Danna Sundet is in the process of analyzing all the materials with the intention of writing a paper to share her findings. Here are her observations to date. —Editors
Danna Sundet:
Although we don’t yet have the full story of the genesis of these materials and why they came into the possession of John Mack, here is what we do know:
The hand-written music and texts in the collection are in Marcel Tabuteau’s hand (see Documents 1, 2, and 3 below). The typed notes (Documents 4 and 5) are based on that original material. Also included are three short hand-written comments by flutist, Elaine Shaffer (Kurtz), a friend of the Tabuteaus (see https://marceltabuteau.com/photo-gallery/with-other-musicians/#shaffer). It is possible that Shaffer generated the typed notes under Tabuteau’s direction with the expectation that she would organize the original material and create a usable document expressing his musical ideas.
Following Tabuteau’s death in January of 1966, Elaine Shaffer sent Madame Tabuteau (in Nice) the Xerox copies of the material she had in her possession in the envelope pictured below.
When Madame Tabuteau returned to the states in November of 1967, she brought a wealth of Tabuteau music-related material, including the aforementioned documents that she gave to Silas F. Mack and his son, John. Pictured below is the envelope that Silas used to send John the original Tabuteau documents.
More to come! My thanks to Michael Finkelman of the Tabuteau First-Hand Editorial Board for translating Tabuteau’s French handwriting into English. —D.S.
About Danna Sundet
Danna Sundet is Professor of Oboe at Kent State University where she maintains a vibrant and active oboe studio. Ms. Sundet is the Artistic Coordinator of the Kent Blossom Music Festival and the Director of the John Mack Legacy Oboe Camp in Little Switzerland, NC, having had the honor of being chosen for that role by her colleagues from all over the United States. Additionally, she is administering the archives and musical library of the late John Mack. She recently published an e-Book John Mack Teaches Barret’s 12 Articulation Studies. Complete Transcript with Recordings.
Ms. Sundet received her B.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her M.M. from Kent State University. Since 1987, Danna has been the principal oboist and regular featured soloist with The Erie Philharmonic. As a soloist and avid chamber musician, she regularly collaborates with musicians from the US and abroad. She recorded three chamber music CD’s with Panoramico’s, she can be heard on Summer Sounds Opus 1 on the Kent Blossom label. Ms. Sundet recorded four CD’s for Ancient Path, and can be heard on more than a dozen educational CD’s for Ludwig Music Company.
Ms. Sundet specializes in performing in Bach Festivals, where she is a featured soloist on the oboe, oboe d’amore and the English Horn. These festivals include the prestigious Carmel Bach Festival and the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival. Sundet has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra as well as the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the symphonies of Akron, Canton and Charleston, WV. She served as oboist with the former Cleveland Opera and Cleveland Ballet, and has served as principal oboe for touring ballet companies which include the National Ballet of Canada, the Houston Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and the Miami City Ballet.
Each summer Ms. Sundet performs with the Bellingham Festival of Music and with the Kent Blossom Music Festival in conjunction with The Cleveland Orchestra.