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Foreword by Anthony Baines
THE vast literature that the recorder has gained since its revival thirty years ago still has not adequately covered every aspect of this deceptively simple musical instrument. There are, for instance, many textbooks and 'tutors' which give the mechanical basis of recorder playing in terms of elementary notation and fingering. But these are really meant to be used under the supervision of a teacher, who will enlarge on the finer technical and musical points upon which good playing of any instrument depends; and not every lover of recorders can procure a teacher or wants to attend classes. This is where Mr. Rigby steps in. With twenty years' experience behind him, he has planned this admirable work, which is something quite new: a really suitable book for the unattended beginner, giving a full and up-to-date account of recorder technique and of its precise musical significance at every point,
'Up to date' is also important, because so much has been rediscovered during recent years about ways of performance during the classic periods of recorder music. Here the reader will be grateful to Mr. Rigby for the way he has invoked his scholarship, like his musicianship, to lead straight to the practical side of things. His directions for 'period' trills and ornaments will be valued by teachers and players with some experience. I have met nothing to compare with this book, and I am sure that it will receive a wide welcome.
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