2012: Let’s Celebrate the 50 Year Anniversary of the BC Recorder Society!
First, Frank Gamble was clearly a visionary. From examining the BCRS archives, it is apparent that Frank was a pioneer in the popularization of the recorder among the general population of North America. The recorder had lain virtually fallow for several centuries, while more powerful instruments were being invented and used. Many of these were invented for orchestra, but also for bands and rock groups. In England at the beginning of the 20th century, Arnold Dolmetsch and others were responsible for the revival for what we now call “early music”, and early instruments including the recorder. But apparently not much had happened with the recorder in North America. Frank Gamble saw the recorder as an ideal vehicle for teaching children music. The instrument is relatively easily learned by children, at least in the beginners’ stages. Furthermore Japanese plastic recorders were being produced cheaply. (In the 1960s, a plastic Aulos soprano cost $1.95!) These recorders have the big advantage among children of being pre-tuned, with some possibility of minor adjustment through the instruments joints. A Vancouver newspaper clipping from the 1960s mentioned that 17,000 plastic recorders had been sold in 18 months in the lower mainland of BC. Hence apparently Canadian schools had caught on to the instrument fast. I grew up in the UK in the 1950s, and recorders were popular with schools there, about a decade ahead of North America. Frank Gamble traveled across Canada and the USA popularizing the instrument. (Curiously he stated that in general he had more success in Canada than the USA!)
Gamble also saw the recorder as an ideal instrument for adult amateur players to enjoy music. As the full range of recorder sizes became available, it was possible to play SATB pieces and other combinations. A Moeck pamphlet from 1965 shows the following price list for wooden “standard” recorders:
Gamble also saw the recorder as an ideal instrument for adult amateur players to enjoy music. As the full range of recorder sizes became available, it was possible to play SATB pieces and other combinations. A Moeck pamphlet from 1965 shows the following price list for wooden “standard” recorders:
Soprano $6
Alto $15
Bass $40
Great bass $100
Alto $15
Bass $40
Great bass $100
It is worth an addendum to note the contribution of the Japanese in skillfully reproducing copies of museum instruments (e.g. Stanesby’s), some of which are better than some wooden ones. However, the sensuous feel of a much-handled wooden instrument does add to the allure of recorder playing in general.
Frank and his wife Bea had four daughters and the girls were all taught to play the recorder. Photos of them playing together, first as a quartet and then as a sextet, appear in several newspapers of the time. The Gamble family recorder players were very much the Von Trapps of British Columbia!
The second factor responsible for the success of the BCRS was the recorder repertoire itself. As soon as one starts to play, one is drawn in to this vast repertoire, spanning at least 600 years, all suitable and much specifically written for the recorder. The number of different styles in enormous, spanning the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods, with even a smattering of modern music. Many styles from different countries can be identified, and of course the thousands of different composers each have their own brand of individuality. For me, the first years of recorder playing were like the scene from the Wizard of Oz, which starts out in black and white, but when Dorothy awakens in the fantastic land of Oz the movie switches to glorious technicolour! Truly the recorder leads us down a yellow brick road to a wonderland of music unknown to us before. Indeed the rapid progress of musical research and scholarship over the last hundred years shows that much of the re-discovered music was not well-known to anyone before. For me, one of the big revelations was polyphony (having multiple, markedly different parts). From the medieval period on, music became wonderfully complex, with three and more carefully constructed interacting lines, all different, often with different themes and driven by more than one rhythmic pulse. Some pieces even had the same lines being played in opposite directions! Those early geniuses such as Dufay, Machaut, Josquin and Ruffo were previously unknown to me, and I expect are little known today except to recorder and other early music players.
A third factor I will mention is the group aspects of recorder-playing. Since much of the recorder repertoire is in several parts, the player naturally seeks out others to accompany him or her. Since the lines of the music are highly complementary, the players must not only master their individual lines, but also pay serious attention to the way the lines interact. Hence careful listening is paramount. We are called upon to convert notes into that magical entity known as music. I can think of no other instrument for which such entry into very sophisticated music is so accessible. Often the lines are quite simple, but such was the composers’ art that the net result is heavenly. There are few human activities in which the dividends of social interaction are so great and so readily achieved by a little practice. My own personal preference is for playing in smaller groups because one is responsible for one’s own line and its success in the piece overall. Museums in Europe have chests of whole sets of renaissance and baroque recorders once owned by individual families. Hence recorder-playing must have been a popular pastime for families throughout history. (Curiously, several of the earliest-discovered genuine recorders – in the 14th century - were recovered from archaeology of latrines. The reason for this association is not known, but could be the topic for much interesting debate.) Family recorder playing was an interesting development: through the recorder, from the 14th century, common people could enter the world of musicianship previously owned by the church and by royalty. However, royalty were definitely enthusiastic too. Henry VIII owned 76 recorders! And you can bet he didn’t play them all by himself. Henry was apparently an accomplished player, and indeed a composer and arranger of recorder music (e.g. Pastime with Good Company, Taundernaken). However, it must be said that a well-played large recorder group (“recorder orchestra”) can also be an uplifting experience, a phenomenon largely responsible for the success of our monthly BCRS meetings.
The fourth factor I will mention is the leaders who have driven the BCRS. There have been so many of them. A multi-member organization does not run itself and 50 years of executive members and directors conductors have been responsible for keeping the organization going. I have not been able to find all the Presidents of BCRS, but here is a list of most of them, in alphabetical order: Louise Dawson, Waltraud Dilling, Mary-Ann Franson, Bea Gamble, Tony Griffiths, Veronica Hatch, Barry Honda, Reverend John Low, Joan Morford, Kim St. Pierre, Lynne Taylor, Ed Teghtsoonian, and David Walmsley. The conductors are too numerous to list, but a few names crop up repeatedly and they deserve special mention: Karen Epp, Liz Hamel (both recorder performers and teachers) and Nathan Wilkes (brass). Also too numerous to list are the treasurers, but Barbara Beach deserves special mention for having served so many years in this role. Likewise, Louise Dawson served many years as librarian. And of course, we cannot ignore the essential contribution of all the wonderful people over the years who brought food and made drinks for the intermissions.
For many years spanning the 1970s and 1980s, The Vancouver Society for Early Music (now Early Music Vancouver) ran early music and dance workshops in the summer at UBC. These were very popular with amateur recorder players (and other instrumentalists and singers) locally and from across North America. Indeed, Vancouver was once perhaps just as popular as the Seattle Recorder Society’s Port Townsend workshop is now. We are indebted to EMV for those years, which did a great deal to strengthen local amateur recorder playing. We are also fortunate in having a music department at UBC that has had a strong early music interest. This has provided us with many instructors and conductors over the years. The same is true for local early music groups such as the Pacific Baroque orchestra, and previously the Town Waites.
Last, but not least, our success is due in large part to the enthusiasm of our members. Membership in BCRS has ranged from around 40 to well over 100. As far as I know there have never been monthly meetings where no-one showed up! We have had members from Washington State, and our meetings have been attended by the Seattle Recorder Society (they were invited on the occasion of the “Look of Music” exhibition at The Vancouver Centennial Museum in 1980), and the Bellingham Recorder Society. Other members have been from the Islands, and across Canada.
Our members regularly perform in small groups at weddings, parties, festivals, Bard on the Beach and other venues.
We have had our share of “star” visitors. In May 1965 Hugh Orr (who wrote one of the most widely-read recorder technique books) was invited by BCRS to give several 10-hour recorder workshops at UBC, two intermediate ($15) and one advanced ($17.50). Recorder virtuosos Peter Hannan, Judy Linsenberg, Alison Melville, Marian Verbruggen have all given master classes and workshops for BCRS members.
Another item worth noting with pride is that BCRS members have contributed to the publication of recorder music. Ron Napier, a long-time member of BCRS and the Executive, formed the publication company Avondale Press, that has made great contributions to the recorder literature (and still is under new leadership). One of our members, Daniel Harmer, has worked hard to establish an on-line collection of excellent recorder-friendly pieces, many of which are his own arrangements of library pieces. The Harmer website is linked with the Werner Icking website.
To mark our 50 years, our society has applied for and been approved for official status as a Chapter of the American Recorder Society. We became the fourth Canadian Chapter (in addition to Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal). This will draw us into the entire North American recorder community, and broaden our scope and outlook at the international level. Our society, and recorder-playing, have come a long way over this half century, but the journey continues with great prospects for the future. Nowadays, we have much better instruments, much more varied selection and accessibility of music, much better-informed instruction, and many more workshops across North America, and these are all there for our taking. Recorder playing is never easy, but today there are few excuses for not improving our play, and its accompanying personal development.
Tony Griffiths.
If anyone has other material to add, please let me know.
Frank and his wife Bea had four daughters and the girls were all taught to play the recorder. Photos of them playing together, first as a quartet and then as a sextet, appear in several newspapers of the time. The Gamble family recorder players were very much the Von Trapps of British Columbia!
The second factor responsible for the success of the BCRS was the recorder repertoire itself. As soon as one starts to play, one is drawn in to this vast repertoire, spanning at least 600 years, all suitable and much specifically written for the recorder. The number of different styles in enormous, spanning the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods, with even a smattering of modern music. Many styles from different countries can be identified, and of course the thousands of different composers each have their own brand of individuality. For me, the first years of recorder playing were like the scene from the Wizard of Oz, which starts out in black and white, but when Dorothy awakens in the fantastic land of Oz the movie switches to glorious technicolour! Truly the recorder leads us down a yellow brick road to a wonderland of music unknown to us before. Indeed the rapid progress of musical research and scholarship over the last hundred years shows that much of the re-discovered music was not well-known to anyone before. For me, one of the big revelations was polyphony (having multiple, markedly different parts). From the medieval period on, music became wonderfully complex, with three and more carefully constructed interacting lines, all different, often with different themes and driven by more than one rhythmic pulse. Some pieces even had the same lines being played in opposite directions! Those early geniuses such as Dufay, Machaut, Josquin and Ruffo were previously unknown to me, and I expect are little known today except to recorder and other early music players.
A third factor I will mention is the group aspects of recorder-playing. Since much of the recorder repertoire is in several parts, the player naturally seeks out others to accompany him or her. Since the lines of the music are highly complementary, the players must not only master their individual lines, but also pay serious attention to the way the lines interact. Hence careful listening is paramount. We are called upon to convert notes into that magical entity known as music. I can think of no other instrument for which such entry into very sophisticated music is so accessible. Often the lines are quite simple, but such was the composers’ art that the net result is heavenly. There are few human activities in which the dividends of social interaction are so great and so readily achieved by a little practice. My own personal preference is for playing in smaller groups because one is responsible for one’s own line and its success in the piece overall. Museums in Europe have chests of whole sets of renaissance and baroque recorders once owned by individual families. Hence recorder-playing must have been a popular pastime for families throughout history. (Curiously, several of the earliest-discovered genuine recorders – in the 14th century - were recovered from archaeology of latrines. The reason for this association is not known, but could be the topic for much interesting debate.) Family recorder playing was an interesting development: through the recorder, from the 14th century, common people could enter the world of musicianship previously owned by the church and by royalty. However, royalty were definitely enthusiastic too. Henry VIII owned 76 recorders! And you can bet he didn’t play them all by himself. Henry was apparently an accomplished player, and indeed a composer and arranger of recorder music (e.g. Pastime with Good Company, Taundernaken). However, it must be said that a well-played large recorder group (“recorder orchestra”) can also be an uplifting experience, a phenomenon largely responsible for the success of our monthly BCRS meetings.
The fourth factor I will mention is the leaders who have driven the BCRS. There have been so many of them. A multi-member organization does not run itself and 50 years of executive members and directors conductors have been responsible for keeping the organization going. I have not been able to find all the Presidents of BCRS, but here is a list of most of them, in alphabetical order: Louise Dawson, Waltraud Dilling, Mary-Ann Franson, Bea Gamble, Tony Griffiths, Veronica Hatch, Barry Honda, Reverend John Low, Joan Morford, Kim St. Pierre, Lynne Taylor, Ed Teghtsoonian, and David Walmsley. The conductors are too numerous to list, but a few names crop up repeatedly and they deserve special mention: Karen Epp, Liz Hamel (both recorder performers and teachers) and Nathan Wilkes (brass). Also too numerous to list are the treasurers, but Barbara Beach deserves special mention for having served so many years in this role. Likewise, Louise Dawson served many years as librarian. And of course, we cannot ignore the essential contribution of all the wonderful people over the years who brought food and made drinks for the intermissions.
For many years spanning the 1970s and 1980s, The Vancouver Society for Early Music (now Early Music Vancouver) ran early music and dance workshops in the summer at UBC. These were very popular with amateur recorder players (and other instrumentalists and singers) locally and from across North America. Indeed, Vancouver was once perhaps just as popular as the Seattle Recorder Society’s Port Townsend workshop is now. We are indebted to EMV for those years, which did a great deal to strengthen local amateur recorder playing. We are also fortunate in having a music department at UBC that has had a strong early music interest. This has provided us with many instructors and conductors over the years. The same is true for local early music groups such as the Pacific Baroque orchestra, and previously the Town Waites.
Last, but not least, our success is due in large part to the enthusiasm of our members. Membership in BCRS has ranged from around 40 to well over 100. As far as I know there have never been monthly meetings where no-one showed up! We have had members from Washington State, and our meetings have been attended by the Seattle Recorder Society (they were invited on the occasion of the “Look of Music” exhibition at The Vancouver Centennial Museum in 1980), and the Bellingham Recorder Society. Other members have been from the Islands, and across Canada.
Our members regularly perform in small groups at weddings, parties, festivals, Bard on the Beach and other venues.
We have had our share of “star” visitors. In May 1965 Hugh Orr (who wrote one of the most widely-read recorder technique books) was invited by BCRS to give several 10-hour recorder workshops at UBC, two intermediate ($15) and one advanced ($17.50). Recorder virtuosos Peter Hannan, Judy Linsenberg, Alison Melville, Marian Verbruggen have all given master classes and workshops for BCRS members.
Another item worth noting with pride is that BCRS members have contributed to the publication of recorder music. Ron Napier, a long-time member of BCRS and the Executive, formed the publication company Avondale Press, that has made great contributions to the recorder literature (and still is under new leadership). One of our members, Daniel Harmer, has worked hard to establish an on-line collection of excellent recorder-friendly pieces, many of which are his own arrangements of library pieces. The Harmer website is linked with the Werner Icking website.
To mark our 50 years, our society has applied for and been approved for official status as a Chapter of the American Recorder Society. We became the fourth Canadian Chapter (in addition to Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal). This will draw us into the entire North American recorder community, and broaden our scope and outlook at the international level. Our society, and recorder-playing, have come a long way over this half century, but the journey continues with great prospects for the future. Nowadays, we have much better instruments, much more varied selection and accessibility of music, much better-informed instruction, and many more workshops across North America, and these are all there for our taking. Recorder playing is never easy, but today there are few excuses for not improving our play, and its accompanying personal development.
Tony Griffiths.
If anyone has other material to add, please let me know.
