost entirely to the upper parts with lots of parallel movement in thirds and sixths. This is not to imply any criticism: it is merely the nature of the beast.

We have become accustomed to German editions printing great bass parts in treble clef, and this is no exception. Surprisingly the score gives the bass part in treble clef too; but the part is written in bass clef.

Now then, hands up all those recorder groups who have a tame zither player at their disposal! This arrangement could be just what you have all been waiting for. At bar 31 the zither enters the fray and either doubles or replaces the recorder parts for some 30 or so bars. It then has 90 or so bars rest –

about time to nip out for a quick Bier – before rejoining for the final shoot-out.Christopher Burgess

Lyndon HillingThe Brington CrystalFor recorder orchestra in 16 parts: SopSSAAAATTT BBBBGbCbPeacock Press, P501, Score and parts £18.00

Back in 1988 England had no more recorder orchestras than you could count on the fingers of one hand and most of the music they played was photocopied from arrangers’ manuscripts. Arrangements were fairly plentiful; original compositions for this still largely untested medium were still scarce. Over in East Sussex the small village of Firle – a mere stone’s throw from that other significant musical centre, Glyndebourne – was the scene of regular recorder workshops organised by the very energetic Judith Bottomley, who commissioned Lyndon Hilling to write a substantial piece for them. The result was Midsummer Meadow Suite, a work characteristic of the very best of English light music, which has rightfully established its position as one of the benchmarks of the recorder orchestra genre.

The appearance nearly a quarter of a century later of a new work for recorder orchestra by Lyndon Hilling – to my knowledge only the second one he has ever written – has to be hailed as a truly significant event. Dedicated jointly to Dietrich Schnabel and Eileen Silcocks, who have a collaborative relationship with their respective orchestras, The Brington Crystal is a single movement lasting about 11 minutes (incidentally, about the same duration as the three movements of Midsummer Meadow Suite put together) and again it draws its inspiration from Lyndon’s county of Northamptonshire.

In the prefatory note the composer tells us that “Margaret Viscountess Althorp married Charles Robert 6th Earl Spencer in 1889 when she was only 20 years old (he was 11 years her senior). They were devoted to each other until her untimely death in 1906 at the age of 37. After she was buried in the graveyard of St Mary’s Parish Church, Great Brington, in Northamptonshire, her grieving husband had a Celtic cross set above her tomb, and on top of that a magnificent crystal prism which caught the rays of the sun and flashed them in a rainbow of colours across the valley to Althorp House.”

If some of the names mentioned in this note strike a familiar chord it is because the protagonists of this tale were the great-grandparents of another beautiful young


MUSIC REVIEWSwoman who in different circumstances met a premature death: Lady Diana Spencer, the late Princess of Wales.

The Brington Crystal is scored for a large orchestra in 16 parts, including four treble lines, three tenor and four bass, plus the usual sopranino, descants, greats and contras. The opening is slow and mysterious with rising whole tone scales welling up from the bottom of the texture. The patterns become increasingly animated and urgent until they erupt into a graceful Viennese waltz in F major, recalling perhaps the glittering society balls of the high Victorian era. As the seemingly inexorable waltz theme launches into yet another repetition – a repetition too far? – the febrile life of the music seems to sigh and descend into a terminal decline. The slow tempo of the opening returns and some of the early mesto thematic material with it. A grief-stricken knell is sounded in augmented fourths by the two highest instruments. The two lowest recorders crawl downwards in off-beat chromatic lines. The high knell sounds again in isolation, and silence remains.

This 36-page score is attractively produced and the parts are printed with no problematic page-turns. Accomplished and ambitious recorder orchestras will relish the challenge. A clip on Youtube shows the composer presenting a stand-up programme note before Dietrich Schnabel conducts the Scottish Recorder Orchestra.Christopher Burgess

Franz Krommer (1759 - 1831)Octet-Partita (à la chasse)Arr. Joanna Brown for recorder orchestra, large ensemble or nonet:SAATTBBGbCbPeacock Press, P495, £18.00

Joanna Brown has again been plundering the late classical repertoire of outdoor wind music, and bringing it indoors to offer it to the essentially indoor market of recorder players. Those who may have enjoyed the arrangement she made in 2012 of Franz Krommer’s C major Partita (from the original in B flat) will revel in the scintillating exuberance of this one in G (transposed from Krommer’s key of E flat). Krommer was a successful Moravian musician whose career culminated in an appointment at the Imperial Austrian court.

The subtitle à la chasse obviously refers to the first of the five movements, a whooping Allegro vivo cross-country chase in a galloping six-eight. A succinctly mannered minuet and trio follow and then an expressive Mozartian Adagio with a middle section in the tonic minor. The polonaise which follows is reminiscent of some of Leopold Mozart’s

courtly musical gestures. The partita ends with a charming rondo whose rhythmic momentum is maintained by repeated quaver figuration passed from part to part, providing propulsion for the singing melodic lines.

Joanna has done an excellent job in supplying competent players with what is essentially a musical surprise party. This is not to say that the musical content provides any shocks or jolts. On the contrary, this is all pretty conventional stuff, seldom straying from the expectations of its well-bred aristocratic patrons. For the players, it is shot through with witty repartee where every member of the party is allowed to contribute to the cut and thrust of intelligent and lively conversation. This version of Krommer’s wind music is offered in a form and choice of key that shows a real understanding of what recorders are good at doing.

The publication is presented in a clear unadorned format. The parts have one or two tricky page turns – presumably unavoidable, as nobody sits about idle for long in this arrangement. It is good to have an arranger’s prefatory note giving biographical information and background to the source material.

All in all this comes with the strongest possible recommendation. Great fun!Christopher Burgess

Scott Joplin (1867-1917)Two WaltzesArr. Irmhild Beutler for recorder orchestra: SopSATBGbCbEdition Moeck, EM 3333, £17.60

Rejoice, rejoice! At last somebody at Moeck’s publications department really has been listening. Very sensibly this German firm has been offering its excellent publications with express permission to photocopy its legally purchased parts for recorder orchestra: for years I’ve been reviewing these and, like a voice crying in the wilderness, bemoaning the fact that the parts have been printed on paper that’s just a little bit too big to go through the feeder slot of the photocopier, necessitating a lot of time wasting jiggling on the machine’s screen to make sure all the notes, barlines, clefs, and bar numbers appear centred on the (legal) photocopy. And ... here at last is a set of parts provided in true A4 size. Thank you for listening, Sabine (or whoever).

Now to the music.

Following the success of his first ragtime compositions, Original Rags (1899) and Maple Leaf Rag, Scott Joplin – the African-American King of Ragtime – went on the write in excess of 40 further rags: and it is on these, with their

jerky syncopations, that his reputation rests in the mind of the general public. Joplin’s catalogue of compositions is extensive and even includes an opera, Treemonisha. He also composed five waltzes in popular bar-room style, two of which have been arranged here for recorder orchestra. They are slowish, leisurely tunes, more relaxed than the fast Viennese waltzes of the Johann Strauss era, and with a courtly, often syncopated, formality.

Bink’s Waltz is scored in seven parts with a top line for sopranino. There is occasional doubling to thicken up the accompanying chords in the tenor and bass parts. Inevitably, the bass, great and contra parts mostly confine their activity to typical waltz-type accompanying figures. The melodic interest lies mainly in the upper parts with the tenor getting a generous share.

Pleasant Moments lives up to its title. I find this the more attractive of the two pieces with its subtly syncopated melodic charm and occasional moments (pleasant moments?) where the big bass instruments are invited to take part in the dialogue.

These waltzes are a delightful and unusual addition to the repertoire. Irmhild Beutler’s reputation as an experienced and accomplished musician, together with her colleagues in the trio Dreiklang Berlin, underlines the recommendation. She and Mr Joplin have between them provided the smaller recorder orchestras with music of no great technical difficulty but requiring precise and rhythmical articulation.Christopher Burgess

Anne MartinFantasia: Surrey LeavesFor recorder orchestra: SopSSAATTBBGbCbPeacock Press, P435, £12.50

Those of us who attended the SRP Festival hosted by the Guildford Branch in 2012 will recall playing Surrey Leaves under Anne Martin’s energetic baton at the close of the event.

Writing a piece specifically for massed recorder players – most of whom have never actually played in one of the established recorder orchestras – demands the special skill of producing something which is (a) immediately attractive, (b) can be rehearsed and performed in a one-hour session and (c) can be negotiated by the weaker brethren without boring or patronising the more highly skilled. Anne has elected to adopt the standard 11-part scoring of the conventional recorder orchestra layout; however, the texture rarely departs from basic four-part harmony. Apart from occasional moments

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MUSIC REVIEWS continued

CD REVIEWS

of octave doubling, most of this score could be set out on seven lines. This should not be regarded as a criticism: it is a purely pragmatic solution to the task set. The end result is a surprisingly full sound using simple means. The piece would fulfil the needs of a conductor on a quest for manageable, technically accessible repertoire for an ‘easy orchestra’ assignment; alternatively an established orchestra might find it useful as a programme filler where rehearsal time is short.

It’s a fairly safe bet that the inclusion of the words ‘leaves’ or ‘green’ in the title of any composition for recorders will ensure a musical reference to the often-used ‘Browning’ theme, so beloved of English Elizabethan and Jacobean composers (not to mention 21st-century recorder players). Anne’s fantasia is no exception. The vigorous triple-time rhythmic pattern which is so evident from the outset immediately alerts our expectations of the ‘Browning’ theme. Much of the piece is dominated by

a closely related paraphrase of the famous tune, which first appears in its recognisable form in an unexpected key in the basses at bar 40 and in the tenors a dozen bars later. Further working out of this material leads to a dramatic silence and then a big unison statement of the signature opening of the well known theme. It’s all simple but effective, a mere 154 bars with some nice scrunchy false relations in the closing bars – an appreciative nod to Mr William Byrd.Christopher Burgess

The London Flute: European Chamber Music in the City 1700-1725Bart Coen rec; Per FlautoDeutsche Harmonia Mundi 88691966552

Manuscritto di Napoli 1725Bart Coen rec; Per FlautoSony Classical/Vivarte 88697564082

Two discs from Bart Coen and his Per Flauto team land on The Recorder Magazine’s desk this issue: Manuscritto di Napoli was recorded in 2009 and The London Flute in 2012, both by Sony Classical but with the latter packaged under the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi umbrella.

Manuscritto di Napoli, with Per Flauto in a five-piece strings-and-harpsichord line-up backing Coen, takes as its starting point a 1725 manuscript – resident now in the Naples Conservatory’s library – containing 24 cham-ber concertos for recorder by Mancini, (Ales-sandro) Scarlatti, Barbella, Valentini (otherwise known as the London-born Robert Valentine), Mele and Sarri (otherwise known as Sarro). Coen presents here four concertos by Scar-latti, three by Mancini and one by Sarri, which is fitting as Scarlatti and Mancini are by far the most heavily represented composers in the manuscript. The characteristic Neapolitan lightness of touch owes a lot to the custom-ary omission of the viola in contradistinction to the more densely-worked harmony Vivaldi was producing in Venice.

The Scarlatti concertos, in particular, which are among his very last works (he died in 1725) are notable both for their emotional depth, which is sometimes in contrast to the perhaps slightly more facile works of his contemporaries, and for the sheer range of character exhibited within them. The A Minor is the most obviously ‘ecclesiastical’ (Coen’s translator’s adjective, but an apt one) of the disc’s worth of da chiesa concerto construc-

tions, complete with chromatic fugue; the A Major French-influenced; the C Major by turns threateningly dissonant and charmingly bub-bling; the G Minor rhythmically motivated and operatic.

Coen and Per Flauto charm throughout, the former pure of tone and accurate of in-tonation; the latter crisp, stylish and com-mitted. The joyful last movement of the Sarri concerto excels particularly, taking flight and dancing with abandon. I could have wished only for some increased emotional depth and resonance in the sombre first movement of the Mancini C Minor Concerto.

The London Flute treads well-trodden ground; namely, the crucible of European and European-influenced composition in the capi-tal city in the first half of the 1720s. Mancini features again here, as of course do Corelli, Carr, Handel, Paisible, Purcell, Dieupart and Loeillet, along with the lesser-known Francis Forcer (1649-1705) and Andrew Parcham (?-?). Per Flauto is pared down to three players here, with Herman Strinders on harpsichord and Nicholas Milne on viol completing the line-up.

Coen isolates, in his liner notes, specific reasons for the descent on London of various national groups of composers. He cites the growing unrest in the orchestra of the tyranni-cal Jean-Baptiste Lully in Paris for the French migration; the vanguard explorations of Loeil-let for the more modest Dutch influx. The ap-peal of being published by John Walsh as the motivating factor behind the Italian musicians’ peregrinations seems a little more tenuous, as the northern Italian regions were after all not short on publishers; I should have thought that Handel’s Italian opera line-up was more of a draw for most of them. I would also take is-sue with sentences such as ‘As recorder mak-ing evolved, so instruments were produced in different pitches’, which is open to debate on

at least three levels of which I can think, but perhaps something has been somewhat lost in translation.

The material here is almost all very widely recorded already. I am treading on very thin ice in this paragraph as I worked on the booklet of Peter Holtslag’s recent disc of very similar rep-ertoire, Awakening Princesses, and it would be most dishonest of me not to declare that here. However, I think it is valid to suggest that when recording widely-recorded repertoire, if you wish to distinguish yourself from the fray, it is generally requisite to have some point of dis-tinction. This is a problem that has been con-fronting reviewers of Beethoven symphonies and Haydn string quartets for years and it is inevitably now becoming applicable to review-ing the recorder repertoire: confronted with many recordings of this, would I buy this one? Is it a vanity project, or does it offer the buyer something not already on offer elsewhere? Awakening Princesses was recorded on the historical instruments of the Bate Collection appropriate entirely to the repertoire, and the substantial booklet was the product of very ex-tensive research. For me, Coen’s second disc of the pair doesn’t quite clear the bar.

That said, the playing is mostly pleasant and mellifluous. Some wry intonational mo-ments are to be found, and some rather pe-destrian ones; for instance, the first movement of the Parcham Solo in G. It doesn’t take off in quite the same way as the Neapolitan disc. The Mancini and the Corelli, though, here, are both very fine indeed, indicating perhaps just slightly more affinity on Coen’s part for the Ital-ian repertoire. A high point of this recital for me is the superb playing of harpsichordist Herman Strinders, who gives Francis Forcer’s Cha-conne in E minor from the Babell manuscript a delightful energy. Cat Groom

COURSE REVIEWS


CONCERT REVIEWHeart of England Recorder Orchestra

‘Hero Celebrates 21 Years’8th March, 2014

Heart of England Recorder Orchestra (HERO) is celebrating its foundation 21years ago by Paul Clark and Beryl Craven in 1993. I remember playing in those first rehearsals with Paul Clark – and the merciless speeds that he expected of his players. Last night, conductor Chris Orton took a similar approach. Beating very clearly and with the minimum of fuss Chris led the orchestra through an exciting and varied programme. HERO was joined by Charlotte Barbour-Condini and over sixty children and young people from Leicestershire and Rugby.

HERO opened with Mozart, Die Zauberflote Overture and followed with Geminiani’s Concerto No. 3 Opus 2, Movt. 1, arranged by Richards. Particularly enjoyable were the answering phrases in the Mozart and the swift-flowing line of the Geminiani.

An air of expectation hung over the 300-plus players and audience when Charlotte Barbour-Condini entered to play Vivaldi’sConcerto in C major, RV443, arranged by Colin Touchin. Here Charlotte’s nimble fingers and clear sense of phrasing brought the music to life and HERO accompanied very sensitively. Charlotte now delighted the audience with two solos: Van Eyck’s “Wat Zalmenop den Avond Doen” and Margolis’s “Dance and Fanfare”. Beginning with an interesting, unaffected introduction to the pieces, Charlotte held the attention of both adults and children as the Van Eyck gradually became more and more complex. It was a

delightful performance, the theme effortlessly came through and the phrasing was clear, intelligent and highly musical. Margolis’s Dance and Fanfare was an excellent choice to follow; the opening scurrying figure, holding the instrument aloft to slap the foot of the recorder and ending with the wow factor of playing treble and descant at once, meant that the children’s three cheers for her almost lifted the roof.

Chris Orton opened the second half with two solos, Yoshimine’s Mudai (no name or nothing) and Leenhouts’ Big Baboon. Mudai was played on a voice flute. Chris exploited the warm, flexible tone, using a wide variety of articulation and particularly vibrato. Big Baboon was well chosen to appeal to the large number of children. Mollenhauer’s modern tenor by Helder was the perfect instrument for a big tone and some truly life-like baboon noises that delighted the young audience.

HERO now returned with Teschner’s Elbtraum which may be translated as either “dreaming of the river Elbe” or as a wordplay on Alptraum meaning nightmare. It is a piece full of interesting harmonies and showcases each instrument with a constant interplay between lively and calm sections.

A most important feature of this concert was the inclusion of children and young people from Leicestershire and Rugby. Over sixty young players crowded onto the stage to play 24/7 for massed children and recorder orchestra composed by Birmingham Conservatoire-trained composer Kevin Satizibal in 2011. Using just descant B, A, G, and F he has created an interesting line for young players which is a thread running

through an orchestral work. I was in the middle of the performance with other teachers helping the young players. When I sat down I wrote:

“WOW – what an experience

to be surrounded by all these

enthusiastic young players –

it made me feel joyful and hopeful

for our wonderful instrument’s

future and the children were

utterly inspired.”

HERO now calmed the mood with Lotti’s Crucifixus arranged by Helen Hooker and finished the concert with The Beating Heart of Jazz, a work commissioned by HERO from composer Steve Marshall in 2012 in memory of Janet Williams and Ernie Price. (Many recorder players will remember the wonderfully enthusiastic Ernie Price who travelled to so many recorder events in his indefatigable three-wheeled blue Robin Reliant.) Here HERO shone with a relaxed, assured performance which had children and adults alike moving to the music.

A full and enthusiastic applause filled the hall – Beryl Craven who had done so much to organise the concert was warmly thanked and presented with a houseplant. Afterwards many children crowded around Charlotte to have their photographs taken with her. All the children left with a certificate which had autographed pictures of Charlotte and Chris on them. Caroline Jones

Intermediate Recorder Orchestra Day

Church Lawford, Rugby8th February 2014

The course was advertised as “a relaxed introduction to the recorder orchestra” and indeed it was. Thirty-five recorder players made their way to the delightful village hall in Church Lawford for a day of “good music, good fun and good company”; a proven recipe for success.

We were ably led through the varied pieces by Caroline Jones with insight and humour and encouragement to push ourselves a little further. Different parts were allotted for each piece so there could be no hiding in

the massed ranks of trebles or tenors, small solos appeared and were apportioned without favouritism! And yet no one was left exposed or unsupported. The program consisted of Kojo No Tsuki by Rentaro Taki; Sami Suomi Suite by Ian Farquhar; ‘Nimrod’ by Edward Elgar, arranged by Denis Bloodworth; Capriol Suite by Peter Warlock, arranged by Alan Davis; Sulgrave Suite by Rosemary Robinson, and ‘Hava Nagila’.

Attendees came from across the country and further afield, with overseas visitors from Bergen in Norway, who were able to add their first hand cultural knowledge and experience to our interpretations of the Sami Suomi Suite. Such was the enthusiasm of the participants that the lunch hour was reduced to a mere

45 minutes so that more playing time could be squeezed from the day. Caroline read out the Heather Wastie poem “Until I saw your foot”, to gently remind us that over-exuberant foot tapping doesn’t always enhance the performance! A rousing rendition of ‘Hava Nagila’, with “volunteer” chorus, rounded off the day. The time passed so quickly that we were on our way home before we knew it – a sure sign of an engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable day.

More Orchestra Days are planned in the not too distant future and will come highly recommended, I am sure, by those who attended this one. Watch this space for details.Peggy Wood.Birmingham SRP

69Summer 2014

COURSE REVIEWS continued

Extract from “Until I saw your foot”, Lapal PublicationsBy Heather Wastie, with her kind permission.

I thought this music was in four,Until I saw your foot.But now I think it must be three,Or maybe five, I can’t quite see.Or six? Or maybe not.

I thought this piece was rather slow,Until I saw your foot.But now I think it’s double speed –Sometimes it’s very fast indeedAnd other times it’s not.

Recorder Players’ Weekend with Polyphonica Recorder Trio

Knuston Hall14th -16th March 2014

After a gap of several years, I went to the Knuston Hall recorder players’ weekend (a course which I had always enjoyed before) interested to see whether the changes to the course this time were for the better. Although Simone Reid (nee Curley) had been a tutor the last time I went, for this course she was joined by the other two members of the trio, Polyphonica, in which she plays. This was definitely a good change. The tutors may have been new, but they were all approachable, and keen to share their knowledge, without making anyone feel inadequate, and managed to find music that would stretch all of us, but not too much. In addition to three great tutors, we had the unexpected but much appreciated opportunity to hear Polyphonica take us a on a quick musical trip from the very early medieval period right up to the present, in an after-lunch recital. This was followed by a workshop on articulation, also very useful, although I confess that I completely lost any ability to do anything but wonder about what I was ‘saying’ down the recorder for some time afterwards.

The music we played was as glorious as ever, including some one-to-a part pieces, arrangements by the tutors and to round off the day, a two-choir piece by Bach. The other big (and also good) change was that after each set of ‘chamber ensemble’ sessions, coached by the tutors, who were also joining in, we had the chance to perform what we had been working on to everyone else. This was more than a

little scary, as the ensemble that I was in was challenged with an arrangement of Vivaldi which went a lot faster than I am sure my fingers can play.

Of course, lots of things about the course haven’t changed. Knuston Hall is still a fabulous venue, with quirky rooms, staff for whom nothing seems to be too much trouble, and food that will make you groan (with pleasure). We were assured that it was all very good for recorder playing, and there certainly weren’t many leftovers. The fellow players haven’t changed either – they are all just as much fun, inspiring, scarily good, kind, encouraging, but possibly a little older than before. It was good to see so many familiar faces, and to make new friends.

The three members of Polyphonica have already been booked to take the weekend next year. I for one will be signing up, although I am tempted to keep quiet about how good it was, to make sure that there will be space for me.Michelle Koster

Course for gifted young players funded by Recorder Courses Lyme and the Walter Bergmann Fund Victoria House, Lyme Regis, Dorset

14th-17th February 2014

Mid-February: cold and wet. British weather at its best – again. But while most sensible people were heading away from the coast to avoid the imminent storms and flooding, ten keen young recorder players were heading to the seaside town of Lyme Regis, Dorset, for a full-on weekend of playing under the guidance of Tom Beets, courtesy of the Walter Bergmann Fund (part of the SRP) and Recorder Courses Lyme.

When we had all battled the closed roads and cancelled trains to arrive (and tried – some more successfully than others – to learn everyone’s names), we started off with some ‘tricky, but not too tricky’ pieces, including Hans Joachim Teschner’s Seaport Jump and Music That Counts by Steve Marshall. By the end of the evening, Tom had us all stamping, clapping and singing (and playing) our way through a multitude of sight-reading and part-swapping – just for fun. We all knew the real work would begin tomorrow morning…

…and we weren’t disappointed! After an hour and a half of technique focusing on how to actually hold the recorder (apparently harder than it looks) and double tonguing, we started on

our first one-to-a-part recorder orchestra piece which we would be working on over the next two days. For some of us, it was the first time we had played the larger instruments (great bass and contra), but everyone got the chance over the weekend. In the afternoon, we were let loose on Lyme Regis – and as we probably should have expected, the glorious weather only lasted until we had made it to the beach.

We then split into two smaller groups, playing quartets and quintets. Scott Joplin and Bach at the same time was no doubt an interesting combination for anyone listening, but it gave us yet another chance to try out different combinations of instruments and parts. For some reason, we decided (in a very democratic manner) that watching ‘The Hunger Games’ would be a fitting end to the evening, and most of us didn’t get to sleep until early Sunday morning.

Sunday night was Brandenburg night! We played through the Brandenburg Concertos 2 and 3, but as soon as we had got used to playing one part, we all had to move round three seats to the left. It really was a test of our concentration and sight-reading skills – moving from contrabass round to treble that quickly was more than a little confusing, but not quite as confusing as the pieces we had worked on that morning using only the head joints of our recorders!

All too soon, it was the final day of our long weekend in Lyme Regis. After checking and double checking train timetables and hastily packing, there was just enough time to split into our smaller groups again. This time, it was Paul Leenhout’s Tango für Elise, Bach, Telemann and inevitably ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’. Undeniably, the SATB arrangement we had proved much more fun on tenor, bass, great bass and contra.

After a short concert and copious amounts of pizza, it was time to leave. Thank you to Josée and Paul for putting up with us and of course Tom for his wonderful teaching and enthusiasm. We all had a brilliant time and it will definitely inspire us to become better recorder players. Thank you! Danke! Dank u! Merci!

Also thanks to the generosity of both The Walter Bergmann Fund and Recorder Courses Lyme for giving us the opportunity to meet and play with other recorder players – and we can only hope that next year’s course will be just as rewarding!Elizabeth Knatt

How to Play French `Baroque duetsIndividual or group tuition by Michael Muskett

Enquiries: [email protected]

CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED


FootjointARS honour Bernard ThomasThe American Recorder Society (ARS) presented a Distinguished Achievement Award to Bernard Thomas at the Royal Greenwich International Early Music Festival & Exhibition, in

November last year. The award recognises a person for outstanding contributions to the study of recorder and music in general. The presentation by Thomas Prescott on behalf of the ARS, took place at the Exhibitors Reception, hosted by the Early Music Shop.

BLOCK4 win Royal Overseas League Ensemble Competition

Formed in 2012, BLOCK4 is a London based recorder quartet featuring Emily Bannister, Lucy Carr, Katie Cowling and Ria Smith. Studying at the Royal College of Music under Ashley Solomon, Julien Feltrin and Maria Martinez, BLOCK4 present a dynamic approach to contemporary consort music as well as offering a captivating interpretation of music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The consort moves between the full range of both renaissance and modern instruments to explore contrasting sonorities.

They have previously received a high commendation at the RCM’s Senior Woodwind Prize in 2013. BLOCK4’s performances have included a variety of concerts and masterclasses with renowned experts such as Walter van Hauwe and Pamela Thorby, with exciting upcoming concerts at the Regents Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. The group are currently focussing on new works, and are collaborating with RCM composers in order to further expand the contemporary repertoire for their instruments.

The consort competed as part of the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Competition (category B) and performed a mixed programme of contemporary and renaissance works. The group combined the sounds of 16th-century Spanish instrumental and vocal music with

compositions of the 20th century, including theatrical elements. Their success marks the first time a recorder consort has won the competition in its 62-year history.

Information about upcoming concerts can be found at www.block4.co.uk

Masterclass with Ashley SolomonA masterclass for recorder, baroque flute and chamber music with Ashley Solomon is to take part on 6th-7th July 2014 at Villa Medici Giulini in Italy.

In 1991 Ashley completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, won the Moeck International Recorder Competition, resulting in a Wigmore Hall solo recital, and co-founded Florilegium. As a soloist, Ashley has performed worldwide. His Bach’s Flute Sonatas, volume 1 was selected as one of Gramophone’s favourite CDs of 2001. Much in demand as a teacher he has been a professor at the Royal College of Music since 1994 and given masterclasses and lectures in Australia, Singapore, the Americas and Europe. In 1998 he was made an Associate of the RAM and, in 2000, Honorary Member of the RCM. In 2006 Ashley was appointed RCM’s first Head of Historical Performance. Since his appointment he has directed numerous projects including an annual series of Bach Cantata concerts, and concerts at festivals in London and further afield. In addition he has directed tours to Italy and Australia with students from Historical Performance. For two years Ashley and his students were involved in recording all the music examples used in the permanent Medieval and Renaissance galleries in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In February 2014 Ashley was appointed to a Personal Chair at the RCM. In 2002 Florilegium became involved with Bolivian Baroque and since 2003 Ashley has been training vocalists and instrumentalists there. Initially solo singers, he formed Arakaendar Bolivia Choir in 2005, has directed them in concerts in Bolivia and Europe, and their four CDs. In 2008 Ashley was the first European to be awarded the prestigious Bolivian Hans Roth Prize. He received it in recognition of the enormous assistance he has given to the Bolivian native Indians, including the promotion and preservation of their music

Visit www.villamedici-giulini.it/corsi/solomon/solomon-eng.htm to download an application form and send it by fax (+39.02.6555576 or by e-mail to [email protected] Applications will be reviewed by Ashley Solomon.

During the course harpsichord and instrumentalist accompanying will be available. For further inquiries please call +39.335.295939

Recorders in TuscanyCome and make music in the beautiful surroundings of Tereglio, a medieval village in the heart of the Tuscan Alps. Eton Place Music Holidays attracts enthusiastic musicians who relish the opportunity of working with and alongside professional musicians. The exceptional beauty of the mountains provides an inspirational backdrop for a wonderful week of music making with musicians outstanding in their

71Summer 2014

Dear Laura

Alex Ayre ArrangementsBy the time you read this around a third of Alex’s arrangements will be in print due to the work of a small but dedicated band of recorder players who are setting the music into the Sibelius music computer programme

To correct a misapprehension that seems to have arisen, when you buy such an arrangement, you do get a computer set score plus a set of parts, but they will be printed as ‘clean copy’ i.e. without any of Alex’s own markings – e.g. trills, slurs, phrase-marks, etc.

All of his handwritten scores have been scanned and, once computer set, are available on the SRP website so that you can see how Alex thought the piece should be played. We hope everyone will enjoy playing his excellent arrangements for many years to come.Moira Usher

Dear Laura

I was sad to read in the Spring issue of the death of Edgar Gordon. He was my first teacher. For many years he taught ensemble and consort evening classes at the City Literary Institute (City Lit) in London, which I attended in the late 1970s. He explored a wide range of music in these classes – he was a great enthusiast for the music of Hans Ulrich Staeps, and I remember in-depth study of works such as the Saratoga Suite and Choric Quintet, which was very rewarding.

During the late 1970s he attended recorder-making classes, and at his first attempt produced a very good descant.

He encouraged his students to use an alternative fingering for treble low E flat, which, he said, was better in tune than the standard fingering chart E flat, and also had advantages in rapid passage-work. I adopted this fingering and several years later it was noticed by Edgar Hunt, who was coaching a group in which I was playing at a summer school. Apparently Edgar G had been a student of Edgar H – and Edgar H was delighted to see that his advice had been passed on to another generation of recorder players.Madeline Seviour

Letters Obituary

Footjoint field. Everyone works hard and there are opportunities throughout the day for both organised and informal one-to-one tuition. But we don’t take ourselves too seriously and everyone plays to their own level of ability. After a day of music with opportunities to relax and explore the countryside, we walk through the village to one of two local restaurants for a delicious Tuscan supper with local wines. Buffet lunches with local cheeses and meats are supplied by the village shop.

Our ensemble in residence is Fontanella, renowned for their Wood House Recorder Week in the UK. The Tuscany course, ‘Poesia per musica’, will offer many opportunities to form small groups with other recorder players to explore the wealth of beautiful renaissance consort repertoire from Italian and English composers such as Weelkes, Byrd, Willaert, Marenzio and Agostini. There will also be relaxed opportunities to receive coaching on solo repertoire, with an emphasis on Italian and English music from any genre. Fontanella will also give recitals during the week, using their beautiful 15-piece consort by Adrian Brown.

Michael Vetter 1943-2013The death of recorder pioneer Michael Vetter1,2,3 (b. Oberstdorf, Southern Germany, 18.9.1943, d. 7.12.2013) was announced in the recent edition of the German woodwind magazine Tibia4. Vetter, one of the most influential figures of the recorder’s 20th century revival, was probably best known for his book Il Flauto dolce ed acerbo (Moeck ED 4009, 1969), a publication dedicated to players of new recorder music. It contains instructions, exercises, and fingering charts covering all technical and musical aspects of contemporary recorder music. During the early years of the 1960s he commissioned and performed works by composers such as Rob du Bois, Louis Andriessen, Sylvano Bussotti, and Jürg Bauer that revolutionized playing techniques and established the recorder’s positive relationship with advocates of the musical avant-garde. He was also one of the first to use electronics, an interest that, at the composer’s invitation, led to performances around the world of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s solo work Spiral. Despite this he had no formal training in music and attributed his life-long urge to explore, experiment, and discover, to the fact that “from the beginning [he] suffered at school from every kind of compulsory learning - basically [his] despairing relationship with school had been the inspiration for [his] varied experiments”. He was a free-thinker - an improviser, an overtone singer, a composer, photographer, writer, poet, an artist, and a spiritualist (he spent thirteen years living as a Zen monk in a Japanese monastery). Michael Vetter’s work will continue to influence recorder players long into the future.Peter Bowman

1 Lasocki, David. "Vetter, Michael." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, Accessed 4 May 2014. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/29267.

2 Anon. Online. Accessed 4 May 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vetter.

3 Anon. Online. Accessed 4 May 2014. http://www.vetter-transverbal.de/

4 Rosa, Gudula, ‘Michael Vetter: Ein Leben zwischen Avantgarde und Spiritualität’. In Tibia, 2/2014, 125.

Former members of Rugby Recorders are invited to come and celebrate 25 Years on October 2nd October 1989 saw the foundation of Rugby College Recorder Ensemble. Musical Director of Rugby College, Val Brodie asked newly qualified recorder player Caroline Jones to found a recorder ensemble and twenty-five years later the group is still thriving. All former members are warmly invited to come and join us for a special day of playing and memories. We rehearse at Church Lawford Village Hall near Rugby. Please contact Caroline Jones for details. [email protected] 07789 845 855.


UK Listings:

12.6 6.30pm at Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street, London, W1K 4HB

The Denner Ensemble: Rebecca Prosser rec, Mark Baigent ob, Nathaniel Harrison bsn, Karen Glen hpscd

Royal Handel Hanover Rules! Handel: Sonatas, ‘Oxford’ Water Music, Telemann

13.6 1pm at Ulvertson Parish Church Lesley-Jane Rogers sop; John Turner rec; Harvey Davies

hpsd/pno and Heather Bills clo. Music by Bach, Handel, Purcell, Scarlatti, John Parry (The

Nightingale Rondo), and Joseph Phibbs (Moonsongs, premiere)

Ulverston International Music Festival

14.6 7.30pm at St. Faith’s Church Walsworth, Hitchin Hertford-shire, SG4 0AS

Peregrine Recorder Orchestra Concert In aid of Street Angels and Phase

15.6 11.00am at Sulgrave Manor, OX17 2SD Fiori Musicali: Heidi Fardell rec, Amanda Babington vln/

rec, Corelli and Croissants

20.6 8.00pm at Plaza Centre, Southend Red Priest Handel in the Wind Details: www.redpriest.bandzoogle.com

20.6 12.30pm at St Peter and St Paul Church, Deddington OX15 0TG Heidi Fardell recs and Helen Rogers hpscd A Grand European Tour Music by Hotteterre, Couperin, Stanley, Mealli, Marcello, Rameau, Telemann, Handel Lunchtime Concert with refreshments included Deddington Festival

Tickets: www.deddingtonfestival.org.uk/tickets/

22.6 Afternoon at Montecute House Mendip Consort, Joyce Rudall conductor A French Feast

24.6 7.00pm at Mananan Festival Piers Adams rec; David Wright hpscd ‘Wild Men of the Seicento’ Details: www.redpriest.bandzoogle.com

26.6 6.30pm at Handel House Museum, 25 Brook Street, London, W1K 4HB

Baroque Encounter: Lauren Brant and David Beany recs, Glen Kesby ct, Claire Williams hpscd

Handel and the Burlington Circle Hanover Rules!

28.6 7.30pm at Saltaire United Reformed Church. Victoria Road, Saltaire W Yorks BD18 3LF

Red Priest Midsummer Magic and Madness

Tickets: 01274 288100 or direct from The Early Music Shop

17.7 7.30pm at Uckfield Music Club, St Margaret’s Church, Buxted, East Sussex

Red Priest Handel in the Wind Details: www.redpriest.bandzoogle.com

20.7 7.00pm at Budleigh Salterton Festival Red Priest Details: www.redpriest.bandzoogle.com

30.7 5.00pm at The Great Hall, Dartington Jill Kemp rec, Claire Williams hpscd Works by JS Bach, Telemann, Tartini and Hirose

3.8 4.00pm at Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge The Parley of Instruments: Philip Thorby rec, Gail Hennes-

sey ob/rec, Mark Caudle bassvln/bassviol, Peter Holman hpscd

The Amorous Flute & Sprightly Hoboy Purcell, Saint Colombe, Loeillet, Finger, Babell, Williams

10.8 2pm at Sidney Sussex College Chapel, Cambridge The Intrepid Academy: Jennie Cassidy voice, David

Hatcher, Alison Kinder, Philip Thorby recs and viols, Lynda Sayce lute

An Argosy for England Music from the libraries of the great houses of 16th-

century England

25.10 St James’s Piccadilly Jill Kemp rec

Works by Stephanie Cant

Listings

73Summer 2014

CHECKLIST OF COURSESOrganisers of future courses and Playing Days who wish details to be included in this checklist should send details to the Secretary of the Society of Recorder Players : Mike Wilkinson, 121 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1BH : tel 01732 456997 : [email protected] Entries for inclusion in the next issue should be sent by 1st July 2014.

14 JuneScottish Recorder Festival 2014

Ibrox Parish Church, Glasgow9.30-18.00

5 JulyWeald of Kent Branch Playing DayMethodist Church, Higham Lane,

Tonbridge TN10 4JG

11 – 13 JulyWales Branch Playing Weekend

Paradise Farmhouse, Presteigne, Powys LD8 2NH

26 July – 2 AugustRecorder Summer School

Bishop Burton College, Beverley,East Yorkshire HU17 8QG

Technique classes and ensemblesfor all grades, plus one-to-a-part,

multi choir recorders,recorder orchestras and choir

27 July – 2 AugustNational Youth Recorder Orchestras

Summer CourseBootham School, York YO30 7BU

16 – 23 AugustIrish Recorder and Viol Course

An Grianán, Termonfechin, Ireland

30 August – 5 SeptemberDiploma level

Victoria House, Lyme Regis,Dorset

DT7 3LP

5 - 7 SeptemberThe Scottish Recorder Course 2014

Scottish Police College, Tulliallan Castle, Kincardine, FK10 4BE

26 – 28 September 2014Advanced (grade 6 – 8+)


DT7 3LP

FLANDERS RECORDER QUARTETSRP Glasgow branch

RUTH BURBIDGEContact: Mike Wilkinson01732 [email protected]

ANDREW COLLISContact: Fran Johnstone01544 [email protected]://paradisefarmhouse.co.uk

TOM BEETS, SANDRA FOXALL, HELEN HOOKER, MARION SCOTT, EILEEN SILCOCKS and othersContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162admin@recordersummerschool.org.ukwww.recordersummerschool.org.uk

COLIN TOUCHIN, MICHELLE HOLLOWAY, CHRISTOPHER ORTONContact: Dianne Charles0121 249 [email protected], www.nyro.org.uk

IBI AZIZ, MARION DOHERTY, PAMELA FLANAGAN, EMMA MURPHY, MARION SCOTT,PHILIP THORBYContact: Mrs P Flanagan00353 1 833 7869info@irishrecorderandviolcourse.orgwww.irishrecorderandviolcourse.org

BART SPANHOVEContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com

STUART FORRESTER, LYNNE HOPE, MARY BONSOREmail: Margaret Simpson [email protected]/index.html

EILEEN SILCOCKSContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com

27 SeptemberIntermediate Recorder Orchestra

Playing Day

26 – 28/29 September 2014RECORDERFEST!

Benslow Music Trust, in association with the Society of Recorder Players

Benslow Lane, Hitchin SG4 9RB

3 – 5 OctoberImprovers plus (grade 4 – 6)Victoria House, Lyme Regis,

Dorset DT7 3LP

4 OctoberWarwickshire Branches Playing Day

Bulkington Village Centre, School Road, Bulkington, Bedworth

CV12 9JB

9 – 12 October 2014Improvers (grade 3 - 5)

Victoria House, Lyme Regis,Dorset DT7 3LP

11 OctoberNorfolk Branch Playing Day

Eaton Park Community Centre, South Park Avenue, Norwich

NR4 7AZ

24 – 26 OctoberModern (grade 8+)


DT7 3LP

26 – 28 OctoberRecorders, Voices and Viols

Farncombe Estate, Broadway, Evesham, Worcestershire

WR12 7LJ

1 – 6 December 2014Diploma level


DT7 3LP

CAROLINE JONES

COLIN TOUCHIN, SANDRA FOXALL, ALYSON LEWIN, JEAN McCREARY, CAROLINE RADCLIFFEContact: 01462 [email protected]

HELEN HOOKERContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com

ANDREW COLLISContact: Vivien Goode024 7673 [email protected]

MOIRA FRASER-HOOKContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com

GRAHAM DANBURYContact: Jacinta Goode01603 [email protected]

ANDREW COLLISContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com

ANDREW COLLISContact: 0333 456 8580www.farncombecourses.co.uk

MATTHIAS MAUTEContact: Josée Beeson07768 122162enquiries@recordercourseslyme.comwww.recordercourseslyme.com


ABERDEENMrs Marie McLean, 71 John Street, Aberdeen AB25 1LP [email protected]

BATHMrs Debbie Nicholas, 16 High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire GL12 8RS01453 [email protected]

BEDS & NORTH HERTSMr Glynne Parry, 7 School Walk, Letchworth SG6 1QD 01462 [email protected]

BIRMINGHAMMrs Mavis Meadows, 33 Hazelhurst Road, Birmingham B14 7PH0121 443 1981 [email protected]

BRISTOLMrs S. Davies, 23 Collingwood Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6PD0117 973 [email protected]

CAMBRIDGEMrs. Jan Roberts, 4 Crafts Way, Highfields, Caldecote, Cambridge CB23 7ZP01954 210779 [email protected]

CHELTENHAM & GLOUCESTERMs Joan Moore, Conegar, Rodborough Hill, Stroud GL5 3SS 01453 758138 [email protected]

CLEVELANDMrs Shelagh Campbell, 8 Heron Gate, Guisborough TS14 8PG 01287 636552 [email protected]

CORNWALLHelen Whomersley, The Rowans, Chyvogue Lane, Perranwell Station, Truro TR3 7JX01892 [email protected]

CUMBRIAMs Judith Bush, Fawcett Bank, Sedbergh LA10 5LL 01539 [email protected]

DEVONMs. Sharon Sproat, 38 Sideling Fields, Tiverton, Devon EX16 4HG 01884 253115 [email protected]

DORSETMrs Noreen Johnson, 15 The Sidings, Downton, Salisbury SP5 3QZ01725 [email protected]

DURHAMProf. David Rollason, 32 St. John’s Road, Neville’s Cross, Durham DH1 4NU 01913 [email protected]

EAST BERKSHIREMrs Steph Sutherland, Torla, 4 Shillingridge Park, Frieth Road, Marlow SL7 2QX 01628 [email protected]

EDINBURGHMiss Eileen M. Finlayson, 14 Bruntsfield Gardens, Edinburgh EH10 4EA0131 229 [email protected]

ESSEXMrs Caroline Saul, 49 Lukins Drive, Great Dunmow CM6 1XQ 01371 873211 [email protected]

GLASGOWEileen Taylor, 2 Richmond Terrace, DundonaldKilmarnock KA2 9HL01563 850 [email protected]

GUILDFORDMiss Janet Wheeler, 46 Courtlands Crescent, Banstead, Surrey SM7 2PJ 01737 357408

HILLFOOTSMiss M.W. Simpson, 18 Craigton Crescent, Alva, Clackmannanshire FK12 5DS01259 [email protected]

HULLAVINGTONHeather Locke, 3 Lipman Way, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9FH01666 [email protected]

IRELANDMrs P. Flanagan, 110 Kincora Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 300 3531 833 7869

KENTMr Dave Harris, 67 Bower Mount Road, Maidstone, ME16 8AS 01622 756152 [email protected]

LEICESTERMrs Janet Scott, 3 Redmarle Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE3 1PH01162 [email protected]

LINCOLNSHIREMrs Diana Knight, Home Farm, Kenwick, Louth LN11 8NP 01507 [email protected]

(see also North & South London) LONDONMr Bob Horsley, 6 Upton Court, 56 East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8PS 020 8693 [email protected]

MACCLESFIELDMrs Jean Boler, 11 Butley Lanes, Prestbury, Macclesfield SK10 4HU, 01625 820369 [email protected]

MANCHESTERMr Andrew Taylor, 4 Saddlecote, Barton Road, Worsley, Manchester M28 2HB0161 793 4175 [email protected]

MID-HERTSMr Richard Webster, 29 Battlefield Road, St. Albans AL1 4DB 01727 [email protected]

NEWCASTLEMarcia Lemon, 53 Jesmond Vale, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1PH0191 230 [email protected] NORFOLKMs Jacinta Goode, 3 Woodland Road, Hellesdon, Norwich NR6 5RA 01603 409074 [email protected]

NORTH COTSWOLDMrs Gwen Klepping, Ashmoor House, Ledwell, Chipping Norton OX7 7AN, 01608 683550 [email protected]

NORTH LONDONMr Alasdair Nisbet, 14 Gloucester Crescent, London NW1 7DS 020 7482 1198 [email protected]

NOTTINGHAMSHIREAllyn Richardson, 8 Newstead Street, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 2GY07936 [email protected]

NUNEATONMrs Vivien Goode, 63 Leaward Close, Nuneaton Warwickshire CV10 7DG 024 7673 [email protected]

OXFORDMrs Helga Bogisch-Francis, 6 The Ridgeway,Caversham, Reading RG4 8NX0118 946 3928 [email protected]

PETERBOROUGHMrs Audrey Evans, 104 Lincoln Road, Deeping Gate, Peterborough PE6 9BA 01778 [email protected]

ROXBURGHMr Mike Ellis, Scauredge, Haysike, Hawick TD9 0NT01450 372999 [email protected]

SHEFFIELDMiss Jane Ellin, 1 Chapel Rise, Anston, Sheffield S25 4AF 01909 518258

SOMERSETMrs Joyce Rudall, 5 Corondale Road, Weston-super-Mare BS22 8PX 01934 622010 [email protected]

SOUTH COTSWOLDMs. Jay Mathews, Watermark, 124 Perrrinsfield, Lechlade, Gloucestershire GL7 3SE01367 [email protected]

SOUTH DOWNSMrs Phoebe Williams, 14 Kings Ride, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 [email protected]

SOUTH LONDONMrs Ros Fox,19 Du Maurier Close, Church Crookham, Fleet GU52 0YA01252 [email protected]

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIREMrs Trudie Davies-Findell, 55 Heath Gap Road, Blackfords, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 6DY01543 505282 [email protected]

SUFFOLKMrs Chris Westren17 Broomhill Road, Ipswich IP1 4EH 01473 [email protected]

WALESMs Moira Hay, Felin Hafodwen, Cribyn, Lampeter SA48 7ND 01570 [email protected]

WARWICKMrs Helen Jones, 2 Hayle Close, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 6FE024 7637 4974 [email protected]

WEALD OF KENTMr Mike Wilkinson, 121 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1BH01732 [email protected]

WESSEXApril Munday, 62 Lumsden Avenue, ShirleySouthampton SO15 5EN023 8078 [email protected]

WEST DORSETMrs Sue Brown, Pipers, Gulliver’s Orchard, Shipton Gorge, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 4LS 01308 [email protected]

WEST RIDINGMr Keith D. McDermott, 20 Ley Top Lane, Allerton, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD15 [email protected]

YORK GUILDHALL Matthew Taylor, 4 Brewer’s Court, Kirkgate, Thirsk YO7 1PL 01845 [email protected]

COUNTRY & OVERSEAS MEMBERS

Ms. Sandra Foxall, 113 Birchwood Road, Marton, Middlesbrough TS7 8DE 01642 [email protected]

Training Co-ordinator

Mrs Moira Usher, Samburu, Bentley, Ipswich IP9 2DW 01473 [email protected]

National Youth Recorder Orchestra

Ms Dianne Charles, NYRO Office, 2 Regent Close, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7PL 0121 249 [email protected]

SRP Secretaries

75Summer 2014

From the ChairmanConference Report13th April 2014

I am writing this a few hours after the Festival in Cornwall has ended so that the Conference news can be squeezed into the Summer Magazine. It was lovely to see and chat to so many people and Sue, Helen, Sarah, Zoe and fellow Cornish volunteers had done a marvellous job including fixing the weather, which was glorious! The review of the Festival will appear in the Autumn issue.

The Conference firstly remembered members who had died in the last year, including Paul Clark and his significant contribution to the Birmingham branch and the Society in general.

After a major reshuffle last year, changes to the Committee this year were less marked. Sarah Langdon has formally taken over as Competition Administrator from Dick Pyper, whilst April Munday replaces Moira Usher, who stood down as Training Co-ordinator during the year. Moira continues in her role as chair of the Walter Bergmann Fund. Musical Adviser Colin Touchin rotates off the Com-mittee and Alyson Lewin takes his place. Sheila Richards and Naomi Wellings had come to the end of their 3-year terms as ordinary Committee members but unfortunately there were no nominations from branches to replace them. Naomi will remain on the Committee as Chairman of the NYRO Sub-committee until 31st August 2014. All other Committee members and Office holders were re-elected.

The Committee can co-opt ordinary Committee members during the year so if you are aware of a member with an active interest in the wider remit of the Society’s work, please contact the Secretary. The main requirements are attendance at two Sunday meetings in February and October at Hitchin, Herts, plus the Committee meeting held during the Festival in April. All reasonable travel expenses are paid – and there is a free lunch! Please consider this seriously as the grass roots members who represent the branches are an essential part of the Committee and ensure that the branch perspec-tive is never lost.

Ulli Burchette, our Treasurer, was unable to attend the Conference due to family commitments. The accounts were presented in her absence and were duly approved. As always, we are very grate-ful both to Ulli and to Keith Varney, the Independent Examiner, for his assistance in compiling the formal accounts to ensure that they meet the necessary regulatory standards. The Annual Return and Accounts can be found on the Charity Commission website and should also be available on the SRP website.

It was agreed that national subscriptions will increase with effect from 1st September to £23.50 (Full Membership), £35 (Household Membership) and £17 (Student Membership). This should cover the naturally occurring increases in necessary costs of running the Society. Increases in branch subscriptions will be decided locally. It was also agreed that any new member joining after 1st Janu-ary (not renewing members) will pay 50% only of the national subscription rate, to help encourage new members.

One major imminent change is that Ulli has decided that this will be her final year as Treasurer, a post which she has held for a number of years. She has worked extremely hard in that time to ensure the Society’s finances are kept in good order, an essential part of any organisation, and we shall be sorry to see her go. However she is planning to complete the 2013/14 accounts and therefore we shall only need a replacement from 1st September 2014 for the day-to-day running of receipts and payments. Again, if you know anyone who might be interested in this post, please let the Secretary know. Branches will have received a detailed note of the work involved and the essential/desirable qualities required. Please note that their standard of recorder playing is irrelevant!

We also need to find a new Gift Aid Secretary as Dick Pyper, who set up the very profitable Gift Aid scheme for the Society, wishes to pass on this job. It is a fairly straightforward task for someone with some experience of reclaiming Gift Aid and who has internet access.

The Bravo Bonsor CD has proved very popular and sales have covered all the recording costs. The Society is also receiving royalties from sales of the Alex Ayre Chiltern Recorder Consort Series and over 200 pieces are now available in a computer-set version.

For the first time in recent years the Society had a stand at the Early Music Festival in Greenwich last November, showcasing the activities which we promote and highlighting the branch network. Ann-Suse Enβle was the winner of the 2013 Moeck/SRP Solo Recorder Competition.

The result of the logo competition held last year was a clear majority in favour of retaining the existing logo, which was designed by Mrs. Nancy Winters in the 1970s.

NYRO continued with its Easter and summer residential courses, together with Playing Days in

SRP NEWS

Registered Charity No. 282751 England/Wales

Registered Charity No.SC038422 Scotland

PresidentSir Peter Maxwell Davies CBe

Vice-PresidentsDenis Bloodworth,

Frans Bruggen, Jeanne Dolmetsch,

Friedrich von Huene,Anthony Rowland-Jones,

Theo Wyatt

Honorary Life Members Beryl Allen, John Allen,

Ashley Allerton, Monica Coles, Graham Danbury, Philip evry, Brian

Fraser-Hook, Robert Harrison, Jeanette Hipsey,

Andrew Mayes, Marion Panzetta,Dick Pyper, Alistair Read,

Andrew Short, Ron Skins

ChairmanTessa Rolph,

The Old Vicarage, Laxton, Newark NG22 0NXTel: 01777 872034

[email protected]

Musical AdvisersHelen Hooker, Alyson Lewin, evelyn

Nallen, eileen Silcocks, Colin Touchin, Ross Winters

Honorary SecretaryMike Wilkinson,

121 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1BH

Tel: 01732 [email protected]

Honorary Treasurerulli Burchette

120 Hopgarden Road, Tonbridge TN10 4QX

Tel: 01732 354763

Membership SecretaryDavid Rollason,

32 St. John’s Road, Neville’s Cross, Durham DH1 4Nu Tel: 0191 384 6293

Information on the Internethttp://www.srp.org.uk


locations around the country, all aimed at en-couraging younger players of all abilities. NYRO will operate as an independent charity from 1st September 2014 – the Society has agreed to an initial grant of £5,000 for its first year of operation (with the possibility of other grants in future years) and will loan the necessary recorders for its operation. The Society is ex-tremely grateful to Colin Touchin, Andrew Short and Dianne Charles, amongst others, for all the work they have put into NYRO since its incep-tion. It is hoped that it will now have the ability to access grants from other sources, in addition to the Society.

Grants were awarded in the year to Char-lotte Barbour-Condini, BBC Young Musician 2012 Finalist, for a treble recorder, and to iFlautisti to assist in the production of their de-but album Sound Clouds. Various other awards for younger players were made from the Walter Bergmann Fund.

As previously announced, the Society is making available 25, 40 or 50-year awards for branch officials in recognition of their long service. Please remember to let the Secretary know the names of anyone you would like rec-ognised in this way.

More details can be found in the full Offic-ers’ Reports on the website, a copy of which should also be available from your branch del-egate.

The Society was delighted to welcome a new branch this year – Macclesfield – and we wish them well in their music making. There must be many more recorder players around the UK who would appreciate the opportunity for group playing and there is plenty of support available to set up a new branch. Just spread the word!

As always, we are hugely appreciative of the many hours that so many people contrib-ute to the work of the Society, at both national and branch level, and I look forward to seeing everyone at next year’s Festival/Conference in Wolverhampton (April 14th/15th).Tessa Rolph

We are grateful to the Magazine’s Editor and the publisher for ‘holding the press’ so we can include Tessa’s report in this issue. As the Festival review will not appear until Autumn, we thought you might like to read about how the Festival began in this reminiscence from Derek Cooknell.

THE FIRST SRP FESTIVAL

In 1971 the annual Branch Delegates’ Confer-ence was held after a meeting of the London branch. The Conference took place in the base-ment at 48 Great Marlborough Street (Schott’s premises). In addition to the branch delegates, all the SRP musical directors were present – Carl Dolmetsch, Walter Bergmann, Edgar Hunt, Freda Dinn, Layton Ring, and Theo Wyatt.

After dealing with the normal business the Conference considered a proposal put for-ward by one of the northern branches to hold a national recorder festival. This was hotly de-bated. The branch delegates were generally in favour, but the directors, with the exception of Walter Bergmann, were not enthusiastic. In the end it was decided to hold a festival the following year, 1972. Paul Clark, who was musical director of the Birmingham branch, suggested that Birmingham, being fairly cen-trally located, should be the venue. This was agreed, and attention then turned to some details. At the time the reserves of the Society were in a healthy state, with substantial mon-ies languishing in a deposit account. Accord-ingly, it was suggested that entry should be free for SRP members. The directors were not happy about this, and after further discussion an entry fee of £1 was agreed for all partici-pants.

During the return journey to Birmingham Paul Clark, thinking aloud, outlined his sug-gestions for the structure of the festival, and as branch secretary I made detailed notes. At the next branch committee meeting the ba-sic outline was confirmed, a date was agreed and jobs were allocated. I was given the task of finding a suitable venue. This was easier than expected and a centrally-located modern church building was booked. This had several small rooms, good catering facilities, and the main meeting room was large enough to hold the expected numbers.

The day of the festival arrived, the weath-er was good, and soon the event was in full swing. The programme consisted of playing for all in several sessions, a concert compris-ing items contributed by some branches and a few individual groups, and a solo competi-tion, adjudicated by John Joubert, a lecturer at Birmingham University and a well-known composer. The test piece was the Sonatina by Lennox Berkeley. Participants in the compe-tition included Alan Davis and Ross Winters, who was the ultimate winner.

At the conclusion there was general en-thusiasm for the day’s events and after a brief ad hoc meeting it was decided to hold another festival in 1974. Dr. Dick Coles, Chairman of the Northampton branch, offered to organise it. About one hundred members attended, and the income and expenditure for the day bal-anced within a pound or two. The rest is his-tory, as they say.

As a personal footnote, on the way home my wife and I spotted a couple of recorders in a junk shop window. They were offered at a ludicrously low price and so were purchased. Later on we discovered that they had been stolen, in an unfinished condition, by an em-ployee at the Dolmetsch workshops. On being contacted the Dolmetsch company was ena-bled to prevent further thefts and in return we were allowed to retain the instruments.Derek Cooknell

BRANCH NEWSDEVON

It has been a year of challenge and change. Due to major building work we had to move from our usual meeting venue. We shall per-manently move to St. Leonard’s School, where we used to meet many years ago. Another change has been the decision to only have a professional conductor for the morning, and the afternoons led by a member.

Our last meeting of 2013 was conducted by Ginnie Cox, who efficiently and in a friendly manner led us through a rich variety of music – Telemann to Steve Marshall. We also played A Highway to Dublin as a tribute to Paul Clark, who was so committed to the recorder. We enjoyed a “Bring and Share” Christmas lunch.

EDINBURGH

Edinburgh SRP meets every Monday evening and so play a wide repertoire of music. From January to March this ranged from Byrd to Britten including Gibbons, Handel , Mozart, Pe-pusch and extracts from Gilbert and Sullivan. As a visiting member only recently joined to the London branch this was a godsend.

The branch has a new Musical Director, Michael Graham, a post graduate student at Edinburgh University, who together with Peter Wraith encourages and challenges players with music for all sections. As a less experi-enced player I was welcomed and musically nurtured on the back row of the tenors and able to enjoy the two Playing Days run by Ei-leen Silcocks in February and Sheila Richards in March. Altogether, a stimulating musical scene with very friendly and competent play-ers and an accessible website. SRP Monday evenings in Edinburgh are not to be missed.

LONDON

The last few meetings have been very success-ful. The season started with Michael Brown and included violas da gamba. The meeting was held in the fine Victorian St. Stephen’s church which added a resonance to the sound. In Oc-tober we had Andrew Melville and in November Sheila Richards, with some of her own excel-lent arrangements. Our Christmas meeting was conducted by Helen Hooker as a Pastoral visit and she brought along a very interesting and stimulating variety of music.

2014 started with another imaginative set of meetings arranged by Jo Brown, our Musi-cal Director. In January three members honed their conducting skills, followed in February by David Moses with some very satisfying crosso-ver arrangements. In March we had a welcome return from Jackey Birch.

Visitors are always welcome. Our venue in the Napier Hall, off Hide Place, near Vincent Square, Westminster is very accessible for any-one using public transport.

77Summer 2014

MACCLESFIELD

We continue to enjoy our monthly meetings and have recently celebrated our first anniversary with a Playing Day led by Wendy Pettit, under whose guidance we played a range of music designed to challenge our skills both individu-ally and as a group. We hope to build on this experience with the aim of giving a short recital in the summer. Membership numbers continue to increase which is most encouraging.

MID-HERTS

Mid-Herts branch continues to thrive under the musical direction of Graham Danbury, with meetings every third Saturday afternoon in the Friends’ meeting house in Welwyn Garden City.

Since our last report we have entertained a second time at Hatfield Water Mill as part of the mill’s 400th anniversary celebrations and played in Lemsford church for the village’s spring festival. We have also enjoyed pastoral visits from Caroline Jones and Adam Dopadlik.

Most recently Pam Smith conducted us for a whole day. The event was nearly derailed when we learned only the previous week that we could not use the meeting house. Our treasurer swiftly found another venue in the parish church, and all went well with a pro-gramme spanning music from the Renais-sance to the present day. Pam honoured the memory of Paul Clark by opening the day with his Irish Suite and ending with his arrangement of Moon River. But perhaps the most haunt-ing was Arvo Pärt’s four-part choral piece Da Pacem Domine: quite wonderful. Thank you, Pam.

NUNEATON

We will be welcoming Alan Perkins to conduct us at 3.30 pm on Saturday 20th September at the branch’s usual venue, Higham Lane School.

SUFFOLK

Ramblings…… Oh boy did we have a treat in January. Karen Bainbridge – who is an ex-cellent bassoonist – came to play the Weber Bassoon Concerto with us, which is quite a substantial work. Our long-suffering conduc-tor arranged it all for bassoon with recorders accompanying which was a feat in itself. The score alone was 55 pages long! It was nice to spend a whole afternoon on one piece (albeit 3 movements) and we felt very proud of our-selves when we played it as a performance to Karen’s husband at the end. Wow!

The rest of our meetings are the usual miscellany of pieces which is great – we do get much more variety when the committee chooses the music rather than one person. We are now looking forward to welcoming Marg Hall to our playing day in September. Do join us if you’re near!

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY OF RECORDER PLAYERS

The New Zealand SRP held its 2013 AGM in Auckland. The meeting was preceded by a playing session led by the excellent Kevin Kim.

2013 was the 60th Anniversary of the founding, by Layton Ring, of the New Zealand SRP and a celebration was held in July with tutoring by Kamala Bain, Jessica Shaw and Kevin Kim.

It was with regret and sadness that the sudden death of the current President, John Hume, on 31st July 2013 was noted. John spent some time in England in the late 1960s gaining an FRCO and CHM Diploma at Adding-ton Palace. He was a member of various choirs including the Dorian Choir which made two overseas trips to Europe in the 1970s. He was involved in every aspect of Auckland’s music scene. John had been a stalwart of the SRPNZ for many years and was a consummate chair-man. He will be sadly missed.

Lola Gregory, a founder member and sup-porter of SRPNZ was 90 in March 2014 and a party was held to celebrate, with the trio, Uni-cus, of Barbara Garriock, Julia Hall and Simon James performing.

We would be delighted to welcome any visitors to New Zealand who would like to meet for a playing session. Please contact Andrew Stew-art at [email protected] Further information on the history and activities of SRPNZ can be found on our website at srpnz.webplus.net

PAUL CLARK – TRIBUTES AND MEMORIES

From Ron Skins, Norfolk branch:

Some years ago I was on the Irish course where tutors took turns to provide some en-tertainment on the free afternoons. Paul had chosen to give a talk about his career in the recorder movement. I felt myself blushing to hear my name – as the person who had started him off. How this came about seems to me to illustrate how our lives are directed into unfore-seen courses by chance contacts.

I attended Newland Park Training College, 1949 – 1951, where the alphabet decreed that I should be housed in the same corridor as Nor-man Whiting, a geography student, clarinettist and recorder player, who had been a friend of Paul’s in the Army. During the first term we got together a motley group: two or three recorders of varying ability, a good violinist whose boy-friend justified his presence by beating a drum if needed, and a pianist available if she were needed.

We met one dinner hour per week, under the grandiose title of The Chamber Music Club. The only item of our repertoire I can remember is the slow movement of Brandenburg 2 (we had a little trouble with the final cadence), and mercifully no recording equipment was availa-ble to remind me of the sort of sound we made.

At some point, after collusion between Norman and Paul we were invited to visit the boys’ school in Harrow (not the boater-hatted mob), where Paul was teaching and we were to play, and I was to talk about recorders. I don’t remember how we got there or what we played, but I do remember calling at Paul’s house first. Norman had been telling Pam, the violinist – beautiful, bright, but a trifle credu-lous – how Paul had been a sergeant-major in the Army, and a pretty fearsome character, so that when Paul opened the door her eyes were directed anxiously a foot or two above his welcoming smile.

My next encounter with Paul was at Nor-man’s wedding, in the middle of Birmingham, where I was best man and he organist. I was invited to spend the night with Paul and Enid, now at Marston Green, which involved following his car through the busy streets on a Saturday afternoon in January. It also involved narrowly missing pedestrians and flying through traffic lights just turning red.

We continued a long-distance friendship, with occasional meetings. My last contact was in commissioning a work to celebrate forty years of the Norfolk branch, which produced A Norfolk Notebook, taken from a book of folk-songs, and received with great pleasure. Be-ing interested in the provenance of the songs, I asked him if he could provide some informa-tion. It wasn’t long before I received copies of the texts and details of the old singers from whom they had been collected.

“Great oaks from little acorns grow”: I still marvel that our modest little acorn produced such results. At Harrow Paul, a graduate of the R.S.M., had been doing some composing and conducted a local choir. I suspect that we may have alerted him to the growing recorder movement and its need for good entertaining music playable by amateurs. I know that I’m far from alone in being deeply grateful.

From Janice Croucher:

Paul was one of the leading figures of the re-vival of recorder playing in the latter half of the 20th century. His name is virtually synonymous with that of Theo Wyatt whose recorder courses were enriched by Paul’s consistently excellent teaching: his generosity and encouragement in small group tutorials; his demands for commit-ment and best possible performance when he conducted the ad hoc recorder orchestra. Tal-ented as a composer, performer, teacher and conductor, Paul made music accessible to all ages and abilities, encouraging all and sundry to keep music alive. Paul’s energy was such that it was all electricity but he demanded as much as of himself as of those lucky enough to be tutored by him. As members of SRP or attending recorder courses we only had a glimpse of the prodigious range of Paul’s musi-cal talents. How lucky we were that Paul was always there, seemingly fierce but in truth a


gentle, uniquely able human being who spent most of his life encouraging others to make mu-sic live. Thank you Paul.

From Joyce Rudall – Somerset branch:

I first came across Paul as a very little girl in Birmingham. I was amazed at this wonderful recorder player, and the patience he had with a hall full of children.

On courses he would amaze us all. If there was insufficient music, or he didn’t think some-thing worked he would spend the night com-posing/arranging something especially, then be on his feet conducting throughout the following day – amazing stamina and dedication.

I have a small book of studies, which he gave me, annotated by Paul himself, which I shall always treasure. Our various groups have played much of his music, and always enjoy it – we always end up saying what good bass parts Paul writes.

Many happy memories – a great playing day at Somerset a few years ago, many happy courses attended, much fantastic music com-posed and arranged by his clever hand, and witty banter exchanged by email. He is a much missed advocate of the recorder and lovely man.

From Sue Pluthero – Guildford branch:

I first met Paul as a tutor at Benslow’s Recorder Rendezvous, which at the time he co-tutored with Brian Bonsor. I subsequently attended more courses at which he tutored, and gained much of my knowledge of recorder music and technique from Paul. He was always an inspira-tion – his enthusiasm and apparently unlimited energy made him unique in his field. He made many fine arrangements gleaned from recorder music and other sources, which he clearly loved doing and which were meticulously crafted – I remember him once saying that his unsatisfac-tory efforts ended up in his bean trench! Paul will live on in the music he so generously shared with everyone.

From Myra Wilson – Sheffield branch

I first met Paul when I was 8 and he came to Grimsby to adjudicate at our local re-corder festival. I’ve met him many times since in different parts of the country. A memory that has stuck in my mind for a long time is from a summer school when he reported that his wife had said, “Now eat all your food and don’t shout at the people!”

Marion Panzetta – Essex branch – was having trouble conducting from one of the miniscule scores in Paul’s Clark Collection editions. She asked him if he could provide a larger copy. This duly arrived, early in January. Paul wrote “It is by way of being a… [followed by a few notes of music]. Fortunately Marion knows her Holborne and was grateful for the New-yeeres gift!

Copy date for the Autumn issue is 1st July.Please send your contributions toMadeline Seviour, SRP News [email protected] Westbury Road, Ilford, Essex. IG1 3BW.

79Summer 2014

ERTA NEWS European Recorder Teacher’s Association

Membership Benefits

` NEW! Subscribe to The Recorder Magazine online. Available only to members due to the international nature of ERTA. Help the environment and save ERTA money.

` NEW! New Partnership with ‘musicteachers.co.uk’

` 10% discount on instrument insurance with Allianz Cornhill Musical Insurance

` Information and Events

` International contacts

` Networking

` Ideas

Support Network: Communication New Partnership with ‘musicteachers.co.uk’ for ERTA membersERTA (UK) has entered into a new partnership with the online instrumental teachers database Musicteachers.co.uk

We hope this will raise our profile and attract new members. It will also reassure parents and students who select an ERTA member that their teacher is a member of a community dedicated to developing their understanding of the recorder and its repertoire.

ERTA provides a support network for all recorder teachers, whether specialist or not, and facilitates communication between teachers, players, composers and makers.

ERTA maintains a network of contacts that members can call upon and an online forum to which all can contribute.

Information and Events : Open to all

ERTA keeps its members informed of the latest news, current research and educational matters, and publishes a diary of events throughout the UK and Europe.

ERTA membership is open to students, teachers (specialist and non-specialist, part-time or full-time), players, corporations and all interested parties.

Visit the ERTA web site: www.erta.org.uk

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MUSIC REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUEeM 3333 Scott Joplin, arr. Beutler Two Waltzes (orch. SopSATBGbCb) £17.60

Fe MS JS1 J.Strauss Jr, arr. Gesell Annen-Polka (5 SopATBCb) £5.00

Fe MS JS2 J.Strauss Jr, arr. Gesell Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (7 SopSATBGbCb, opt. zither) £9.60

OMP 242 Benjamin Thorn Three Follies for Bass Recorder (1 B) £13.20

OMP 245 Les Davey Variations on Waltzing Matilda (SATB) £13.00

P 435 Anne Martin Fantasia: Surrey Leaves (orch. SopSSAATTBBGbCb) £12.50

P 493 Andy Meyers Recorderumba (SSAT/ATB) £8.50

P 495 Franz Krommer arr. Brown Octet-Partita (à la chasse) (orch. SAATTBBGbCb) £18.00

P 496 Daryl Runswick A Scottish Linsey-Woolsey (6 SATBGbCb) £7.00

P 501 Lyndon Hilling The Brington Crystal (orch. SopSSAAAATTT BBBBGbCb) £18.00

P 504 James Kurtz Three episodes for Two (AT) £4.00

P 512 Marg Hall Klezmer Collection (SATB) £7.50

PRB CI032 Leonello Capodaglio Twelve Diatonic Fancies (recorder in C) £6.00

Recorder MusicMailScout Bottom Farm, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 5JS

Tel: 01422 882751 Fax: 01422 886157 e-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.recordermail.co.uk

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