Sol Schoenbach of Philadelphia notified me recently of the passing of another renowned bassoonist, Richard Newton, at his retirement home in Leyburn, England.
In a letter to Mr. Newton's sister, Mr. Schoenbach stated, "I shall never forget my first professional guide to London when I arrived with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1949, to be greeted by him. What a wonderful introduction to glorious England. It was easy to understand why Toscanini was so delighted with his playing in the famous BBC concerts and I shall always think of him with great warmth and affection."
Mr. Newton, who began his career on the French system bassoon, was either the first or one of the first players to switch over to the Heckel in London during the 30's. He wrote that it was a very difficult switch away from long-held habits yet he made the transformation in one evening's performance.
Richard Newton also made the translation from Russian into English of the Moscow bassoonist Yuri Nekliudov's fascinating article on Russian bassoon-playing, "Practical Points for Improvement of the Bassoon" (IDRS Journal, No. 1, 1973).