Denis Wick
Encyclopedia
Denis Wick is Britain
's most influential orchestral trombonist of the 20th century. He is also an internationally respected brass
teacher and designer of brass mutes and mouthpieces. On retirement in 1989 he was awarded the International Trombone Association
's annual award; he served as their president 2004-2006.
Wick was born in Braintree
, Essex
and attended King Edward VI Grammar School
, Chelmsford, and Luton Grammar School
. He taught himself the trombone from the age of 10 when he received an instrument from the Chelmsford Salvation Army
band. He played with the band until the age of 15 and soon joined Luton Brass Band which was enjoying considerable national success at the time. At the age of 16 he heard his first orchestral concert, and Malcolm Arnold
's trumpet playing so inspired him that he decided to pursue a career in playing.
His family was not well off so, in an unusual step at that time, his mother started work to fund his studies. He spent a year at the Royal Academy of Music
from 1950, but claims he was frustrated with not learning anything there. Sid Langston was the professor, but he all but refused to pass on any of his experience in case his students 'stole' his work.
Wick did an amateur date in Salisbury
and by chance the other trombonists were from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
, so when the 2nd trombone job came up in July 1950, they called to invite him to audition, having already heard many of the final year students at the London music colleges. Wick won this audition and entered this large full-time professional orchestra at the age of 19. He went on to win an audition with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
in 1952, a year after conductor Rudolf Schwarz
had moved there. The audition had to be rigorous to persuade the administrators that Schwarz was not practising favouritism towards an ex-colleague from the BSO.
In Birmingham in 1955 Wick worked with Gordon Jacob
in premiering the famous trombone concerto. This piece shows off the advances in technique that he was making: the cadenza in the last movement makes great use of warm-up and flexibility studies that Wick had developed and would prove hugely influential in the teaching of brass players in Britain to this day.
It is his position as principal trombone at the London Symphony Orchestra
(LSO) 1957-1988 for which he is most revered, especially as they made so many fine recordings. The brass playing in the Star Wars
films has encouraged a whole generation of brass players, Wick making a blistering sound in partnership with another legend, Maurice Murphy
, on 1st trumpet. Another recording where Wick made his mark is in the large solo in the 1970 LSO/Horenstein (Unicorn) recording of Mahler
's Third Symphony
.
Soon after moving to the LSO, Denis moved the LSO section from .485" bore Boosey Imperial tenor trombones and a .523" G bass trombone to the American "large bore" instruments (.547" tenor and slightly larger bass, now in B♭). Experimentation possibly started in Birmingham, and the Jacob Concerto suits the larger sound, but post-war import restrictions made these instruments impossible to obtain legally before 1958. Certainly he was a pioneer in Britain, and soon all the other orchestral players followed suit.
Wick taught initially at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
(1967–1989) and since 2000 has served on the faculty at the Royal Academy of Music
, London. He has also worked with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
since 1993. He has his own line of mouthpieces and mutes for brass instruments, made by Denis Wick Products Ltd, and owns Denis Wick Publishing.
He has been honoured by the International Trombone Association several times. In 1989 he was awarded the ITA Award, presented each year to an individual who has greatly influenced the field of trombone. In 2006 he was presented with the Neill Humfeld Award, which recognizes outstanding trombone teaching. During his Presidency of the ITA 2004-2006 he brought the International Trombone Festival to Birmingham
, and made great strides to internationalize the ITA magazine.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's most influential orchestral trombonist of the 20th century. He is also an internationally respected brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
teacher and designer of brass mutes and mouthpieces. On retirement in 1989 he was awarded the International Trombone Association
International Trombone Association
The International Trombone Association is a non-profit organisation of trombonists that is dedicated to supporting trombone-related activities. Founded in 1972, it has a membership of 4,500 members from 50 countries....
's annual award; he served as their president 2004-2006.
Wick was born in Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and attended King Edward VI Grammar School
King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford)
King Edward VI Grammar School, or KEGS, is a British grammar school located in the town of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It takes pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 — from Year 7 to 11 the pupils are exclusively male, although it becomes mixed in the sixth form .The present headteacher is Thomas...
, Chelmsford, and Luton Grammar School
Luton Sixth Form College
Luton Sixth Form College is a sixth form college situated in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.-Admissions:It is noted for its multiethnic population; 62% of the College's students are from minority ethnic groups.-History:...
. He taught himself the trombone from the age of 10 when he received an instrument from the Chelmsford Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
band. He played with the band until the age of 15 and soon joined Luton Brass Band which was enjoying considerable national success at the time. At the age of 16 he heard his first orchestral concert, and Malcolm Arnold
Malcolm Arnold
Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
's trumpet playing so inspired him that he decided to pursue a career in playing.
His family was not well off so, in an unusual step at that time, his mother started work to fund his studies. He spent a year at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
from 1950, but claims he was frustrated with not learning anything there. Sid Langston was the professor, but he all but refused to pass on any of his experience in case his students 'stole' his work.
Wick did an amateur date in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and by chance the other trombonists were from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
, so when the 2nd trombone job came up in July 1950, they called to invite him to audition, having already heard many of the final year students at the London music colleges. Wick won this audition and entered this large full-time professional orchestra at the age of 19. He went on to win an audition with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
in 1952, a year after conductor Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz may refer to:* Rudolf Schwarz , German architect* Rudolf Schwarz , Austrian-born British conductor...
had moved there. The audition had to be rigorous to persuade the administrators that Schwarz was not practising favouritism towards an ex-colleague from the BSO.
In Birmingham in 1955 Wick worked with Gordon Jacob
Gordon Jacob
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob was an English composer. He is known for his wind instrument composition and his instructional writings.-Life:...
in premiering the famous trombone concerto. This piece shows off the advances in technique that he was making: the cadenza in the last movement makes great use of warm-up and flexibility studies that Wick had developed and would prove hugely influential in the teaching of brass players in Britain to this day.
It is his position as principal trombone at the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
(LSO) 1957-1988 for which he is most revered, especially as they made so many fine recordings. The brass playing in the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
films has encouraged a whole generation of brass players, Wick making a blistering sound in partnership with another legend, Maurice Murphy
Maurice Murphy
Maurice Harrison Murphy MBE was a British musician who was Principal Trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1977 to 2007....
, on 1st trumpet. Another recording where Wick made his mark is in the large solo in the 1970 LSO/Horenstein (Unicorn) recording of Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
's Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896. It is his longest piece and is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, with a typical performance lasting around ninety to one hundred minutes.- Structure :...
.
Soon after moving to the LSO, Denis moved the LSO section from .485" bore Boosey Imperial tenor trombones and a .523" G bass trombone to the American "large bore" instruments (.547" tenor and slightly larger bass, now in B♭). Experimentation possibly started in Birmingham, and the Jacob Concerto suits the larger sound, but post-war import restrictions made these instruments impossible to obtain legally before 1958. Certainly he was a pioneer in Britain, and soon all the other orchestral players followed suit.
Wick taught initially at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
(1967–1989) and since 2000 has served on the faculty at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, London. He has also worked with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester is a youth orchestra based in Vienna, Austria, founded in 1986 by conductor Claudio Abbado.-History:...
since 1993. He has his own line of mouthpieces and mutes for brass instruments, made by Denis Wick Products Ltd, and owns Denis Wick Publishing.
He has been honoured by the International Trombone Association several times. In 1989 he was awarded the ITA Award, presented each year to an individual who has greatly influenced the field of trombone. In 2006 he was presented with the Neill Humfeld Award, which recognizes outstanding trombone teaching. During his Presidency of the ITA 2004-2006 he brought the International Trombone Festival to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and made great strides to internationalize the ITA magazine.
Discography
- 1968 Mahler - Symphony No. 3 (LSO/Solti, Decca)
- 1969 Berlioz - Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphaleGrande symphonie funèbre et triomphaleGrande symphonie funèbre et triomphale , Op. 15, is the fourth and last symphony by the French composer Hector Berlioz, first performed on 28 July 1840 in Paris...
(LSO/Davis, Philips) - 1970 Mahler - Symphony No. 3 (LSO/Horenstein, Unicorn)
- 1973 WalkerGeorge Walker (composer)George Theophilus Walker is an African-American composer, the first to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He received the Pulitzer for his work Lilacs in 1996....
- Trombone Concerto (LSO/Freeman, CBS) - 1978 Stravinsky - PulcinellaPulcinella (ballet)Pulcinella is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky based on an 18th-century play — Pulcinella is a character originating from Commedia dell'arte. The ballet premiered at the Paris Opera on 15 May 1920 under the baton of Ernest Ansermet. The dancer Léonide Massine created both the libretto and choreography,...
(LSO/Abbado, Deutsche Grammophon)
External links
- Profile at Denis Wick Products
- Interview article (British Trombone Society)
- Hugo Magliocco's perspective on Denis Wick
- Biography on International Trombone Association website
- Denis Wick Products Ltd - mutes and mouthpieces business
- DANSR, Inc - North American Importer for Denis Wick Products
- Aston Products Ltd manufacturers of Denis Wick mouthpieces