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Andrews UK - Maggie Cotton

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477 pages

English

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Description

Now retired and no longer silenced by a contract, Maggie Cotton presents an honest and long-overdue player's perspective of life inside a professional symphony orchestra, describing how she became the first female percussionist in what was initially a staunchly male-dominated world. Now retired after forty years with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Maggie gives a fascinating and humorous insight into every aspect of her working life, including tours, conductors, composers, soloists, colleagues, recording contracts and educational work, as well as her own family life and the social conditions of wartime England and post-war Eastern Europe. Bolstered by her gritty Yorkshire roots, and naively undeterred by overwhelming odds, Maggie overcame many hurdles in pursuit of her ambition to play percussion in a professional symphony orchestra, in so doing transforming the face of women in that field from one of novelty circus performer to respected professional and colleague.

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Percussion instrument

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	27 juillet 2011
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781907792656
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0374€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Contents

Front Matter................................................. 3 Tîte Page .................................................. 3 Pubîser ïnormatîon ................................ 4 Dedîcatîon................................................. 5 Foreword ................................................... 6 Wrong Sex, Wrong ïnstrument ..................... 8 Settîng te Scene ........................................ 8 Sma Fîs: arge Poo.............................. 40 Square Peg............................................... 57 CBSO Overture and Begînnîngs ............... 96 Eary Daze ............................................ 115 New Broom ........................................... 137 Mrs Brown ............................................ 154 Gaîc Carm ........................................ 176 Worcester Move ...................................... 197 A Sîent Majorîty ................................... 207 “Sîmon Sez” ...! ...................................... 221 Roer Coaster Rîde................................. 232 Soo Act ................................................. 253 Dîstractîons and te End o an Era ......... 269 Fres Fîeds and Pastures New ................ 287 “Wat’s Your Rea Job?” .......................... 302 Trîo....................................................... 324 Emperor’s New Cotes ........................... 343 Red îgt Dîstrîct .................................. 364 Joîn an Orcestra and See te Word........ 374 ï Dreamt ï Dwet în Marbe Has ... ...... 409 Wadîng în Treace .................................. 425 he Baton îs Sîent ................................. 456 Appendîx: Recordîng Sessîon ................... 469 Back Matter.............................................. 475 Aso Avaîabe ........................................ 475

WRONG SEX, WRONG INSTRUMENT

Maggîe Cotton

Fîrst pubîsed în 2006, Reprînted and Updated în 2007 and 2009 by Apex Pubîsîng td PO Box 7086, Cacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 5WN www.apexpubîsîng.co.uk Dîgîta versîon converted and pubîsed în 2011 by Andrews UK îmîted www.andrewsuk.com Copyrîgt © 2006-2009 by Maggîe Cotton he autor as asserted er mora rîgts A rîgts reserved. hîs book îs sod subject to te condîtîon, tat no part o tîs book îs to be reproduced, în any sape or orm. Or by way o trade, stored în a retrîeva system or transmîtted în any orm or by any means, eectronîc, mecanîca, potocopyîng, recordîng, be ent, re-sod, îred out or oterwîse cîrcuated în any orm o bîndîng or cover oter tan tat în wîc ît îs pubîsed and wîtout a sîmîar condîtîon, încudîng tîs condîtîon beîng împosed on te subsequent purcaser, wîtout prîor permîssîon o te copyrîgt oder. Productîon Manager: Crîs Cowîn Cover Desîgn Andrew Macey Cover Potos: Mark Wamsey, Yorksîre Evenîng News Cartoon: Jeremy Baard

Dedîcated to te memory o Adrîan Smît. Musîcîan, wrîter, teacer and dear rîend wo gave unstîntîng tîme and patîence, enabîng me to cîmb many earnîng curves durîng te wrîtîng o tîs book.

Foreword Maggîe Cotton as been a presence în my îe or 40 years, ever sînce as a unîversîty undergraduate în Bîrmîngam ï attended my Irst Cîty o Bîrmîngam Sympony Orcestra concert and spotted tîs redead wît attîtude payîng în te orcestra’s ‘kîtcen’ department. ï ated er or a wîe wen se was brougt în as a proessîona to pay te percussîon part în a unîversîty-promoted perormance o Stravînsky’sSodîer’s Tae, sometîng wîc, as an amateur percussîonîst, ï’d coveted myse. ï ated er even more wen severa years ater se started to make te occasîona (but aways teîng) contrîbutîon toCassîca Musîcmagazîne, brîngîng reveaîng însîgts rom te payer’s sîde o te rostrum. “hîs woman îs not ony a abuous musîcîan, but se can wrîte, too!” ï grumped to myse. But ît was a peasure to get to know er wen ï was ortunate enoug to be învîted to spend tîme tourîng wît te CBSO, and to experîence er warmt, er rîendîness, er înnate commonsense, er înabîîty to sufer oos (a traît we sare) and er undîmmed îdeaîsm. And wen se retîred rom te orcestra ï was quîck to învîte er to joîn my and-pîcked revîewîng team on teBîrmîngam Post. ï know ît took er a ot o courage to accept, but se worked assîduousy at te tecnîca nuts and bots o te task, wrîtîng to engt, meetîng deadînes, takîng on board te quîrks o îtaîcîsatîon and punctuatîon, and earnîng to swaow ard and srug er souders wen er ondy-saped crîtîcîsms were manged by însensîtîve subedîtors. Naturay tere are restrîctîons on er revîewîng work. Se obvîousy as to steer cear o anytîng învovîng te CBSO and îts extended amîy, and ît was a wîe beore ï tougt ît aîr to ask er to comment upon te work o oter Brîtîs orcestras as we, as se knew so many o teîr members. here are stî certaîn composers

and înstruments wîc make er eyes gaze over, but se îs a marve at grîttîng er teet and bîtîng te buet î ï beg er to: tat’s part o er boundess good nature, and tat îs a quaîty wîc eaps rom te page în tîs ascînatîng bend o autobîograpy, socîa îstory and musîca paîn speakîng. ï îke to tînk o tîs as ony te Irst înstament o Maggîe’s Memoîrs. he îe se as ed sînce retîrîng rom te CBSO as been u o înterest and încîdent, trave and cookery, gardenîng and tak-gîvîng - and se as never ost er passîon or te young, and or encouragîng teîr taents. More tan enoug materîa or at east anoter voume! But or te moment, enjoy tîs one. You wî be ooked and entraed, as ï was wen se Irst syy (unusua quaîty or er) sowed ît me. Crîstoper Morey Cassîca musîc correspondent, Bîrmîngam Post

Settîng te Scene Watever possessed te powers-tat-be to go to te gîrs’ grammar scoo to ook or a tîmpanîst or te oca yout orcestra, rater tan to te ads’ scoo down te road at HuddersIed Coege, one wî never know. Cora rater tan înstrumenta musîc was te order o te day or te young adîes, abeît seasoned wît a good ayer o pîano rîvary, producîng îg standards o accompanyîng and soo perormances trougout te scoo. As a bemused bunc o Iteen-year-ods, we duy presented ourseves at te empty, od-asîoned scoo a used or orcestra reearsas and watced as an od ady strugged to pu te egs out o a paîr o and-tuned tîmpanî beore eveîng te înstruments ready or payîng. Mîss Brearey was o dougty Yorksîre stock, rom a dynasty o Ine musîcîans. Her ater ad been te conductor o a respected oca amateur orcestra and, wît broters payîng proessîonay în bot te Haé and îverpoo Pîarmonîc orcestras, ît seemed ony natura tat Aîce, te youngest în te amîy, soud be caed upon to “tune tose drums” te very paîr o tîmpanî now beîng used by te youngsters în te Yout Orcestra. Eyes sparkîng, se aways enjoyed a good kettedrum part wît penty o neaty turned tonîcs and domînants conIrmîng very satîsactory Ina cadences; er entusîasm was catcîng. he stîcks tat se ad brougt aong were made o sîgty Lexîbe, goden-brown Maacca cane, wît sma, turned, ebony knobs set wît a moter-o-pear star at one end and Irm et bas at te busîness end. hese were Ixed onto te cane troug a Lattîs rosewood dîsk. ï was sown ow to turn te taps on te od-asîoned, deep-bowed înstruments: cockwîse to sarpen te note; antî-cockwîse to Latten te note. For te îe o me ï coud not ear a specîIc note on eîter înstrument, just te omînous creakîng o te caskîn eads wen tensîon was beîng appîed. Head down, um înto te skîn, and î a sympatetîc note came back, ten te drum was tuned eveny. ït was quîte a eat îstenîng

or subte canges o pîtc în te ot reearsa a wîst countîng bars and tryîng to work out ow to pay a neat drum ro. But ï reaîsed îmmedîatey tat tîs was wat ï wanted to do: pay în an orcestra - any orcestra. Fortunatey, ï must ave sown more spark tan te oter candîdates. Peraps ît was te workmanîke manner în wîc ï dusted te caskîn eads, but în any event ï was te one subsequenty cosen to repace te absent HuddersIed Yout Orcestra tîmpanîst. Wît te Backpoo Musîc Festîva oomîng on te orîzon, and Mendesson’sRuy Bason te musîc stand, ï ad been overture trown în at te deep end, te ony tuîtîon on ofer beîng a detaîed expanatîon o te ayout o tîmpanî musîc. For a pîanîst to ave ony two notes to worry about was îndeed a novety and, în spîte o aso avîng ordes o rest bars to count, tîs dîd not seem too ta an order, but my Irst experîence o orcestra payîng was tat everytîng was very oud. ï coud not ear te strîngs at a wen te brass sectîons were at u trotte, but ten tat added to te novety o an însîde-out orcestra sound rom my new vîewpoînt: brass în ront, strîngs at te back. here was no tîme to worry about beîng brave enoug to come în wît persona contrîbutîons as te musîc Lew by, as ï ad enoug to do to keep my pace on tat strange-ookîng part. For some tîme ï ad Lîrted wît te îdea o earnîng an înstrument to gîve me access to payîng orcestra musîc, ater beîng bowed over by a perormance o Sîbeîus’s Fîrst Sympony by te now deunct Yorksîre Sympony Orcestra în HuddersIed Town Ha. hîs was to be a turnîng poînt în my young îe. Up to ten tere ad been te usuaPeter and te Wobut tîs experîences, was a very dîferent kette o Is. ï ad no îdea tat musîc coud sound îke tat, and now, în retrospect, ï guess tat tose sweepîng prases, sparse open-aîr armonîes, urgent rytms and gutsy, pysîca musîc touced my nortern sou. ït was as sîmpe as tat. (Decades ater, în te Cîty o Bîrmîngam Sympony Orcestra [CBSO], conductor Sîmon Ratte casuay remarked în reearsa tat Sîbeîus’s musîc oowed te Fînnîs speec patterns. Suddeny

a became obvîous and cear te stutterîng, îspîng rytms creatîng unîque musîc, even more understandabe ater we vîsîted Hesînkî and eard te anguage or ourseves.) ï reeed around or weeks tryîng to recapture te întoxîcatîon o tat musîc, drîvîng my parents mad by searcîng or more Sîbeîus on te one and ony radîo at ome. My ater, a dedîcated Beetoven an, coud not or te îe o îm understand wat a te uss was about. hîs musîca ‘Road to Damascus’ was te catayst or a year o agonîes tryîng to earn te vîoa at scoo, acîevîng îtte success în spîte o gettîng înto te oca Scoos’ Strîng Orcestra. he ato ce aways euded me, so ï ceated by readîng te musîc înterva by înterva. Wen ît dawned tat te nasty noîses emanatîng rom my patc în te orcestra were o my own makîng, ï ad te grace and sense to gîve up te unequa strugge. ït must ave been obvîous rom te start tat te vîoa and ï were not made or eac oter. However, ï know tat my voatîe Poîs teacer ad been înîtîay deceîved, as ï was an accompîsed pîanîst and obvîousy musîca, so possîby e îmagîned tat ï was beîng deîberatey obtuse. * * * Born în 1937, ï knew ony te prîvatîons o wartîme and post-war Yorksîre, a so very norma to me, secure în te ove o two workîng-cass parents wo ad waîted sîx years or my appearance. Mum was not supposed to ave cîdren because o a eart condîtîon. “Our Renîe gets pufed; can’t run; soudn’t exert erse ” were te ot-repeated îtanîes în our ouse not tat se seemed to eed any warnîngs to take ît easy or sow down. ï onged or a broter or sîster but te beîe tat ‘no one soud brîng cîdren înto tîs wîcked word’ ecoed down te war years. Now ï reaîse tat my parents were ony too deîgted wît teîr sînge cîd. Many o my contemporarîes are ‘ony’ cîdren: sîbîngs were rare durîng a Word War. Cîdood was a drab, conventîona country. Coour was regarded as vugar and somewat darîng: notîng oter tan dark