I bought this recorder in the late 1970’s while I was completing my B.Mus at Melbourne University. Fred was still in Fitzroy when I ordered it but I seem to remember that he had moved to his first location in Daylesford, a big old pub, by the time I received it.
I’m no longer sure which historical instrument it is based on. I know Fred and I talked about Debey, but the turning matches his Bressan copies and I suspect that I opted for the known (and, in his view, less distinctively ‘French’) model. He asked me whether I wanted my initials stamped on it, and (without much thought) I said yes.
I played it quite a lot in Melbourne but when I moved to Townsville in 1990 it was the only low-pitch woodwind for a thousand kilometres in any direction, which made it much less useful. I could play it unaccompanied, of course, but ensemble opportunities were very limited at best, and non-existent after 2010; and I wasn’t playing much baroque music after 2010 anyway.
Townsville’s climate is surprisingly kind to woodwinds. It is much drier than other parts of the tropical coast so mould and mildew are no worse than in (e.g.) Melbourne, but the humidity is not so low that cracking is a problem.
So, as of 2022, this is a 40-year-old recorder with much less than 20 years’ use. It is completely original. It might benefit from expert attention – the top joint is a little loose, the voicing might need attention, and the thumb-hole is a bit worn – but only after it has been played in again after spending the last twelve years, and most of the last thirty, in its case.
This beautiful instrument has now found a home where it will be valued and well played.
Malcolm Tattersall
Townsville, December 2022