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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZUJLO6lMhI

For Magworth ! I hope this comes through OK.

Thanks, jazzy - whenever I hear that, I laugh until tears come to my eyes.

He always sounds much older than he was - in fact he died quite young. What a loss!

I never met Gerard, but I did meet his daughter when she had an exhibition of her father's cartoons in Richmond . I bought several of them (prints) which adorn the wall of the "den" (music room)

http://writingcompany.blogs.com/this_isnt_writing_its_typ/images/hoffnung_2.jpg

This is my favourite, as my husband played the Tuba

I was given the guide to the orchestra when I was small, and "learnt" my instruments from it. Obviously I was a bit disappointed when I first saw an actual orchestra - I was particularly looking forward to seeing the serpent, even though Hoffnung had told me that "for security reasons, it is no longer in use" (exact wroding may be wrong here - I'm not sure where the books are at the moment).

I remember going with the school to see the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performing "Young person's guide to the Orchestra" (Britten) I loved it!

The first record I owned was a present from my mother of "Young person's guide", with "Peter and the wolf" on the other side - she obviously wanted me to be a classical musician (unfortunately she failed in this - as with most teenagers in the sixties I learned to play the guitar instead)

I wanted to be a professional drummer, just like my cousin, but was told girls don't play drums, and besides a set would be too expensive, so my Dad gave me a honky-tonk piano instead !

Nice to be reminded of these early examples of British humour: Hoffnung & Co were long before the Goons, Hancock etc, weren't they? I only know I heard the Bricklayer & the French Widows stories on the radio about the time when Uncle Mac did Children's favourites on Saturday mornings' and Journey into Space was running --- or am i getting everything mixed up???
And Jazzgirl: do you still play the piano then? Tell us a little (or have I missed out in the past?) -- it would interest me!

Funny you mention "Journey into space", GK - there was an obit. for Charles Chilton (its creator) i today's Guardian.