Reader sought

 

Ricochet has many very literate members, several authors, several editors.

For 12 years I have been working on a paper on the making of copies of baroque oboes in the United States, 1960-1995.  The paper is nearly ready to send to a major musicology journal for review.  It’s 15,000 words, 35 illustrations, 200 footnotes, most of these being citations.

While I think it is very good, I can’t judge it fairly.  I especially can no longer recognize flaws in my logic, inconsistencies in my time line, that sort of thing.

I therefore seek two reviewers, preferably Ricochetti experienced in arts writing, preferably non-oboe players.  I will pay a modest sum for your services.

Please contact me privately.

Many thanks,

Doctor Robert

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  1. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    Does the use of ivory present a problem? From the photo it appears that were ivory components.

    • #1
  2. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    JoelB (View Comment):

    Does the use of ivory present a problem? From the photo it appears that were ivory components.

    The real problems come from back pressure from the double reeds causing brain damage. 😁

    • #2
  3. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    Ivory has a complex history.  The oboes in the photo are by the French maker Triebert from circa 1830.  They have original antique ivory, which was perfectly legal for decades.  During the Obama years the US over-interpreted a CITES treaty to ban the importation of any threatened species and some states have forbidden any sales of ivory, so a hundred or so of my collected instruments became unsalable and thus, worthless.  The Trump administration now allows ivory on musical instruments without documentation of age or provenance.  But ivory is not used on new instruments, too rare, too expensive, too fraught with danger. 

    As to the brain damage, it is sometimes said of a fine oboist, “He was already crazy and just had to learn the fingerings.”

    • #3
  4. EODmom Coolidge
    EODmom
    @EODmom

    Arahant (View Comment):

    JoelB (View Comment):

    Does the use of ivory present a problem? From the photo it appears that were ivory components.

    The real problems come from back pressure from the double reeds causing brain damage. 😁

    I loved playing oboe in high school – just standard old high school oboe, not special baroque or masterpiece. Just being the only one in the orchestra. But maybe subsequent events in my life are explained in a new way…..

    • #4
  5. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):
    As to the brain damage, it is sometimes said of a fine oboist, “He was already crazy and just had to learn the fingerings.”

    It helps to have a leg up, after all.

    • #5
  6. JoelB Member
    JoelB
    @JoelB

    The Trump administration now allows ivory on musical instruments without documentation of age or provenance. But ivory is not used on new instruments, too rare, too expensive, too fraught with danger.

    Another instance of the Trump administration bringing back some level of sanity to government.

    • #6
  7. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    JoelB (View Comment):

    The Trump administration now allows ivory on musical instruments without documentation of age or provenance. But ivory is not used on new instruments, too rare, too expensive, too fraught with danger.

    Another instance of the Trump administration bringing back some level of sanity to government.

    Yes indeed.  I had a terrible time getting my colleagues to work on this; when Trump was sworn in I tried to get the American Musical Instrument Society to take this up with Naomi Raoux, then a George Mason University professor and Trump’s de-regulation czar, now a federal judge.  I got nothing but abuse form other members for my trouble.

    • #7
  8. Boss Mongo Member
    Boss Mongo
    @BossMongo

    Doc, wishing you all the best on your paper.  I am not the right guy to volunteer to help you proof it.

    • #8
  9. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Doctor Robert (View Comment):

    Ivory has a complex history. The oboes in the photo are by the French maker Triebert from circa 1830. They have original antique ivory, which was perfectly legal for decades. During the Obama years the US over-interpreted a CITES treaty to ban the importation of any threatened species and some states have forbidden any sales of ivory, so a hundred or so of my collected instruments became unsalable and thus, worthless. The Trump administration now allows ivory on musical instruments without documentation of age or provenance. But ivory is not used on new instruments, too rare, too expensive, too fraught with danger.

    As to the brain damage, it is sometimes said of a fine oboist, “He was already crazy and just had to learn the fingerings.”

    Not sure if this is up  your alley or not, but…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UEnVZ3j6UA

    I think the “original” version might have used an oboe, but I’m not sure of that.

    • #9
  10. Michael S. Malone Member
    Michael S. Malone
    @MichaelSMalone

    Doctor Robert:

    Ricochet has many very literate members, several authors, several editors.

    For 12 years I have been working on a paper on the making of copies of baroque oboes in the United States, 1960-1995. The paper is nearly ready to send to a major musicology journal for review. It’s 15,000 words, 35 illustrations, 200 footnotes, most of these being citations.

    While I think it is very good, I can’t judge it fairly. I especially can no longer recognize flaws in my logic, inconsistencies in my time line, that sort of thing.

    I therefore seek two reviewers, preferably Ricochetti experienced in arts writing, preferably non-oboe players. I will pay a modest sum for your services.

    Please contact me privately.

    Many thanks,

    Doctor Robert

    Is there a musicology journal that will publish a 15k word essay with multiple illustrations — especially these days?  Is it virtual — because I have a hard time believing that any print publication will take something that long.  And I assume that this essay wasn’t assigned, or if so, that a 12 year-old assignment is still viable several editors later.  Frankly, this sounds much more like a monograph that you might be able to publish under the imprimatur of a major music school or university — then use it as a platform for giving addresses and talks at academic conferences. . . or seal the deal on getting tenure.

    • #10
  11. Doctor Robert Member
    Doctor Robert
    @DoctorRobert

    Michael S. Malone (View Comment):

    Doctor Robert:

    Ricochet has many very literate members, several authors, several editors.

    For 12 years I have been working on a paper on the making of copies of baroque oboes in the United States, 1960-1995. The paper is nearly ready to send to a major musicology journal for review. It’s 15,000 words, 35 illustrations, 200 footnotes, most of these being citations.

    While I think it is very good, I can’t judge it fairly. I especially can no longer recognize flaws in my logic, inconsistencies in my time line, that sort of thing.

    I therefore seek two reviewers, preferably Ricochetti experienced in arts writing, preferably non-oboe players. I will pay a modest sum for your services.

    Please contact me privately.

    Many thanks,

    Doctor Robert

    Is there a musicology journal that will publish a 15k word essay with multiple illustrations — especially these days? Is it virtual — because I have a hard time believing that any print publication will take something that long. And I assume that this essay wasn’t assigned, or if so, that a 12 year-old assignment is still viable several editors later. Frankly, this sounds much more like a monograph that you might be able to publish under the imprimatur of a major music school or university — then use it as a platform for giving addresses and talks at academic conferences. . . or seal the deal on getting tenure.

    Thanks, I have published five of these massive papers in J American Musical Instrument Society and Galpin Society Journal.  I ONLY want a published, real paper product.  On line stuff will all disappear.  My last one, on the oboes of Triebert (as shown), was published in 2019, all 15,355 words, 51 photos, 8 tables and 83 footnotes of it.  My best one was in 2004, “Invention and early development of the Saxophone, 1840-55”, in JAMIS, I don’t have a word count but it was 90+ pages. 

    I know my audience and what they read.  Here, I am aiming for a higher-prestige journal which has an 8k word limit, by offering to cut the paper in half.  We shall see.

    Tenure?  Ha!  There’s not a word about marginalized victimization here, and I make my living as an endocrinologist.  I do better musicology than some musicologists, but that’s secondary.

    Cheers, thanks.

    • #11
  12. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Didn’t Rush have something to say about some kind of musicologists?

    No wait, that was Hugh Hewit.

    :-)

    • #12
  13. JennaStocker Member
    JennaStocker
    @JennaStocker

    Good luck with your paper. The right people will find you (or you, them). This sounds very exciting and you’ll have to give an update when you submit your work. I’m disqualified considering the closest I got to playing an instrument or knowledge of such is the recorder in 3rd grade.

    • #13
  14. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    I remember now, it was ethno-musicologists.  Not a high opinion of them, as I recall.  One in particular might have been interviewed at some point, and then kept sending in scolding emails about something-or-other.  They had a lot of fun with it.

    • #14
  15. thelonious Member
    thelonious
    @thelonious

    Can’t help you. I have no experience in publishing or writing. Would be interested in reading it though.

    • #15
  16. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    I have an old friend who was a Russian Literature / Russian History grad student.  He is not a musician, or a devotee of classical instruments, but he’s the closest I know to what you might want.

    • #16
  17. mezzrow Member
    mezzrow
    @mezzrow

    I’m a clarinetist, not an oboist, and I do work on clarinets.  I have no professional experience in arts writing.  I don’t have any background at all in historical instruments or reproductions.  I have a degree in music from a pretty well known music school that dates back to times when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I have been an active player for over fifty years. 

    I would be happy to review your document if you would find it helpful.  Contact me via PM if I can help.

    • #17
  18. 666 Inactive
    666
    @Pseudodionysius

    I only play the Hobo in auditions. Sorry.

    • #18
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