Introducing Our New Honorary President – Christine Gibbons
Christine Gibbons has been playing with the Cambridge SRP branch since 1974. The branch is very happy to have elected her as our new Honorary President to thank her for all her contributions over the years.
You can read here more about her recollection playing for the Cambridge SRP Branch:
Playing with the Cambridge Branch of the SRP – by Christine Gibbons (Honorary President)
I first began playing the recorder with the Cambridge Branch of the SRP in 1974. Anne Walston may also have been playing with the branch at this date too. It had restarted in Chesterton Community College, after playing at Homerton College on Sunday afternoons had failed to “take off.” It was organised as ten conducted sessions on Wednesday evenings for each of three school terms. Russel Wortley, agricultural scientist and folk dance enthusiast of note (having an obituary recorded in the archives of Halsway Manor, HQ of the Folk Song and Dance Society) played the bass line on the cello and everyone else played descant, treble or tenor.
We were conducted by Dick Little (now with Bristol SRP) and Barbara Pointon (formerly of Homerton College) on alternate evenings for an hour. Anne Martin (now leading the Edinburgh SRP) was also a part time conductor with the Branch. She is now an expert on Byrd and arranges music for large groups. The second hour of the evening was devoted to consort playing, which the College permitted in spare classrooms in the building, at no extra cost. I was surprised by the musical companionship of these sessions and by the range of music the recorder could play. At first the Branch was run on a strict financial budget and we were encouraged to buy our own music, that is to say our part only. In general published recorder music was expensive at this time and we were greatly helped by Theo Wyatt and Alex Ayres editing, arranging and publishing suitable music for recorder in less formal and cheaper circumstances. Hand-scripted music by Kitty Wyatt and Alex is a very personal reminder of these times.
Early music was a feature of my recorder playing with children at school, inspired by the input of Alison and Michael Bagenal (Music Advisory Staff for the Shire) and a weekend course at Graffham Water Centre led by David Munrow. At school, we danced and played with huge joy. This confirmed my loyalty to the Society of Recorder Players.
Michael and Esther Sharman led Friday evening consort playing at their home, on a flexible ad hoc basis. A huge variety of music was available in Michael’s library. The following picture shows Judy Bailey, Michael and Esther Sharman. Alex and Liz Bassett also joined with others who were not necessarily Cambridge Branch Members.
There was opportunity to socialise at Chesterton and, as you can see, at Michael’s home at Church Lane Farm. It turns out that this is important for good consort playing. Indeed a highlight of the Cambridge Branch year is the Christmas Party at the home of Anne Walston in Thriplow.
I was librarian and secretary for the Cambridge Branch whilst we played in the community room at Chesterton and secretary again at other times when we moved to the Music Block. It was difficult to keep conductors on the basis of ten meetings a term. We had of course what were called Pastoral Visitors every year. Most notable to me were Moira Usher (her sister singing with us in Rachmaninov’s Vocalise arranged by Brian Bonsor), Alex Ayre and Ross Winters (for whom we arranged an additional evening concert). Anthony Rowland-Jones gave the Branch the benefit of his expertise in recorder technique and its historic roots. He organised a master class or two, generously gave much of his recorder music and urged us to buy some larger bass instruments for everyone to use. We were able to secure a Millenium Grant to buy two great basses and a contra bass, with support from Adam Dopadlik, and the ability, through connections with teaching staff at Chesterton and the University, to promote and deliver use of these instruments to a wider circle than that of the SRP. Alex Alexander became Chairman and conductor and was able effortlessly to lead music-making for several years, with an emphasis on early music.
The Branch sometimes played at evening concerts, perhaps most notably with the Midnight Mandolins and at the Womens’ Institute’s 90th Birthday celebrations in Girton. We had also hosted two Festivals for the National SRP. When Vic Morris took over as chairman we embarked on a third, with the help of two other branches, resulting in a star-studded concert, specially commissioned compositions and outstanding music. Evelyn Nallen has always supported the Branch where possible and rose to this occasion with a knowledge of composers and musicians who raised this Festival to outstanding levels.
There have been many recorder players and teachers who have been associated with us that it seems negligent not to mention them all. The enthusiasm of every member and conductor has been noted and appreciated. But it is Anthony Rowland-Jones who identified with and nurtured the Cambridge Branch. He reached out to a wide and international recorder playing public through his publications and his series of essays in the Recorder Magazine. He became our President in due course. Vic Morris kept in touch with him in his later years and we celebrated his birthday at his home in Fulbourn shortly before he died in 2020.
Here are Vic Morris , Anthony, Richard Winter, Tricia Davies, Esther, Michael, Colin Fish and Christine (and one other player) celebrating!
Michael Sharman
Cambridge Branch during the Pandemic
Cambridge Branch normally meets 30 times during the recorder playing year. Not doing this has left quite a large gap in our lives, but it has been an opportunity for some members to try something different on a Wednesday evening. The branch committee decided to charge only the most basic SRP subscription, retaining the full branch membership. We were ready, at short notice, more than once, to return to some sort of group playing, but have been thwarted by prudent government health directives.
Using the generous Zoom facility of our secretary, we have been able to undertake some side by side playing, making use of Helen Hooker’s music video downloads to enhance our playing evenings. We have also enjoyed presentations from Andrew Collis, Michael Copley, Terry Mann and Evelyn Nallen, provided at somewhat shorter notice than might otherwise be expected. Additionally, members have “attended” online events found on the SRP website, including an online recital and talk on recorders and baroque bassoon from Kate Allsop and Mark Wilson (via the Oxford Branch) and the music of Charles Dieupart (via the Bristol branch).
The inspiration for Andrew Collis’ recital and Terry Mann’s talk on recorder making came from TRM. Branch news referred glowingly to Andrew Collis. TRM featured the work of Terry Mann as a medieval and renaissance recorder maker. His talk was outstanding for presentation and novelty. His enthusiasm for early music was infectious. He turns out to be a beguiling story teller, speaking from his workshop whilst sharing technical information about his craft in easily understood form. He will “perform” again at Medieval Music in the Dales in March. If, by now you have missed this weekend event, I hope you will find another opportunity to hear him. Evelyn Nallen attended Terry’s online talk and made an appreciative listener, nevertheless drawing Terry out on his experience of folk music making, recorder production and early music. She has agreed to lead an evening of medieval duets for our branch later in March.
Evelyn’s most recent presentation for us concerned the importance of playing baroque dance suites, in French style, with an understanding of the dancer’s technical requirements. This approach was clearly based on considerable research and made a fascinating and colourfully illustrated talk. The audience was required both to dance and play the recorder. We were able to appreciate the appropriate steps for a dance and what made a humorous version. Questions showed that there is clearly more to this subject than there was time for answers. The online meeting advertised at Oxford for the 27th March touches, by chance, on some of these themes.
We are in the process of fashioning a return to face to face playing. Helen Hooker has been a stay and support for a worthwhile approach on this matter. Cutting through much online obfuscation, with a pragmatic approach, her enthusiasm for a return to recorder playing on what can only be seen as doubtful dates, is encouraging. There may be changes to the way our branch approaches recorder playing but we shall have to talk together freely about it, face to face and without constraint. Meanwhile we should thank the generous support of Terry and Evelyn for giving their time to keep us informed and enthusiastic and making us eager to return to our Music Room, library and playing evenings.
Anthony Rowland-Jones (1926-2020)
Members will be saddened at the news of the death of Anthony Rowland-Jones, a Vice-President of the Society and Honorary President of the Cambridge Branch. He first joined the SRP as a member of the Oxford Branch while he was at New College in the late 1940s, and founded the West-Yorkshire Branch of SRP during his time as an Assistant Registrar at the University of Leeds. Though he pursued a distinguished career in university administration, he will be especially remembered in the recorder world for his series of books Recorder Technique, A Practice Book for the Treble Recorder and Introduction to the Recorder published by the Oxford University Press. These were followed by Playing Recorder Sonatas, also published by OUP. Perhaps some of Anthony’s most significant work was his ground-breaking research into recorder iconography, which resulted in a series of fascinating lectures and many important articles in a number of journals including The Recorder Magazine. An obituary will be posted on the SRP website and included in a future edition of The Recorder Magazine. Our sincere sympathy is extended to his wife Christina and his sons, Charles and Matt.
20th October 2019.
A great day was spent with Moira Usher in Hemingford Abbots learning some secrets about the art of conducting. Even those who came along as guinea pigs were able to benefit. Here we all are with our batons.
