It is really pleasing after these several years since the inception of IDRS to see our Society in stable condition, to reflect on the many fine performances and events we have sponsored over the years and particularly to anticipate the significance of holding our first truly international conference in August, 1980 at Edinburgh, Scotland.
Thanks to Chris Weait again for pressing our IDRS Executive to go ahead with plans to hold a European conference (back in 1976, when our finances were very low). I hope that as many North American oboists and bassoonists as can possibly find both the time and the necessary funds will make the effort to get to Edinburgh (and hopefully other parts of Europe as well) to share with us the four days of concentrated dialogue and mutually stimulating music-making.
I often marvel at how the flutists can gather such hordes of members to their conventions, and how the hornists can meet to blow horn calls together in the Vienna Woods. But along with this slight feeling of envy, perhaps, about the accomplishments of other organizations, I continue to enjoy the warm feeling of belonging to a group of double reed players who can sit down together in a very natural way, and be interested as much in how all the others are doing as in their own place in the artistic firmament.
In previous editorials I have asked for more and more ideas and articles from all members to help keep the pages of our newsletters and Journals vital and interesting. This need for good new material never stops, of course. But I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have responded with the finest material I have had in years, with articles, news items, poems technical discussions, fingerings and new music "goodies".
I hope the new decade 1980-1990 will bring us continued good health as a Society. I expect we will discover some new music to be added to the list of great 20th century creations- I hope that as in the past some of these works will prominently feature the oboe, bassoon, English horn and contrabassoon.
I would like to see an upgrading in the art of reed making for bassoonists. Bernard Garfield's thought of a few years ago that bassoonists should be able to buy custom-cut profiles with very consistent dimensions so as to save time and help us come up with a greater number of "gem" reeds is a very good one. There are now several sources in the U.S. for nearly custom-cut profiled cane. Perhaps the next step could be one or two specialty firms who would be willing to profile cane which we have first selected and gouged to our best preferences.
Sol Schoenbach once told me of his ideal "reed tool": a small black box with a red light bulb on the top and the tip of a Heckel bocal sticking out of its side. The player soaks up his new reed and places it on the bocal tip. Then he blows on the combination into the black box. The red light will come on if "it's going to be a great reed" ! !
Happy scraping and playing and happy personal lives to all our friends in IDRS. I look forward to seeing many of you in Edinburgh and to meeting new European double reed friends this summer.
--G.E.C.
The enclosed errata sheet should be inserted into the 1979 Journal. It corrects the many errors in Roger Fedelleck's article on the various editions of the Haydn Oboe Concerto.
The editors regret any confusion these errors may have caused our readers, and apologize to Mr. Fedelleck for misrepresenting some aspects of his research.
--D. S.
A special double reed stamp from Greece.
This stamp featuring several shawms and other early wind instruments arrived on a letter from Wassilis Zaragas asking IDRS for a recent issue of our newsletter for interested oboe and bassoon players in his country.