Vol. 30 No. 4 John Minsker

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1 Vol. 30 No. 4 John Minsker

2 IDRS OFFICERS President Nancy Ambrose King 3019 School of Music University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Bus: (734) Fax: (603) st Vice President Martin Schuring School of Music 0405 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ Bus: (480) Fax: (480) nd Vice President Sandro Caldini Loc S Piero 14 Rigano S/Arno Florence ITALY coranglais58@hotmail.com Secretary Keith W. Sweger Ball State University Muncie, IN Bus: (765) Fax: (765) ksweger@bsu.edu Past President Terry Ewell Chair - Department of Music Towson University 8000 York Road Towson, MD Bus: (410) Fax: (410) tewell@towson.edu Executive Secretary/Treasurer Exhibit Coordinator Norma R. Hooks 2423 Lawndale Road Finksburg, MD Office: (410) Fax: (410) norma4idrs@verizon.net At Large Members Phillip A. M. Kolker 3505 Taney Rd Baltimore, MD Bus: (410) phillipkolker@yahoo.com Barbara Herr Orland 8034 Crescent Drive St. Louis, MO Bus: (314) broboe@yahoo.com Music Industry Liaison Larry Festa Fox Product Corporation PO Box 347 South Whitley, IN Bus: (219) Fax: (219) mail@foxproducts.com Advertising Coordinator Wayne Gaver 15 Crestwood Drive Milton, PA Home: (570) waynegaveridrs@msn.com Bassoon Editor Ronald James Klimko 657 Douglas Drive PO Box 986 McCall, ID Home: (208) klimko@frontiernet.net Oboe Editor Daniel J. Stolper 7 Hermosillo Lane Palm Desert, CA Bus: (760) stolper@dc.rr.com IDRS-On-Line Publications Editor Yoshiyuki (Yoshi) Ishikawa University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, CO Bus: (303) Fax: (303) ishikawa@colorado.edu Legal Counsel Jacob Schlosser 4937 West Broad Street Columbus, OH Bus: (614) Fax: (614) Conference Coordinator Marc Fink School of Music University of Wisconsin-Madison 455 North Park Street Madison, WI Bus: (608) Fax: (608) mdfink@facstaff.wisc.edu Archivist Michael J. Burns School of Music P.O. Box University of NC at Greensboro Greensboro, NC Bus: (336) FAX: (336) mjburns@uncg.edu Gillet-Fox Competition Chair Nancy Ambrose King 3019 School of Music University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI Bus: (734) Fax: (603) nak@umich.edu Gillet-Fox Competition Oboe Chair Rebecca Henderson University of Texas at Austin School of Music 1 University Station Austin, TX Bus: (512) Fax: (512) Gillet-Fox Competition Bassoon Chair Keith W. Sweger Ball State University Muncie, IN Bus: (765) Fax: (765) ksweger@bsu.edu Associate Members Australasian Double Reed Society (ADRS) British Double Reed Society(BDRS) Chinese Association of Bassoon (CAB) Finnish Double Reed Society(FDRS) IDRS-Deutschland Japan Bassoon Society Japan Oboe Association Mägyar Fàgottos tarsasag (MAFAT) of Hungary Viennese Oboe Society (Gesellschaft der Freunde der Wiener Oboe) L Association Francaise du Hautbois (French Oboe Society) L Association bassons (French Bassoon Society) FagotClub Nederland

3 THE DOUBLE REED 1 THE DOUBLE REED Quarterly Journal of the INTERNATIONAL DOUBLE REED SOCIETY VOL. 30 NO. 4 Ronald Klimko and Daniel Stolper, Editors 2007 International Double Reed Society ISSN Designed by Edward Craig Ecraig3 Graphic Design Baltimore, MD U.S.A. Printed by The J.W. Boarman Company Baltimore, MD U.S.A.

4 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ON THE COVER: John Minsker, backstage at the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, circa (Photograph by Adrian Siegel) Table of Contents Vol 30 No.4 Honorary Members th Annual Double Reed Conference, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, July 22-26, Sponsor-a-Member Martin Schuring President s Message Nancy Ambrose King Report of the Executive Secretary/Treasurer Norma Hooks The 2008 Fernand Gillet Hugo Fox Bassoon Competition The First IDRS Young Artists Oboe Competition John Minsker, Michael Finkelman John Minsker, January 23, August 5, David McGill Bassoonists News of Interest Ronald Klimko Oboists in the News Dan Stolper Le 5ème Concours International de Musique de Chambre de Lyon (France) s Adressera Aux Quintette a Vent Woodwind Quintet Obituaries William Waterhouse ( ), Noah A. Knepper ( ), Albert Goltzer ( ), Ferdinand Prior ( ) Charles Robert Reinert: Remembrances and Tributes Compiled by Fernando Traba The Fulbright Experience: Life as an American Oboist Abroad Part IV Merideth Hite IDRS 43 CURRENT EVENTS Second International Oboe Master Classes and Festival in Ostrava, Czech Republic (September 17-22, 2007) Marlen Vavřiková 56th International Music Competition sponsored by ARD Munich Second Double Reed Day at Grand Valley State University Marlen Vavřiková

5 THE DOUBLE REED 3 My First Time Attending the Stacy English Horn Seminar Devin Hinzo From Baltimore to Greenland with Oboes and Enthusiasm Michael Lisicky ARTICLES Georg Wenzel Riter and His Tonleiter des Fagotts Daniel Lipori Making Peace Between International Reeding: Developing the Ridilla-Heng Oboe Gouging Machine Andrea Ridilla Some Thoughts on Auditions Peter W. Cooper Bassoonists Left Hand Index Finger Problem Solved Gerald Corey Response Issues on the Bassoon: Cracking Low Notes, Cracking High Notes, Bocal Flex - Voicing - Foghorn Effect Michael J. Burns IDRS Membership Application Form Albrecht Mayer s Singing Oboe: An Interview Frances Colón A Short Interview with Eugene Izotov A Bassoon Lite, Please Existential Bassoon Story Alan Goodman REVIEWS Oboe Music Reviews Libby Van Cleve DRASTIC MEASURES: New Oboe Music by Elliott Schwartz Oboe Recording Reviews Robert J. Krause Ermanno Wolf Ferrari: Capolavori del 900 per Oboe e Corno inglese Alessandro Baccini Virtuosic and Enchanting XIX and XX Century Music for Oboe and Piano Love s Lore - 16 Folk Melodies Bassoon Music Reviews Daniel Lipori Music from TrevCo Music Music from EditionsVIENTO Music from Yazz Music Music from Ryan Hare Music from Wehr s Music House Bassoon Recording Review James Kopp Antoine Dard: Sonates pour le bassoon Contributing Members Use of the IDRS Trademarks/The Double Reed Printing and Publishing Schedule Advertisers Index

6 4 HONORARY MEMBERS Günter Angerhöfer (1926) Lady Evelyn Barbirolli (1911) Gerald Corey (1934) Bernard Garfield (1924) Alfred Genovese James Laslie (1923) Honorary Members Humbert J. Lucarelli (1937) Ivan Poushechnikov (1918) Mordechai Rechtman (1926) Lowry Riggins (1930) Roland Rigoutat (1930) Louis Rosenblatt (1928) Matthew Ruggiero (1932) Ray Still (1920) Daniel Stolper (1937) Laila Storch (1921) K. David van Hoesen (1926) President s Award: Peter Klatt (Industry Liason), Jim Prodan (Archivist), Noah Knepper (Founding Member) D eceased H onorary M embers Maurice Allard ( ) Bert Gassman ( ) Dr. Paul Henry Lang ( ) Wayne Rapier ( ) Philip Bate ( ) Fernand Gillet ( ) Lyndesay Langwill ( ) Charles Robert Reinert ( ) Robert Bloom ( ) Harold Goltzer ( ) Alfred Laubin ( ) Frank Ruggieri ( ) Gwydion Brooke ( ) Ralph Gomberg ( ) John Mack ( ) Sol Schoenbach ( ) Victor Bruns ( ) Leon Goossens, CBE ( ) Stephen Maxym ( ) Leonard Sharrow ( ) Donald Christlieb ( ) George F. Goslee ( ) Robert M. Mayer ( ) Jerry Sirucek ( ) Lewis Hugh Cooper ( ) E. Earnest Harrison ( ) John Minsker ( ) Louis Skinner ( ) John de Lancie ( ) Norman H. Herzberg ( ) W. Hans Moennig ( ) Robert Sprenkle ( ) Robert De Gourdon ( ) Cecil James ( ) Frederick Moritz ( ) William Waterhouse ( ) Ferdinand Del Negro ( ) Benjamin Kohon ( ) Karl Öhlberger ( ) Willard S. Elliot ( ) Simon Kovar ( ) Fernand Oubradous ( )

7 THE DOUBLE REED 5

8 6 37TH ANNUAL DOUBLE REED CONFERENCE, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY PROVO, UTAH, JULY 22-26, 2008

9 THE DOUBLE REED 7 Call for Proposals July 22 26, 2008 Presentation Guidelines Call for Proposal forms may be completed online or downloaded at the IDRS 2008 Web site: Please refer to proposal guidelines on the Web site. The artistic committee of IDRS 2008 requests that any individual or group interested in appearing at the 37th Annual 2008 Conference of the International Double Reed Society submit a written proposal of participation. There are three presentation categories: Artist Recital, Lecture/Master Class/Panel Discussion, and Avocational Series. Artist Recital Recital proposals may be for a full program of minutes, a half program of minutes, or a single piece to be performed on a compilation program. Due to the high volume of proposals anticipated, performers are strongly encouraged to consider half programs or single-piece proposals. Accompanists will be available upon request. Please be concise and specific in proposals. Presenters must register for the conference and are not paid to appear by the IDRS, nor will expenses be reimbursed. If presenters are sponsored, they may not advertise their sponsors from the stage. Lecture/Master Class/Panel Discussion To propose a lecture or panel discussion, please submit a title and concise description of the topic. Lectures and panel discussions may be up to 50 minutes in length. To propose a master class, please submit a title and concise description of the master class topic. Please request either a 50 minute or 90 minute time allotment. Avocational Series We are excited to continue this series. The IDRS recognizes that there are many talented double reed players who have chosen careers in fields other than music. The committee requests proposals by such players for either a single piece to be performed on a compilation program, or for roundtable discussions on topics relevant to the nonprofessional. If requesting a performance, please submit a live CD of a recent performance, including program information and total performance time. If requesting a roundtable discussion idea, please submit a title, concise description, and requested time allotment. All completed proposals must be received by December 1, Proposals with incomplete information will not be considered. Proposals may be completed online or mailed, submitted via in Microsoft Word format as an attachment, or faxed. Please submit proposals or questions to: IDRS 2008 Phone: (801) HCEB Fax: (801) Provo, UT idrs2008@byu.edu Web:

10 8 37TH ANNUAL DOUBLE REED CONFERENCE, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY PROVO, UTAH, JULY 22-26, 2008 Call for Proposals July 22 26, 2008 Artist Recital, Avocational Series Performance Call for Proposal forms may be completed online or downloaded at the IDRS 2008 Web site: Please refer to proposal guidelines on the Web site. Name(s) of Individual(s) or Group Affiliation Street Address City State/Province Zip Code/Postal Country ( ) ( ) Phone Fax Type of Event: Artist Recital Avocational Series Performance Title of Event: For all works to be performed, please provide the following: title, composer, composer dates, instrumentation, exact duration, publisher, and any audio/visual equipment needed. I am requesting a pianist or other instrumentalist(s) for the performance. Instrumentation requested: I am requesting a piano tuned to: A = 440 A = 443 Please provide a brief biography of each individual and/or group to be included in the presentation. Limit the biographies to 100 words each. All completed proposals must be received by December 1, Proposals with incomplete information will not be considered. Proposals may be completed online or mailed, submitted via in Microsoft Word format as an attachment, or faxed. Please submit proposals or questions to: IDRS 2008 Phone: (801) HCEB Fax: (801) Provo, UT idrs2008@byu.edu Web:

11 THE DOUBLE REED 9 Call for Proposals July 22 26, 2008 Lecture, Master Class, or Avocational Panel Discussion Call for Proposal forms may be completed online or downloaded at the IDRS 2008 Web site: Please refer to proposal guidelines on the Web site. Name(s) of Individual(s) or Group Affiliation Street Address City State/Province Zip Code/Postal Country ( ) ( ) Phone Fax Type of Event: Lecture Master Class Avocational Panel Discussion Title of Event: Please submit a brief description of the proposed topic. Limit the description to 100 words. Please provide a brief biography of each individual and/or group to be included in the presentation. Limit the biographies to 100 words each. All completed proposals must be received by December 1, Proposals with incomplete information will not be considered. Proposals may be completed online or mailed, submitted via in Microsoft Word format as an attachment, or faxed. Please submit proposals or questions to: IDRS 2008 Phone: (801) HCEB Fax: (801) Provo, UT idrs2008@byu.edu Web:

12 10 IDRS SPONSOR-A-MEMBER PROGRAM IDRS Sponsor-a-Member Program Martin Schuring Tempe, Arizona The IDRS established a Sponsor-a-Member program in 1995 for the purpose of enabling double reed players from around the world to participate and enjoy the opportunities of membership in our organization through the sponsorship of current members. The primary purpose of the Sponsor-a-Member program is to attract to our society double reed players who because of economic circumstances would not otherwise be able to join the IDRS. This is an important outreach mission of our society. Since the program s inception, sponsored members from the Peoples Republic of China, Vietnam, Lithuania, Ecuador, El Salvador, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Ukraine, Tartartstan, Russia, and South Africa have become IDRS members through the generosity of sponsors. An additional aspect of the program has been the exchange of letters and communications between sponsors and new members. In coordination with Norma Hooks, Executive Secretary, I will be pairing sponsors with potential adopted members. IDRS will honor sponsors requests for specific adopted members as well. Anyone may become a sponsor by requesting an adopted member and paying one year s dues for that individual. Sponsors may elect to pay an additional fee for first-class postage so that publications arrive more promptly. IDRS is thankful to all sponsors who have participated in this worthwhile project in the past, and looks forward to new sponsors becoming active in the program. If you are interested in sponsoring a member, or know of a potential member who needs assistance, please contact me for more information at: Martin Schuring School of Music 0405 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ mschuring@asu.edu SPONSORS ARGENTINA David Sogg ARGENTINA Glenn Harman ARGENTINA Heidi Huseman Dewally ARGENTINA John Towle ARGENTINA Laurel Kuxhaus ARGENTINA Peter Zeimet ARGENTINA Rebecca Nagel ARGENTINA Shirley Robertson BRAZIL Barbara Orland BRAZIL Harold Emert CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... Donald Vogel CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... Jim Prodan CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... LaRae Croft CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... Norma Hooks CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... Patty Mitchell CHINA (P.R.O.C.).... Sherry Sylar COSTA RICA Gerald Corey CROATIA Nora Schankin CUBA Marsha Burkett CUBA Nigel Robbins CZECH REPUBLIC... Aaron Hilbun CZECH REPUBLIC... Loretta Thomas DENMARK Walter Deinzer ECUADOR Rebecca Henderson ENGLAND, UK Dan Stolper GUATEMALA Terry Ewell JAPAN Gerald Corey KAZAKHSTAN Bill Chinworth POLAND James & Kimberly Brody POLAND Margaret Marco POLAND Phil Feather RUSSIA Ellen Sudia-Coudron RUSSIA Marc Fink RUSSIA Richard & Isabelle Plaster RUSSIA Richard Killmer RUSSIA Stepháne Levesque SOUTH AFRICA..... Linda Strommen, IU Oboe Studio SOVENIA Christa Garvey SPAIN Craig Streett UKRAINE David Bell UKRAINE Fredrick Cohen VIETNAM Steve Welgoss VIETNAM Troy Davis

13 THE DOUBLE REED 11 Message from the President Nancy Ambrose King Ann Arbor, Michigan THE ARTIST/SCHOLAR Our Society recently lost one of the true pillars of our musical community with the passing of William Waterhouse. He was known as a performer, a pedagogue, a historian, and a scholar, collecting bassoon literature and publishing rare works in addition to his positions with symphony orchestras in London. He will be remembered for the enormous impact he made upon the musical world: the numerous compositions dedicated to him by such well-known composers as Gordon Jacob and Jean Francaix; the many published works which he authored, such as The New Langwill Index: a Dictionary of Musical Wind-Instrument Makers & Inventors which was awarded the prestigious C.B. Oldman prize in 1993, and his bassoon entries for New Grove. Fortunately for us all, his work is immortalized in the library built next to his family retreat in Gloucestershire, which houses all of his books, manuscripts and instruments. The influence of William Waterhouse on our Society will be felt for generations to come and we are all extremely saddened by his passing. The legacy that William Waterhouse leaves is one that is increasingly pursued by musicians today: that of the Scholar/Performer. As the academic field continues to emphasize the pursuit of a terminal degree, most commonly the DMA for the members of our society hoping to enter academia in the applied teaching arena, we are finding more oboists and bassoonists interested in researching topics which are scholarly and historically relevant to our instruments. The result is an increasingly knowledgeable group of young musicians entering the performing and pedagogical fields, and their realization that the pursuit of significant scholarship does not need to be left solely to musicologists anymore. Students graduating with oboe and bassoon degrees today are inspired by, and benefit a great deal from, the performer/scholars who have preceded them, those who focused their research primarily upon our specific instruments. From these scholars, we learn the details of our instruments historical origin and progress through the ages, the manufacturers who continue to make advances throughout history, the literature written for our instruments and the composers who enriched our repertoire with their work, the types of performance practices implemented at various points in music history and their relevance to our modern day instruments, unique approaches and perspectives for the modern day musician to use when encountering contemporary music, and differing pedagogical philosophies. It is not only today s students whose performances are enriched by the research of the artist/scholars of their instrument. Professionals and avocational musicians continue to be enlightened and challenged by the latest research, both historical and pedagogical. It is truly inspiring that each issue of The Double Reed features scholarly contributions from a very wide range of authors, from the student looking to publish portions of their research for the first time to established oboe and bassoon scholars whose articles have been featured in scholarly journals worldwide. One needs only to browse through the stacks of dissertations and theses found on the shelves of most any music library to see the impact that the advanced performance degree has made upon our musical community. It may even be fair to say that at no time in music history has there been a more educated and historically aware community of performing artists as we have in the present day. We owe much of this knowledge to the performer/scholars who have preceded us, who taught our students to blend their artistry with their intellect. William Waterhouse epitomized the Artist/Scholar and will be profoundly missed.

14 12 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/TREASURER Report of the Executive Secretary/Treasurer Norma R. Hooks Finksburg, Maryland SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY An outstanding opportunity is being afforded a deserving student by a generous benefactor. A Scholarship to attend our conference in Provo, Utah, including transportation, is being offered. Do you have an outstanding student who would like to attend the International Double Reed Society Conference in Provo, but can t afford to make the trip? If so, your nomination of the student will make them eligible. See page 116 for further details. According to the benefactor, this student could be located anywhere in the world. Don t let this opportunity slip by, send your student recommendation now. WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Bassoonist, historian, and all around renaissance man, William Waterhouse died on November 5, He was a vibrant man of 76, always fit and still very active. He was a member of the IDRS from its earliest days and became an Honorary Member in 2003 after his retirement. I ve known Bill Waterhouse for the past 25 years and it pained me to hear the report of his death. I understand that his family and friends are planning a memorial concert in London at some future date. Our sincere sympathy go to his wife Elisabeth and family. He, and his vast knowledge will be missed by the double reed community. HERE WE GO AGAIN! I could write you pages and pages of notes reminding you of the same darn stuff I usually do, but I m not going to. I m only going to say, Remind your friends, and yourself to pay your dues. If you move, send me your change of address. Don t forget to update your address. etc., etc. and so forth. WARMEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR! Another year has begun and we look forward to making music all over the world. The International Double Reed Society is a vital, growing organization that strives to promote double reed playing and teaching. We hope that you will encourage your students and colleagues to join us. May you all enjoy a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!!

15 THE DOUBLE REED 13 FERNAND GILLET-HUGO FOX 2008 BASSOON COMPETITION July 22-26, Provo, Utah, USA The International Double Reed Society is pleased to announce the 28th annual performance competition for oboists and bassoonists. The competition is dedicated to the memory of the late master oboist and Honorary member of the IDRS, Fernand Gillet, and to the memory of master bassoonist Hugo Fox, principal bassoonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from First prize for the 2008 competition is an $8,000 US cash award. The second prize is a $3,000 US cash award. Other finalists will receive a $1000 US cash award. 1. ELIGIBILITY. Bassoonists who have not reached their 31st birthday before the date of the final audition (July 25, 2008) are eligible to enter, but no previous first prize winner of the Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition is eligible to participate. All entrants must be current members of the IDRS. For membership information, contact: Norma Hooks, Executive Secretary/Treasurer International Double Reed Society 2423 Lawndale Rd. Finksburg, MD USA Telephone: (410) Fax: (410) norma4idrs@verizon.net 2. LEVELS OF COMPETITION. There are two levels of competition. A. Preliminary Stage - All entrants must send a completed application form; an application fee of $75 US payable to IDRS by check drawn against a US bank or by credit card (VISA and Mastercard only); and a cassette tape, CD, or mini-disc containing the entire repertoire list, performed in the order listed, to the competition chair. The recording should include: 1. Carl Maria von Weber Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, op. 75 (recommended edition: Universal Edition UE 18131) 2. Pierre Max Dubois Sonatine Tango for Bassoon and Piano (Billaudot G 3826 B) 3. Johann Sebastian Bach Partita, BWV 1013 trans. for Bassoon Solo (Universal Edition UE 18135) with repeats 4. Jacobo Ficher Sonata para Fagot y Piano (TrevCo Music TCO 3107) To be considered, all application materials must be received on or before April 1, Entries should be mailed to: Keith Sweger, Chair IDRS Gillet-Fox Competition for Bassoon School of Music - MIB125 Ball State University Muncie, IN USA Telephone: (765) Fax: (765) ksweger@bsu.edu B. Final Stage - Up to five finalists will be selected by the competition committee, with the results announced by May 15, If selected for the finals, all applicants must agree to appear and perform in the finals. The final round will be heard by a distinguished panel of judges in an open concert at the International Double Reed Society meeting in Provo, Utah, USA, July 22-26, Repertoire for the final round will be the same as that for the preliminary round tape, with the judges selecting portions for use in the competition. A professional accompanist will be provided for the contestants, however, contestants may elect to use an accompanist of their own choosing at their own expense. The decision of the judges is final. The judges may elect to award fewer prizes than outlined above or no prizes. IDRS will provide meals and lodging for each of the finalists for the duration of the Conference. The winner of the competition will agree to perform the entire Weber Concerto on a concert during the 2008 IDRS Conference. Please complete and return with payment and recording to the above address: Credit Card Number: Expiration Date: / V code: Name on Card: Signature: 3 digits on signature area Fax: Date of Birth: Education: Bassoon Teachers: TYPE or PRINT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION Name: Professional Experience: Address: I certify that the enclosed CD contains my own, unedited, performance. If selected, I agree to perform in the final round competition. I also certify that I am a current member of the IDRS. Telephone: Signed Find the complete Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition brochure and registration form in English, Deutsch, Français, Español, on the idrs website at:

16 14 THE DOUBLE REED YOUNG ARTIST OBOE COMPETITION 2008 July 22-26, Provo, Utah, USA The International Double Reed Society is pleased to announce the first annual performance competition for young artists. First prize for the 2008 competition is a $2000 US cash award. The second prize is a $1000 US cash award. The third prize is a $500 US cash award. 1. ELIGIBILITY. Oboists who have not reached their 22nd birthday by the date of the final round of the competition (July 24, 2008) are eligible to enter, but no previous first prize winner of the IDRS Young Artist Competition is eligible to participate. All entrants must be current members of the IDRS. For membership information, contact: Norma Hooks, Executive Secretary/Treasurer International Double Reed Society 2423 Lawndale Rd. Finksburg, MD USA Telephone: (410) Fax: (410) norma4idrs@verizon.net 2. LEVELS OF COMPETITION. There are two levels of competition. A. Preliminary Stage - All entrants must send a completed application form; an application fee of $35 US payable to IDRS by check drawn against a US bank or by credit card (VISA or Mastercard only); and a CD containing the entire repertoire list, performed in the order listed, to the competition chairman. The recording should include: 1. G. Ph. Telemann Sonata XI in e minor from Essercizii Musici (Schott OBB23) 2. W. A. Mozart Concerto, KV 314. Mvts. 2 & 3, with cadenzas (edition of the entrant s choice) 3. Émile Paladilhe Concertante (edition of the entrant s choice) 4. Hendrick Andriessen Ballade (Donemus 0013) To be considered, all application materials must be received on or before April 1, Entries should be mailed to: Timothy Clinch, Chair IDRS Young Artist Competition for Oboe School of Music MIB132 Ball State University Muncie, IN USA Telephone: (765) Fax: (765) tclinch@bsu.edu B. Final Stage - Three finalists will be selected by the competition committee, with the results announced by May 15, If selected for the finals, all applicants must agree to appear and perform in the finals. The final round will be heard by a distinguished panel of judges in an open concert at the International Double Reed Society meeting in Provo, Utah, USA, July 22-26, Repertoire for the final round will be the same as that for the preliminary round recording, with the judges selecting portions for use in the competition. A professional accompanist will be provided for the contestants; however, contestants may elect to use an accompanist of their own choosing at their own expense. The decision of the judges is final. The judges may elect to award fewer prizes than outlined above or no prizes. IDRS will pay the registration fee for the entire conference week for each finalist. The winner of the competition will agree to perform a half-hour program selected from the competition repertoire on a concert during the 2008 IDRS Conference. Please complete and return with payment and recording to the above address: Credit Card Number: Expiration Date: / V code: Name on Card: Signature: 3 digits on signature area Fax: Date of Birth: Education: Oboe Teachers: TYPE or PRINT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION Name: Professional Experience: Address: I certify that the enclosed CD contains my own, unedited, performance. If selected, I agree to perform in the final round competition. I also certify that I am a current member of the IDRS. Telephone: Signed Find the complete Young Artist Competition brochure and registration form in English, Deutsch, Français, Español, on the idrs website at:

17 THE DOUBLE REED 15 John Minsker, Michael Finkelman Philadelphia, Pennsylvania John Minsker, ca (Photo probably by Adrian Siegel) John H. Minsker, likely the last surviving solo player engaged by Leopold Stokowski for his legendary Philadelphia Orchestra, died at the age of 95 in his home near Philadelphia, Sunday, August 5th, At his request, no memorial service of any kind was held. Condolences may be sent to his son, John S. Minsker, 416 Roberts Road, Rosemont, PA Born in West Virginia in 1912, John Minsker came to Philadelphia in December of 1930 to study with Marcel Tabuteau, initially as a private student, and shortly thereafter at the Curtis Institute of Music. He left Curtis early in his fourth year of study to join the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as English hornist. Upon Robert Bloom s resignation two years later, Minsker joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as solo English horn, a position he occupied with great distinction for more than twenty-three seasons. In this capacity, he gave a host of fine performances at home and on tour, including almost seventy of The Swan of Tuonela alone. His last work with the Orchestra occurred at the time of Stokowski s return to Philadelphia (after a nineteen-year absence) early in John Minsker set a quality standard recognised across the country (and indeed the world) which had a lasting influence on the performing abilities expected of English hornists. He has left us the permanent legacy of his artistic work in the form of numerous recordings (many of which fortunately are available on compact disc) as well as enlightening reminiscences of his experiences in one of the most remarkable symphonic organisations ever created in this country. The original title of Chapter Six of Philadelphia Story (DR XXVI/4), containing these memoirs, was to have been Portrait of the Artist: John Minsker, but with characteristic modesty, he insisted it be changed to something simpler. In similar fashion, although his last contact with Robert Bloom had not been positive (due to some careless commentary by the latter regarding Tabuteau), he demanded none the less that Little Boy Bloom Blows his Horn, a line by one of the Philadelphia critics, and the original

18 16 JOHN MINSKER, title of Chapter Five of Philadelphia Story (DR XXVI/3) be altered to something more befitting an artist of Bloom s stature. He would equally not have a line present in the first draft of Philadelphia Story Chapter Six referring to Eugene Ormandy s part about him, but the entire Philadelphia Story series. The writer of these lines remembers with great fondness the many hours spent as a guest in John and Betty Minsker s home. It was one of life s privileges to know this unique and gracious man, the memory of whom will abominable 1944 recording always be treasured. of the New World Symphony. Here, the writer nominated his With John Minsker s passing, our last direct link with English horn solo in the Largo distinguished traditions established as virtually the only moment of fresh air in this misinterpretation. He felt this detracted from the contributions of Kincaid and Tabuteau (whose solos were in fact obscured by very poor engineering). Following the last of four performances of Berlioz Damnation of Faust in April of John Minsker, ca (Photograph by David McGill) in Philadelphia three generations ago is no more. Just as Tabuteau and Minsker s extraordinary work on the oboe and English horn established a standard carried on by de Lancie and Rosenblatt, so did Guetter s bassoon playing reach a previously unknown plateau, brilliantly continued by Schoenbach 1959, Ormandy told Minsker that his solos that evening were the finest English horn playing he had ever heard. Naturally, the present writer wanted to document this matter in Philadelphia Story, but Minsker would not hear of it, and insisted on its excision. At other times during the course of our extended conversations, he commented that he did not believe he ranked very high among the world s English hornists. and Garfield. Minsker worked with all of these artists. The rest of those who established the Philadelphia double reed traditions are gone. Minsker was the very last of the old guard still with us. (He may even have been the last living player hired by Stokowski for the Philadelphia Orchestra.) His passing represents not only the close of a significant artist s life: it is the final chord of a passage in musical history. Clearly, Stokowski, Ormandy, local, national and international critics, to say nothing of audiences at home and abroad did not share this opinion. The IDRS lauded his life and work with a well-deserved Honorary Membership in The late John de Lancie described Minsker s musicianship as impeccable and unerring. As Director of the Curtis Institute from 1977, de Lancie quickly hired him to teach in that institution, knowing full well that as one of Marcel Tabuteau s most impassioned disciples, Minsker had a great deal to teach the talented young artists there in the formative years of their professional careers. When the Tabuteau chair was created two years later, Minsker was its first incumbent. He remained throughout de Lancie s administration, leaving a valuable legacy in this regard. Here was a true artist and real gentleman, whose marvelous lucidity, strong musical values and lasting enthusiasms came through resoundingly during the fifteen years the present writer had the good fortune to work with him. His wisdom influenced not just the

19 John Minsker January 23, August 5, 2007 THE DOUBLE REED 17 David McGill Chicago, Illinois A CONTINUING FRIENDSHIP After my graduation from the Curtis Institute in 1985, I cultivated relationships with the three men who changed my life while I was a student there: John de Lancie, who served as Director of the Institute and as its oboe instructor and woodwind teacher; John Minsker, woodwind teacher; and Sol Schoenbach, my bassoon teacher. For twenty-two years, I kept up my association with John Minsker. I visited him nearly every year - sometimes twice. Dr. Schoenbach remained Dr. Schoenbach to me until his death in Mr. de Lancie was always Mr. until his death in But John Minsker told me to call him John shortly after my graduation from Curtis. This, more than any other single story or memory I have of him, illustrates the warmth of John s personality and the personal depth of the friendship I felt for this man, fifty-one years my senior. My last visit with him was on June 29, 2007, five weeks before his death. Al Genovese and his sister, Mary Anne, and I, spent a wonderful afternoon at John s apartment with his wife Betty and their caregiver. John s son, also named John, told me that John (Sr.) had called him late that day to tell him it had been a wonderful day. In the words of John (Jr.), it had not only been the last good day of John s life, but it had also been one of John s all-time great days. We had laughed a lot. I brought some Tabuteau memorabilia to show him and Al, whom I had suspected would be there. During the last few years, John always tried to surprise me by having Al come over whenever I visited. That day, John even drank a couple of very light Scotch and sodas. John, at 95 and ½, was still mentally all there - but he was extremely weak and, after seeing him, I strongly felt that this might be the last time we would be together. Alfred Genovese and John Minsker reuniting in 2000 after not having seen each other since DEFENDER OF TABUTEAU All three of my extraordinary teachers expressed admiration of and gratitude towards their guiding musical mentor, the unique Marcel Tabuteau, but none was more adamant in his reverence for Tabuteau than John Minsker. As evidence of this, Minsker jumped to the fore fairly recently to defend Tabuteau when remarks made by Heinz Holliger - published in this very magazine - seemed to disparage Tabuteau. Minsker had also zealously protected Tabuteau s name when, in 1988, as part of Robert Bloom s 80th birthday celebrations, remarks made by Bloom that were quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer - to the effect that Tabuteau s playing never soared - raised his ire. I do not bring up these instances to open old wounds. I merely mention them as examples of John Minsker s absolute adherence to and undying love and

20 18 JOHN MINSKER, JANUARY 23, AUGUST 5, 2007 respect for the musical values represented by Marcel Tabuteau s teaching and playing - a love and dedication he managed to impart to a whole new generation of musicians from the late seventies through the mid- 80s in his woodwind classes at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. A more dedicated foot soldier for the cause of the Philadelphia Tradition one could not imagine. Lest one get the impression that John Minsker was a disagreeable person, let me state unequivocally that he was the most gentlemanly individual I have had the pleasure of knowing. He was soft-spoken to a fault, with a slightly breathy voice that still bore the mark of his Southern origins in West Virginia. He was a gracious host and always inquired about how you were doing. He was not in any way self-absorbed, nor did he ever, without vigorous prompting, speak of his own playing or career. He was supremely modest and was a great listener. Only at the end, in fact, in my last phone call with him a week before he died, did he say, in very labored tones, that he was proud that he was able to bring the art of playing the English horn a bit forward and that he had been able to influence a few young lives at Curtis. He had also, years before, in a rare moment of justifiable pride, sent me a copy of his personal contract as English horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra in which he was offered 66 and 2/3% over the minimum - a figure as principal bassoon of both the Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that I have never remotely approached! Minsker s personal modesty aside, when the name of Marcel Tabuteau, or, for that matter, that of John de Lancie, was perceived by him to be attacked in any way, he came to the fore with the tenacity of a pit bull. He defended John de Lancie after de Lancie s unfair dismissal from the Directorship of the Curtis Institute by shady members of the Curtis board of directors in Through the ensuing decades Minsker wrote directly to them and to the press about their mistreatment of Mr. de Lancie. THE WOODWIND CLASS John Minsker s uncompromising nature manifested itself in the classes I was lucky to be a part of in the early 80s. When I was studying at Curtis, most Thursdays John Minsker taught a woodwind phrasing class. I attended those classes for four years, from 1981 to His Thursday class and Mr. de Lancie s Monday woodwind class consisted of two woodwind quintets, one would play in de Lancie s class while the other quintet would audit. The auditing quintet on Monday would then play in Minsker s class on Thursday. The quintets would then switch functions the next semester. It was invaluable to be able to listen to the other group play without the terror of having to produce. This helped me learn how to be a better teacher as well as how to be a better player. In Minsker s class, especially, we would play passages over and over to the point of tedium at times. And he was adamant about playing pianissimo! But there was a method to this drudgery. One of the unspoken messages of Minsker s teaching that I drew from these classes was: Never compromise. Another was: You have to be able to play in an inspired way even though you may not be inspired. And most importantly: Know what you WILL do. Some students did not take to Minsker s methods. However, I found his teaching to be irresistible. He delivered his important message to us in his inimitably low key, slightly raspy voice, scarcely above a whisper. When we failed to produce, his downturned eyes and slight shrug of the shoulders, coupled with a half-hearted smile said it all. Try it again, he would say, in that gently rolling West Virginia accent he never lost. THE LISTENING SESSIONS For me, an equally invaluable part of his woodwind class was his listening sessions. Once or twice a year, the students in his wind class would gather in the cramped space of the Curtis Institute s music library listening room where Mr. Minsker would expose us to those great artists who exemplified the attributes he was attempting to instill in us. An avid listener, Mr. Minsker would place a large reel of audiotape onto the massive playback machine. A push of the button and out would come the sounds of Tabuteau himself, the man Minsker had spoken of so reverently in his classes week in and week out. Next, we would hear the great Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski, another giant Minsker regaled us with stories of. Fritz Kreisler, the great musician of the violin would play for us and be compared to Heifetz, who Minsker considered antiseptic. Then, Maria Callas would begin an aria and Minsker would freeze. Only his trembling lower lip would indicate the intensity of feeling he was experiencing. His love of Callas and all of the artists he played for us was of a depth I have rarely seen. John was a profoundly emotional and sentimental person. Along with the aforementioned

21 THE DOUBLE REED 19 TABUTEAU S GET-THEM- READY-FOR-ME MAN In earlier days, the 40s and the 50s, John Minsker taught many of the most illustrious oboists of the latter half of the 20th century: Louis Rosenblatt, Alfred Genovese, William Criss, and John Mack - among others - before their days at Curtis with Tabuteau. I was one of the fortunate crop of musicians he taught at Curtis a quarter of a century later. A PASSIONATE LIFE artists, I heard my first Fischer-Dieskau and Feuermann in those sessions. John didn t just enjoy the artistry of these legendary performers, he absorbed it and then transmitted the essence of their greatness to us kids at Curtis through detailed analysis of their musicianship, sometimes note by note. Those listening sessions were, in short, a revelation. Through them, John taught us how to listen by pointing out what to listen for. MINSKER AND LINE Through John Minsker, Sol Schoenbach, and John de Lancie, I was exposed to a great artistic tradition, the Philadelphia School of Woodwind Playing, which was founded by the legendary oboist Marcel Tabuteau. While Dr. Schoenbach cultivated an understanding of the structure of music and Mr. de Lancie gave us the strategies of playing long tones, intervals, attacks, and inflections, Minsker, above the others, stressed the importance of the concept of the musical line. In my life, this has been the single most important musical lesson I have ever learned from anyone, and I thank him for that. Of course, all aspects of musical expression were addressed in his classes in addition to the all-important line, but with Minsker line was a consuming passion. Born in Charleston, West Virginia on January 23, ten weeks before the Titanic sailed - like Tabuteau, John Minsker began his early musical training as a violinist. He achieved a high level of performance on that instrument and as a teen took part in the National Youth Orchestra in Dallas. Just three years ago, I brought a violin to John s apartment in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. I had recently purchased it and was learning to play - badly! Though reluctant, he was persuaded to pick it up. After a few moments required to get his bearings he began to faintly play the opening theme of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, adroitly shifting into higher positions! I asked him how long it had been since he had held a violin. After a moment of reflection he matter-of-factly said, 74 years. At 16, Minsker bought an oboe and George Crumb, a clarinetist and an eminent local musician in Charleston (father of the famed composer) helped him to begin playing. Soon afterwards, while vacationing with a friend in Philadelphia during the 1930 winter break from his first year of study at Ithaca College in New York, he planned to take one or two oboe lessons with the great Marcel Tabuteau. Prior to those lessons with Tabuteau, Minsker had heard recordings of the Philadelphia Orchestra and had noticed that the oboe sound in particular drew his attention. He later told me that, at the time, he thought, That oboe s such a marvelous instrument. - Well, of course, it wasn t the oboe. It was Tabuteau! John confessed to me that when he met Marcel Tabuteau on that fateful December day in 1930, he

22 20 JOHN MINSKER, JANUARY 23, AUGUST 5, 2007 knew immediately that his destiny awaited him in Philadelphia. Not completely sure of pursuing a career in music before this providential meeting, his lessons with Tabuteau convinced him that, If I m going to do this, this is the only place to be! In fact, Minsker was so inspired by Tabuteau that he never returned to Ithaca. He remained in Philadelphia to study privately with Tabuteau through the winter and following spring. In the fall of 1931 he was formally admitted as a student of Tabuteau s at Curtis. Minsker s impulsive nature, illustrated here by his willingness to drop everything and move to Philadelphia, allied with his great insight, made his life one of great passion and sudden upheaval. Yet he was a supremely low-keyed individual in demeanor, but with an inner core of iron. Even though he was a man of certainty in his beliefs, in the 26 years I was granted to know him I never once heard him raise his voice. In the fall of 1934 he was hired, while still a student at Curtis, as solo English horn of the Detroit Symphony by Ossip Gabrilowitsch. It was in Detroit that he met his first wife Lily, who passed away in 1960 (they had two sons). In 1936, after only two seasons with the Detroit Symphony, Leopold Stokowski hired Minsker as solo English horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was the last solo instrumentalist hired by Stokowski during the Maestro s illustrious partnership with that orchestra. Minsker soon became known not only for his phrasing but also his magnificent tone. John Mack said, I remember when I was a youngster going to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra with their great English horn player, John Minsker. The whole orchestra could be tuning up on the stage of the Academy of Music, and Minsker would pick up the English horn and begin to play in this great cacophony of sound, and you heard him! There it was, no forcing - no anything! Perhaps [this occurred] by the purity of his thoughts or something! Remembering a Philadelphia Orchestra concert in which Minsker played the massive, unaccompanied off-stage English horn solo from Tristan und Isolde, John de Lancie recalled, At the conclusion, Tabuteau turned to me and said, I could not have done it better myself!! That should say it all. Coming from Tabuteau, that was immense praise indeed. Among his many wonderful recordings, John Minsker recorded Sibelius Swan of Tuonela with Ormandy twice, in 1940 and Both recordings are spectacular, but I am partial to the earlier one. Minsker s seriousness of purpose, the flawless line (without a hint of bulging) and the depth and breadth of his tone are astounding. Minsker s clear, unforced quality rings. As Tabuteau taught, Minsker s truly was the amplification of a dolce tone. In November of 1959, Minsker s impulsive nature struck. He quit the Philadelphia Orchestra after 23 years of service, citing to the management that Louis Rosenblatt, who had been substituting as an extra oboist, was an excellent English horn player, so there was no longer a need for his services! So that week Minsker left. He told me his decision to leave was a combination of his frustration at not being able to deal with the difficulties of reed making as well as Ormandy s dull music making. John Minsker onstage at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia (1951). Minsker had a wonderful run with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He had played for five seasons with Leopold Stokowski; had taken part in the orchestra s first international tour in 1949; had made numerous recordings of the standard works, including many of the great orchestral English horn solos; yet I truly believe that the crowning moment of Minsker s professional life occurred after he left the orchestra. With great sentiment, John told me the following story. After nineteen years away, Leopold Stokowski returned to lead his Philadelphia Orchestra again. This was in February of 1960, four months after Minsker s resignation. Minsker had played the previous week as an extra oboist and wanted to play for Stokowski one last time. He asked the personnel manager if he could play extra oboe for those concerts. Before Stokowski s first rehearsal with the orchestra, the personnel manager, knowing the extra expense of hiring another

23 THE DOUBLE REED 21 In reply to your letter of August 22, 1978 I must say that you are a very clever devil. By invoking the venerable name of Tabuteau you have introoboist had not been allocated, spoke to Stokowski about it. As per the policy of the Philadelphia Orchestra at that time, when a conductor wanted more players than had been agreed upon in advance, it fell to the the conductor to pay the extra player s salary out of his own pocket. Stoki listened and while at the podium he looked at Minsker who was standing some distance away and said, in that strangely Stokowskian idiom, If I play, you play. Minsker testified that his participation in those historic reunion concerts with Stokowski was the musical thrill of my life. To be a part of the Stokowski magic again after nearly twenty years was a fitting end to John Minsker s playing career. Upon his abrupt retirement from the Philadelphia Orchestra, he became a piano technician. He quickly developed a clientele that was loyal through the years. In 1970 he married his second wife Betty. This year they celebrated 37 years together. RELUCTANT RETURN TO TEACHING offer of a position at Curtis, was answered by de Lancie with the following words, written on August 22. In this letter de Lancie held an ace up his sleeve: my initial reaction was one of great disappointment. I don t think I have to reiterate my admiration and respect for your artistry, which I was privileged to hear and share for many years. I am positive there is no one in America today that can even approach your knowledge and understanding of the great concepts of music Tabuteau represented. For the young wind players not to have at least some contact with you is, to me, a very sad thought. I am pleading with you to reconsider, with the prospect of finding a period of four or five weeks, say in the middle of the winter, or at some other time that would be convenient for you [to come and teach]. In a strange parallel to Stokowski s long absence from Philadelphia, nineteen years were to pass after Minsker s resignation from the Philadelphia Orchestra before Minsker received a letter from his continuing friend, John de Lancie, asking him to teach a woodwind class at Curtis. In 1978, part of de Lancie s master plan as the Institute s new director was to get Minsker to take part in the education of the Curtis students by having him teach a woodwind class. Minsker would have none of it. He had sold his instruments shortly after leaving the orchestra and had no interest in teaching. He had not played a note in nearly two decades. At 66, he was happy in his life as it stood. His only ambition as a musician had been to play up to the standards he and his beloved teacher had set. And he had devotedly lived up to those standards through 25 years of orchestral playing. He politely refused de Lancie s request. De Lancie s original letter and Minsker s reply seem to have vanished, according to Minsker himself, but their subsequent correspondence survives. Minsker s letter of April 18, 1978 (ironically Stokowski s birthday), in which he refused de Lancie s initial Minsker wrote to de Lance in response two days later, August 24, 1978: The only known photo of John Minsker teaching at Curtis in 1982.

24 22 JOHN MINSKER, JANUARY 23, AUGUST 5, 2007 duced a new perspective from which point of view it makes it difficult for me to hold fast to a decision which I had considered irrevocable. I will, of course, have to discuss this with you in person. Perhaps we could meet at my apartment in Wynnewood, in which case, and time permitting, I think you would find it rewarding to listen to a recording of Maria Callas. I find it amusing, and telling, that Minsker was inviting de Lancie to a listening session while tacitly accepting the position at Curtis! In a letter written in 1979, Minsker wrote to de Lancie: I deeply appreciate the honor which you bestowed upon me by selecting me to be the first to occupy the Marcel Tabuteau Chair for Woodwind Studies, and I am keenly aware of the tremendous responsibility it places upon me. I shall do my utmost to prove myself worthy of your confidence in me, and I am certain that I may feel free to call upon you from time to time for advice. In 2004, Minsker, at age 92, wrote to Gary Graffman, the Curtis Institute s Director at that time: I declined [de Lancie s] first request that I teach at the Institute, and reconsidered only after a conversation with him subsequent to [his] letter. It became clear to me that I owed it to Mr. Tabuteau s memory to aid in the preservation of his pedagogy for at least one more generation of students. I attempted to instill in them the feeling that they were part of a long tradition of excellence at the Institute with the hope that they, in turn, would wish to pass this on to their students. I refused all monetary compensation for this six year period as an instructor Considering his reverence for the memory of Marcel Tabuteau, Minsker s generosity is not surprising. Personally speaking, I can say that Minsker succeeded wonderfully in his effort to pass on the Tabuteau tradition. A PASSIONATE MAN in 1947, when people thought you were from Mars if you didn t eat meat. He was a pacifist during World War II and handed out anti-war pamphlets on the streets of Philadelphia. He abruptly resigned from the Philadelphia Orchestra, mid-season, because he had become fed up with the difficulties of reed making and with his ever-rising, unreachable musical standards. He also confessed that he absolutely despised touring! Additionally, he was an unashamed atheist - but only spoke his mind on this subject if asked. He was in favor of doctor assisted suicide and was a proud member of the Hemlock Society. Earlier, in his school days, in what must have been a particularly difficult lesson with Tabuteau, he had become so frustrated with the difficulties in achieving the musical results he wanted - and could undoubtedly hear in his head, but not from his oboe - that he took the upper and lower joints of the oboe and raked them across each other, displacing and bending a number of keys. Tabuteau, most assuredly sensing something of great value in the young Minsker, had the oboe fixed. TABUTEAU S CLOSEST COLLEAGUE The time Minsker spent with Marcel Tabuteau, both as a student and colleague, adds up to more than twenty-one years - a longer musical association than that experienced by any other oboist (except Louis de Fulvio, who played alongside Tabuteau as second oboe for twenty-nine years.) This makes Minsker the Tabuteau student who, in Minsker s own words, heard Tabuteau more than any other. In addition, Minsker often accompanied Tabuteau to his music studio on the fourth floor of the Ludlow Building on 16th Street where the Maestro (or Maitre as he was sometimes called) would make reeds until late into the night. He would often ask Minsker to step into the hallway, close the studio door behind him, and then judge the merits of various reeds and oboes he was testing inside the studio. Through that closed door, Minsker further developed his consummate understanding of what Tabuteau was striving for both tonally and artistically. If the tone colors and inflections penetrated that door, the reed and the oboe must be responding to Tabuteau s wishes. Minsker remembered, Some of the playing I heard there was just fantastic. I had a key to the studio and I practically lived there. I prepared Tabuteau s cane for him. He treated me like a son. John was a fiercely uncompromising person and musician. For example, he had become a vegetarian

25 THE DOUBLE REED 23 END OF AN ERA John Minsker s influence upon my own development as a musician as well as his impact on other areas of my life has been immense. His love of music, his admiration for those recorded musical artists he revered and the deep respect he held for his teacher were and are continuing sources of inspiration to me. Finally, his entreaty to Read great books. Experience life. Do things. Go places. Educate yourself beyond the study of music and all of that will be reflected in the music you play, was a revelation to me while a student of his at Curtis. I count myself as extremely fortunate to have had John Minsker as a guiding musical mentor during my time at Curtis and in my life since then. John Minsker and his gentle wife, Betty (b. 1911), hosted me time and again at their apartment home. Over a decade ago they even asked if they could be my surrogate grandparents - an honor the thought of which still affects me emotionally today. With John s death, a door to that now almost mythical world of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra - with Marcel Tabuteau as its shining star - is now closed forever. For the most part, only second-hand accounts remain. But John was there. He lived the greatness of that era. And he was here with us only weeks ago. I feel that anyone who was lucky enough to know John would feel as I do: that John was a grateful participant in a blessed time of musical life in America. By the way, to the last, a large, framed photograph of Marcel Tabuteau graced the Minsker piano. I will miss John immensely and I am grateful that I shared his last great day with him. I will miss his unforgettable smile and the quiet laugh he had that always had him closing his eyes tightly and opening his mouth as far as he could. With his passing, the world has lost a great gentleman. And the musical world has lost an invaluable source of information and inspiration.

26 24 BASSOONISTS NEWS OF INTEREST Bassoonists News of Interest Ronald Klimko McCall, Idaho RECENT BASSOON APPOINTMENTS Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, recently announced the appointment of Christopher Millard as lecturer in bassoon. Chris comes to Northwestern from the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa, Canada, where he has served as principal bassoon since Prior to that, he was principal bassoon of the Vancouver Symphony and the CBC Radio Orchestra, Vancouver for 28 years. Chris has also appeared at various festivals and with such prestigious ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Marlboro Festival and the Grand Teton Music Festival. He is also a member of the Caliban Bassoon Quartet and can be heard on various recordings on the Summit and CBC labels. In 2004 he was a Juno Award winner for his recording of the Bassoon Concerto by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu. He will be commuting from Ottawa to Evanston on a regular basis. Congratulations, Chris, on this important appointment. Bowling Green (Ohio) State University s College of Musical Arts has announced the appointment of bassoonist Nathaniel Zeisler as Assistant Professor of Bassoon and oboist Jacqueline Leclair as Assistant Professor of Oboe. Dr. Zeisler recently completed his DMA degree from the University of Michigan, following his MM from Michigan and his BM from Old dominion University. He has studied with Daniel Matsukawa, Kathrine Oliver, Steven Wilson, Richard Beene and Jeffrey Lyman. In 2004, Nathaniel founded the Envision Chamber Consort, an ensemble dedicated to making contemporary communication through the arts, and he continues to serve as executive director and bassoonist of the group. Dr. Jacqueline Leclair has been a freelance performer and teacher in New York City for the past thirteen years. She will continue to perform in New York and teach at the Manhattan school of Music s Graduate Contemporary Performance Program in addition to her duties at BGSU. Jacqueline received her BM, MM and DMA from the Eastman School of Music and from State University of New York- Stony Brook. Her teachers were Richard Killmer and Ronald Roseman. Congratulations from the IDRS to both Nathaniel and Jacqueline for these appointments Laura Hauser was recently appointed to the faculty of the University of Central Florida where she teaches bassoon and music theory. Laura is an active freelance bassoonist performing frequently with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Winter Park Bach Festival Orchestra and will continue to serve on the faculty of the Rollins College School of Music. The first annual Advanced Bassoon Institute at Interlochen took place at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in June, Bassoonists representing 22 states came to Interlochen for six days of intensive study in private lessons, masterclasses, recitals and reading sessions with three well-known artist faculty: George Sakakeeny, Eric Stomberg and William Winstead. Students participated in ten masterclasses, which covered a wide spectrum of repertoire. The classes covered unaccompanied repertoire, works for bassoon and piano, concerti and orchestral works. There was, of course, a class dedicated to the Concert Studies, Op. 26 of Ludwig Milde. The student experience was also enhanced by the tireless work of teaching assistant Oleksiy Zacharov, and pianist Taisiya Pushkar. Oleksiy worked with many students in masterclass, lessons and reed scraping while Taisiya gave students the opportunity to play many works with a truly first-rate pianist and collaborator. Bravo Oleksiy and Taisiya! One of the highlights of the week was the faculty recital performed by Sakakeeny, Stomberg, and Winstead, with Pushkar s collaboration at the piano. After spending time talking about the importance of young bassoonists working on Milde, the faculty each performed a Concert Study from Milde s Op. 26 collection on the recital. Other works performed included the Stomberg s rendition of Cavatina from Gioacchino Rossini s The Thieving Magpie, arranged by Frédéric Berr; Sakakeeny s performance of Antonio Torriani s Divertimento per Fagotto con Accompagnamento di Pianoforte Sopra Motivi dell opera Lucia di Lammermoor di Donizetti, Op. 26,

27 THE DOUBLE REED 25 I just last night received an that David Breidenthal (principal bassoon of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ed.) was hit by the mirror of a London bus while crossing the street. My inand Winstead s performance of Ping Jin s work Four Shaman s Songs, which was premiered by Stomberg in The faculty concluded the evening with a rousing rendition of the Polonaise and Polka from Julius Weissenborn s Trio (complete with an encore performance of the Polka!). Congratulations to all of the bassoonists who participated in the inaugural Advanced Bassoon Institute! We are excited to announce that the second annual Advanced Bassoon Institute will take place June 14-19, For more information, please go to: institute. BASSOONISTS PERFORMANCES Bassoonist Thomas Priest, professor of bassoon and music education at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, performed the Bassoon Concerto in A minor (RV 495) with the Weber State Symphony Orchestra on October 7, 2007, in Ogden. Thom also gave a faculty recital there on October 23, 2007 where he was assisted by Lori Wilke, bassoon; percussionists Don Keipp, Dan Chamberland and Aaron Chavez; and pianist Lydia Wu. Works performed included compositions by Vivaldi, Galliard and Dan Levitan, and included a performance of Thom s own Quartet for Two Marimbas and Two Bassoons. On October 21, 2007, Marc Vallon, professor of bassoon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented a lecture/demonstration on Playing the Baroque Bassoon in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Minnesota Bassoon Association. Bassoonist David Oyen served on the faculty as bassoon teacher and performer at the 25th Annual Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota during June to July, The Lutheran Summer Academy and Festival has taken place over the years at Augsburg College, Minneapolis; Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois; Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota; Luther College, Decorah, Iowa; St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota; Valparaiso University, Indiana; and Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. David Oyen OF INTEREST TO BASSOONISTS The International Music Competition of ARD for 2008 will be for viola, clarinet, string quartet, and most important bassoon. The competition will take place in Munich, Germany from April 1-19, 2008, and is limited to ages 16 to 28. First prize is 10,000 Euros. For more information regarding repertoire, application forms, and application deadline, one may write to: Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD Bayerischer Rundfunk Rundfunkplatz Munich Germany Tel: (48/89) Fax: (49/89) ard.musikwerrbewerb@brnet.de Internet: In recent correspondence with retired Los Angeles Philharmonic bassoonist, Alan Goodman, I learned of the following sad news on November 13th:

28 26 BASSOONISTS NEWS OF INTEREST formation is that his nose and both cheekbones are broken. He ll be brought back to Los Angeles, from a London hospital when he stabilizes. He ll undergo reconstructive surgery in LA. I m pretty upset to hear all this as I played duets with him last month at the memorial service for Fred Dutton, our contra-bassoon colleague of long ago in the LAPO. He was in good spirits - looking forward to the tour, his last before retiring after (approximately) 45 years ofplaying in the LAPO. Big Bummer for sure. It was heartening, however, to receive the more recent correspondence from Alan: You might be interested to learn that Breidenthal has had surgery to repair 14 fractures to his face. I m told he s recovering well, and is up, around, walking outside, and, except for swelling and bruises, is on his way back to stardom. This indeed is encouraging news, and the IDRS wishes David speedy recovery and a successful return to his performances. I was also surprised to learn through this correspondence with Alan that retired Los Angeles Philharmonic contrabassoonist Fred Dutton had passed away. I asked Alan if he would also provide a tribute to Fred and he wrote me the following: Fred Dutton was a about as talented a musician as you could find hiding behind a contrabassoon in a major symphony orchestra. At times I would sit next to him during a heavy duty romantic symphony and he would lean over and whisper, Hey, Man, listen to this. Mahler brought the violas in as the turning of the inverted Italian 6th chord moves to modulate at letter G. Listen, right here... beautful, Man! He had an ear that could hear a rat urinate on cotton - as they say in the Army. He was contra-bassoonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for over twenty years, having studied bassoon with the principal, Fredrick Moritz (who retired in 1970). But before his classical stint with the Philharmonic, Freddy had a distinguished career in the major leagues of jazz as mainly a bassist, but also recording some jazz tunes on bassoon and contra. He was the bassist for Dave Brubeck s first quartet in 1951, playing and recording alongside the mainstays, Brubeck and alto saxophonist, Paul Desmond. He was part of the European jazz scene in the 1950 s playing with such luminaries as the pianist, Romano Mussolini (yes, the very same dictator s son), and the popular bandleader, Hans Kohler on TV on the continent. Later Fred toured with a some pop figures, backing stars like Johhny Mathis. His grandmother was a performing classical pianist which influenced his decision to become a musician. He recieved a degree in Musicology in 1957, and came into the LA Philharmonic in the late 60 s after a successful career as a jazz man, staying on until retirement in the late 80 s. Afterwards he freelanced in the Los Angeles area, gradually becoming less active as a series of debilitating illnesses affected his health. He passed away in October of 2007, and is survived by his wife of many years, Marlyn, and two sons. Fred was a great colleague, humanitarian, and an unbelieveable ear. Alan Goodman 11/15/07 The IDRS joins Alan and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in mourning the loss of Fred Dutton. ON A PERSONAL NOTE Recently, I have resurrected my lovely Buffet French system bassoon, Fifi from under my desk and have begun to run my scales and study my Milde as my Maître Maurice Allard so carefully taught me when I studied with him in This Renaissance constitutes an attempt (desperate?) to finish the work I started on the Buffet so long ago. Now that I am retired and have the time, I hope I can finally achieve the artistic level on the instrument to which I once aspired. Wish me luck! Meanwhile, through the wonderful Yahoo Group; frenchbassoon@yahoogroups.com and French bassoon performer Larry Ibisch, I have learned that recordings of French bassoonist Jean Claude Montac can be found at If you are curious about the French bassoon, go ahead and check both of these internet sites out. AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE! From the Doublereed list serve comes the following fascinating report from Phil Freihofer: There s an amusing paragraph in The Art of Quartet

29 THE DOUBLE REED 27 Playing, The Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum (Knopf 1986). The topic is on how to interpret two eighth notes (same pitch) both beamed and tied together (when it seems obvious that a straight quarter note could easily have been used instead, as far as the notation goes). From page 73, The Shaping Process: SOYER: I have an amusing story about this. Some years ago I met a girl who claimed to be a clairvoyant and to have spoken with Dante. I asked her if she thought she could also speak with Beethoven, and she said, I don t see why not. What is it you would like to know? I wrote out one of these examples of slurs over two notes and put a big question mark next to it. Several weeks later I ran into her. I ve just spoken with Beethoven, she said. I m never going to do that again. He was very unpleasant; he s short, has a rough voice - and I don t even speak German. But I showed him what you had written and he sang the answer. It sounded like this: uhh-uhh... uhh-uhh. This girl had had no musical training and couldn t possibly have known what the notation meant. AND FINALLY From one of my wonderful former teachers, Richard Lottridge, emeritus bassoon professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, comes this neat picture with the following words: How s this for an embouchure? It s my three year old grandson Dana who loves to play the bassoon whenever he visits us. Well, when it comes to bassooning, it s never too young to get started Hmm Hoax or not, it is a great story!!!

30 28 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS Oboists in the News Compiled by Dan Stolper Palm Desert, California Oboist JENNET INGLE was soloist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart s Oboe Concerto in C Major, with the Illinois Symphony on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at the First Christian Church in Springfield. In an interview with Nick Rogers of the Springfield Journal-Register, Ms. Ingle refers to the concerto as a fun piece, it s happy all the way through, and it s got all sorts of light technique, which is fun to do. But it s not the easiest thing. To capture that very Mozart-y fluffy elegance takes a more experienced player. A young student or young player can t really pull it off because there s a fair amount of technique you have to get through. That s why it s always on auditions. It s very revealing. This was Ms. Ingle s first performance of the piece with a professional ensemble. Conductor Karen Lynne Deal was on the podium for a program that included Mozart s Symphony No. 29 in A Major, and Adolphus Hailstork s Sonata da Chiesa. Jennet Ingle has been noted for her extraordinary artistry and virtuosity (Illinois Times) and for the intimacy and spirit of fun (State Journal-Register) in her playing. She has appeared as soloist with the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, the Pine Mountain Music Festival s Baroque Chamber Orchestra, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, and the Rochester (New York) Philharmonic Orchestra. In March 2007, Jennet gave the world premiere of Doug Lofstrom s Oboe Concertino, a work commissioned for her by the New Philharmonic Orchestra and the College of DuPage. She has performed on Chicago s Dame Myra Hess concert series, broadcast live on WFMT radio, and in numerous solo recitals in Chicago, Springfield (Illinois), and Valparaiso (Indiana), and at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2001 Jennet won a Farwell Award from Chicago s Musicians Club of Women, and in 2003 she was a semifinalist in the Seventh Tokyo International Oboe Competition, finishing in the top fifteen out of one hundred fifteen applicants worldwide. Jennet has a lifelong interest in new music, which led her in 2000 to participate in the group commission and premiere of Bernard Rands s Memo 8 for Solo Oboe. Jennet has been principal oboist of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra since 2006, and serves as instructor of oboe at Valparaiso University and at the Pine Mountain Music Festival in Michigan s Upper Peninsula. She also performs as principal oboe with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic, and the Illinois Symphony, and is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Jennet has served as principal oboe with the Spoleto-USA Festival Orchestra, and can be heard on that group s recording of Kurt Weill s Die Bürgschaft, available on EMI Classics. As a founding member of the Barossa Quintet, she has performed numerous recitals and countless educational presentations in the Chicago Public Schools through the International Music Foundation and the Ravinia Festival s Classical Connections program. Since 1998 she has owned and operated Jennet Ingle Reeds, specializing in customized oboe, English horn, and oboe d amore reeds. Jennet is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Richard Killmer. JARED HAUSER recently joined the faculty of the University of Central Florida. He will continue to serve on the faculty of the Lynn Conservatory of Music and as principal oboe of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Jared is also pleased to announce the release of his CD Temporal Phantasies of Britten and Hindemith on Blue Griffin Records (available at and will perform selections from the recording on January 13th in Lansing, Michigan as part of the Blue Griffin/First Presbyterian Church of Lansing Fine Arts Series. Some of Jared s recent activities have included performances of the Martinů Oboe Concerto with the Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestra at the Clinton Presidential Libarary in Little Rock, Arkansas, serving as guest principal oboe with the Orchestra Camerata Du-

31 THE DOUBLE REED 29 cale of Turin on their US tour, and on February 14, 2008 he will appear as soloist with the Lake Sumter Chamber Orchestra performing concerti by Bach and Albinoni. Principal oboist SHEA SCRUGGS joined the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in Originally from Miami, Florida, Shea attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with Richard Woodhams. He also holds a degree in English Literature from Swarthmore College. He graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy where he studied with Dan Stolper. Shea has performed with many orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and Atlanta Symphony. He joined the San Francisco Opera Orchestra following a season as acting principal oboe of the Cincinnati Symphony. MATTHEW FOSSA s Concerto for Oboe received its world premiere performance in the opening concert of the Pensacola (Florida) Symphony Chamber Orchestra s Silver Bullet Stained Glass Series on Friday, September 21st, 2007; the composer was oboe soloist. Fossa is a prolific composer, having written works ranging from solo pieces to compositions for full band and orchestra. His music has been performed in various venues throughout the United States, England and Brazil. He is principal oboist of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and co-principal oboist of the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. He balances his busy performance career with a faculty position at Pensacola Junior College. Discussing this concerto, the composer observes that it was completed on New Year s Day of 2003, and later revised in It was written mainly as a prescription of sorts for self-improvement. It is a neoclassical work inspired by a variety of ideas ranging from film scores to authentic classical oboe concerti. The first movement, entitled Pastoral Sonata is based in part on a baritone aria in Carl Orff s famous Carmina Burana. Beginning on a tonal center of E, lyrical themes and virtuoso passages are played over a backdrop whose mood shifts from mysterious to triumphant and back again. The second movement, entitled Meditation is a slow lamenting song in G minor that was initially inspired by a film score by Trevor Jones. An agitated episode in which the soloist plays various fast scales and arpeggios against the strings who play a more intense variation on the main theme, contrasts with the slower and more lyrical outer sections. Instead of ending in the home key of G minor, however, the movement has a coda which ends in the key of E Major. This serves to set up the finale, a rondo in the same key. The third movement combines the light classical styling of Mozart s own oboe concerto with a more contemporary harmonic language and requires the soloist to play the highest practical note on the instrument, a high G above the treble staff. This revised version of the concerto is for solo oboe, strings, and two horns. Mr. Fossa received his bachelor s degree and the performer s certificate from the Crane School of Music (Potsdam, New York) in May, He was awarded the Master s degree in music performance from Florida State University in December of His oboe teachers were Gene-Marie Green, Glenn Guiles, and Eric Ohlsson. JAREN PHILLEO is currently the principal oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, Jaren auditioned for the LPO following her graduate studies at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where she studied with Robert Atherholt. She earned her Bachelor s degree in music performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with John Mack. Jaren also attended the Interlochen Arts Academy for two years and studied with Dan Stolper. Prior to obtaining her position with the LPO, Jaren was the principal oboist of the Sarasota Opera for two seasons. She has spent her summers attending the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Verbier Youth Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA, and has spent the past three summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Jaren currently resides in New Orleans and teaches oboe at Tulane University.

32 30 OBOISTS IN THE NEWS Oboist THOMAS GALLANT gave master classes at the High Plains Band Camp this past July The program was founded in 1947 and took place on the campus of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Mr. Gallant gave classes in oboe and reed making to the 12 oboe students at the camp. While at Fort Hays State University he performed Donizetti s Sonata and Verroust s Solo de Concert as well as Rimsky-Korsakov s Variations for oboe and band. Also on the faculty were Fort Hays State University oboe instructor Kay Werth and Salina Symphony oboist Lindsay Ladman. development seminars. This summer, they were able to hear performances and master classes by a wide variety of artists including Sarah Chang and Evelyn Glennie. In addition, they worked with a variety of conductors including Robert Moody, David Lockington, James Gaffigan and festival Music Director Gerard Schwartz. Visitors to the OBOE CAFE in Bellingham, Washington were in for a surprise on August 16th. An impromptu convention descended on the small cafe to toast the recent nuptials of Karen Birch Blundell and her husband Reuben Blundell. Adam De Sorgo and Dwight Parry were both members of our wedding party. As the reception drew to a close we decided to see if Joe Robinson was in town and might like to get together. What better place for a passel of oboists to meet? The cafe, housed in the Best Western Lakeway Inn, features oboe inspired drinks, menu items and decor. Souvenir mugs will soon be available for purchase as well. Tom Gallant with students and staff at the High Plains Band Camp. This summer, eight young oboists were chosen through competitive auditions to participate in the EASTERN MUSIC FESTIVAL. Students at the five week festival performed in weekly orchestra concerts, played and performed chamber music, took lessons and master classes and participated in professional Photo Op at the Oboe Cafe. Pictured (left to right) Adam De Sorgo, Joe Robinson, Dwight Parry, Karen Birch Blundell and Reuben Blundell. Photo by Karen Birch Blundell Eastern Music Festival Oboe Section pictured (left to right). Front row: Kendra Cheney, Jeralee Johnson, Caroline Ross. Back row: Sarah Kendis, Juan Flores, Evan Ocheret, Sara Lynch, Patrick Carter. Photo by Karen Birch Blundell As principal oboe of Sinfonia da Camera, JOHN DEE performed at several locations throughout Beijing this past summer including the Central Conservatory and at the major concert venue in Shanghai, China. Professor of oboe and the Bill A. Nugent Endowed Professor of Music Performance at the University of Illinois, John was the featured soloist with Sinfonia on October 27th

33 THE DOUBLE REED 31 performing the Mozart Oboe Concerto K. 314 AND Le Tombeau de Couperin, on the same program. Dee played the virtuoso passages with notable elan. In recent recitals at the Krannert Center s Great Hall, John performed the French Suite by Alan Richardson given to him as a gift by John delancie and the Oboe, Bassoon and Piano Trios of Francaix and Previn with UI colleagues Tim McGovern and Julie Gunn. In addition, his Novenber 8th recital included three world premieres written for him. Bring Me an Axe and a Spade by Rafael Mevorach for soprano, oboe and string quartet, Serenade for oboe and string quintet by Elaine Fine and Suite for oboe and string quartet by Seymour Barab. Each new piece was received with enthusiasm by the large audience in attendence at the Krannert. On November 18th, John performed another oboe recital in Delray Beach, Florida with pianist, Edward Turgeon. The new year (February 16, 2008), brings John back to the stage performing the Marcello Concerto in C minor with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony and this summer (July 22-28, 2008), offers the Third Annual Double Reed Week at the University of Illinois which has hosted 70 high school and college oboe and bassoon students from all over the world. Dee and McGovern host this exciting week of double reed activities in addition to inviting guest clinicians each summer. Dee will join his UI colleagues for the Burgos Chamber Music Festival in Spain (July 20-August 7), which will conclude with performances in Italy for the five woodwind and five brass student quintets selected to participate. From double reed instructor LORRAINE DUSO of the University of Central Arkansas at Conway: The Too Many Double Reeds Ensemble of Conway, Arkansas performed Margi Griebling-Haigh s Sinfonia for a Choir of Oboes and English horn on October 30, 2007 to observe John Mack s birthday. Mr. Mack would have been 80 years old, and the oboe studio wanted to perform the piece on his birthday. They played the piece again on November 15, 2007 on our woodwind ensemble recital. The performances were very successful and the students really liked the piece! Besides playing the piece in Mr. Mack s memory, the recital was the day before Halloween; the students wanted to wear these reed hats to mark the occasion. I m sure Mr. Mack would smile at the headgear! Le 5ème concours international de musique de chambre de Lyon (France) s adressera aux QUINTETTE A VENT - WOODWIND QUINTET Jury Paolo Grazia (hautbois - Italie) Andrew Marriner (clarinette - Angleterre) Michel Moraguès (flûte - France) Jean-Claude Montac (basson France) Froydis Ree Wekre (cor - Norvège) Stefan Schilli (hautbois - Allemagne) Milan Turkovic (basson - Autriche) RÉCOMPENSES - PRIZES A reward of 30,000 euros, several concerts in France and in Europe CONDITIONS DE PARTICIPATION Be born after 1st January 1976 and 150 years max. for the quintet Closing date for applications: 31 January 2008 Young talented musicians attending your establishment may be interested. Please let them know about the contest! All information, rules, program, application, registration on

34 32 OBITUARIES Obituaries William Waterhouse ( ) Noah A. Knepper ( ) Albert Goltzer ( ) Ferdinand Prior ( ) WILLIAM WATERHOUSE ( ) It is with the deepest sadness and regret that the IDRS announces the death of one of the world s truly great double reed artists: William Waterhouse, distinguished IDRS Honorary Member, former principal bassoon of the BBC Orchestra in London, former President of the British Double Reed Society, author of the New Langwill Index and The Bassoon, as well as scholarly articles and musical arrangements too numerous to mention, has died of multiple organ failure in the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence, Italy, while on vacation on November 5, 2007, at the age of 77. A memorial service in his memory was held at St. Michael s Church in Highgate, London, on November 23rd, There are plans for a memorial concert in the future as well. IDRS bassoon editor Ronald Klimko is accepting tributes and remembrances of Bill for publication in the next issue of The Double Reed. Those wishing to contribute can their documents to him at klimko@frontiernet.net for inclusion in this article. William Waterhouse was a teacher, mentor, and dear friend to so many of us, that it is almost impossible to imagine that we have lost such a great artist and truly remarkable human being. Shown above in a candid photo conversing with his dear wife Elisabeth and one of his many students Henry Skolnick at the Towson, Maryland, IDRS Conference in the summer of 1992, he appears as ageless as time itself. He will be so dearly missed by the double reed world which he served so tirelessly his entire life. With the very deepest regrets, the IDRS mourns the loss of this great man.

35 THE DOUBLE REED 33 NOAH A. KNEPPER ( ) It is with great sadness that we report of the death of one of the IDRS most important members. Former IDRS founding member and past president Noah Knepper, 85, passed away on September 10th, Noah A. Knepper was a fine musician and teacher. He was born on November 14, 1921, in Columbus, Ohio. During World War II, Noah served in the Army Air Corps, and following his war service, received his Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan. He distinguished himself by teaching at colleges and universities in Mississippi, Kansas, Illinois and Texas. In 1990, Noah retired from Texas Christian University, where he had served as Dean of Graduate Studies in the School of Fine Arts. As a founding member of the IDRS, Noah was a longtime member of the Executive Committee and served two terms as President of the Society in the 1980 s. During his teaching career, which spanned more than 45 years, Noah taught performance, composition and conducting, as well as his principal instrument, the oboe. He performed with many symphony orchestras and dance bands over the years. During the 1960 s through the 1980 s, Noah was a regular fixture at the Café Manãna in Fort Worth, Texas. He was preceeded in death by his wife of 57 years, Dorothy B. Knepper. His survivors include his daughter, Nedra Dibeler and her husband Vernon, of Bethany Beach, Deleware; sons Dennis Knepper and his wife Susan, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Scott Knepper and his wife, Cheryl, of Grapevine, Texas; grandchildren Colleen Scout and husband, Matt, Reed Dibeler, Allen Knepper, Blake Knepper and Nathan Winslow; and brothers John Knepper of Avon Park, Florida, and Edwin Knepper of Toledo, Ohio. The IDRS joins Noah s family, friends and former students in mourning his loss. We will, no doubt, have a memorial article in a future issue. Noah, you will be greatly missed. ALBERT GOLTZER ( ) Albert Goltzer, retired associate principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic, died Saturday in a Connecticut hospital of pneumonia. He was 89. Mr. Goltzer retired from the Philharmonic in 1984 after a long and distinguished orchestral career. Born in Brooklyn, New York on July 25, 1918, he did not begin to study music until he was thirteen, while at Brooklyn s Tilden High School. Young Albert was a natural. In Albert Goltzer 1938, just nineteen years old, he was invited to join the New York Philharmonic by then music director Sir John Barbirolli, who heard him play chamber music at a party. Just before that, he had won a scholarship to Juilliard as well as the Gabrilowitch Memorial Scholarship of the National Orchestral Association. He studied with Philharmonic musicians Engelbert Brenner, Bruno Labate and Michael Nazzi. Mr. Goltzer was so young he lied about his age so he could sign his contract with the orchestra. Mr. Goltzer took a leave of absence to serve in the military during World War II. In 1946, he assumed the position of solo oboist with the St. Louis Symphony. After his stay in St. Louis, he was solo oboe with the CBS Symphony and the WOR Orchestra, and a member of the New York Woodwind Quintet. In 1955, Mr. Goltzer was invited back to the New York Philharmonic by Dimitri Mitropoulos, where he played until 1984 as associate principal. Albert Goltzer made numerous recordings and was on the faculties of the Juilliard, Mannes and Manhattan Schools of Music. He is survived by his beloved wife, Doris, an accomplished oboe and English horn player currently with the New York City Opera, son George and George s wife, Barbara Gertel Goltzer, son Seth, brother-in-law Alvin Delman, and grandchildren Andrew, Jill, Samantha and Adam. His late brother, Harold Goltzer, played with him for many years as associate principal bassoonist of the New York Philharmonic. From HAROLD EMERT Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The news of Al Goltzer s passing is very, very sad news for me particularly because he was not only my principal teacher at Manhattan School of Music, but my long-time musical guide, my friend in good and bad times and a person I admired not only for his musical achievements but for his good humor and...humility! Many years ago I interviewed him for the IDRS magazine, in one of his (unsolicited) rare moments of self promotion. I first heard him play with the New York Philharmonic back in the days when Pierre Monteux led the

36 34 OBITUARIES orchestra in a summer series of concerts at Lewisohn Stadium. I still recall his fine playing of the Beethoven 7th, which inspired me to try the unpredictable path of an oboe player,which has since taken me all over the world with numerous professional orchestras and as a recitalist and composer. During the highlight of his career, the New York Philharmonic manager reportedly called him, as associate first oboe, a rock of stability and dependability, ready to step in for whatever musical emergency and occasion. And, from what Goltzer told me (between puffs on the pipe he used to smoke), there were many such moments. He was a tough teacher who told a student not what we would like to hear but what should be told. Parallel to his own life style, Goltzer emphasized musical excellence without too much showing off. But at the end of most lessons, there was usually time to speak shop talk about about pressures and difficulties of playing so many years in one of the world s greatest orchestras with among the finest conductors and soloists. And there was also talk of his teacher,the unique and often eccentric Bruno Labate - an oboist who in the American musical scene dominated by Tabuteau - is often neglected or forgotten. Numerous times since - at his urging - I left my hometown of New York City for a little out of town experience - I would visit him at what was once his studio near Lincoln Center or at his home in Connecticut. Arriving from South Africa, Israel, Germany or Brazil or from one of the many IDRS conventions and entering his work studio with new music, CDs, a gouging machine from Italy (- you could have purchased a better one in Brooklyn ), etc. I always thought I was coming to visit a type of musical father with something new. But most times though, Goltzer - from his long experience of playing in the original Porgy and Bess on Broadway, or in the St. Louis Symphony or in the tough professional world of the New York Philharmonic - had seen or heard it all! After many telephone calls and visits, I finally got Goltzer and his wife Doris, also a professional oboist and English horn player (New York City Opera), to visit the IDRS convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, where I performed a recital (and proudly introduced my teacher ). Like a young musician just beginning his career on the oboe, Goltzer loved every moment of the gathering, the people, the recitals, and the competition for young artists. (And to think he had once insisted a double reed convention was not for him - I prefer fishing ). I was just meaning this week to send him a recording of my performance this year for the first time of the Sibelius Swan of Tuonela, which he himself had recorded so long ago with the CBS Symphony long before computer and digital recording. The reason I wanted to send him my recording was that - as usual when I was in need - he attended my telephone call from Brazil to the home for the aging (where he was being treated for illness) to give me what turned out to be my last lesson with him. My only regret is that - for a lack of self promotion and knowhow in this field of politicking for honors - Al Goltzer, my teacher, never was made an honorary member of the IDRS. His humility, professionalism and good humor are qualities I have always admired and continue to pursue in my own professional and private life. FERDINAND PRIOR ( ) Ferdinand Prior, who played oboe and English horn with many major American orchestras and was also a much-loved teacher in the Cincinnati area, died on September 16, 2007, at the age of 94. For 63 years, he was married to the late Irma Biedenbender, a fellow Cincinnatian. He was the father of Daphne Prior of New York City and Dr. Stephen Prior (Patricia) of Wellesley, Mass., and the son of the late Howard and Bertha (Nadler) Prior. A graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Mr. Prior played oboe for the original NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Toscanini. He also played for the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. After the war and service in the Merchant Marines, he joined the New York Philharmonic in Mr. Prior returned to Cincinnati in 1956 to play English horn in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He also began an active teaching career. He taught at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Miami and Xavier Universities and many local high schools. He also performed with regional music groups and ensembles. Mr. Prior retired from the CSO in 1978, but continued teaching well into his 80s. A long-time resident of Wyoming, Ohio, he remained physically active despite the onset of Parkinson s disease. In his last years, he resided at Bridgeway Pointe Assisted Living, where he passed away last Sunday. Contributions in memory of Mr. Prior can be sent to: Gift of Music Fund, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio

37 THE DOUBLE REED 35 Charles Robert Reinert: Remembrances and Tributes Compiled by Fernando Traba Sarasota, Florida Charles Robert Reinert, From FERNANDO TRABA Principal Bassoon, Florida West Coast Symphony: On September 21, 2007 on the stage of Hosmer Hall at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, I had the privilege of witnessing and participating in an extraordinary gathering a celebration of the life of my teacher, mentor and best friend, Charles Robert Reinert. Gathered with me on that stage that Friday afternoon were Alan Goodman, Chris Weait, Bob Danziger, Arthur Frackenpohl, Robert Washburn and more than 100 luminaries from both the double reed world and the music world at large. We were together to celebrate the life and work of the most extraordinary teacher any of us has ever known, but what made the event so unique and unforgettable was the way in which the attendees, many of whom had never met before, were drawn together from the far reaches of our country as a family. Indeed, that day we not only played together (the event culminated with a bassoon septet arrangement of the Gold and Silver Waltz), but we laughed together, cried together, held each other s hands and shared our memories of this remarkable musical force who changed each of our lives forever. I first met Bob Reinert in 1992 shortly after my arrival in Sarasota, Florida to join the Florida West Coast Symphony as its new principal bassoonist. Bob introduced himself to me backstage after a concert, complimented my playing and began a conversation about the bassoon and music which would continue until his death some fifteen years later. At the time we met, I had been playing professionally for more than fifteen years in four different countries. My father had been a professional bassoonist before me; I had studied at two of the United States finest conservatories with exceptional, dedicated teachers; I had performed concerti in live television broadcasts in my native Mexico.in short, I felt like I had a good handle on the ins and outs of this most idiosyncratic of instruments. The last thing I expected to find in Sarasota, Florida was a master teacher who would turn my concepts of sound and music upside down and who would, over more than a decade, completely transform my playing. I also found a second father, best man at my wedding, grandfather to my children, mentor, therapist, and best friend. In the following paragraphs you will read testimonials from bassoonists with much higher profile careers than mine, offering their memories and insights into Bob s unforgettable presence. I am so very grateful to the IDRS for their recognition of Bob s amazing contribution via his election to Honorary Membership just three weeks before he passed away. You cannot imagine the impact that this acknowledgement had on Bob I know it gave him a tremendous sense of pride and humility to join such an esteemed group of individuals. Suffice it to say that Charles Robert Reinert, with his unprecedented and unmatched ideas on sound and sound production, reed making, breathing, singing, bassoon construction and the bassoon s capacity for music making transformed the lives of all those who could see past his quiet, modest demeanor and recognize the genius that he was. To say that I shall never forget him would be an understatement.i will spend the rest of my life trying to recreate what he achieved so ef-

38 36 CHARLES ROBERT REINERT: REMEMBRANCES AND TRIBUTES Reinert at Wainwright Band Camp, La Grange, Indiana, fortlessly a sound of unmatched ease and beauty, an unquenchable interest in all things musical and a generosity of spirit that wanted nothing more than to offer it all to anyone lucky enough to listen. From ALAN GOODMAN Retired Principal, Los Angeles Philharmonic; Former Principal, Milwaukee Symphony; Former Associate Principal, Pittsburgh Symphony: Potsdam is a long way from the New York City area, where I spent my beginnings as a student bassoonist. After one year of junior high school and four of high school, I had studied among, other fine bassoon teachers, with Simon Kovar, and later, Harold Goltzer, two generations of New York Philharmonic bassoonists. At seventeen, I knew everything there was to know about bassooning. I was ready to accept a call from Juilliard, maybe even Curtis down the road. Hell, why bother with college, I was ready to hear from Cleveland s, Philadelphia s, New York s orchestras begging me to get there before fall and help them out ( Sure, Dr. Szell, I think I can fit you into my playing schedule. ). But in September of 1959 my parents drove me the 400 plus miles up the New York State Thruway, past Utica, through Albany, around Watertown - and beyond - to Potsdam, a mere one hundred miles south of Montreal where I was not only not in Juilliard, but almost in another country. My mother s words were still bouncing around the dorm room after she and my father had left me to my unpacked bags, ( No son of mine is going to be an itinerant musician. A music teacher is a real profession. ) when a distinguished gentleman knocked on the door and introduced himself as Bob Reinert, my bassoon teacher. He asked to borrow my bassoon, a 9011 Heckel, as his was in Moennig s shop. What do you say to a man who wants to borrow your bassoon, a man who will dispense your grade at the end of each semester? And so, Mr. Reinert carried my bassoon away to a rehearsal of The Marriage of Figaro, which the school was performing as a greeting to the new students. A few days later I attended the performance of Figaro in which my bassoon was being played by Bob Reinert. What I heard changed my life. For the sound coming forth from the very instrument I had struggled mightily to vanquish through high school, spoke a voice so sonorous, so easy, full and free, that I felt disbelief that such a sound was possible. My study with Bob Reinert - four years of college and forty years thereafter - has been simply one of trying to imitate that uniquely rich tone, so freely delivered it seemed like it was the product of a deep sleep rather than the squeezing push I had been employing. Bob Reinert was a wonderful person, a caring and giving teacher, a mentor, an inspiration. His recent enshrinement as an honorary member of IDRS is well-deserved. I miss him, and am grateful for his many years of assured guidance and encouragement. From CHRISTOPHER WEAIT Professor Emeritus: The Ohio State University: Discoveries Remembered, December, 1998 I Discover Importance Of Teacher s Words. (On subway between Brooklyn and Manhattan, Christmas holidays, 1957) After first semester at Potsdam State as Reinert student. Just played for previous teacher (to stay in touch; to be in the big town again; to show off?). He said, Your tone is tubby. From high school lessons I know, Tubby Not Good, Tubby Not Get Job, Tubby Worst New York Put-Down for Bassoonist. Comparing Mr. Reinert s dark, warm with tubby, a glimmer of understanding begins right there under the East River. Resolve to better define Mr. Reinert s terminology for my understanding. I Discover I Learn Best When Self-Motivated and Hear THE SOUND Before Playing. (Potsdam, NY February, 1959) Snow on ground since Thanksgiving. Sophomore,

39 THE DOUBLE REED 37 finally playing first. Evening rehearsal of Mozart s B- flat Serenade, trio of first minuet. I m not happy with staccato triplets. Can play notes but should sound better. After rehearsal: is Mr. Reinert in studio? Yes, light s on, putting on coat, going home. Er, Mr. Reinert, could I ask a question? What s the question? How can I make my staccato better? His eyebrows go up, coat comes off. (At his home, Mrs. Reinert has another opportunity to exercise her apparently endless patience.) About forty-five minutes later, I leave music building, cross quad on crunchy snow knowing those forty-five minutes were turning point. I learned with complete understanding. I Discover Joy Of Continuo and Learn To Use Resonance To Carry Tone. (Potsdam Spring Festival, 1959.) Robert Shaw conducts Bach s B Minor Mass. He helps me discover the joy and variety of continuo playing. In lessons, I learn to allow bassoon s resonance to carry sound without forcing while playing rising scales in the Quoniam tu solus. I Discover Certain Teachers Produce Cults and Not All Students Have Affection for Former Teachers. (Toronto, some time between 1968 and 1985). My Toronto Symphony colleagues are often highly partisan. Pupils of notable teachers bond with those who came after or before them. This bond can ossify into a cult. I m surprised some don t like their teacher. Can t imagine that. Reinert s students can be pretty clannish, but we re not cultish. His teaching never produced a cult. Attribute that to his tolerant and respectful consideration of all opinions and his great artistry as a musician. From JUNE PARTCH Principal Bassoon, Schenectady Symphony, Former Principal Bassoon, Albany Symphony, : In fond remembrance: For several years my husband and I wintered for a short time in Florida near Mt. Vernon and the residence of my former bassoon guru C. Robert Reinert and his lovely wife Peg. On one occasion I journeyed to Bob s home where he and I played duets and also tried to invent the PERFECT REED (hah!!). At the same time, severe weather in the form of a very destructive tornado came very close (a mile or two) to us. We were oblivious of any danger. When I returned to our rented abode, I was greeted by a very nervous husband who had been attempting to warn me away from the destructive storm. Moral: When one got involved with bassoon duets and reed making with C. Robert Reinert, nothing else seemed to exist. From MARVIN ROTH (One of Mr. Reinert s earliest bassoon students. He played in Broadway musicals for many years.) My first bassoon lesson with Bob at the University of Miami was probably just after my graduation from Miami Beach High School in I didn t realize at that time that Bob was only about 7 years older than me. What I DID realize was that each lesson was about singing. Before playing my assigned Weissenborn study, Bob would whip out an old recording and play for me one of his favorite songs sung by the noted baritone John Charles Thomas, making sure I would be watching HIS gesticulations as HIS mentor sang. When it was over, he would simply say Now pick up your bassoon and SING! We all know how important a foundation is. The one that Bob Reinert built for me 68 years ago still stands. From MICHAEL DiPIETRO, M.D. John F. Holt Collegiate Professor of Radiology University of Michigan: I first heard the name C. Robert Reinert when I entered high school as a beginning bassoon student in My school regularly had student teachers from The Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, and they would always tell me that I should meet Professor Reinert. I did manage to study with two of his students, Chris Weait and Bob Danziger, in the latter 1960s but it was not until IDRS 1993 in Minneapolis that I met the Maestro in person. I noticed his name tag in the exhibit hall and introduced myself. He was very friendly and receptive as though we were old friends. I again saw Bob at IDRS in Rotterdam, Netherlands where we spent many enjoyable hours trying bassoons and comparing notes. Although he had already retired years before, it was obvious that he had a keen ear and an astute sense of musicality. Over the ensuing years we had many more opportunities to correspond and to meet at

40 38 CHARLES ROBERT REINERT: REMEMBRANCES AND TRIBUTES about Reinert s ideas just as Bob Reinert and Alan Goodman did in the The Double Reed paper, Breathe Don t Blow a few years ago. I am honored to know Bob and Peg Reinert, and I look forward to continued friendship and association with Peg and their family of students and colleagues. From JIM STOLTIE: Reinert at New England Music Camp, Sydney, Maine. IDRS, Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp, and at the Sarasota Music Festival. The respect, admiration and love that Bob received from his many accomplished students and colleagues was wonderful to witness. I am honored that he later considered me as one of his family of students. I endeavored to learn more about Bob s concept of a natural, unforced, and resonant sound production on the bassoon. Bob stressed that resonance, not loudness, allowed the bassoon to be heard in the orchestra. Bob was also a highly regarded baritone and voice teacher. His concept of musicality and resonance on the bassoon derived directly from his vocal experience. As Bob s health began to wane, he maintained his interest in music until the end. He enjoyed discussing music as it transformed him back to when he was in his physical prime. My last visit with Bob was the week before he received the IDRS Honorary member award. He insisted on working on a reed for me and giving me a lesson, although he tired very easily. He knew that this would be our last visit and as ever the consummate teacher, he wanted to be sure I understood what he had been teaching all these years. I will miss him, especially whenever I visit Sarasota. I regret that a planned IDRS interview of him discussing his ideas never came to fruition. I hope that perhaps some of his accomplished students will write Although not a member of the IDRS but a lifetime member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and a bassoonist of sorts over the years, I write of my long time friendship with C. Robert Reinert, a great teacher and mentor, an amazing musician with a phenomenal ear for bassoon sound and pitch and friend to many. I joined the faculty of the New England Music Camp the summer of 1964 to fill a temporary position held by a C. Robert Reinert who was on a sabbatical leave that year from The Crane School of Music, State University of New York, Potsdam. Having returned to NEMC to teach saxophone the following summer, I was sitting on the porch of my cabin shaping and scraping bassoon reeds when I noticed this older gentleman on his porch doing the same, but clearly with more understanding of the process. I walked over, introduced myself as he did the same, and my life changed forever. For Bob had just met another human being who was struggling with the mysteries of creating a responsive reed. We became friends, he became my mentor, he led me to a career at The Crane School of Music and to my retirement in Florida where we spent time every week playing, analyzing, scraping, trying bocals and bassoons and generally commiserating about long and short bore bassoons, breathing, sound and sound production. Practically all of his 93 years were lived with a bassoon reed in hand being coaxed with sandpaper, emery board, file, mandrel, pliers, knife or fingernail to perfection. Approaching 94, Bob was the ultimate master teacher, always and subtly leading those willing to truly assimilate his observations and suggestions to a higher level of musical confidence and artistry. In my last phone conversation with Bob the day before he passed away in early July he apologized for not making some new reeds for me to take to camp. The week before I left for NEMC he oiled the bore of my 8277 Heckel, undercut several tone holes, shared a fine bocal which improved the pitch of my instrument dramatically and refined several of my promising reeds. He was a true teacher and friend to the end. To this day you can still imagine him with a reed in

41 THE DOUBLE REED 39 to convey the respect and affection he inspired in us. But I was unequal to explaining the unique, almost mystical ability he had to convey a concept of musical sound. Was it tone? Yes it was. But it was much more than that. In the music department at Potsdam, it was not unusual to hear people talk about The Reinert Sound. But the only time I heard the term used in his presence was when bassoonist Bob Price referred to it and Mr. Reinert was not happy to hear it. There s no Reinert Sound, he said, There s good sound - beautiful sound. Mr. Reinert had quite a few voice and bassoon students over the years at the Crane School of Music at Potsdam and he was respected and well thought of by all of us. He was jovial, usually easy-going and always very interesting and entertaining to talk with - and a great storyteller. But, there was a deeper level, and not every student saw through to this. He was a modest person and not a self-promoter. There was very little that was flashy in the lessons we had. Mr. Reinert could move fast when he needed to, but his normal pace was relaxed. He took his time when talking. As an immature and somewhat oblivious freshhand creating that perfect crow that only Bob could achieve and the rest of us who knew him will only hope to emulate but will always be thankful for his guidance and patience in helping us to unlock the mysteries of a perfect reed! From DR. ROBERT DANZIGER, Professor of Music, California State University, Stanislaus: I ve just come back from a wonderful day in Potsdam celebrating the life of my teacher, C. Robert Reinert. Chris Weait organized things beautifully. He and Al Goodman and Fernando Traba played a few trios. From the first note you could hear that they shared that relaxed, resonant, wonderfully balanced, dolce sound inherited from their beloved teacher. Joining them for an arrangement, by Chris, of the Gold and Silver Waltz, a favorite Reinert vehicle for tone development, was one of the special moments of my life. I ve written about my great teacher before, trying Robert Reinert at Crane School of Music.

42 40 CHARLES ROBERT REINERT: REMEMBRANCES AND TRIBUTES man, I was not quick to really appreciate what was being offered in lessons. After a few months of studying, I was talking to Al Goodman, who was a senior, and he asked me how I was doing. I answered, sort of coolly, that I wasn t sure I was getting what was going on. Alan looked right into my eyes and said, very seriously, You know, he s a great teacher. What he can give you, you can t get anywhere else. Listen better. Well, Al Goodman was, and still is, my favorite bassoon player, so I started listening better and have been - for more than forty five years. As a young bassoonist, Mike DiPietro never had the chance to formally study with Mr. Reinert, but he knew Chris Weait and Al Goodman and me from the Albany area and Star Lake Music Camp, so he heard a lot about Mr. Reinert. Many years later, he met Mr. R. at an IDRS conference and from then on they spent a lot of time together. Mike was interested to hear Al Goodman and I both insist that we spent our entire freshman year playing low G trying, usually unsuccessfully, to get it right to not force it not drive it let it resonate breathe it in start it gently and naturally off the end of the breath then he d sing or play this resonant low G - loo loo loo loo loo. And we d play (with a thin, forced sound) lee lee lee lee lee. And then he d talk some more and we d try it again. Well, Mike was interested in this and a few years ago he and I were at the Popkin-Glickman Camp, particularly because we knew that the Reinerts would be there. And Mike said, I m gonna play my low G for him. Mike, I said, don t do it! You re a fine player already. Think of Pandora! No - I m going for it, said Mike. So, he played, lee lee lee lee lee. And Mr. R. looked kindly and sang, loo loo loo loo loo. That was the start - hours of talking and playing and singing and Mr. Reinert literally taking Mike s throat in his ninety-two-year-old hands and manipulating the internal mechanism to get the feeling of opening up. (This, by the way, is not something that any of us would do with our own students Mr. Reinert had studied with Stanley, in New York, a famous voice teacher and had an intimate knowledge of what goes on in the throat). Well, Mike is a distinguished and honored MD and a respected bassoonist in Ann Arbor, but now he was one of us - engaged in the quest. And I was fascinated all over again to see the beginning of the long, slow and mysterious process. It didn t hurt that Mr. Reinert had, even in his nineties, a glorious baritone voice and a unique and wonderful way of gesturing with his hands for tempo and phrase. When I think of this fascinating process that all starts with resonating the low G, I wonder that it lead in so many unexpected directions. Some examples might include: The relationship of pitch to tone. The mystical business of how and when (and when not) to allow the tone to vibrate. The joys of an occasional Manhattan. How to blend the bassoon tone with a French horn and not sound buzzy. What s the best cream cheese. The subtleties of finding a tempo that lets the music dance. How the death of a beloved family pet (the Reinert s little dachshund, Heckel ) can really knock you for a loop. The virtues of the long bore. Where to find the best biography of Enrico Caruso. How to really look at and feel a bassoon reed before scraping. Countless great stories, quotes and anecdotes. And - how to be a generous, openhearted mentor and friend for a lifetime.

43 The Fulbright Experience: Life as an American Oboist Abroad Part IV Merideth Hite Baden-Württemburg, Germany THE DOUBLE REED 41 Professor Nicholas Daniel and me after my final exam recital in the Trossingen Musikhochschule. Farewell Most musicians, if you ask them, will tell you what moment in their musical life made the most impact on who they are and how they play. For some people it was a concert, or a masterclass, a festival or a teacher, but for me, professionally, personally, and musically, that experience has been this year in Germany. These last few weeks have been so exceptional. My Abschlussprüfungen (exam recitals) brought a great deal of work with constant rehearsing and practicing, but it was of course, a blast. Playing both Baroque and Modern oboe on the program was an interesting challenge, but I found that it worked well and the audience really enjoyed hearing both. My baroque oboe professor, Martin Stadler, played with me on the Zelenka Sonata and having him there on stage with me made it a special occasion. Playing such amazing Baroque music with him was an unforgettable experience, and I believe it showed well all that I had learned on the old instrument. Overall, I was very proud of my work on such intense recital programs with a new teacher and only a few months to prepare. I do feel deeply indebted to Professor Nicholas Daniel for having made it possible for me to take these exams, and thus, receive the degree of Künstlerische Ausbildung upon leaving. After the exams, I had some time to hit some musical hot spots in Germany that I had never visited. A Fulbright singer who was studying in Leipzig hosted me for two days and helped me do a whirlwind tour of J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, and Schumann highlights complete with a concert of the Gewandhaus Orchester in the Thomaskirche. I also made it to Mannheim, Heidelberg, Köln, and Bonn. I had the great pleasure of hearing and meeting Francois Leleux at the Rolandseck Chamber Music Festival outside of Bonn. He and musicians from all over the world performed chamber music of Beethoven, Schumann, Dvořák, Britten, Prokofiev and Schoenberg in an intimate atmosphere within a renovated train station turned art museum with an amazing view of the Rhine. Chen Halevi, the clarinet professor in Trossingen, performed in this festival as well, and I was honored to simply be there listening. The amazing musicians really embodied the essence of the chamber music (in its true chamber sense), not to mention Francois Leleux s friendliness (he showed me his oboe and talked reeds with me!) which was an extra treat. I m continually inspired by Germany s commitment as a culture to classical music. Those concerts (and most every concert I ve been to all year) had almost no empty seats. There were almost always encores and the audience would just not stop clapping after some of the concerts in Rolandseck. I hope somehow to bring back this enthusiasm and passion to audiences in America. The recitals over, my last lessons with Nicholas Daniel and Martin Stadler come and gone, my apartment emptied and everything packed, I can t help but

44 42 THE FULBRIGHT EXPERIENCE: LIFE AS AN AMERICAN OBOIST ABROAD PART IV look back and be nostalgic about these past eleven months. When I was writing my Fulbright grant almost two years ago, there was a line I used that remains with me as I prepare to leave. I had said that one of the most important reasons for my needing to go to Germany was because I d learn more about my style by being an advocate for it abroad. When you open the door to new reed styles, new oboes, new tone qualities, new pitch centers (442 is seemed so high!), when you re in a position like I have been these past months, where you are able to experience such new ideas, the most important thing is not the new things you learn, but the things you learn about all the old things you knew. I wish I could begin to share and show you personally how these experiences have directly changed me as a musician, but now that I sit to write, the words are difficult to find. Besides the technical improvements that came with having so much time to practice, I feel that my ability to understand Baroque music (having heard and played with amazing people in those ensembles on authentic instruments), my knowledge of not only music history, but what the music of Mendelssohn or Schumann really means (having stood in their houses and drank coffee in the same cafes!) and my understanding of German culture (a deeper knowledge of the nuance of the language and the profound expressiveness of its people), all these things help me bring an important new insight to my oboe playing, an insight that simply cannot be taught or learned in an oboe lesson. I urge anyone who has a chance to spend time playing and listening abroad. I believe strongly that this cultural exchange is necessary for even greater art and these processes surely must move us closer to world peace. I only wish that through these writings I might inspire others to search out these opportunities themselves. Many thanks to the Fulbright Commission and the International Institute for Exchange for sponsoring and funding the exceptionally run grant program. Thanks also to Professors Nicholas Daniel and Martin Stadler, without whose support I wouldn t have made it to Germany at all. Thank you to the Yale School of Music and Steve Taylor for allowing me a leave of absence. And finally, thank you to all the readers of these articles for letting me share this wonderful year with you in this journal. I wish you all much success and happy music making. Auf Wiedersehen! Merideth Hite, a Fulbright Scholar for the academic year, currently studies Modern and Baroque Oboe in the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany under Nicholas Daniel and Martin Stadler, respectively. Merideth is a native of Abbeville, South Carolina and graduated with a Bachelor s of Music degree summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in June 2006 where she studied under Mark Ostoich. She hopes to share her experiences in Germany through a set of articles printed throughout her time abroad.

45 THE DOUBLE REED 43 IDRS WWW CONFERENCE RECORDINGS IDRS 26th Annual Conference Arizona State University New Mexico Woodwinds & Quintessence Jeffrey Lyman, bassoon & William Waterhouse, bassoon

46 44 CURRENT EVENTS Current Events

47 THE DOUBLE REED 45 Second International Oboe Master Classes and Festival in Ostrava, Czech Republic (September 17-22, 2007) Marlen Vavříková Allendale, Michigan CURRENT EVENTS This year, the Second Biennial International Oboe Master Classes and Festival at the University of Ostrava hosted internationally acclaimed oboe virtuoso, Omar Zoboli (Hochschule für Musik, Basel, Switzerland). For one week oboists from the Czech Republic and Slovakia worked with Professors Zoboli, Dušan Foltýn (oboe professor at the Ostrava University), and myself, and also had an opportunity to perform solo and chamber repertoire in the beautiful performance hall of the Ostrava University. At the end of the week, special guest, Miroslav Hošek, gave a lecture on The American Oboe Tradition, sharing with students his knowledge about oboists from across the ocean. An instrument exhibition as well as a lecture-workshop on reedmaking styles from various countries was presented by Jurij Likin, a representative of Oboissimo. Students were able to try beautiful new oboes and the latest reed-making equipment. The Friday evening concert featured the oboe fac- ulty assisted by pianist Radana Foltynová and guest bassoonists, Zdeněk Fintes and Michal Gemrot. The varied program included Bauer s Dualistyl for Oboe and Piano, Castiglioni s Gruezi, Planel s Serenade, Barraud s Romance, Murgier s Capriccio, Clara Schu- Jurij Likin, Marlen Vavříková, Dušan Foltýn, Omar Zoboli.

48 46 SECOND INTERNATIONAL OBOE MASTER CLASSES AND FESTIVAL IN OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC CURRENT EVENTS mann s Romance, Yun s Two Inventions, Bill Ryan s Autumn Dance (European premiere), Prowo s Concerto in F-Major for Three Oboes and Two Bassoons, as well as a the world premiere composed especially for this festival by Omara Zoboli, Quasi una improvisazione for solo oboe. On Saturday morning, selected participants performed at the matinee concert, culminating in a group performance of Boismortier s Concerto in A-Minor. At the end of the concert, three awards were given to Kamila Kozaková, Martin Daněk, and Hanka Melkusová for their excellent performances (sponsored by Oboissimo ). The beautiful sounds of oboe charged Ostrava with an invigorating energy and when saying goodbyes everybody was already making plans for the next time they will meet again. Many thanks extend to oboe professors Dušan Foltýn and Omar Zoboli, as well as to all students and guest artists for making this an unforgettable experience, and to the Ostrava University and all the sponsors who made this event possible. Miroslav Hošek s lecture. Omar Zoboli with Ivana Jenešová. Reed-Making Workshop. Pavla Kostelecká, Omar Zoboli, Barbora Štefl ová, Petr Kadera. Final performance of Boismortier s Concerto.

49 THE DOUBLE REED 47 56th International Music Competition Sponsored by ARD Munich The 56th International Music Competition sponsored by ARD Munich was held in September, Oboe jury members included Maurice Bourgue (France), George Caird (United Kingdom), Gordon Hunt (United Kingdom), Thomas Indermuhle (Germany), Stefan Schilli (Germany), and Richard Woodhams (United States). Only two first prizes have been awarded to oboists in the event s history, to Heinz Holliger and to Maurice Bourgue. After waiting some 40 years, the jury finally awarded a first prize again, this time to Ramon Ortega Quero of Spain. Other prize winners were Ivan Podyomov and Maria Sournatcheva, both of Russia. Competitors chosen in a recorded round included: Victor Aviat, Armel Descotte, Guillaume Deshayes, Phillipe Tondre, Celine Moinet, Olivier Rousset, Antoine Cottinet, and Helene Gueuret (all of France); Lucas Macias Navarro, Daniel Ibanez, and Ramon Ortega Quero (of Spain); Qing Lin and Bentai Li (of China); Mayu Wakaki, Keiko Iyadomi, Izumi Tsuboike, Nanako Kondou, and Tomoko Kusumegi (all of Japan); Ivan Podyomov, Grigori Krasnov, Maria Sournatcheva (of Russia); Eun Young Cho, Ji-Hyun Park, Jie-Yeong Moon, Sook Hyun Lee, Ji-Young Yoon (of Korea); Kai-Na Syu and Ting-Chiao Yu (of Tiawan); Domenico Orlando, Andrea De Francesco (Italy); Yuriy Nefyodov (of Ukraine); Agnes Farkas (Hungary); Sanja Romic (Serbia); Petar Hristov (Bulgaria); Aleksandra Rojek (Poland); Georgi Kalandarischwili and Georgi Gvantseladze (Georgia); Dirk Kammerer, Viola Wilmsen, Tjadiona Wurdinger, Andreas Mendel, Elisabeth Wieland, and Sandra Schumacher (all of Germany); and Shefali Pryor (of Australia). Ramon Ortega Quero Ivan Podyomov Maria Sournatcheva CURRENT EVENTS Ramon Ortega Quero was born in Granada, Spain in Since 2003 he has been a member of the West- Eastern Divan Orchestra under the musical directorship of Daniel Barenboim. He studied with the support of the Barenboim-Said Foundation with Gregor Witt at the Academia de estudios orchetrales in Seville, and he is continuing his studies with Prof. Witt at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Rostock. Ivan Podyomov was born in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 1986 and he first studied the oboe with Ivan Pushetchnikov at the Moscow Gnessin Special Music School. He completed his studies there in 2003 with honors as the best student his his class. In 2006 he was engaged as principal oboist by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia. He is also a student in the solo class of Maurice Bourgue at the Conservatoire International de Musique in Geneva. Maria Sournatcheva was born in 1988 in Moscow and also attended the Gnessin Music School there, starting her studies at the age of six. She began studies at the Music Academy of Hanover in 2003, coinciding with her attendance at secondary school at the Institute for the Early Promotion of the Highly Gifted. Her oboe teacher at Hanover is Klaus Becker.

50 48 56TH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION SPONSORED BY ARD MUNICH REPERTOIRE OBOE 2007 CURRENT EVENTS Pre-selection with recording (CD) a) Nikos Skalkottas, from Concertino for Oboe and Klavier: 1st and 2nd Movements b) J. S. Bach, from the Partita in A minor for solo flute: Allemande and Courante (also in G-minor) First Round (20 Minutes): 1. Georg Philipp Telemann, one of the 6 Partitas from Die Kleine Kammermusik (with harpsichord) and Antal Dorati, from Cinq pièces pour le hautbois for solo oboe: No. 1 La cigale et la fourmie, No. 3 Fugue à trois voix or No. 5 Légerdemain. Le «spiel» - Le «trick» 2. one of the following works with piano - Robert Schumann, Three Romances op. 94: No. 1 and No. 2 - Robert Schumann, from Fünf Stücke im Volkston op. 102: No. 2 and No. 3 - Clara Schumann, Three Romances (for Violin and Piano) op. 22: No. 1 and No. 3 Second Round (45 Minutes): 3. François Couperin, from Les goûts réunis ou les nouveaux Concerts : No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 or No.11 (with harpsichord) 4. one of the following works for oboe solo - Luciano Berio, Sequenza VII - Niccolò Castiglioni, Alef - Michael Finnissy, Runnin Wild - Vinko Globokar, Atemstudie - Heinz Holliger, Studie II 5. one of the following works with piano - Antal Dorati, Duo concertante - Henry Dutilleux, Sonata - André Jolivet, Serenade - Charles Koechlin, Sonata op. 58: 1st to 3rd movement - Antonio Pasculli, Fantasia sull opera Poliuto di Donizetti - Gunther Schuller, Sonata Semi-finals with Chamber Orchestra 6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto in C major, K Olli Mustonen, commissioned work for Oboe solo Composition commissioned by the 2007 ARD Competition (world première). The score will be sent to the competitor together with the letter of admission to the competition. The commissioned work may be played from the score but not publicly performed prior to the competition. Finals with Symphony Orchestra 8. one of the following concertos: - Richard Strauss - Bohuslav Martinů - Bernd Alois Zimmermann The works in groups 6 and 8 must be performed from memory.

51 THE DOUBLE REED 49 Second Double Reed Day at Grand Valley State University Marlen Vavříková Allendale, Michigan CURRENT EVENTS On Saturday, September 29, Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan hosted two distinguished guests at its second annual Double Reed Day: David McGill, the principal bassoonist of the Chicago Symphony and John Dee, the Bill A. Nugent Endowed Professor of Oboe Performance Studies at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Over sixty young oboe and bassoon enthusiasts participated in reed-making workshops and master classes given by guest artists as well as GVSU professors, Marlen Vavříková and John Clapp. During the morning hours, students had some time to visit double reed instrument exhibitions and purchase reed-making supplies presented by Carlos Coelho and Justin Miller. Soon after, Carlos Coelho instructed oboists on how to adjust their instruments properly, while bassoonists journeyed over to the beautiful auditorium of GVSU s Cook- DeWitt Center to attend a master class presented by David McGill. John Dee s oboe master class took place concurrently in GVSU s Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall. At noon professor and chair of GVSU s Department of Music and Dance, Danny Phipps, visited with Double Reed Day participants and at one o clock, two master classes were held simultaneously. John Clapp introduced the contrabassoon at Cook-DeWitt Center while Marlen Vavříková worked with young oboists at the Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall. Following the second set of master classes, students were eager to learn more about oboe and bassoon reed-making techniques. The oboe presentation was beautifully done by guest Alyssa McKeithen. After an insightful presentation on gouging, shaping and tying, Ms. McKeithen, and Profs. Dee and Vavříková divided everybody into three groups and worked with students individually. The bassoon reed-making David McGill with student Jessica Beal.

52 50 SECOND DOUBLE REED DAY AT GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY CURRENT EVENTS John Dee with student Mezraq Ramli. Alyssa McKeithen with a student. From the performance of Handel s Sonata.. class was presented by Danny Phipps and focused on finishing techniques and reed design. The workshops were well-received by those in attendance. The whole day culminated in a double reed day concert featuring guest artists, GVSU faculty, students, and visiting oboists and bassoonists. The pro- David McGill and Helen Marlais performing Milde. gram opened with a touching performance of the Larghetto from Concerto for Oboe d Amore by Johann Sebastian Bach ( ), performed by John Dee, Gregory Crowell (GVSU professor of harpsichord) and Pablo Mahave-Veglia (GVSU assistant professor of cello). Marlen Vavříková joined them in the Sonata in E-flat Major by George Frederick Handel ( ). The program continued with solo bassoon Concert Studies Nos. 3, 5, and 6 by Ludwig Milde ( ), featuring new piano accompaniments composed by David McGill. David performed these beautifully on bassoon in collaboration with GVSU associate professor of piano Helen Marlais. After a brief pause, the double reed day participants warmed-up their instruments and came to the stage for the grand finale. Associate Professor and Director of Bands, Barry Martin, led the large double reed ensemble in a performance of two arrangements by William Schmidt of Gavotte from the Classical Symphony by Sergei Prokofiev ( ) and Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel ( ). The GVSU second annual Double Reed Day was filled with music and good atmosphere. Oboists and bassoonists from Michigan and surrounding states came together to meet new double reed friends, listen to world-class performers, learn about various reedmaking techniques, and mainly, to have fun. Grand Valley State University is looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and welcoming new double reed friends to next year s event. Many thanks go to Dr. Phipps for making this event possible and to the guest artists, GVSU students, faculty, staff, and friends who helped to make this day successful.

53 THE DOUBLE REED 51 My First Time Attending the Stacy English Horn Seminar Devin Hinzo San Jose, California I remember signing up for the seminar in early January and being nervous that I wouldn t be accepted to participate. I was happy to receive both an and a letter informing me of the dates and that they were excited for me to attend the 07 seminar. Seven months flew by, and after returning home from Europe with the San Jose Youth Symphony in mid-july, it was time for me to start planning not only for my first year at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, but also for my first Stacy Seminar! Arriving at the beautiful Hidden Valley venue in Carmel Valley, California, reassured me that I was going to get the best camp experience. I already knew my roommate, Karl Spiker, from playing in youth orchestras in the Bay Area, and we were both going to attend the Conservatory in the fall. The dorm style rooms (2 people per room) are adequate sized, each with private bath and relatively large storage closet. But the most pleasing aspect about living at Hidden Valley is the food service. This is not your ordinary camp cafeteria food, these meals are carefully planned for the week; three tasty meals a day with a delicious dessert following lunch and dinner! The first night after dinner, the participants took part in an English horn choir, an activity used to break the ice and get everyone more acquainted. It also definitely tested each member s endurance, thereby preparing and getting us in shape for the rest of the week. The follow evening, Tom, (as everyone calls him), presented an exclusive recital for the participants, giving us a sneak peak of what his new CD release would have in store, accompanied by Teddy Niedermaier. Teddy, who by the way is all of 23 years old, has been working with Tom for five years at the seminar. A Juilliard graduate, he received both his undergraduate and graduate diploma in composition there in five years! Now he s at Indiana University studying towards a Doctor of Music degree. Piano is just something on the side which he had studied when he was younger, but he did not miss a single note when accompanying Tom. That was reassuring for the participants since we would be performing with him at the end of the week. Every morning there are master classes in which the participants may play orchestral excerpts, etudes and everything else in between, to receive Tom s always insightful, encouraging help, frequently well laced with his remarkable wit! There is a large disparity in the playing level of the participants, but Tom is able to present helpful advice and terms for improvement to everyone regardless of the player s degree of attainment. After the morning sessions, lunch followed, then reed making lessons in groups of two. My reed making sessions improved not only my English horn reeds, but my oboe reeds as well. Tom is very methodical and is incredibly knowledgeable about the measurements he uses. During the evening sessions, there was a trio night where all the players were arranged in groups and we played through stacks of music until late into the night. And on two nights, Tom gave solo coaching, with Teddy accompanying, Tom teaching legato playing CURRENT EVENTS

54 52 MY FIRST TIME ATTENDING THE STACY ENGLISH HORN SEMINAR CURRENT EVENTS offering his stylistic advice in a matter of 20 minute time frames. In the middle of the week, Mark Chudnow arrived to provide repair service, as well as sale of supplies which varied from every color thread imaginable to knives and shaper tips. At the end of the seminar, the participants gave their recital and afterwards had a party with desserts, snacks and beverages, a perfect way to end the week with people whom you had grown so closely as players. The upcoming seminar, August 2 to 9, 2008, will mark the 30th anniversary and will be a real treat because Teddy has been commissioned by Hidden Valley to write an English horn sonata, which he and Tom will perform, to commemorate 30 years of excellence. Being a participant at the seminar was very demanding, but most of all, VERY rewarding and fun. Tom knows exactly what he is doing, and with his knowledge and experience, he can offer only the best, and nothing less. His approach to teaching is very professional and done in a manner that does not make the participants feel inferior. He can evaluate without being judgmental. I value the teaching that I have received prior to the seminar, at the seminar and currently at the San Francisco Conservatory and believe that great instruction can lead to a successful future. For more information on the Stacy English Horn Seminar go to: OR hvms@aol.com English horn choir. Author Devin Hinzo with Tom Stacy following participation at the Seminar.

55 THE DOUBLE REED 53 From Baltimore to Greenland with Oboes and Enthusiasm Michael Lisicky Baltimore, Maryland First night concert at Sisimiut Kirke. Who said there are no oboes in Greenland? For five days in the middle of August 2007 they would have been wrong. Trio La Milpa, an oboe trio based in Baltimore, was fortunate to tour this remote country where the ensemble performed concerts north of the Arctic Circle. Heralded as some of Baltimore s finest chamber musicians (Baltimore Sun), the members of Trio La Milpa are Katherine Needleman, Sandra Gerster and Michael Lisicky. Though Greenland is under Home Rule, it still operates under the umbrella of the Danish government. Residents of Greenland are actually citizens of Denmark. And with the guidance and direction of the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington DC, the trio became the first American music ensemble to appear in Greenland. There has never been direct air service between the United States and Greenland until this past May. For the first time in its existence Air Greenland be- gan seasonal service between Baltimore and Kangerlussuaq, Greenland s international landing strip. After numerous exchanges within a relatively short period of time, Trio La Milpa was offered free air service between Baltimore and Kangerlussuaq. However, Greenland has no road system. Traveling from community to community in Greenland is only accomplished by domestic flights (except by dog sledge in the winter) and the offer of free air service ended at the landing strip in Kangerlussuaq. Domestic airfare between the cities in Greenland can be quite costly, especially in the summertime when Air Greenland collects most of its revenue. Just when the proposed tour seemed dead in the water, the Katuaq Cultural Center and Nunafonden stepped forward to cover this expense. The Katuaq Cultural Center is located in Nuuk, the world s smallest capital. This modern structure, whose design is influenced by the shape of icebergs, hosts the country s main concert hall and sole movie theatre. Through the help of Katuaq s Ove Telemann, domestic airfare and accommodations basically appeared overnight. It was now official that Trio La Milpa would be heading north. The trio landed in Kangerlussuaq on August 16 and quickly changed planes so they could reach their first concert destination, Sisimiut. Sisimiut has a population of about 5,000 and is Greenland s second largest city. Practically all communities in Greenland are coastal towns. Over 80% of the country is covered by ice. One could never imagine how beautiful a treeless community could be! The group arrived in Sisimiut at 6:30pm and quickly assembled for an 8pm recital. Precisely on time, Trio La Milpa made its Greenland debut at the Sisimiut Kirke for a largely Inuit audience. With a late night sunset after the performance, CURRENT EVENTS

56 54 FROM BALTIMORE TO GREENLAND WITH OBOES AND ENTHUSIASM CURRENT EVENTS cessful. Everybody was eager to present the arrangements of Simple Gifts and the Greenlandic song Qaqqat akomani (Among the Mountains) to the audience the following day. The final performance at Katuaq had to be delayed as the Center scrambled to add extra seats for the sold-out concert. Along with the student collaboration, Trio La Milpa performed some of the Rehearsal and workshop with students from Nuuk s Musikskolen. largest staples in the oboe trio repertoire. the evening was an unforgettable memory. The Nuuk newspaper Gronlandsposten simply called The next stop in Greenland was the big city of the performance elegant. It was a perfect way to end Nuuk, with a population of almost 15,000. This is the stay in Nuuk. where the trio would meet its hosts from the Katuaq It was not all work and no play. The ensemble was Cultural Center. The city of Nuuk seemed to be at a able to patiently take a four-hour whale watch, visit faster pace than Sisimiut and its citizens complained the Greenland Museum of History and take a short of its rush hour traffic. Yet Nuuk is still basically a wade in the icy North Atlantic water. walking city. That night the trio walked to its next Trio La Milpa left Nuuk for Kangerlussuaq, the concert at the Hans Egede Kirke. The mostly Danish country s main airstrip and a city of 500. It is the audience included an occasional American who had closest community to the ice sheath. With a long escaped to this laid back country. Trio La Milpa was layover for its return flight to Baltimore, the trio was honored to meet audience members who were eager to attend their upcoming appearance at the Katuaq Cultural Center. Saturday was set aside to work with the students of Nuuk s Musikskolen. The trio began with a morning educational performance which was similar to concerts the group performs through the Baltimore Symphony s BSO On-The- Go series. The afternoon session was devoted to rehearsal with Musikskonen students in preparation for a joint performance at Trio La Milpa s final formal recital in Nuuk at the Katuaq Cultural Center. The students played flutes and violins; remember, there are no oboes in Greenland! There is also no word for oboe in the Greenlandic language. The Wading in the icy Arctic waters of Nuuk s harbor, wearing Danish word obo suffices. This educational collaboration was easy and Katuaq s T-shirts (N. Mantel). suc-

57 THE DOUBLE REED 55 able to take in a musk ox safari and pick and eat wild blueberries growing in the country s desert area. In appreciation of Air Greenland s generosity, the ensemble performed a short performance at the transit terminal. This location was the largest space in which to perform in this small community. The repertoire for the tour included, of course, Beethoven s two trios written for two oboes and English horn, as well as works by Triebensee, Koetsier, Wenth, and Gordon Jacob. A robust compilation of Bartok s Hungarian Peasant Dances by David Bussick, a must for any performing oboe trio, was an enthusiastic addition to many of the trio s performances. Also included was a new transcription of Handel s Oboe Concerto in g minor, arranged by Katherine Needleman and scored for oboe, oboe d amore, and English horn. Richmond, Virginia music critic Clarke Bustard recently praised this rendition as being as close to orchestral as it could be. An acknowledgment of the trio s tour to Greenland was an interpretation of the Maritime song Greenland Whale Fisheries, which was arranged for the group by Michael Lisicky. The performances at the two Posing next to concert poster at Katuaq in Nuuk (N. Mantel). churches in Sisimiut and Nuuk also featured a version of the Irish hymn Slane - Be Thou My Vision, also arranged by Michael Lisicky. The composition was arranged in preparation of the trio s upcoming residency on Smith Island in Maryland s Chesapeake Bay. Accompanying the trio were Sandy and Michael s eight-year-old daughter Jordan, and Katherine s fiance, Dr. Nicholas Mantel. This historic tour would not have been possible without the wonderful support of Air Greenland, Greenland Travel, Nunafonden, the Katuaq Cultural Center and the staff of the Royal Danish Embassy. The office of Nuuk Tourism was an invaluable resource for the group s visit. In May 2008 the twice-weekly air service between Baltimore and Greenland will resume. Hopefully this will not be last time Trio La Milpa or any other American musical group will visit that beautiful and remote country. If you are unfamiliar with Greenland, look it up on the computer or simply look at a globe. Even though it is the world s largest non continental island with a population of only 56,000 people, it is extremely important to the health and beauty of our planet. CURRENT EVENTS At the only international landing strip at Kangerlussuaq.

58 56 ARTICLES Articles

59 THE DOUBLE REED 57 Georg Wenzel Ritter and His Tonleiter des Fagotts Daniel Lipori Ellensburg, Washington Nearly every source that discusses the history of the bassoon describes approximately the same timeline. This is true as well concerning the addition of keys on the instrument during the 18 th century. The date for the addition of the 4th key (Gs) ranges from in various sources. The addition of the 5th key (Ef) ranges from , while the addition of the 6th key (wing key, often designated as the A key) ranges from c. after 1765 to These sources often mention well-known composers and the instruments that they wrote for, such as W. A. Mozart ( ) composing his Concerto for Bassoon K.191 in 1774 for a four-keyed instrument. The information concerning when keys were added to the bassoon comes primarily from published fingering charts from different centuries. There is some evidence, however, to support that the fifth and sixth keys were in use on the bassoon as early as 1750 in some areas, fifteen years earlier than has previously been mentioned. One of the sources for this assumption is Georg Wenzel Ritter s ( ) Tonleiter des Fagotts. Ritter was born in Mannheim, Germany on 7 April 1748, where his father Heinrich (d. c. 1777) was already a bassoonist in the court orchestra. When Georg was eight years old, his father purchased for him a used bassoon from a regimental musician for one thaler. Ritter became so attached to this instrument, that he performed on it his entire life. Will Jansen, author of The Bassoon, states that Ritter performed everything to the utmost perfection on this bassoon though other players who tried the instrument could barely get a sound on it. 2 This story of how Ritter obtained his instrument is mentioned in nearly every source which includes biographical information on him. After touring some as a youth, Ritter eventually joined the Mannheim orchestra, though sources vary as to the dates of his employment there, listing starting dates between 1758 and In the fall of 1777, Mozart visited Mannheim for a few months and later was in Paris as many of the Mannheim musicians were leaving for that city. It was during this time in Paris that Mozart suppos- edly composed the Sinfonia Concertante for Winds K.297b, of which the bassoon part was written specifically for Ritter. 4 In the fall of 1778 Ritter moved to Munich with most of the Mannheim musicians. In 1788 he joined the Royal Prussian Kapelle in Berlin under King Friedrich Wilhelm II ( ), where his salary more than doubled what he was making in Munich. 5 Ritter was a very active performer and teacher in Berlin. He taught over sixty bassoonists during his stay there. Some of Ritter s better-known students during his lifetime include Georg Friedrich Brandt (1773-after 1827) (from whom Carl Maria von Weber ( ) wrote the Concerto and Andante et Rondo Ongarese), Carl Bärmen ( ) and Etienne Ozi ( ). 6 Several issues of Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung list performances given by him. His popularity even led to him having a portrait made of himself by F. W. Bollinger. 7 The July 1808 issue of Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung printed Ritter s obituary and listed that he passed away on 16 June The obituary mentioned that he studied composition with Georg Joseph Vogler ( ), and that his last performance was given at the home of Georg Abraham Schneider ( ). It was at this concert that Ritter first began to feel ill. Ritter s beloved instrument was bequeathed to one of his students, Captain Wilhelm von Bredow (n.d.). A memorial concert for Ritter was held on 23 June Ritter composed several works for bassoon during his lifetime. These works include two concerti (extant); a set of six quartets for bassoon, violin, viola, and bass instrument; a separate quartet for bassoon, violin, viola, and cello (manuscript); a duet for two bassoons; and a variation set for flute and bassoon (extant). 8 Ritter published an item titled Tonleiter des Fagotts near the end of his life. A copy of this item is held at the Institut für Musikwissenschaft in Vienna (Catalog No. AR 593). From the title one would assume that this work is either a scale study or etude book as some sources mistakenly indicate. However, after obtaining a reproduction of this item, it actually is a ARTICLES

60 58 GEORG WENZEL RITTER AND HIS TONLEITER DES FAGOTTS ARTICLES Figure 1. Ritter s Tonleiter des Fagotts.

61 THE DOUBLE REED 59 bassoon fingering chart. (Figure 1) This fingering chart includes a diagram of a bassoon. It would be a safe assumption that the bassoon shown is a reproduction of his instrument, since he was so attached to it and refused to play on anything else. The bassoon pictured is a six-keyed instrument. The range listed on the fingering chart is from Bf to ds2, a much larger range than any contemporary source includes, with the exception of LaBorde s Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne. 9 Also, since Ritter obtained a used bassoon when he was eight, in 1756, we can easily date this instrument to c or even as early as 1750, fifteen years earlier than the first previously documented evidence of a six-keyed bassoon. The belief that Ritter performed on a six-keyed instrument may also be shown through his compositions and works written for him. Of the six quartets for bassoon and strings by Ritter, the lower range is not utilized much, but the upper register is used with great regularity. The bassoon parts that Mozart wrote for Ritter also employ the upper register a great deal. It is not known whom J.C. Bach ( ) wrote his two bassoon concertos for, but there is a strong possibility that they were written for Ritter, especially considering the extreme difficulty of these works. J.C. Bach certainly was familiar with Ritter s playing, as the bassoon part in his opera Temistocle was written for Ritter and the Mannheim singers and orchestra, and was premiered in Mannheim on 5 November One of the arias within, Non m alleta quel riso has a large obbligato bassoon part composed specifically for Ritter and the great Mannheim tenor Anton Raaf ( ). 10 These works of J.C. Bach also have the bassoon playing quite high. There is some question, however, concerning the bassoon pictured in Ritter s Tonleiter. There is evidence to support that perhaps some of the keys on Ritter s instrument were added later, as they appear to be of a different size and shape than other keys. 11 Adding keys was very common on woodwind instruments in earlier centuries and even today, occurs with regularity. Since there is no documentation of added keys, there is no way to determine when or if more keys may have added on an instrument. Furthermore, there could be an argument made that the illustrations of the bassoons in these fingering charts are not completely accurate and that the keys shown on them are not the original size of the keys. Perhaps a more interesting thing to speculate about is the extreme range included in Ritter s fingering chart. Only one other source prior to 1800 lists a range larger than this, LaBorde s Essai, and the instrument pictured almost certainly belonged to Pierre Cugnier (b. 1740), who played in the Paris Opera Orchestra under both Jean-Philippe Rameau ( ) and Christoph Willibald Gluck ( ). 12 Though Ritter s and other composers compositions from the time period (including Rameau s and Gluck s) do not extend to df2, one has to wonder how easily these notes came out. (Off the top of my head, one of the earliest pieces using an extreme high note is Weber s Concerto (1811), which extends up to d2, and was written for one of Ritter s students.) Also, Ritter s compositions do not extend below F (only one E in the Duetto), bringing different questions about the instrument on which he played. Though there may always be questions concerning the dating of the bassoon, there is some evidence to support that the six-keyed bassoon was in use possibly as early as ENDNOTES 1 These dates are shown in several primary and secondary sources. Some of the principal secondary sources include: William Waterhouse, Bassoon, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, 29 vols. (New York: Grove s Dictionaries, 2001), 2: Anthony C. Baines, Woodwind Instruments and Their History (London: Faber and Faber, 1959, Reprint ed.; New York: Dover, 1991). Gunther Joppig, The Oboe and Bassoon, translated by Alfred Clayton (Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1988). 2 Will Jansen, The Bassoon, 5 vols. (Buren, Netherlands: Fritz Knuf, 1979), 4: Woodrow Joe Hodges, A Biographical Dictionary of Bassoonists Born Before 1825 (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Iowa, 1980), Robert D. Levin, Who Wrote the Mozart Four- Wind Concertante? (Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1988), Robert Eitner, Biographisch-Bibliographisches Quellen-Lexikon der Musiker und Musikgelehrten der christlichen Zeitrechnung bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts, 11 vols. (Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, ), 8: Hodges, The original engraving is located at the Institut für Musikwissenshaft in Vienna. 8 The surviving works are available through the ARTICLES

62 60 GEORG WENZEL RITTER AND HIS TONLEITER DES FAGOTTS following publishers/libraries: Six Quartets for Bassoon and Strings, opus 1, edited by Daniel G. Lipori (Madison, WI: A-R Editions, 1999). Duetto, edited by Helge Bartholmäus (Miami: Bassoon Heritage Edition, 1995). Duetto, edited by David J. Rhodes (Girvan, Scotland: Piper Publications, 1998). Duetto, edited by Bodo Koenigsbeck (Warngau, Germany: Accolade Musikverlag, 2004). Quartetto pour le Basson principal avec accomp: Violin, Viola, et Violoncello (MS 5350, Sächsische Landesbibliothek, Dresden [ca ]). 9 Jean Benjamin de LaBorde, Essai sur la musique ancienne et moderne, 4 vols. (Paris: P. D. Pierres, 1780; Reprint ed., New York: AMS Press, 1978), 1: Daniel George Lipori, Georg Wenzel Ritter ( ) and the Mannheim Bassoon School (DMA document, University of Arizona, 1997), Paul J. White, Early Bassoon Fingering Charts, Galpin Society Journal 43 (1990): Ibid., 94. ARTICLES

63 THE DOUBLE REED 61 Making Peace Between International Reeding: Developing the Ridilla-Heng Oboe Gouging Machine Andrea Ridilla Miami University, Ohio ARTICLES Andrea Ridilla and Udo Heng with the Ridilla-Heng Oboe Gouging Machine at the IDRS Conference in Ithaca New York, As our world becomes more intimate and accessible through internet networking, strides in communication technology have inevitably created unlimited opportunities for discussions of philosophy of art and technique among oboists. In addition, IDRS conferences have opened innumerable doors for the exchange of ideas with international colleagues. It was at the 2002 International Double Reed Society Conference in Banff, Canada that I met Udo Heng of Reeds n Stuff in Annaberg, Germany. Five years later, we have arrived at the first international collaboration for oboe reedmaking introducing a new concept in oboe gouging machines for American-style reeds, which can also be adapted to other international reedmaking styles. During my early formation as a musician, I remember listening to various European oboists on my LP record player while my teacher would describe the differences between German, French, American and who knows where, oboe playing as though we all lived on different planets. It was difficult for me to obtain accurate knowledge about other national styles

64 62 MAKING PEACE BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL REEDING: DEVELOPING THE RIDILLA-HENG OBOE GOUGING MACHINE ARTICLES of playing as well as reedmaking, and it all seemed mystical. I remember reading my former teacher, Allan Vogel s article in the IDRS Journal about his studies in Germany comparing French, German and American oboe playing. I was in awe of his experiences abroad, never to dream that one day I might be fortunate enough to perform with oboists beyond our American tradition. As the expression goes, there are many ways to skin a cat, each national tradition of oboe playing champions a unique aesthetic in expressing the same music. My ears are always open for new discovery that may help me or my students further evolve. Through the invaluable contacts I have made through the IDRS and the generous travel grants available to me from Miami University, I continue to develop the flexibility to perform with other oboists and musicians around the world. As I prepare to attend the masterclasses of Hansjorg Schellenberger and Maurice Bourgue in Sachrang, Germany next month, I am inspired by the wealth of knowledge to share among oboists across the continents, if the mind is open and capable of analytical and critical thinking. Discerning international styles of oboe playing, certainly involves the reed, which inevitably dictates our destiny. My journey in searching for the perfect gouge initially originated from a tone color that I had in my ear - one that I could not find in any gouge. I also searched for greater resonance and the ability for more color possibilites. In addition to tone color, I wanted a reed that would allow me to let go and abandon control at the lips, and that would enable me to play in tune without jaw tension. Above all I was looking for a gouge, which permitted minimal backpressure while playing to facilitate rapid articulation. Tight neck muscles are the unfortunate accompaniment of backpressure. Since part of the tongue lives in the neck region, any efforts to keep these muscles free can only enhance the oboist, both technically and musically. My first teacher, James Caldwell at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, taught me nearly all that I ever needed to know about reedmaking. Almost 30 years after graduation, it remains evident that his method of teaching was perfect. It was also thanks to him that my nascent interest in gouging emerged. Jim invented a gouging machine with physics professor, Harlan Hurd at Oberlin College and we all bought our own machines at $200 each! Years later, I attended a very helpful one-week workshop in Arkansas with Dan Ross where I learned more details about cane selection, the anatomy of a gouger and fundamentals of how gouging machines operate. I was impressed at Dan s knowledge of the gouging process and his training in singing, which he directly translates into his expressive oboe playing. Later, I began to perform with the Miami Wind Quintet internationally in Taiwan, Greece, Venezuela, Ecuador and Korea. Thanks to John Heard (bassoon), the Miami Wind Quintet was fortunate to work closely with the Prague Wind Quintet over seven years. We performed in the Czech Republic, they came to the USA and together we recorded three CDs together. The demands of matching playing styles presented challenges in tone production, projection, and flexibility of pitch forcing me think outside the box beyond my traditional conservatory training. I learned so much about music from these incredible artists and felt so fortunate to make great music with them. My experiences with Libena Sequartova and Jurij Likin opened my ears to a very different and appealing aesthetic concept in oboe playing. To match and vary our tones required flexibility in my reeds, my pitch and my tone color; I began to search for a reed with stronger capabilities for projection, resonance and for playing higher than A=440/442. I returned to Miami University and thanks to our then Provost, cellist Dr. Ronald Crutcher, I received a generous grant to study oboe gouging. I began my research by working with two experts: David Matthews, solo English horn of the Dallas Symphony and Joseph Robinson, then principal oboe of the New York Philharmonic, both to whom I am deeply indebted. These two artists are rather modest in their expertise in gouging, however they are both veritable geniuses - artisans of the old school. They form their blades angles by hand on a wheel, soften and harden the blades with heat and olive oil using a methodical method of forming a blade curve. After the blade is set up in the gouger, they make a reed in two minutes and play. If the result is unsatisfactory, the process begins again. Joe Robinson, who learned his skills from the legendary Marcel Tabuteau, quotes his teacher saying, the answer to reedmaking lies in the gouge. The cane carved out of the inside cavity of a bamboo tube is something many people take for granted when they are struggling to master reedmaking. However, it is precisely where the sculpture begins. The inside cavity of a double reed can be likened to the inside cavity of a violin. What was Antonio Stradivari thinking during his walks through the Dolomites where he searched for wood near his native Cremona? It was not only the quality of the wood

65 THE DOUBLE REED 63 alone that made those priceless string instruments, but also the physics of the interior vibrations. Likewise, the interior vibrations in the cavity of an oboe reed, are the genesis of the oboist s voice. The words of Tabuteau resound, the answer to reedmaking lies in the gouge. A turning point came during one of my sessions with Joe Robinson. A lesson with Joe Robinson never means one hour; it is however long it takes to learn something. I once flew to New York for four days of gouging lessons not realizing it was going to be 68 hours of lessons - 17 hours a day! We worked from 8am to 1am with only lunch and dinner breaks. I watched as Joe formed and reformed blades on his stone according to the cane and his artistic taste. Joe s keen scientific and analytical acumen allowed him to solve any reedmaking mystery that presented itself. This 30-year soloist veteran of the New York Philharmonic changes his the curve of his gouging blade like most of us change reeds! The art of gouging is second nature to him. Quickly realizing that never would I be able to match his artistic prowess during this short life of mine, I proceeded to develop a blade prototype; one that suited my aesthetic preferences and that could easily be replaced when dull. Joe s dedicated teaching helped me enormously in my future research. The next step was back at Miami University. The Hughes Instrumentation Laboratory at Miami is an exceptionally valuable scientific resource for faculty. I approached the Lab with a mental concept of my blade and, with more grant funding, I worked for two years with mechanical instrumentation technician, Barry Landrum, a gifted artist-scientist. He translated my artistic language into scientific computations. Our objective was to create a reed which would focus the tone with minimal effort of the oboist s lips in an aerodynamic wind tunnel inside the two reeds. Our blade directs the wind towards a focus point, rendering the lips free to move as easily as in speaking. The jaw is able to relax as in singing, so as not to inhibit resonance or articulation. My students have been the fortunate beneficiaries of this gouge and can single tongue twice as fast as I could when I was their age! In 2004 at the IDRS Conference I approached Udo Heng of Reeds n Stuff to inquire if he might be interested in developing an American-style gouging machine using my blade curve. I had previously purchased reedmaking products from Udo, including a radius gauge and pre-gouger, which revolutionized my reedmaking. Since then, everything I have bought from his firm has turned out to be innovative, and an improvement for my reedmaking. I was also impressed by Udo s gregarious, congenial nature; he has always been genuine and kind to everyone. He is also a professional oboist in Germany, therefore his understanding of the mechanics of music is as keen as his knowledge of geometry and physics. Udo and I began our work together by exchanging s and Skype calls about our ideas. In November 2005, Miami University sent me to Annaberg to work with Udo and Thomas, his chief engineer. The Reeds n Stuff factory, in the charming town of Annaberg in eastern Germany, is mid-way between Leipzig and Dresden. When I walked into the factory I found myself surrounded with impressive state-ofthe art precision machinery. The firm makes products for reed players of all instruments including clarinet, bagpipes, shawms and of course, oboe and bassoon. When I arrived, the gouger we designed together on the information highway was ready. Udo and I worked long hours for several days with Thomas to perfect the ARTICLES

66 64 MAKING PEACE BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL REEDING: DEVELOPING THE RIDILLA-HENG OBOE GOUGING MACHINE ARTICLES mechanism while I made dozens of reeds. One of my priorities was that the two blades must close securely at the sides of the tip. If not, the oboist will have to pinch the lips to keep air from leaking out of the reed - good recipe for jaw and neck tension! Udo wanted a machine with the flexibility to serve the needs of a variety of players. By his implementation of an adjustable carriage, the player can vary the sides of the gouge as well as the middle; Udo added a miniature micrometer to assure complete accuracy of the reedmaker in this adjustment. All changes in the gouge can be measured with precision. A user-friendly system of inserting the blade includes a spring mechanism whereby the blade easily slips into place. At last, no more weekends spent inserting a gouger blade! The center of the cane measurement may be changed simply by flipping a lever and sliding the gouger bed to the left or right. A millimeter ruler is imbedded on the gouger base to assure accuracy. A final and critically important feature of the Ridilla- Heng gouger is the absolute razor sharpness of the blade. Udo s team utilizes the latest 21st century technology to sharpen the blade both before, and after the blade is hardened. Just as a sharp knife positively affects the vibrations of a reed, the sharpness of the gouger blade is just as vital to the inside cut of the bamboo tube. With a razor sharp blade, hundredths of a millimeter strips are lifted off the piece of cane with minimal cane compression and reeds are infinitely more vibrant with no cane compression. If the blade ever needs replacing, it is possible to purchase/ insert another with a stress-free easy to use spring mechanism. The objective of the Ridilla-Heng gouger is to simplify reedmaking, making it more enjoyable and effective. Just as with all the products I have purchased from Reeds n Stuff, this gouger has been a definite improvement for my life and my reedmaking! Reeds n Stuff presented the Ridilla-Heng Gouger at IDRS Ithaca 2007 and it is available on the web through Reeds n Stuff or in the US at Forrest s Oboe Shop in Berkeley, Califonia. The Ridilla-Heng Gouger is U.S. Patent Pending. Andrea Ridilla is professor of oboe at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is also principal oboe, and faculty member of the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. In July 2008, she has been invited to give a one-month masterclass in oboe at Accademia Europea Firenze, Florence, Italy for international oboe students. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

67 Some Thoughts on Auditions Peter W. Cooper Principal Oboist, Colorado Symphony Orchestra Instructor of Oboe, University of Colorado at Boulder THE DOUBLE REED 65 INTRODUCTION Many years ago, after I won a major audition, a colleague of mine asked me what the secret was to winning an orchestral audition. After some thought I told him that the secret was to play your heart out with great accuracy. Of course, that is a simplistic statement and it begs the question, How do you do that? Probably the most difficult and stressful part of pursing a career as an orchestral player is the audition process. In no other part of your professional life will you have to play so much difficult music in such a short period of time with so much at stake. How do you deal with this stress? How can you prepare yourself to present your playing at its highest level at the moment of truth? I have two main concepts to think about as you begin preparation for an audition: 1. Leave no stone unturned in your preparation; and 2. Do not worry about things beyond your control. In this paper I will address these two main concepts, as well as others. I have taken over 20 orchestral auditions and have won three full time jobs. This has kept me gainfully employed for 26 years. I have also been on the audition committee for quite a few as well. I am often shocked by the things people haven t addressed in their audition preparation. The following steps are written specifically for oboists, but other instrumentalists can apply most of these ideas to themselves. YOUR INSTRUMENT As soon as you know your audition date, make an appointment with your repair-person to have your instrument checked out. At the audition, your instrument must not feel in pretty good shape. It must feel perfect. Don t be naïve about this. What happens if your oboe is ever so slightly out of adjustment or leaking, even just a bit? You will miss notes. You will need to press down harder than necessary on the keys. This extra tension in your fingers will spread through your hands to your arms and shoulders and throughout your body causing a tense situation (the audition) to feel even more strained. The additional tension may trigger a panic/survival mode, which I don t think is the best frame of mind in which to show your most beautiful playing. You will have to sacrifice dynamics on the soft end because you won t feel confident in your instrument to take chances playing really softly. You will need a buzzier reed to help compensate for the oboe not covering. Obviously, you would prefer to use your most beautiful sounding reed at an audition. Your low notes will be even flatter than usual because you won t want to risk lipping them up for fear of cracking them. The better an oboe covers, the more pitch flexibility you have in the low register. REEDS You don t want worry about whether or not you have a great reed to be an issue at the audition. If you normally make a reed a day, you should prepare for the audition by making at least three a day for a few weeks before. Choose your cane carefully and reject any that doesn t seem to be of the highest quality. Use cane from batches that have been successful in the past. Of course, this means you should have on hand plenty of cane from a variety of batches. I recommend that, three days before the audition, you should have a choice of twelve top quality reeds. If you feel, going into the audition, that you have a choice of reeds, it will remove a tremendous amount of preaudition stress. Weed out the lesser prospects during the last day or two, but when you arrive at the hall you should have at least three or four excellent choices. Don t get emotionally attached to any single reed. It will always break your heart in the end. ARTICLES

68 66 SOME THOUGHTS ON AUDITIONS ARTICLES Don t decide on your audition reed too far in advance. Use the one that is working best at the moment of the audition, even if you weren t expecting it to be the one. Make sure your reeds are broken in before the audition. Each one should have three or four playing sessions with drying out time and adjustments in between. At auditions you often have a lot of sitting around time, and you don t want to worry about your brand new reed stiffening up. TEMPO CHOICES If you haven t performed some of the works on the list, it is essential to prepare them in such a way that you seem experienced and seasoned. You should listen to at least three different recordings of each excerpt. Why three? Because you must know the range of tempo and interpretive possibilities. Every excerpt has a range of acceptable tempi. There may not be a right tempo, but there are many wrong ones. You must choose a tempo within that acceptable range and it must seem reasonable. Playing a fast excerpt too fast can make you look silly and as if you are trying to show off. Too slow a tempo in a fast excerpt makes you look technically insecure, or in the case of a too plodding slow excerpt, might bore the (most likely already impatient) committee. Memorize your tempi so you can always play the speed you intend even when under stress. I would suggest picking a measure or two to remind you of your chosen tempo. Sing those measures to yourself before you start. Often the best measures to be your tempo reminders are not the first few in the excerpt but somewhere in the body of the excerpt. When listening to recordings of the audition pieces, get to know the whole work, not just the oboe part. Don t use excerpt books, get the complete part. Follow the full score if you can. Know what is solo and what is tutti. If you are in unison with a clarinet, for example, you would probably want to use little or no vibrato. If, after the clarinet part ends, the oboe continues as a solo, your tone and vibrato should probably change. Some piano markings should actually be played very softly, whereas others, such as in the Brahms Violin Concerto, are solo piano and have to be sung over a thick orchestration. If the orchestra sends you specific excerpts, obviously you should concentrate on these, but it is wise to study the entire piece. I have been asked on a number of occasions to play things that weren t on the list. Saying to the committee, but that s not fair! is not an option. TECHNIQUE I often tell my students that playing the slow solos well will win the oboe audition but playing the fast solos poorly will lose it. In other words, clean technique won t win you the audition but sloppy technique will lose it. Thorough preparation with a metronome is essential. There are many good ways of drilling technique and I in no way profess to have the correct method. I think, though, that no matter how you drill technique, it should always be rhythmic and done with an inner pulse. Play with the same style and energy at a slow tempo that you will when it is up to speed. Don t ever be sloppy when practicing technique. If it s not clean, you are practicing too fast. When people practice technique, they often get into a rut. That means the same notes get slighted, shortened or blipped every time and students solidify these inaccuracies by repeating them. Look for ways to make a technical passage seem new. Play quadruplet 16ths as triplets and vice versa. Change the starting notes of the triplets. This changes the accents so that different notes are on strong and weak beats. Play dotted rhythms straight and straight ones dotted. There are unending ways to make a stale passage fresh. Try to find interesting and imaginative ways to do this. There is a point in technical practice where you change from hoping a passage will come out cleanly to knowing it will come out. With some passages this will come easily and others might take weeks or months of daily work. It is important to get to this knowing point before you get to the audition. You can then calm your nerves by saying to yourself, I know I will ace this because I ve done it a thousand times. This will be much more comforting than If I m lucky, I won t screw this up. I often speak to my students about their Inner Freak-Out Meter. This is a method of checking in with your inner anxiety level. Let s say we monitor this level on a scale of one to ten, one being comfortable, cool, and confident that you will nail the solo 100%. Ten on the other hand you would be, well, freaking out. Now, find the tempo you can play the opening of Le Tombeau de Couperin perfectly with a one on your Inner Freak-Out Meter. It doesn t matter if you have to start at one-quarter tempo or slower to get the Inner Meter to register a one. As you increase the tempo in your practice, keep monitoring the I.F.O. Meter and keep it on one. (OK, maybe one and a half.) If it starts to rise, you re practicing

69 THE DOUBLE REED 67 too fast! It you keep it on one you will never experience any anxiety about this excerpt. This is important, because building technique should be a process of building inner confidence as you drill your fingers. If you can play it perfectly but your Meter is on four or five, you re still practicing it too fast because you re not building confidence, you are reinforcing anxiety. Now just imagine if you spend six months practicing Le Tombeau without ever letting the I.F.O. Meter register more than one. It might take the full six months to get it near the finished tempo, but you will have built yourself into a mental super-person in the process. If you then have to play Le Tombeau in an audition, you can say to yourself, I ve never felt anything less than 100% confident about this excerpt and I ve NEVER played it less than perfectly. You will be confident you will nail it and you will. Imagine the advantage you will have over your mortal colleagues who are registering high numbers on their I.F.O. Meters. DISTINGUISHING YOURSELF If you manage to play with a beautiful sound and impeccable technique, you will already be above the majority of applicants. This is not enough. You must use a different color and style for each excerpt. This means that your sound in La Mer should be different than your Eroica sound. You often need a slimmer and more ethereal sound in French music than in German. Vibrato should vary from fast and passionate to languid to non-existent depending on the nature of the excerpt. Also, all staccato notes are not the same. In a Rossini overture, the notes should be short, crisp and bright. If you are playing Wagner, however, the same musical notation often requires a fatter and longer staccato. (A former conductor of mine likened them to fat, dripping sausages.) Most oboists are obsessive about having a dark sound. You should always have a beautiful and complex sound with the darkness or brightness matching the quality of the music. Every excerpt should have its own distinguishing character. This is done partly by having a very flexible reed, but mostly by taking time to quietly reflect about every passage away from the oboe. You should spend a fair amount of time without the oboe in your hands thinking what every excerpt would sound like if you had unlimited ability. You should listen to great singers and string players who generally have far more expressive skills than most oboists. Imagine how it would feel and sound to sing like Jessye Norman or play like Yo Yo Ma. Imitate their style and sound, and their music s breadth. Imagine a reed with the potential to produce that range. Do not limit your listening to oboists. My former teacher, Ray Still, always recommended listening to great jazz musicians. He felt the most accomplished wind players in the world were the top jazz saxophonists. You should record every excerpt before the audition. This can be excruciating, but better you hear and correct your own flaws than waiting for the audition committee to hear them. Trust your instincts. If you feel a phrase is not working, try to figure out why. It could be as simple as one note out of sync with the intended direction of the line. If it is right, you will know it. Spend time with a tuner. Make sure large interval leaps are accurately in tune. Be aware that a habitually out of tune note begins to sound right if repeated enough times. Learn your instrument s intonation tendencies. Check the notes that often lean sharp or flat so that you can compensate enough without going too far the other way. Use the tuner s meter to check with your eyes and the tuner s tone to practice intervals with a steady drone. Have a game plan for every phrase of every excerpt. Every phrase should be thought through in advance so you always know its intended direction. Know where each phrase is heading and go to the arrival points (not necessarily the highest note) and recede from them too. A well thought through game plan is also a great way to deal with nerves. If you have a plan for each excerpt you can focus on it and you therefore won t have the mental band width to also think about how nervous you are. Rather than deny nerves, have something specific on which to concentrate and your mind won t be free to wander and be nervous. On the other hand, nerves that aren t debilitating can propel you to play better than normal. Nerves make you feel alive and remind you that you want to present yourself excellently. Nerves aren t a sign of weakness but a sign that you care about doing your best. In the big romantic solos, tell a story and paint a picture. So many people just play pretty notes instead of taking the listener by the hand and leading them somewhere. Make up your mind about what your story is and sell it to the listener. You must exude great energy but also repose where the music calls for it. When Larry Combs won the principal clarinet job in the Chicago Symphony, one of his colleagues told me about his audition, He ARTICLES

70 68 SOME THOUGHTS ON AUDITIONS ARTICLES played in color. Everybody else played in black and white. I give you the same advice: Play in color. Don t play it safe. Take musical chances. There will be dozens of safe, conservative applicants losing every audition. Play to win, not to avoid losing. DO I DESERVE TO WIN? If you ve never gone down this particular mental road, then you probably don t understand the question. But let s face it, we are all insecure at some level and it is easy to fall into the trap of asking yourself if you in fact deserve to win. I ve had a number of students ask me this question - talented, hard working, outwardly confident students. The way I see it, someone deserves to win who has spent years studying and lots of money on lessons and tuition. Someone who has made and whose family has made sacrifices for this dream. Someone who has passed up social opportunities to instead practice, someone who has desperately struggled to make better reeds, someone who borrowed or scrimped to buy a new instrument, someone who has agonized over getting a particular excerpt clean and beautiful. Does that person sound familiar? Of course you may not be the only one who deserves to win, but if you fit the above description, then you definitely deserve to win. PRACTICE AUDITIONS You should play at least three practice auditions for trusted friends or colleagues. Don t play for anyone who you suspect might have a negative agenda about you or may be tempted to play mind games with you. Some people use this opening into your psyche to blast you with things they always wanted to tell you, with their hidden agenda being to hurt you. Find supportive people who have your best interests at heart. Make these mock auditions formal and uncomfortable. They should, as much as possible, simulate the audition experience. Warm up in a different room than the committee. When ready, walk in and have them decide the excerpts in an order of their own choosing. No talking or joking. They should take notes, but wait until afterwards to discuss them with you. Make copies of the music for them. Record this audition and listen later after receiving their comments. THINGS YOU CAN T CONTROL People waste a tremendous amount of time worrying about things beyond their control. These include: Who will be auditioning. How many people will show up. What number you draw and what that means. The temperature of the hall. The acoustics of the hall. What the committee is listening for. The weather. Your health on the audition day. (This can be partially controlled in advance, of course, but by the time the audition arrives, you feel how you feel and you must accept that. If you don t give in to feeling lousy, it s amazing what you can pull off during a relatively short audition.) If they like you or not. If you will win. You cannot control any of the above, so don t waste energy worrying about them. Command yourself to put these thoughts out of your mind. You will be surprised how effective it can be to tell yourself, I can t do anything about that so I won t worry about it. THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL Your attitude. Your preparation. Your reeds. Your performance. All of your concentration should be on the above. This is plenty to worry about and should be allconsuming. ARRIVING AT THE HALL If I am unfamiliar with the city, I like to make a trip to the stage door the day before the audition. This way I will know where I m going and it will seem a little more familiar on the audition day. At auditions you will probably run into old friends, classmates and colleagues. This is not the time to renew acquaintances and to discuss old times. Wait until you are finished before doing that. Be polite, say hello and don t try to psyche out anyone, but remember that all of your energy and concentration should be spent on getting ready to do your most beautiful playing. I like to start a page turner book a day or two

71 THE DOUBLE REED 69 before the audition. I tend towards mysteries or thrillers in this situation but you will have your own tastes. I don t want to wait until the day of the audition to start the book because then it s often too difficult to get into it. I want to be hooked on the book before the audition. This way, if the Personnel Manager tells me that I won t be playing for another two hours, I can say to myself, Great, I can read my book! Be in touch with your reeds to figure out how wet they should be. Some reeds work best if they are kept damp, but others will balloon open and be unplayable if they are wet for too long. Some should dry in your closed reed case and some should be left to dry in the air and re-soaked when needed. A wet reed in a closed reed case will always dry slower and remain more open than the same reed left to dry in the air. This reed management is a crucial part of having your reed at its best at the moment of the audition. Sharpen your knife before you leave for the audition for tiny last minute adjustments. Double check that you have with you a few plaques (can you imagine only bringing one and accidentally dropping it between piano keys in the warm up room and not being able to get it out?) and cutting block. THE AUDITION ITSELF When you enter the hall for the actual audition, don t warm up on stage. If you must check your reed, do it very quietly, discreetly and briefly. It s better to check it just before you enter the stage and hope it doesn t change too much in the 10 seconds it takes to walk in. Playing scales or noodles will never help you in the eyes of the committee, and can definitely create a negative impression on them before you even start the first piece. It s incredible how many people have ugly warm-up noodles. Starting without warming up in front of the committee can give the impression of great mastery and confidence. Take a few moments to immerse yourself in each excerpt s style before beginning. From the reed s first vibration you must be in character. After the first few measures of the first piece the committee members will have one of two thoughts: No, or I d like to hear more. You don t have time to get going before sounding good. You must be immediately impressive. No fear. No inhibitions. No desire to please. Nothing shall stand between you and the job at hand. The third one is especially valuable for many people. Don t try to please the committee. You can not make them like you. In Zen-like irony, the best chance that they will like you is if you don t care if they like you. The second part of the mantra is: Through intense concentration, inhibitions melt away and we are free to perform, unfettered by self-doubt. IF YOU DON T WIN There is no shame to losing an audition most great players have lost many of them. Avoid the temporary balm of being bitter or claiming it wasn t fair or was rigged. Nobody wins every time. Keep in mind that the growth you gained from the long hours of preparation is still with you. It is never wasted time to practice well. Try to ask yourself what went wrong (if anything), and how can you use this experience to better prepare for the next one. Look for ways to present yourself even greater next time. There will always be another audition. If you make each situation positive and full of growth, you will be a bit more battle hardened each time and ready to approach the next audition with renewed enthusiasm and determination. ARTICLES AUDITION MANTRA My former teacher, Gladys Elliot, gave me this audition mantra to say to myself over and over again. It works for me.

72 70 BASSOONISTS LEFT HAND INDEX FINGER PROBLEM SOLVED Bassoonists Left Hand Index Finger Problem Solved Gerald Corey Ottawa, Canada ARTICLES Since my last two seasons of professional orchestra playing ( ), I have discovered two simple but highly effective and wonderful aids to my bassoon playing. I began using a new angle for placing the seat strap on my orchestra chair - not straight across the front edge of the seat as I had always done before, but, with the leather cup hanging over the right front edge of the chair, and the seat strap placed DIAGONALLY back towards the Left Rear Corner of the chair. This helped me immediately, as I found that the usual heavy weight of the bassoon pressing on my left index finger when I was in playing position, was absolutely gone! I further discovered that during long rests I could easily hold the bassoon steady with only one hand by the boot joint cap held in my seat strap cup, and for many minutes without any sense of discomfort of pain. If a bassoonist places the seat strap across the front edge of the chair (as I observe most still are doing), it isn t possible to hold the bassoon with only the right hand at the boot cap during rests. The bassoon would immediately topple forward with the unbalanced weight distribution! Try this at the rest position I have adopted, and discover the truth of my statement! Secondly, I heard about William Waterhouse s new book, Bassoon in the Yehudi Menuhin Series (Oxford University Press. London). After receiving my copy, I was impressed by the fullsome information included. Bill explains on pages how it is when bassoonists stand to play, our backbone remains more or less straight in the best natural position of the classical S curve of the human form. This allows the most freedom in deep breathing needed for performance. Bill points out, with the help of a medical drawing, how our spines curve inwards whenever we sit on a standard orchestral chair to perform music. This awkward position can sometimes actually cause back pain for some players. For all of us it makes deep breathing less easy to do, in comparison with how easy it is when we play from a standing position. Bill Waterhouse strongly recommends that we improve the seated position of the body by using a Tapered Cushion on the chair. Within a few days after reading Bill s article I purchased some furniture grade foam pieces tapered to my dimensions and cotton material to fit over the foam to form tapered cushions. One of my students put together three of my new design cushions. Most importantly, I had the student sew a sleeve for the seat strap at the exact angle I just discussed. This sleeve maintains the physical advantage I discovered by preventing the weight of the bassoon from sliding the instrument backwards towards the chair back during performance. Without this sleeve, the weight of the bassoon pushes the strap out of its optimum angle position. Over time, I have sold these cushions to many bassoonists and to other wind instrumentalists who like them by maintaining a more natural curve for the backbone when they are seated and performing with their instruments. The cushions are light in weight and come equipped with a handy carry handle for easy transportation. In my opinion, these two improvements are very important for the health and playing comfort of any bassoonist who sits in a section for most of his or her career. If I had known of these easy-to-copy ideas years ago, my own comfort would have been greatly enhanced. Please benefit from my recent experience.

73 THE DOUBLE REED 71 Response Issues on the Bassoon Cracking Low Notes, Cracking High Notes, Bocal Flex - Voicing - Foghorn Effect Michael J. Burns Greensboro, North Carolina The bassoon is a unique instrument with a characteristically quirky and idiosyncratic sound. In terms of modern instrument development it also is something of a dinosaur, lagging behind the other woodwinds in acoustical developments by centuries in certain aspects. Therefore, the bassoon has some intrinsic issues associated with its acoustical design that lead to response issues. A common term for one form of response issue is cracking and that is what I would like to deal with in this article. Cracking, a definition - my definition of cracking on the bassoon is: When an extraneous or non-musical sound is created when attempting to execute a note on the bassoon. Which notes can crack on the bassoon? There are some who might answer all of them and any note on the bassoon can be mishandled in such a way that an extraneous noise is produced but I believe that the answer can be narrowed down further and categorized as follows: ½ hole notes: [Fs, G, and Af at the top of the bass clef staff and G and Af an octave higher (also the Fs in the higher octave with some fingerings)] Flicking register notes: the notes at the top of the staff and immediately above it that overblow an octave to the first harmonic partial-a, Bf, B, C, D not Cs in this register for reasons that will be explained later High register notes: from F above middle C and up. These notes all tend to be produced with a fingering which derives a higher harmonic partial. Low register notes: those notes in the range extending from low E down to low Bf. These are definitely fundamental pitches. What does cracking sound like? There are many variants to the sounds and it depends on which register is being attempted, but it may be a growl, squeak, grunt, cough, croak, multiphonic, split-octave, incorrect partial (another actual note), howl, etc. Often it occurs just at the beginning of a note and then disappears (see below for a possible explanation) but sometimes it lasts the duration of the note. What causes cracking? Here is where the categorization from above becomes useful. These different registers may each have different causes of notes that may crack. In the ½ holing register, players must adjust and pivot the left hand index finger to create three different sized ½ holes, The Fs requires the largest opening with about ⅔ to ¾ of the hole uncovered. G is more or less a true ½ hole while Af requires a much smaller opening and I describe it as a ¼ hole. Incidentally, I also use the same size openings for the octave higher G and Af respectively. A couple of distinct types of cracking can occur when a ½ hole note is mishandled: When the opening is not large enough a low pitch usually will ensue a growl, split octave, or if you are lucky just the correct note an octave low. When too much of the hole is uncovered a high pitch results creating a squeak or multiphonic. This tends to happen mostly on the Af and G as the Fs hole size is already so large. In the flicking register, notes crack because the desired first harmonic partial is not sounding correctly. Debate continues in the bassoon world about how best to address this issue. Some mandate speaker key usage either by touching and releasing a speaker key at the start of each relevant ARTICLES

74 72 RESPONSE ISSUES ON THE BASSOON ARTICLES note (this is often referred to as flicking ), or by holding the speaker key for the duration of the note (sometimes called venting ); others advocate no flicking or venting as they feel that they can potentially alter the tone and intonation of the notes in question in an undesirable way and instead advocate altering the equipment setup (reed, bocal, instrument) or the player s execution (see voicing below); Arthur Weisberg, a bassoon professor at Indiana University in Bloomington has been developing over the past several years the no-flick system bassoon which can be read about and ordered from his website It consists of a somewhat complicated mechanism to automatically vent these notes with newly drilled holes and an automatic octave system. Cs is generally not included as a flicking or venting note as the Cs key employed whether using a long (fingerings including both left and right hand) or short (left hand only) fingering itself acts in a similar manner to a vent key. The note is therefore usually stable enough to not require flicking and also the left thumb is already occupied anyway! High register notes tend to crack because a lower partial sounds instead of the desired one, usually at the beginning of the note only but sometimes for the duration. Therefore, the sound is most often a lower than desired pitch and may sound like a grunt or growl. To address this I advocate bocal flex see below. Low register notes tend to crack because a higher partial sounds instead of the desired fundamental, usually at the beginning of the note only but sometimes for the duration. Therefore the sound is most often a higher sound. I also address this by learning about and using bocal flex. In the low register this means ensuring that the bocal is NOT flexed upwards. How do you prevent cracking on the bassoon? Again, it depends on what caused it and therefore to a large extent, which register is being attempted. In the ½ holing register, care must be taken to learn and use the correct ½ hole size for each respective pitch. I strongly advocate learning to pivot or roll the index finger to create the opening rather than sliding the finger. By pivoting, the player can learn to control the angle that the finger makes at the first knuckle and can recre- ate the perfect ½ hole size more readily time after time. In the flicking register, I advocate learning to flick or vent for all of my students but must admit that I do not use these techniques exclusively. I like to address equipment possibilities, especially reed setup and another technique that I strongly advocate is learning to correctly voice the pitches. By voicing I mean a couple of related things: 1. manipulating the size and shape of the opening in the oral cavity (particularly tongue position) by creating different vowel sounds. This can influence response, tone, and intonation in various ways. 2. actually moving the vocal chord apparatus in a way similar to (perhaps even the same as) when singing different pitches. I can demonstrate this. If I sing an A in the bass clef staff and then an octave higher A, there is some sort of motion inside my throat (presumably the vocal chords?) in a distinct upward manner and to a definite location, the location for the A is one place, a Bf, Af or any other note all have different (but distinct) locations. This motion is also somewhat visible externally because of the motion of my Adam s apple. Now, when I play those same octave A s on the bassoon when I play them properly seemingly the exact same motion occurs and I feel that my vocal chords are traveling to that same distinct location as where I sang the upper A. When I execute this properly on my regular bassoon setup I can get the note to sound clearly without any cracking. Likewise with the Bf and the other notes in the flicking register. Therefore, I feel it would be hypocritical to require my students to flick or vent exclusively when I may not always do so myself. Instead I have a rule for them. They are NOT allowed to crack but how they prevent it is their business. Most of them still need to flick or vent to be sure of the notes, but some can occasionally only voice the note (without flicking) and still be certain of its clean response. One more word about voicing, I have found with students that if their voice range does not coincide with the instrument (for example a natural soprano) that octave displacement of this technique seems to work. If they voice A octaves ascending within their own vocal range the principle still seems to hold true to make the voicing work on the bassoon for playing A octaves even though the range is different between the voicing

75 THE DOUBLE REED 73 and the instrument. In the High register, most fingerings are producing overblown high harmonic partials. As mentioned above, cracking occurs when a lower partial sounds instead of the one desired. Sometimes this can be fixed by changing to a different fingering and there are a myriad of options in the high register with some notes having a dozen or more fingering possibilities. See the Cooper/ Toplansky Bassoon Technique, or the IDRS Bassoon Family Fingering Companion at colorado.edu/bsnfing/finghome.htm for more information. Aside from fingering adjustments, my primary remedy for this is to use a technique I call Bocal Flex. Bocal Flex, as the name suggests, involves very slight flexing of the bocal in an upwards direction to achieve higher partials and can be demonstrated by doing the following: Play a low C and deliberately pull slightly upward with the lower jaw while not pinching down with the upper lip and jaw. Keep the embouchure relaxed and let the upper jaw and lip just rest on top of the reed as you would for the low C. You should be able to produce harmonic partials above the fundamental C. The first partial is an octave C, the second a 12th G, etc. You are making the bassoon act in the way that a brass instrument must which is to produce multiple harmonic pitches from a single fingering based on an embouchure change. Now, the control is most likely not there to accurately play specific harmonic partials and either random partials or multiple partials simultaneously (multiphonics) may be produced at first but with practice it is possible to play bugle calls on the bassoon by fingering a single low note and adjusting the amount of bocal flex and/ or embouchure aperture and pressure. This element of the technique will be discussed further again below when dealing with low register issues but I now want to move the demonstration up to a higher pitch. Begin with the F third space above the bass clef staff. Fingering this note deliberately allow the lower jaw to drop down as if playing a low register note (like the C from earlier) the bocal should essentially un-flex and lower down also and one of two sounds will result: a multiphonic, or, when you have lowered the jaw sufficiently an e in the staff with a slightly strange timbre. With practice, one can go back and forth between the e and the f or even hold on the intervening multiphonic. How does this help, you may wonder? To explain I need to give a little history. My first exposure to this technique was as a student of William Winstead s. I was working on the Rite of Spring beginning solo and having difficulty consistently getting the first note to respond in time, in tune, and with an acceptable tone. One of the things he had me do was come up with a good fingering, have the tongue on the reed and prepare the airstream and pull up on the bocal until you feel it rise. When he told me this I at first thought it was one of the oddest things I had ever heard and also thought that I would damage my precious bocal for sure. But, I tried it and, of course, it helps tremendously and my bocal is still going strong over a decade later with no signs of mistreatment. Now, fast-forward several years and I was in my current position as the bassoon professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. One particular week one of those odd coincidences that seem to occur occasionally in teaching happened where several different students all seemed to be suffering from a similar ailment. They all were playing pieces that involved some kind of exposed entrance on the F above the staff (e.g. Weber Concerto first movement, first bassoon entrance) and all were cracking the f with a grunt or multiphonic sounding at the beginning of the note in a most audible way. I was puzzled as to the cause. I tried their bassoons and reeds and all was fine, I checked their fingerings, had them play on my bassoon and/or reeds, checked the shape of their embouchures all to no avail. The problem persisted. Now, one of my favorite teaching techniques is to learn to emulate a student s problem so that I can then determine what causes it and how it can be addressed and fixed. So I set to trying to learn how to create this problem with the F. At first I was unsuccessful and could not get the note to crack but eventually I lowered the lower jaw experimentally and succesfully recreated the problem, producing the multiphonic or the lower e. It was then that Winstead s technique from the Rite of Spring came back to me and I decided to apply it in this other context. I also eventually came up with the term bocal flex for it both because it fairly accurately describes what we are doing and because it sounds like the name of a product being sold on a late night infomercial, which appeals to my ARTICLES

76 74 RESPONSE ISSUES ON THE BASSOON ARTICLES sense of humor. By introducing this concept to all of the students concerned, I was able to get them to eliminate the cracking on the f and we also learned to apply it to several other high register notes. Now part of the trick is to NOT bite. You lift up SLIGHTLY on the bottom of the reed with the lower jaw but do NOT clamp down with the upper jaw. Instead it sort of rides upwards slightly also, maintaining the correct aperture size as opposed to narrowing it, but slightly compressing the bottom blade of the reed and flexing the bocal upwards gradually and gently. Another element that I find essential to this discussion is that one has to learn to separate the bocal flex and associated jaw position and aperture between the teeth from what happens behind it in the oral cavity. For many high register notes one must combine bocal flex and a somewhat narrow aperture with an open oral cavity and low tongue position in order for it to come out but with low enough pitch. I now maintain that I cannot correctly play the F (or perhaps any other higher register note above it) without using at least some bocal flex and that I probably had been using it all along without realizing it. I dare say that many (most? All?) other bassoonists probably do likewise. Bocal flex has now become an essential part of my teaching technique and seems to bring much better success and consistency to my students. When I have presented the technique in a masterclass situation it often merits raised eyebrows and looks of skepticism from participants, listeners, students, and teachers and I remember my own first response to Winstead s suggestion but I encourage you to try it out for yourselves. I really think that it works. In the Low Register, again several factors can lead to low notes cracking: A fingering issue may lead to a tonehole being uncovered and creating a leak; the instrument may be out of adjustment and either have pads not covering or the link between the low C and D key may not be engaging properly; reed problems can certainly play havoc either from a leak, or just poor response from scraping issues, etc., the student may not be putting enough air into the horn, etc. However, all things being equal I find that again bocal flex can be a major issue but this time at the other end of the spectrum. In the demonstration on the low C described above one could produce bugle calls or harmonic partials above a fundamental while fingering the low C. Some cracking in the low register is caused by exactly that. The player is inadvertently flexing the bocal upwards, at least at the beginning of the note so that a harmonic partial, or perhaps several (the multiphonic again) sound at the beginning of the note instead of the fundamental. To illustrate this I can again emulate the problem by deliberately allowing my lower jaw to be too high at the beginning of a low register note and then drop it down into place. If I do this quickly at first and then slower and slower it becomes obvious that the note is doing what the brass players might call a splee-ah with a multiphonic or harmonic sound beginning followed closely by a fundamental. Then I use an analogy (yet another of my favorite teaching techniques) this one I call training the puppy. I ask the student having the cracking problem in the low register to imagine that they are training a puppy to stay. At first the puppy doesn t understand and wants to go everywhere that the master goes but with some dedication and patience one can teach it to stay on command. Now lets think of the lower jaw as the puppy and the tongue as the master. At first the puppy (lower jaw) is untrained and wants to follow everywhere the master (tongue) goes. When the tongue comes up to the reed, the lower jaw follows and rises up also. This motion is fairly common in activities outside of bassoon playing, when chewing, the tongue moves in tandem with the jaw and also in some speech, etc. Now back to the bassoon. In many registers it will not affect the note too adversely if the lower jaw follows the tongue upwards as the tongue moves up to the reed, but in the lower register it becomes more noticeable and more problematic as it often results in an incorrect partial sounding instead of the fundamental at the beginning of the note (splee-ah.) To address this then I suggest the student teach the puppy (lower jaw) to stay. They need to send a message from the brain to the lower jaw to find and hold the correct lower position so that the fundamental will result while the tongue independently moves up to the reed. This is easiest to achieve when playing repeated notes in the low register (see the Foghorn exercise below) but eventually needs to be addressed for a note beginning. When starting a note in this manner the

77 THE DOUBLE REED 75 player fingers it correctly (of course), brings the tongue up to the reed WHILE MAINTAINING THE CORRECT LOW FUNDAMENTAL PO- SITION of the lower jaw, sets the airstream and, on command, releases the tongue to begin a note that should sound as a fundamental from the outset. Another exercise that can prove useful in diagnosing and fixing low register issues I call the Foghorn. This gets its descriptive name because it sounds, well, like a foghorn! The exercise has two parts. The first is to play a nice strong low E with the left thumb hovering over the cluster of keys on the long joint (bass joint) then drop down the left thumb to simultaneously cover all of the keys necessary to play a low Bf. The exercise can show if the player s embouchure and air are working correctly to produce the Bf. Also many students inadvertently pull one of their left fingers off of the tone holes (especially the third or lowest finger on the wing joint) when reaching the thumb over to the low Bf key creating a ½ hole or leak which makes the low note response tenuous. By starting on the low E with no left thumb, the player can ensure that the tone holes are covering completely and I usually then have them move and rotate the thumb in multiple directions while maintaining contact with the tone holes on the wing joint to demonstrate that the thumb s mobility is not dependent upon pulling the fingers on the tone holes out of position before finally dropping the thumb into place onto the Bf key and C-D cluster. Once the player can execute a lovely solid slur from the low E down a tri-tone to the Bf then we move on to part two of the exercise which is to add an articulation element. It begins the same with the slur from E-Bf but once a good Bf is established then the player tongues slowly but repeatedly on the Bf while maintaining the same open lower jaw position. The tongue should be the only thing in motion and the Bf s should speak easily and evenly. Many players will try to bounce or chew with the jaw when moving the tongue and this must be eliminated. Once consistent clean attacks can be implemented on the low Bf after slurring down from the E then the player should try to begin on the Bf but setting the same jaw position, open throat, tongue position, voicing, etc. If all elements are successfully accounted for and executed then the response on the low Bf should be just as good from the first note as it was during the string of articulated notes following the E-Bf slur of the foghorn. I hope that some or all of these suggestions prove helpful in reducing the incidence of cracking for some of you. Bassoon tones that are unmarred by cracking can be enjoyed more by all. ARTICLES

78 76 IDRS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM International Double Reed Society Membership Application For the calendar year of January 1 - December 31 of New Renewal Please TYPE or PRINT (You may also renew/apply on-line at: Name (Last) (First) Address: (Students should use home address to assure receipt of publication) (City) (State/Province) (Postal Code) (Country) Phone (Area) (Number) Business Phone Fax Number Address Instrument(s): Profession or affiliation: (orchestra, school, business) ANNUAL DUES $ Regular Member $ Student Member $ Institutional Subscriber (For first class postage, add $35.00) CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS $ & Up Benefactor Member $ Patron Member $ Donor Member $ Sustaining Member Methods of Payment: Check, bank draft, or money order enclosed Charge to Visa/Mastercard account below Card Account Number 3 Digit Security Code Expiration Date (Back of Card) Print name as it appears on credit card (Signature required for Credit Card payment only) MAKE PAYMENT PAYABLE TO THE IDRS IN US$ FREE OF CHARGES TO THE PAYEE. ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE DRAWN ON A US BANK IN US DOLLARS. Mail application and payment to: Norma R. Hooks, Executive Secretary/Treasurer International Double Reed Society 2423 Lawndale Road Finksburg, MD USA Phone (410) FAX (410) norma4idrs@verizon.net

79 THE DOUBLE REED 77 Albrecht Mayer s Singing Oboe: An Interview Frances Colón San Juan, Puerto Rico Frances Colón and Albrecht Mayer A unique series of events enabled this interview to take place. In July of 2006 I was visiting a dear friend in Rochester, New York. She had recently purchased a DVD of Gil Shaham and the Berlin Philharmonic performing the Brahms Violin Concerto, which we decided to watch. We skipped the first movement and went straight to the second. The camera work was excellent and mainly featured the principal oboist playing his solo. No words could describe my feelings when I listened to that performance. Upon my return to Puerto Rico I obtained my own copy of the DVD. After receiving it I waited until nighttime, when everything was quiet, to once again experience that wonderful performance. As before, I skipped to the second movement to hear him play. This time the music made me cry. It was gorgeous. At that moment I became determined to meet this oboist. Since there were no credits on the disc or cover, I searched online for oboists in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra until I found his name: Albrecht Mayer. I visited his website, and saw on it a picture of a friend of mine from when I attended Eastman. I wrote to her and told her of my interest in meeting Mr. Mayer. She said she would write to let him know about this. I also wrote to the address on his website, and his manager kindly contacted me to tell me that he would pass on my message. Then I waited expectantly. I later learned that Mr. Mayer was going to give a concert in Germany and, with the help of my German friends, bought a ticket. Knowing that I would be traveling to Germany in the near future, I spoke with Nicholas Daniel at the 2007 IDRS Convention about my desire to meet Mr. Mayer. He told me they were friends and sent Mr. Mayer a text message saying that I was going to his concert in Germany and that I wanted to meet him. And what happened was just that. I went by myself to Germany for the first time this summer to hear Mr. Mayer play the Mozart Oboe Concerto with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in Ludwigsburg. The hall was packed and the German man seated next to me said that Albrecht Mayer was very well-known in Germany. I felt so fortunate to be there in person to hear him play. The performance was magnificent! It seemed that the applause continued endlessly. During intermission he came out and signed autographs and had pictures taken. I had the opportunity to greet him and told him I was the oboist from Puerto Rico, to which he replied, Oh, yes! You are Nick s friend! I m glad you are here! We happened to be staying at the same hotel as each other (right next door), so he asked if I could meet him in the hotel lobby when the concert was over in order to make arrangements for the interview. I did, and we decided to conduct the interview the following morning. He asked me that morning why I had come to Germany and was amazed to hear my story. The following is the interview conducted on Sunday, July 8, 2007, in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Frances Colón (FC): Last night you played the Mozart Oboe Concerto and it was an edition that we are not accustomed to hearing. Could you tell us about it? Albrecht Mayer (AM): I was working with my oboe professor, Ingo Goritzki, on this edition to get the right shape, the original idea about the concerto. The concerto that Paumgartner found in Salzburg is not ARTICLES

80 78 ALBRECHT MAYER S SINGING OBOE: AN INTERVIEW ARTICLES at all Mozart s writings. It is full of mistakes, full of wrong clues, full of wrong arpeggios, full of wrong things, so my professor worked for thirty years to get a great, fantastic, right edition. The edition is finished and published now. It s a very lovely edition with three different ways. This is the oboe concerto rearranged according to the original flute concerto, the original Paumgartner version, and then his version, which suggests which, do you think, is best? And so, I was raised this last twenty-five years to see this, hear that, so when I made my recording with Claudio Abaddo I decided to do my own version of this because I thought I had some different ideas about it and the scholars show very clearly what Mozart had written at that time and what the oboe players had been able to play. For instance, the octaves in the entrance are very easy on the oboe at this time, but I played it on the original Ferlendis oboe (for which it was written), and the octaves are very easy there, because he has written them in the oboe quartet. So, it was not very difficult to get all the clues as to where the original shape would lead us to in the Oboe Concerto. But one thing is very clear: You can find your own shape, your own idea, your own version of the Oboe Concerto, but if you play the Paumgartner version - this copy you found in Salzburg in 1920, which is played everywhere in the world - then you play a lot of mistakes, and they are obvious, they are not hidden. FC: Your teacher s edition is published. Do you know who published it? AM: I think it is Henle Verlag; it is a blue cover. You will find it. FC: What about your edition? AM: The point is this. I have been studying singing my whole life. I was a tenor some years and of course with this came the idea and the interest in doing all of this vocal music. I started to record vocal music in some Schumann songs - and then I was compelled by the idea of getting some arias transcribed. When I heard people singing - like Thomas Hampson, Cecilia Bartoli, Mattias Goerne - for me it was like, this is how the oboe should be played. A real singer will sing not with his instrument, but with his body. He will use all his resonance, all his natural body resources to make the sound. I think the oboe world was developing towards a quite freaky idea over the last few years. Everybody thought you had to play in a way that s soft, loud, with very fast fingers, and thought, I have to compete with violins and flutes and to be very virtuosic. I think this is a dead end. First of all, we can never compete with a virtuoso violin, and we can never compete with a piano. But we are very competitive. Singing on our instrument is nearly unreachable with the oboe. The oboe is a very physical instrument. You need to be able to control your instrument, your body, in a very complete way to make the oboe sing, to make your body sing. Why is it so difficult? Sometimes it is very difficult to play the oboe because you need a lot of energy, pressure, and so on. When you achieve control with your body, you have the best singing quality, but it is a long road. And then, of course, I think that when you think back about Vivaldi s or Handel s or Bach s time, the oboe was always like doing little figurations around a singer that was the main voice and the oboe was the little accompaniment and going around and around. Then at the same time, I think, that every oboe player always wanted to be the voice, not only the accompaniment. That is what I want. I want to be the voice with my instrument. AM: It is not published; it is my edition. FC: Are you going to publish it? AM: No. After my teacher made all of these efforts and this beautiful, very clear and lovely version, I don t plan to. If someone is interested in my version, just listen to my CD. FC: I see that you are arranging and reconstructing a lot of works that were originally written for voice. You are transcribing works originally written for voice. Are you doing this to contribute to the oboe world? Or, what is the goal behind it? FC: Although you are not publishing the Mozart, are any of the works you just described published? AM: They are all published. Andreas Tarkmann orchestrated them. He lives in Stuttgart. FC: As a perfomer, you want to be the voice, you want to be more like a singer. Is there anything else that you want as a performer? AM: I always hear my colleagues saying, I am going to be obedient to the composers I play, and I want to serve Mozart and serve Schumann. My colleagues are fantastic and lovely players and are very serious

81 THE DOUBLE REED 79 about making music. But I am not serving anybody. The only mass I am serving is the audience. The composer could write the best piece in the world, but if there is no one that plays it correctly and plays lovely and convinces the audience, then the piece would have been written in vain. So, if I am serving anything, it is the audience. That means I ended up with the oboe but it could have been anything else. It was just that oboe was my instrument. I found the oboe by coincidence. Over the last twenty years we have had the tendency to look for the original shape of this thing in Mozart and Bach: Was it a comma? Was it a staccato point? We are discussing this for twenty years, but in the end this is not at all the music. The music is somewhere else. It is flowing between the audience and the musicians on stage. I started to do concerts in different places - in bars, restaurants, clubs - where people were lying down and having heavy smokes. Just reach these people with classical music and then they would say, Great, lovely playing. I thought classical music was so stiff and so well organized, we had to sit still for two hours. So I try to convince more people of the value of this different kind of classical music. FC: You teach as well. When you teach your students, what is the main thing you want to convey to them? AM: Talent - it is nice if you have some, but is not the main thing. I meet a lot of talented people and sometimes they end up as being no musicians, they end up lying under a bridge somewhere. And sometimes I meet other people whom I consider being not very talented and they end up as complete shooters. They are fantastic, they do big things. And they are successful and this is all the power of will. They want something and that is the main source of success. Success not in the financial sense; success in the sense of satisfying for yourself and for the other people around you. That is my main goal, to say: If you really want something, then go for it. I worked in Caracas, in Ranchos in Venezuela, for instance, and they would be considered helpless cases, because they could be big talents, but they would not achieve anything because they had no education and no money behind them. Now I see some people being so energetic and full of willpower that they have achieved the most gorgeous things. Like Gustavo Dudamel, for instance, this famous young conductor, who was conducting me on the tour with the Bamberg Symphony, my former orchestra. Now in Europe he is one of their stars. He is like 26 and he is absolutely He will be the next Karajan, the next Cliburn, the next I don t know Fantastic It is basically the power of will that makes it work. And that is true for everybody, not just for oboists. FC: What do you want to be remembered for? AM: I have never thought about that. Many musicians are really trying very hard to achieve their idea, their philosophy, their goal in music making, to be singular and unique, to be remembered as somehow very special. I think it is not really important which instrument you play. It is not really important even which music you play. You can achieve the things that I want in connection between audience and me or between all the people on stage and the audience. This is my idea. I try to find as much connection to them as possible and to get under their skin. Not to say, He has such fast fingers or he can play so loud or so soft, which is this competition idea, which I hate. If you really are able to touch the audience, to touch some people and they would come to you after the concert and say, Wow, this was really something and I will remember it and I will take it home I like Bach, Schumann, Handel and Mozart, of course, but it I think it is the wrong way if we try to be competitors to the soloists which have been there all the last decades. Like big piano players, the fantastic violin players, the great cellists, the fantastic sopranos, if we try to compete with them, it is hopeless. We must create our own connection to the audience. This is about everything: humanity, soul, caring, your love I don t know It is very hard to describe. That is why I am a bit stuck here. I am not so fluent anymore because how could you describe something that creates by itself? FC: I truly understand what you are talking about. That is why I came here all the way from Puerto Rico. So, I think you accomplished your goal. You conveyed it very well - bravo! BSO job, soloist, teacher, director, composer, arranger what s next? AM: I do conducting. And it s fantastic. I am learning every day. I see great conductors. I was just working with Pierre Boulez two days ago and he is the master of small movements and being very effective. His face would not change very much within the performance, within his conducting, but he is very effective. Sometimes you would wonder how different you can conduct and what the outcome is. So, the effect of ARTICLES

82 80 ALBRECHT MAYER S SINGING OBOE: AN INTERVIEW a few movements this is a whole new world, which fascinates me completely. Actually, I think this is the dream of every oboe player - to be conductor at one point. Some of them are very successful. Like Holliger or like Paul Goodwin, the baroque oboe player from England. Wonderful oboe player. I think he nearly stopped playing and now is a quite successful conductor. I am not going to stop playing the oboe, but I will do some more conducting. Albrecht Mayer presented a recital at the Carnegie Hall in November. Details as per the Carnegie Hall Website: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2007 AT 7:30 PM Berliner Barock Solisten Zankel Hall Berliner Barock Solisten Rainer Kussmaul, Violinist and Director Albrecht Mayer, Oboe and Oboe d Amore Georg Faust, Cello ARTICLES TELEMANN Concerto for Strings and Continuo in E Flat Major, TWV 43:Es 1 HANDEL Concerto for Oboe d Amore, Strings, and Basso Continuo in D Major, Verdi Prati (arr. A.N. Tarkmann) PISENDEL Sonata for Strings and Continuo in C Minor TELEMANN Concerto for Oboe and Continuo in D Minor, TWV 51:d 2 CORELLI Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 6, No. 7 VIVALDI Concerto for Cello, Strings, and Continuo in B Minor, RV 424 BACH Concerto for Oboe, Violin, and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1060 Dr. Frances Colón is principal oboist of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and also teaches at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. Her main teachers include: Nancy Ambrose King, Richard Killmer, Janet Mascaro, David Bourns and Harry Rosario.

83 A Short Interview with Eugene Izotov THE DOUBLE REED 81 Eugene Izotov, principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will be performing the Mozart Oboe Concerto with the orchestra on December 20th, 21st, and 22d. Ludovic Morlot will conduct. Here Mr. Izotov shares some thoughts about his solo vehicle... Photo: Todd Rosenberg ARTICLES Why did you choose the Mozart concerto for these concerts? I guess it was a fairly easy choice this concerto in C-major, written by Mozart in 1777 and the D-major concerto, written by Richard Strauss in 1945, are probably the two most cherished and well-known pieces featuring solo oboe with orchestral accompaniment. The reason I decided on the Mozart was the fact that it has not been performed at Orchestra Hall over the past 15 years. Chicago audiences have heard the Strauss concerto on numerous occasions by now, so I think it s time to revisit another old friend Mozart s incomparable oboe concerto. How long has it been a part of your repertoire? When and where did you first perform it? I first heard this piece when I was about ten years old as a student at the Gnesin Music School in Moscow. One day I showed up early for my oboe lesson, while there was an older student still playing inside the classroom. My teacher let me inside the room, told me to take a seat and to remain quiet. When the older student resumed playing, I thought it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard. It was the second movement of Mozart s Oboe Concerto. Since then, like most oboists, I have had somewhat of a love and hate relationship with this piece performing it for juries, competitions, festival, and job auditions. Unfortunately, most auditions require only the exposition of the first movement many oboists never get to play a note beyond that, and sometimes develop a certain sense of indifference towards this piece two minutes of music, even by Mozart, can get pretty old when repeated a hundred times over years of auditions, usually played without accompaniment in high-stress situations. However, for me it has always been possible to find a way to step back, and see this piece for what it really is an extraordinary, beauti-

84 82 A SHORT INTERVIEW WITH EUGENE IZOTOV ful, and dazzling composition packed with all sorts of twists and turns it truly is Mozart at his best. I have performed this concerto with several American and European orchestras over the years, and every time I find something new and completely unexplored in it. This piece is a fantastic showcase of personality both for the soloist and for the orchestra. Chicago Symphony has more personality than can fit inside the Sears Tower, so I am especially excited about performing it with my CSO colleagues in December. What can the listener expect to hear, and what do you hope the listener will hear? I perform a piece by Mozart, I feel like I am trying to polish a diamond while standing at the edge of a cliff - it s beautiful and exciting, but one step in the wrong direction and it s all over! Of course, I doubt that Mozart intended to present such a daunting task when writing his lovely and thoroughly light-hearted Oboe Concerto. However, as with any piece by Mozart, one has to combine impeccable sense of taste, style, and balance without making it sound too obvious or academic. Mozart was one of the greatest musical tricksters he had an amazing sense of humor, he was larger than life and every performance of his music should reflect that. This concerto is completely filled with happiness. Mozart wrote it when he was only 21 years old it s uplifting, playful, sometimes naïve, sometimes a little pompous, probably just like he was. I hope our listeners, especially those who mostly know Mozart s music from movies and Nokia cell phone ringers, will be able to discover and appreciate this fun-loving, witty, and brilliant side of his personality. What challenges does it present for you, as performer? ARTICLES There is a saying that classical musicians are in the business of perfection. we are responsible for capturing, understanding and delivering immortal masterpieces to our audiences. However, the amazing thing about our jobs is that we can and certainly should add something to the music that is uniquely our own and somehow try to make it sound more beautiful and more special. This has to be done very carefully, because you never want to replace composer s ideas with your own. Many composers leave much room for the performer s imagination - there s great flexibility in Romantic music, as well as 20th century compositions. However, I think most musicians would agree that Mozart, along with Bach and Beethoven are the hardest composers to perform. In fact, Mozart may be in a class by himself. Whenever

85 A Bassoon Lite, Please... Existential Bassoon Story THE DOUBLE REED 83 Alan Goodman Bedford, Wyoming A room is empty. A man enters the room through a window. A flower grows in a pot that sits on the windowsill of the window through which the man climbs. A woman, who does not play the bassoon, enters the room through a door precisely at this moment. Who are you? the woman asks, alarmed at the appearance of a stranger in her home. I do not play the bassoon, Madame, the man tells her. Oh, thank God, the woman says, clasping her hands over her heart. One never knows who climbs through one s window these days, does one. A rather small bird exits a door in a large clock hanging from a hook on a sunlight-dappled wall in the room. Cukoo, cukoo, sings the rather small bird. Two o clock, says the woman who does not play bassoon. Would you care to join me in a cup of tea? she asks the man who has entered the room through the window. You do not play the oboe perchance, do you? the man who does not play the bassoon asks. My first husband used to play the oboe, but Mother disapproved, says the woman who has entered the room through the door, and now stands absorbing dappled sunlight beneath the ticking of the Cukoo Clock. My fourth husband, Harvey, ran off with the circus when he was going through a rather difficult period adjusting to the reality that he would never play the bassoon. The man who has entered the room through the window removes a bandana from his face. Ahhhhhh he says, his mouth turned down at the corners. The woman thinks the man is saddened. Life can be fickle like that the man adds. A lemon would be nice with that cup of tea, if you wouldn t mind. I could tell immediately that you were a man who doesn t play the bassoon, she says, clapping her hands. A dry, sharp explosion, much like the crack of a.22 shell fired in a barrel stored in a small storage shed, echoes through the sparsely-furnitured room. A man wearing a black, cutaway coat and striped trousers appears at the same door through which the woman has recently entered the room. Jeeves, she says in a voice sounding like a bassoon flowing through its low register. Two cups of tea please, one with lemon. Here she nods with an encouraging smile to the man who has entered the room through the window. And one with a drop of brandy -- my usual. Yes, Madame, the man in the black, cutaway coat responds, backing out of the room, head slightly bowed. I see your man, Jeeves, does not play the bassoon, says the man who has entered the room through the window. The woman s eyebrows raise just enough to indicate approval for the man s astuteness. How did you know? she says, her voice purring with a warmth the man finds attractive. He seems quite deferential, the man says, shrugging. Ahhhh, to be sure, the woman replies. She moves to a love seat brocaded with dark green flowers on a background of lemon yellow linen, and gracefully sits on one end of a long overstuffed cushion. But enough of Jeeves, she says, patting the empty place near her. Please join me, and tell me if you have ever contemplated... the woman hesitates. She purses her lips before continuing.... ever contemplated playing the bassoon? ARTICLES

86 84 REVIEWS Reviews

87 THE DOUBLE REED 85 Oboe MUSIC REVIEWS DRASTIC MEASURES: New Oboe Music REVIEW BY LIBBY VAN CLEVE New Haven, Connecticut universities as Cambridge, Ohio State and UC Santa Barbara and San Diego. He is the co-author of Music Since 1945, the co-editor of Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music, and author of Music: Ways of Listening as well as numerous essays and reviews for prominent music journals. Schwartz has received significant honors including the Dutch Gaudeamus Prize, three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, an NEA Consortium commission, and two Rockefeller Foundation residencies at Bellagio, Italy. Marshall Bialosky has described Schwartz s musical style: New Oboe Music by Elliott Schwartz The featured composer in this installment of Drastic Measures is Elliott Schwartz ( ), an eclectic and prolific composer whose seventieth birthday was recently celebrated by concerts at the Library of Congress and London s Royal Academy. ELLIOTT SCHWARTZ: Quartet for Oboe & Strings (1963) MMB Music, Inc. Contemporary Arts Building 3526 Washington Avenue St. Louis, MO Music for Audience and Soloist (1972) Extended Oboe for Oboe and Electronic Tape (1974) Second Thoughts for Oboe & Piano (1984) Rows Garden for Wind Quintet (1995) Bird Bath for Wind Quintet and Recorded Sounds (2001) By George for Oboe, Violoncello, & Piano (2004) All pieces except for the oboe quartet are available through: The American Composers Alliance 648 Broadway, Room 803 New York, NY Schwartz website: Elliott Schwartz was raised in New York City and studied composition with Otto Luening and Jack Beeson at Columbia University. He has achieved distinction for his multi-faceted work as composer, author, and educator. Schwartz recently retired from a position at Bowdoin College where he taught since 1964, augmented by visiting appointments at such The music of Elliott Schwartz so sweeping in its range of stylistic juxtapositions and performance challenges, and so inclusive of musical languages (from the familiar to the arcane) that critic Tim Page has dubbed it beyond eclecticism can best be understood in the context of its time and place. Specifically, Schwartz s work reflects the influence of mid-twentiethcentury Modernism, the subsequent reactions and response of the Post-Modernist movement, and his career as a writer, performer, and teacher in coastal New England. Schwartz s Quartet for oboe and strings is the earliest piece discussed here and one of the most compositionally rigorous. A lyrical second movement is flanked by two lively and dramatic movements, somewhat reminiscent of Bartok in both their rhythmic intensity and pan-total but accessible harmonic style. Music for Audience and Soloist, one of Schwartz s most popular pieces, is scored for any mobile instrument, for the soloist moves through the performance space. It is suitable for oboe, English horn, or oboe d amore. In a 1986 interview with Ev Grimes for Yale University s Oral History American Music project, Schwartz remarked: It involves the theater of performance and a certain kind of role playing confusion because it s a piece where the audience does most of the performing. The audience is subdivided into four groups. Each group gets a conductor and is rehearsed very briefly. Then a soloist comes out and, by improvising according to a general cue sheet, interacts with this antiphonal concerto grosso set-up of the four orchestral subgroups. The things that the audience members are required to do are all very simple: hand claps, whispers, foot stamps and held hummed tones. REVIEWS

88 86 REVIEWS REVIEWS There s a carnival atmosphere in the piece, a very joyous, kind of crazy, super-exuberant atmosphere when the performer moves among the audience/players. It s also quite educational for amateurs and kids. They learn an awful lot about the ways a composer can control chance operations and also what it s like, as performers, to follow a conductor. They really do get a sense of how to work within the musical parameters of a piece. Music for Audience and Soloist is a lot of fun for soloist and audience members and could be a high spirited addition to a solo recital or chamber music program. Extended Oboe was composed for wild man Joseph Celli in The score is mostly verbal, delineating a structured improvisation (based on a tune consisting of an F major scale and descending triad) and eventually including long tones, trills, flutter tongue, multiphonics, and rapid figurations. The accompanying tape part supplies tune fragments and other gestures, all in the boldest synthesized timbres of the time, reminiscent of Wendy (née Walter) Carlos s Switched-On Bach. The sounds are at once both remarkably dated and yet charming to those of us who are veterans of the era. Extended Oboe would be a fine introductory piece for an advanced student or professional interested in exploring improvisation. Joseph Celli s avant-garde classic album, Organic Oboe, now available on CD on the OO Disc label, includes this piece. The aptly named Second Thoughts presents a reworking of Schwartz s earlier Sonata for Solo Oboe. Lyrical sections juxtapose boisterous outbursts with such theatrical elements as the oboist playing directly into the piano and the pianist sweeping the inner strings and slamming the keyboard cover. Notation is primarily proportional and calls for some improvisatory elements. Each of the five movements of Rows Garden is drawn from tone rows of well-known pieces by Schoenberg, Berg, or Webern. Schwartz noted wryly that the fact that my approach to such rows usually makes them sound rather tonal (and, I suspect, American as well) has given me a kind of perverse satisfaction. The piece includes a number of striking and discrete gestures - here a fanfare, there a warped waltz - that conjure up the image of a garden full of strange and uncommon blooms. A recording of the piece is available on Equinox, an all-schwartz CD from New World Records. Schwartz s pieces almost always contain elements of humor, playfulness, and theatricality - and they frequently include quotations of other pieces. All these aspects apply to Bird Bath, composed for the Quintet of the Americas and the Bar Harbor Music Festival. Three compact disks accompany the five instrumentalists with recordings of bird songs as well as musical fragments that represent some aspect of birds: Beethoven s Pastorale Symphony, Rossini s William Tell Overture, Saint Saen s Carnival of the Animals, and excerpts from William Byrd (very punny, Mr. Schwartz!) and Charlie Parker (aka the Bird. ) By George, the most recent piece discussed here, and one of the most eclectic, was written for the German ensemble Trio PianOvo, for the Handel Musik Tage. Much of the harmonic material is derived from the music-spelling of two famous Georges: Handel and Gershwin. Schwartz quotes their music along with the work of two more Georges: Bizet and Telemann. As in many of Schwartz s pieces, modernist angular melodies and non-tonal harmonies occur next to tonal sections. I m particularly fond of the beginning of the piece: a dramatic and engaging opening is followed by a neo-classical gesture that floats away with a cello glissando like the melting clocks in Salvidor Dali s The Persistence of Memory. Other Schwartz chamber compositions with oboe include Interruptions for woodwind quintet and tape loop; Aria No. 5 for oboe and mallet instruments; Music for Oboe, Trumpet and Cello; Variations in Nomine for oboe, clarinet and bassoon; and Dreamscape for oboe, cello, piano, and five Theremins. Libby Van Cleve is an oboist specializing in new music. Her contemporary music performances are featured on the New Albion, CRI, Aerial, Centrediscs, Tzadik, New World, OODisc, Braxton House, What Next?, and Artifacts labels. Numerous compositions have been written for her, commissioned by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Connecticut Commission for the Arts, Canada Council, and Minnesota Composers Forum. She is the author of Oboe Unbound: Contemporary Techniques (Scarecrow Press,) and the co-author of Composers Voices from Ives to Ellington (Yale University Press.) Ms. Van Cleve received her DMA from Yale School of Music, her MFA from California Institute of the Arts, and her BA, Magna cum Laude, from Bowdoin College. If you would like to submit a piece to be considered for inclusion in this column, please send it to Dan Stolper; Oboe Editor, The Double Reed; 7 Hermosillo Lane; Palm Desert, CA

89 THE DOUBLE REED 87 REVIEWS BY ROBERT J. KRAUSE Canyon, Texas Oboe RECORDING REVIEWS ERMANNO WOLF FERRARI Capolavori del 900 per Oboe e Corno inglese Alessandro Baccini, oboe and English horn, Orchestra Filarmonic Città di Adria, Giorgio Fabri, director Tactus TC October, 2007 This interesting disc of Italian music contains performances of the following: Idillio Concertino, Op. 15 for Oboe and Small Orchestra and Concertino for English Horn and Orchestra, Op. 34 by Ermanno Wolf Ferrari; Concerto for Oboe and Strings by Domenico Cimarosa/Arthur Benjamin; and Concertino for Oboe and Strings by Arrigo Pedrollo. Ermanno Wolf Ferrari ( ) was born in Venice, Italy. The son of a German father and an Italian mother, he spent much of his life between Munich and Venice. As a composer, he seems to be a bit forgotten, although before World War I, his operas were performed rather frequently all over the world. Many critics of Wolf Ferrari s music fault his style as being too archaic. The four movement Idillio Concertino for Oboe and Concertino for English Horn are fine examples of Wolf-Ferrari s instrumental music. They are composed in a light, late-romantic style. The solo oboe and solo English horn are used more or less as equal partners of the orchestra rather than pure solo instruments. The strings are augmented with the pastoral character of two horns. The playing of Alessandro Baccini in both of these idyllic pieces is quite lovely and very stylish. He performs both selections with sensitivity and just the right pastoral character. Next is another recording of the Oboe Concerto which is Arthur Benjamin s orchestration of harpsichord pieces by Domenico Cimarosa. Mr. Baccini s performance and interpretation of this familiar work is very creative and interesting. He adds some imaginative ornaments, and takes liberties with tempo changes and articulations. I was very taken by his enterprising artistry. The final selection on the disc is Arrigo Pedrollo s Concertino for Oboe and Strings. Pedrollo ( ) himself described his three-movement concertino as a work of clear lines with middle-aged troubadourlike reminiscences and natural virtuosity. This little known work, is very charming and performed with confidence and sincerity. Baccini s performances on this colorful disc are really quite captivating. Unfortunately the orchestral playing does not match the same level as that of the soloist. The intonation, style, and ensemble unity of the strings (especially in the Cimarosa) is a bit distracting. In spite of that, I still highly recommend the disc for the oboist s library. Alessandro Baccini s performances are well worth hearing. Virtuosic and Enchanting XIX and XX Century Music for Oboe and Piano Alessandro Baccini, oboe and Alessandro Cappella, pianoforte Bongiovanni GB July, 2007 The repertory contained on this disc is representative of a period of European Romanticism and Post- Romanticism when there was little emphasis on writing music for the oboe. The following selections are significant works of lesser-known composers during that period: Grande Sonate, Op. 35 by Johann Peter Pixis; Morceau de Salon, Op. 228 by Jan Vaclav Kalivoda; Sonata, Op. 13 by Gustav Schreck; Two fantasy Pieces, Op. 2 by Carl August Nielsen; and Improvization by Matyas Seiber. This disc takes the listener on a Romantic journey (in chronological order) from Germany, through Europe into Bohemia, returning again to Germany, then on to Denmark and concluding in Hungary. The Grande Sonate, Op. 35 by Johann Peter Pixis ( ) is an example of a genre that was quite fashionable in the 19th century, Salonmusik or salon music. The music was characterized by a pronounced sentimental and lyrical tone that was dreamily elegant and tremendously brilliant. Pixis writing for piano shows apects of great virtuosity, alongside the technical demands also placed on the oboe. Morceau de Salon, Op. 228 by Jan Vaclav Kalivoda ( ) is in a quasi variation form that is taken from the cantabile opening theme. Here the solo oboe is the clear lead, character, like a coloratura soprano, and offers virtuoso flights, sustained by piano accompaniment. Alessandra Baccini s virtuosic REVIEWS

90 88 REVIEWS REVIEWS playing in the Pixis and Kalivoda is quite spectacular and his interpretation quite elegant. Sonata, Op. 13 by Gustav Schreck ( ) is full of romantic intensity, but with a rather quiet, somber mood at times. Both piano and oboe lines are more balanced, probably due to the somber tone. The Two fantasy Pieces, Op. 2 by Carl August Nielsen ( ) has tremendous melodic power and varying timbre because of his use of the descending fifth within the Romance. The Humoresque begins and ends with the fourth, its reverse. The final composition on the disc, Improvization by Matyas Seiber ( ) is a piece that utilizes two 20th century aspects simultaneously: improvisation and the exchange of repeated sounds over a very strong twelve tone series upon which the entire piece is constructed. This disc has a very nice variety of music that should be attractive to almost any serious listener. Alessandro Baccini is a very flexible musician who is capable of performing a wide array of musical styles from an assortment of genres. His technical abilities are very impressive as are his skills of interpretation. There are times when his tempi are a bit over zealous for my tastes (especially in the Humoresque by Nielsen), but Baccini presents us with two new CDs that are most impressive. I recommend both of them very highly. Alessandro Baccini received his musical training at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice, graduating magna cum laude in 1986, and at the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik in 1990, where he studied with Heinz Holliger. He has performed as principal oboist with the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, and has served as associate principal oboist with the R.A.I. Symphony Orchestra of Milan, the Norddeutsche Rundfunk, the Orchstre Regionale de Picardie, and the European Community Chamber Orchestra. Love s Lore - 16 Folk Melodies Stella Dickinson, oboe and English horn Capital Virtuosi Paul Hart,arranger White Line CDWHL2118 Love s Lore gives the listener over an hour of beautifully arranged and beautifully performed contemporary settings of 16 English folk songs for oboe and English horn with assorted accompaniments for viola, violoncello, and harp, string ensemble, or duets with harp or violoncello. Ms. Dickinson was responsible for researching and selecting the north-country folk songs for this album. She was born in Lancashire and brought up in Yorkshire. Hence the themes in common in the music from both sides of the country are the loss of loved ones at sea Her ideas and playing influenced hightly acclaimed British composer, Paul Hart, to create the wonderfully fresh settings of these 16 folk melodies: 1. I ll give my love an apple (The riddle song) 2. Lark in the clear air 3. Broom of Cowdenknowes 4. Oak and the ash, The (A north country lass) 5. Up the raw 6. Sair fyeld hinny (A Geordie lament) English horn 7. Early one morning 8. Shule agra (My Johnny he has gone for a soldier) 9. My love is like a red, red rose English horn 10. Women of Ireland - English horn 11. Annie Laurie 12. Keel row 13. Sau gan English horn 14. Blow the wind southerly 15. Folk song from Suffolk (title unknown) - English horn 16. Scarborough Fair Paul Hart s arrangements are imaginative, well crafted, and so very charming. They are lightly scored, but that makes the lovely playing of Stella Dickinson so much more prominent. She has a wonderfully versatile style of playing that is sensitive, warm, plaintive, and yet very forward. The range of timbres which she is capable of presenting is almost mesmerising at times. Her performances on this disc indicate that she has a full understanding of the background and style of the folk melodies which she has chosen. Stella Dickinson studied at the Leeds College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, winning the Harold Craxton Prize and numerous other awards. Her teachers were Janet Craxton, Michael Dobson, Michael Winfield, John Barnet and later Richard Simpson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a founding member and principal oboist with the avant-garde group Lontano, Ms. Dickinson has frequently recorded for BBC Radio 3, performed on London s South Bank and at the Wigmore Hall. She has

91 THE DOUBLE REED 89 also worked with BBC orchestras, for TV commericals and as a solo artist with her trio, Stellar, for BBC Radio 2. She enjoys teaching and coaching as well as holding the post of Head of Arts Therapies at one of England s largest specialist hospitals. This CD is just wonderful for everyone. It will be a very nice addition to the oboist s library, but I really believe that anyone would be attracted to the disc. Listening to it is such a pleasant experience. Nice music and playing. I highly recommend it! REVIEWS BY DANIEL LIPORI Ellensburg, Washington MUSIC FROM TrevCo MUSIC P.O. Box 4, Tallevast, FL Bassoon MUSIC REVIEWS HARRIS, TRUMAN Ricky-tick Nightmare, for Bassoon and Piano. TCO 1241 ($6) agitated and there is more interplay between the two instruments, breaking up the melodic line between the two instruments. The longer note melody then returns, but the accompaniment is now fuller with quicker moving notes throughout. The bassoon line is mostly in its mid to upper register, extending up to c2, but with the slow tempo, it is nothing that is not easily approachable. The title humoresque is very appropriate for the second, quicker movement. There is a lot of passing of the melody between the bassoon and piano and many larger intervals throughout. There are several short sections to this movement, with a variety of changes in tempo, meter and character. There are some measures where the lines are playing different rhythms, such as duple eighths against triplets, but it is nothing that is overly difficult. This piece has been recorded on the BIS Label (#1085), on a CD titled Wind Music From Faroe Islands, featuring the Reykjavik Quintet. The work is about a grade III+, due to the range, and the many meter/tempo changes in the humoresque. This work would certainly add a little variety to your recital program, and might make a good ending piece to a concert. JANÁCEK, LEOS Fifteen Moravian Folksongs, transcribed and arranged by Trevor Cramer, for Bassoon and Piano. TCO 1335 ($16) Ricky-tick Nightmare is a cute little encore piece written by National Symphony bassoonist Truman Harris. Though there is no description of the work included, my guess is that the title is taken from a rhythm and blues club in Windsor, that was quite popular in the 1960s. It reminds me a little bit of a short rag. The work has a lot of syncopated rhythms and off accents throughout, and a somewhat recurring ostinato pattern in the piano part. Though it appears rather difficult at first glance, it is actually quite idiomatic, and falls under the fingers fairly easy. There are a few larger jumps and the range extends up to d2, giving the work a grade of III+. If you are looking for a nice ending or encore work for your recital, you should check out this piece. BAEK, KÁRI Elegy and Humoresque, for Bassoon and Piano. TCO 1156 ($18) The elegy is in an ABA form, which starts with a slow moving melodic idea with a fairly simple piano accompaniment. The B section gets a bit more Here is a set of short, lyrical pieces, that could be the filler pieces you were looking for your recital program. These works are arrangements of piano pieces of Janácek s, based on folk songs found in Bohemia, Moravia, and other nearby regions. The pieces are very short, each only two lines of music, but could easily be repeated, as many of the original songs were strophic, with several stanzas of text. All but one of them are in a fairly slow tempo, with no difficult rhythms or meters. The only moderately difficult aspect is the ranges, which go a bit high at times, sometimes up to d2. Because of the ranges, I would give these works a grade of II+. Though the movement titles are listed in the original Czech, there is no translation of them, and none of the original song texts are included as well. Personally, I would have liked these included, to help give me a better idea of how to interpret each movement. Despite that, these are very lovely pieces, and might be good works to help introduce younger students to the upper register. REVIEWS

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