Forthcoming Bbc4 Wheatstone Programme

[Bill Crossland]

Advance News: Radio 4 Broadcast on concertina history

 

Title: Wheatstone, His Sighing Reed, and the Great Regondi

 

With contributions from: Neil Wayne, Dr Brian Bowers, Douglas Rogers,

Dr Allan Atlas, and Dave Townsend,

 

Two Broadcasts of the Programme on Radio 4:

Tuesday 27th November at 13:30 and repeated on Saturday 1st December at 15:30. It will also be on the “Listen Again” section of www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 for a week following the first transmission.

 

Producer : Paul Evans

Phone number : 01792 875802

 

Synopsis :

 

"A greater genius than Regondi, as an instrumentalist, never lived." This astonishing claim for a man who appeared on the same concert programmes as Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Moscheles, and just twenty years after the death of Paganini was published in the Brighton Gazette in 1861. It reflects the standing in which Giulio Regondi - a guitar virtuoso from the age of five, and later a concertinist with "immense execution and power over the instrument, and with a humanly vocal singing style rivalling in expression the greatest singers of the day" was viewed. Indeed his and Paganini's paths did cross when they arrived in London at the same time. The great violinist expressed "his most unqualified astonishment and delight at young Regondi's performances." He achieved such success in London that he remained there until his death in 1872. Yet mystery surrounds his past and no doubt added to the attraction: Was he really born in Geneva? - and was the shadowy Joseph Regondi who travelled and performed with him but who robbed and deserted him, really his father?

 

On the other hand, the life of Sir Charles Wheatstone is well documented. He was one of the great pioneering 19th century physicists and inventors. His work on acoustics, optics and electricity (he was a major figure in the development of the telegraph) is still relevant today and his name lives on in the "Wheatstone Bridge", a device for measuring resistance in an electrical circuit. He also invented a stereoscope for viewing images in 3D, but he also dabbled in phrenology, was a translator of French poetry, developed a cipher system, and assisted in the musical education of Princess Charlotte.

 

In 1829 his attention was diverted to the creation of a musical instrument using the principal of a "free reed". He invented and patented a tiny mouth-blown organ with finger studs on either side, which he named the Symphonium. Two years later he produced an instrument powered by bellows, which by 1837 he had developed into the Concertina, patented by Wheatstone in 1844. Tens of thousands were manufactured, mainly by Wheatstone's company which still makes them. The portable harmonium is another of his inventions, which gained a prize medal at the Great Exhibition of 1851 but it was the concertina that was to supplant the guitar as Gulio Regondi's favoured instrument. At the peak of his powers and the height of concertina-mania, he composed and performed hundreds of works (including six concerti) and commissioned many more from major composers.

 

Physicist Dr Bernard Richardson of Cardiff University specialises in musical acoustics and is also an accomplished amateur musician. In this programme he looks at how the lives of these two most unlikely bedfellows became entwined.

 

Contributors to the programme include:

 

Neil Wayne whose collection of Wheatstone research apparatus and over 700 concertinas and related images and archives is now at the Horniman Museum;

Wheatstone biographer Dr Brian Bowers, formerly of the Science Museum;

Virtuoso concertinist Douglas Rogers who has revived and recorded many of Regondi’s works;

Dr Allan Atlas, Director of The Centre for the Study of Free-Reed Instruments at Brooklyn College, New York;

Dave Townsend, performer and researcher whose Concertinas at Witney weekend is one of the largest annual gatherings of players in the UK.

[Roger Gawley]

Part of this was recorded during Concertinas at Witney this year. Paul Evans seemed to be a very decent bloke who you could expect to do a good job.

 

Apparently he got onto this idea through making a programme about the banjo with Douglas Rogers!

 

Of course, we will have to see how much Witney material makes it to the broadcast.

[m3838]

I got very interested in Regondi's biography at one time and read what was available on the web at the time.

What struck me, was tragic figure of Regondi's father, and I have a theory, dimly explaining (mostly to myself) the drama between them.

You see, Julio Regondi was a homosexual. At the time it was punishable crime and a source of shame. Esp. when it was impossible to cover up. Young Regondi's travel to Spain, wheere he was mentored by famous Spanish guitarist Fernando Sor, who "dedicated Fantaisie "Souvenir d'Amitiè," Op. 46 (1831) to the young Regondi" amidst the rumors about their relationship.

This, with Napoleon's threat to Spain was the reason for Regondis flight for London. But it seemed that Young Regondi's reputation followed him, aggravated by he trial of Fernando Sor, who was accused of spying for Napoleon. Regondi duet was very successful financially, and heart broken father decided to part with his son. I don't think he robbed Juilio, who was about the highest earning performer in London. He just took the money, that he thought was his, to support himself in his self-imposed exile. Regondi, still keeping all the engagements and fame, that his father managed to create, quickly re-supplied his wealth and went on. But in later years, when Regondi was ill with cancer and depressed, his father returned. Like in many 19 century novels, he was ill and poor, and his son provided care in spite of the great trauma of the past.

If I could draw well, I'd do a comic book about Regondi, with CD or some sort of player, accompanying it. Like in those sound books for kids.

[allan atlas]

some really wonderful fiction in there. . . . .Napoleon died in 1821. . . . .regondi wasn't born yet...........allan

[m3838]

some really wonderful fiction in there. . . . .Napoleon died in 1821. . . . .regondi wasn't born yet...........allan

It is interesting. It didn't even occure to me to check the dates.

I'll have to look it up again. Just hold on for a few days.

[allan atlas]

actually, upon reading it, i thought it was all a joke. . . . .don't think i'll "hold on" for a few days..........Allan

[m3838]

Got around to check a few bios.

Interestingly enough I didn't find the one that described meeting between Regondi and Fernando Sor in Spain. I guess it was omitted as the (perhabs) typo was found. Or may be it was my mis-reading and I looked over the dates.

Yes, Fernando Sor 'was' considered a traitor, as he joined with French in hopes of sweeping reforms. When Napoleon was beaten by Wellingtone, French had to leave Spain, and large number of pro-Napoleon gentry had to leave with them. I think to this day Spain refuses to recognize Fernando Sor as Great Spanish Guitarist.

They met in Paris, Regondi and Sor. So the alledged relationship happened there.

In most biographies Regondi's father is considered a malicios figure, he was not his native father, he exploited young talent, robbed Giolio of childhood, then he robbed young (14-15yo?) Regondi and left, and when he spent all the money (2000+pounds), he came back.

I still think these the allegations are BS, but life of Regondi himself feels less dramatic. There goes the movie.