Edgar Hubert Hunt (28 June 1909 – 16 March 2006) was a British musician and

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

. He was a key figure in the

early music revival :''See Historically informed performance for a more detailed explanation of this topic.'' The general discussion of how to perform music from ancient or earlier times did not become an important subject of interest until the 19th century, when E ...

in Britain in general, and in the revival of the

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

in particular. He was a founding member of the Society of Recorder Players, of which he was musical director for more than fifty years, and of the

Galpin Society The Galpin Society was formed in October 1946 to further research into the branch of musicology known as organology, i.e. the history, construction, development and use of musical instruments. Based in the United Kingdom, it is named after the emin ...

, of which he was later president. He was head of the early music department at

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

, which was the first conservatory in the world to introduce a diploma in recorder.

Early life

Hunt was born at 2 Upper Byron Place,

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...

, on 28 June 1909, into a musical family. His father Hubert Hunt had since 1901 been the organist and master of choristers at

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

, and was conductor of the Bristol Madrigal Society and musical director of the Bristol Gentlemen's Musical Club, while his mother, Clara Harriett ''née'' Clements, had been a singer and teacher of music but had given it up on her marriage. Among his father's friends were Sir

Walford Davies Sir Henry Walford Davies (6 September 1869 – 11 March 1941) was an English composer, organist, and educator who held the title Master of the King's Music from 1934 until 1941. He served with the Royal Air Force during the First World War, dur ...

Edmund Fellowes Edmund Horace Fellowes (11 November 1870 – 21 December 1951), was a Church of England clergyman and musical scholar who became well known for his work in promoting the revival of sixteenth and seventeenth century English music. Life and work ...

and Eric Marshall Johnson. Hunt went to

Bristol Grammar School Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 mixed, independent day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowed by wealthy Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorn ...

and in 1927 got a scholarship to study flute at

, where he studied under Albert Fransella and Robert Murchie. He took his diploma in 1930, but continued to attend the college until 1933; he took further lessons, and tried without success to obtain a

BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

degree from

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

. From 1933 to 1936 he did an apprenticeship in the music printing works of the music publishing house Novello & Co., and when it was over worked there for a further year. In 1937 he began working at the London branch of Schott and Co. in

Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street. Originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), the street was named ...

The recorder

The director of studies at Trinity was Sir

Joseph Cox Bridge Joseph Cox Bridge (1853–1929) was an English organist and composer. Biography He was born at Rochester, Kent, studied under John Hopkins, and from 1871 to 1876 was organist of Exeter College, Oxford. In 1877 he became organist of Chester Cathed ...

, who had previously been organist of

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sain ...

, and had in 1886 discovered in the stores of the Chester Archaeological Society a remarkable consort of recorders by

Peter Bressan Peter Bressan (1663 - 1731) was a noted woodwind instrument maker of whose work several examples exist in museums and private collections. Life Peter Bressan was born as Pierre Jaillard in Bourg-en-Bresse, France, May 27, 1663 and died April 21 ...

, the Chester Recorders. Through him, Hunt became interested in the instrument. He first heard it played on 2 October 1928, at a concert of the German Singers, a touring German choir which interspersed instrumental pieces by Purcell, played on recorders and strings, between the choral numbers; he was inspired by its purity of tone.

Legacy

Hunt's collection of historic recorders is now in the

Bate Collection of Musical Instruments The Bate Collection of Musical Instruments is a collection of historic musical instruments, mainly for Western classical music, from the Middle Ages onwards. It is housed in Oxford University's Faculty of Music near Christ Church on St. Aldat ...

in Oxford, together with various prototypes he made during his career as maker and designer of instruments. His papers, together with those of his father, Hubert Hunt, and his sister Enid, former archivist of the Bristol Madrigal Society, were donated by Hunt's daughter to the Centre for the History of Music in Britain, the Empire and the Commonwealth in the music department of the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Edgar 1909 births 2006 deaths British recorder players Academics of Trinity College of Music Alumni of Trinity College of Music 20th-century flautists