Interview with James Galway - Page 2© Karen Stafford
Page 2
Sep 18, 1998
A common question asked of Galway is his advice for aspiring professional performers. In a nutshell, he says that to be a performer, it must be one's entire life. The biggest mistake flutists make? From masterclasses experience, Galway says the obvious one is not practicing. Beyond that, many flutists cannot play scales, arpeggios, or by ear. His ideal practice schedule for flutists is as follows: sonority (tone production), scales and arpeggios, THEN performance pieces.
Galway is known for his devotion to the Muramatsu flute. When I asked him how this came about, he said that in 1967, Muramatsu copied a flute that he had and had done an excellent job. In 1975, he ordered a gold flute from them. He is impressed with the fact that there are makers in the company that actually play the flute and understand what is required of them in the details. In recording his Legends album (performed with Phil Coulter), Galway alternates among Muramatsu silver, gold, and platinum flutes. His challenge: can you tell which instrument he is using in each piece? On a more recent note: Mr. Galway became Dr. Galway in June of 1998 when he was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Galway's wife, Jeanne, is also an accomplished professional flautist, and is heard performing with him and Phillip Moll on this RealPlayer recording of Franz Doppler's Andante and Rondo, Opus 25. This segment is from the second movement. (If you don't have RealPlayer, click here. It's free!) James Galway-related links: Biography Discography This year's performance dates Muramatsu Flutes If you're within driving distance, treat yourself to one of his performances this year. If not, stock up on his recordings. At the risk of sounding corny, his music really is "food for the soul." For the next two weeks, I will be featuring "hidden treasures," terrific home pages on the topic of flute. Time's running out on the Zaniest Homemade Instrument Contest! Get your entries in!
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Actually, he contributes to a flute list I'm on when he's back home in Switzerland. I wrote to him on a lark asking if he'd be willing to do an "e-mail" interview, in which I sent him questions, and
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Karen, I'm quite impressed! How did you get an interview with him?
Deborah Lapoint, Career Planning
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-- posted by DeborahLapoint
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I'd like to hear from other people who either know Dr. Galway, or have met him. Anyone have any masterclass experience with him? I attended one last year, in which he told one of my students, in res
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