Double Reed 70 cover - British Double Reed Society

Happy 20th Birthday, BDRS!
The event was held alongside the annual
conference of BASBWE (the British
Association of Symphonic Bands and
Wind Ensembles) by whose courtesy the
facilities at Warwick were made
available. Indeed, the distant sounds of
practising and performing groups and
bands, to say nothing of the more
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the conception of the British Double Reed Society, we reprint
Anthony Allcock’s article from issue 5 of DRN. During the inaugural committee meeting to which he refers
(changed from 16th to 15th November 1988) he was elected Chairman, and a brief report of that occasion
follows reprinted from issue 6.
Warwick University, 17th September 1988
A personal view by Anthony Allcock.. A series of meetings or seminars for double reed players, organised by
George Caird under the auspices of the Radcliffe Trust, has been held over the past two years or so at several
venues up and down the country. I attended the most recent, in the Arts Centre at Warwick University.
immediate music of the saxophone
quartet during our lunch break, showed
us something of the lively proceedings
forming just a part of the BASBWE
conference. The trade fair was also well
supported, extensive and interesting – a
view enhanced only partially by my free
glass of wine!
But the Double Reed Seminar was
independent of BASBWE. Attended rather
thinly, possibly due to the affects of the
postal strike, it nevertheless seemed to me
particularly successful. There were several
components, only some of which, of
course, I could attend and I regretted
missing most of those aimed principally
at bassoonists. First, a session for teachers
of the oboe, run by Irene Pragnell and
Anna Evans, whose joint approach
covered a wide range of teaching points
which in turn led to highly beneficial
discussion. For me, and I suspect for
many others, this was an excellent
session; I have been teaching the oboe
now for… rather a long time and I found
myself learning. The whole was assisted
by some fine demonstrations by pupils
and by a relatively relaxed atmosphere
throughout. Teachers need this kind of
meeting. Moreover, such an event can
encourage us all to break the barriers
which can put limitations on our use of
the best teaching methods. I spoke later
to several young pupils and students,
and I found a uniformly high opinion of
the session.
Before lunch, and therefore before we
were regaled elsewhere by the saxophone
quartet, William Waterhouse, John
Orford, George Caird, Robin Canter and
Graham Salter played a short programme
ranging from Fasch and Beethoven to
Berio and I940s jazz – superb! Several
people said they believed that to be a
very important part of the event: high
standards, fine music-making, a brand
new piece, something for everyone and
the whole thing hugely enjoyable. I felt
that the morning had fully recharged my
batteries.
A short session on reed-making was one
option after lunch. I preferred to use one
Double Reed News 85 Winter 2008 5