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Andrew Huggett Ottawa Manotick Citizen
1974
CONCERTS & EVENTS
February - Record Renaissance Album with George Martin, London.
March - Record new single with George Martin, London.
April - Return to Canada
April/May - Galt, Coburg, Guelph Spring Festival, and Kingston
August - Charlottetown l, Prince Edward Island, Ottawa.
October - Seneca College, CBC Halifax Music Festival.
November - Record Christmas EP with George Martin, London.
LISTEN WHILE YOU BROWSE
MESKIN ES HU
Jacob Obrecht
One of the attractions of a Huggett Family show was the apparent ease with which all family members switched between various musical instruments. This was the result of many hours of focused practice.
Each family member had a main instrument they pursued to the highest professional standard: Fiona and Ian the violin, Jennifer the cello, Andrew the lute and oboe, Margaret the harpsichord, and Leslie the viola da gamba. At the same time, everyone worked to attain competency on all of the other instruments.
The rauschfiffer and krumhorns in this piece were "wind-cap" variants of the middle eastern shawm, brought back to Europe by returning crusaders during the holy wars. They are a renaissance curiosity accessible to any recorder or woodwind player and always a crowd pleaser, but like many instruments of the period, they are not career instruments in themselves.
Leslie - raischfieffe
Margaret - krummhorn
Andrew - krumhorn
Jennifer - flute
Ian - percussion
Fiona - percussion
A "family" of krummhorns.
A RENNAISANCE DELIGHT
material, usually created and tested live over several previous years. When a first album is a success, it is not unreasonable for a record company to expect a second album immediately within a year of the first. This can put creative pressure on the group that they may find challenging.
The Huggett's first album of folk songs hadn't sold millions, but it was successful enough that George Martin and Air Studios were eager to make a second. The question was what to put on it.
Though Leslie, who'd written many of the lyrics for the first album, hadn't written anything new since 1970, the Huggetts still had many original songs ready to go.
However, George Martin and Leslie, the latter being more comfortable in the classical world, collectively decided that the second album would steer clear of folk and contemporary songs and focus on traditional renaissance music instead.
George Martin was an accomplished composer and arranger who played the piano and oboe. Here he poses with the Huggetts playing the Rankett, a renaissance double-reed instrument of the oboe and bassoon family.
This was a risky decision that flew in the face of conventional wisdom, which strongly suggests one follow a successful first album with a second of similar material. Five days of recording were booked for late February, and the Huggett Family's second album of purely renaissance material, and the only renaissance album ever produced by George Martin, was released later that same year.
In the early 70s, the harpsichord had become popular in film and television scores. In this capacity, it was usually played, piano style, by a session pianist. Margaret studied authentic baroque performance with the preeminent teacher of the day, Trevor Pinnock. At first, George, not used to the baroque period's interpretive nuances, was somewhat bemused.
SIDE 1
Anon., Dit La Bourguinon
Binchois, Les Très Doulx Yeux
Obrecht, Meskin Es Hu
Vide ,Vit Encore
Ferrabosco, Pavan
Dowland, Come Again
Dowland, Lachrimae
Dowland, Hobies Galliard
Praetorious, Spangnoletta
SIDE 2
Holbourne, Pavan
Holbourne, Galliard
Holbourne, The Honeysuckle
Houlbourne, Night Watch
Holbourne, Galliard
Morley, It Was A Lover & His Lass
Phalese, Bransle
Attaignant, Basse Danse
Susato, Ronde
Praetorious, La Bouree
LESLIE - vocals, krumhorns, rankett, viol, recorders, and rauschpfiffe.
MARGARET - vocals, harpsichord, viol, recorders, and krumhorns.
ANDREW - vocals, baroque oboe, lute, viol, recorders, viola and percussion.
JENNIFER - Vocals, gamba, recorders, krumhorns, and percussion.
IAN - vocals, violin, recorders, viol, percussion and krumhorns.
FIONA - vocals, recorders, violin, viol, krumhorn and percussion.
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A straight shooter and man of absolute integrity, Daffodil Records president and record producer Frank Davies represent the Huggetts records in Canada. Frank became one of Canada's most successful music publishers and produced Tom Cochrane, Crowbar, A Foot In Coldwater, the King Biscuit Boy, and Klaatu, and created the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
From left to right: Chris Hirons, Concert Master, St. Martin's-in-the-Field; George Martin; Margaret Huggett; John Gray, Principal violone, St. Martin's-in-the-Field; Andrew, Jennifer, Ian, and Fiona. Musicians John and Chris were brought in to add extra depth to the iconic Holbourne Suite.
A Renaissance Delight was released in England on the Pye label
A Renaissance Delight was released in Canada on the Daffodil label
Letter from Frank Davies to George Martin upon receiving the tapes of A Renaissance Delight.
EVERY MOMENT SPENT WITHOUT YOU
Following the Renaissance Delight's completion, the Huggetts returned to the AIR Studios in the spring to record a new pop single, Every Moment Spent Without You. It was written by and featured Andrew on guitar and lead vocal and included a guest appearance by the Gabrieli String Quartet.
EVERY MOMENT SPENT WITHOUT YOU, A. Huggett
Produced by George Martin
Andrew - vocals and guitar; Margaret, Jennifer, Ian and Fiona - vocals.
Andrew Huggett with the Gabrieli String Quartet at Air Studios spring 1974.
THE STREETS OF LONDON
In July 1975, this beautiful song by Ralph McTell was recorded by the Huggetts in Toronto, Canada. It was produced by Juno award winner Frank Davies, president of the Huggett's Canadian record distributor, Daffodil Records.
THE STREETS OF LONDON, Ralph McTell
Andrew - vocals and guitars; Margaret - harpsichord, Leslie and Ian - recorders, Jennifer - cello, Fiona - glockenspiel.
CANADIAN CONCERTS
Jennifer and Andrew sing a duet during the show's second half at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
The Huggetts enjoyed the added bonus of catching Anne of Green Gables when the family played at the Charlottetown Festival in 1974.
Fiona and Margaret's voices always complimented each other. NAC 1974.
By 1974, the Huggetts had become an annual summer event at Ottawa's National Arts Centre, often competing for attendance with the Central Canada Exhibition.
The Huggetts at the 1974 CBC Halifax Summer Music Festival. The following day, at breakfast, the Huggetts ran into fellow Daffodil recording artists and Canadian rock band, Crowbar. Both groups had played the night before to smaller-than-expected crowds. Neither had realized the other was in town and agreed they probably impacted each other's box office.
The Huggett Family promote their August run at Ottawa's National Arts Center by busking at a local NAC craft fair.
The Huggetts share triple billing with violin superstar Yehudi Menuhin and Diva Maria Pelligrini. Performances in Guelph were followed by shows in Galt, Cobourg, and, later that year, Kingston and Sarnia.
As an opera house, movie theater, and concert hall, the site of the historic Grand Theater has been a focal point for entertainment in Kingston, Ontario, from 1879 to the present. The Huggett Family played numerous concerts in and around Kingston throughout their career.
Mon. May 6th , 1974
The Guelph Record
Guelph Spring Festival scores again with Huggett Family performance
By ERNIE RONNENBERG |
Special to The Record
GUELPH —
Variety is the spice of life, and of the 1974 Guelph Spring Festival - sponsored by the Edward Johnson Music Foundation. The seventh festival, which opened April 27 with renowned violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, followed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Orford String Quartet in a Schubert program Friday night, scored again with the Huggett Family at War Memorial Hall, University of Guelph, Sunday.
It was a delightful afternoon of 16th-century music played on 16th-century instruments, soprano recorder, ranket, krummhorns, rauschfeiffe, virginal keyboard, the lute, viols, and others. The peculiar shapes of the wind instruments without bells differing from modern instruments held a particular visual interest.
Distinctive tonal qualities held the same auditory interest. The program itself was entertaining in its own variety, in the choice of music material, different combinations of instruments, interjections of songs and dances, and humorous comments and anecdotes by Leslie Huggett. Popular folk songs in the second half of the program included traditional works and selections by 18-year-old Andrew Huggett; sung by various members of the family. Guitar accompaniment was perhaps a bit heavy in some of the songs, probably due to the fact that this instrument was too close to the microphone. The family also won its audience with the pleasant, unsophisticated platform manner of the members and their gracious acceptance of repeated curtain calls to which the group responded with an encore, the Greensleeves theme, the only familiar melody of the program to the majority of the
audience. The group, Mr. and Mrs. Huggett and Andrew, Jennifer, Ian, and Fiona, ranging in age from 18 to 12, made its debut in 1969 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The success of that concert led to appearances in London, Paris, Greece, and New York. During the winter, the family commutes to London for appearances on radio and television. Each summer, they return to North America (their home for 16 years) to perform at a growing number of festivals. Capacity audiences heard the family at Guelph Sunday and the Galt library hall Saturday night. The Guelph Spring Festival continues Tuesday night, presenting Maureen Forrester, celebrated contralto, at War Memorial Hall.
CHRISTMAS EP
In late October, the Huggett Family returned to London and to AIR Studios to record a Christmas-themed EP (extended play) record with George Martin.
MISCILLANEOUS MOMENTS FROM 1974
On the deck of the cottage in Aylmer, Quebec, the Huggetts show off their collection of period instruments. They continued to purchase new instruments throughout their years together until they disbanded in 1982.
The girls practice a 3 part 16th century madrigal..
Ian developed a liking for army surplus that followed him into later life.
Publicity shot taken in Dorset, UK.
Jennifer Huggett in 1974.
Fiona at the Aylmer cottage.
Fiona temporarily abandons her violin to drive a tractor.
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Intense concentration by Dad is required to tame the finiky rankett.
Breakfast with the newspaper at home in London.
To this day, Jennifer remains a very fine cellist performing throughout Europe.
Fiona, Ian, Andrew, Margaret, Leslie, and Jennifer. Backyard publicity shots taken with the aid of Margaret's brother Bill.
A receipt from Trinity College of Music for Andrew's lute lessons with Anthony Rooley.
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Even in London, getting instruction from a single institution for the wide variety of instruments the Huggetts wanted to play was impossible.
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