Howarth of London
Encyclopedia
Howarth of London is a company specialising in the manufacture and retail of woodwind instruments and associated accessories. The company was formed in 1948 when its first oboe
was produced, and continues to produce instruments today. The first oboe, serial number 1001, was purchased by Edward Selwyn, who at the time was principal oboist
for the BBC Symphony Orchestra
. Today the Howarth XL, the professional model, is played by soloists and orchestral players around the world, including Roy Carter
, Gordon Hunt
, Richard Woodhams
, , Martin Schuring, Emily Pailthorpe, and many more.
The retail shop and repair workshops are based in Chiltern Street, London
, whilst the manufacture of instruments takes place in Worthing
on the south coast of England. The London shop is divided into three sections: the oboe and bassoon
specialists; saxophone
and flute
specialists; and clarinet
specialists. There is also a small retail outlet attached to the Worthing factory. The company is presently co-owned by Nigel Clark and Jeremy Walsworth.
The company is renowned chiefly for its manufacture of oboes, but it is also a maker of the clarinet
, cor anglais
and oboe d'amore
. It has become the largest oboe manufacturer in the United Kingdom
and continues to expand into other fields. Recently it has developed F and G tenoroon
s (the G instrument is dubbed a "mini-bassoon"), smaller versions of the bassoon, designed for younger players.
In 2008 Howarth launched the Junior oboe, designed on similar principles to the Mini-bassoon and Tenoroon, to provide an instrument appropriate to the needs of a younger child wishing to start an instrument, in this case the oboe.
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
was produced, and continues to produce instruments today. The first oboe, serial number 1001, was purchased by Edward Selwyn, who at the time was principal oboist
Oboist
An oboist is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the cor anglais, oboe d'amore, shawm and oboe musette....
for the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
. Today the Howarth XL, the professional model, is played by soloists and orchestral players around the world, including Roy Carter
Roy Carter
Roy Carter, an English oboist, began playing the oboe at the age of 10. He won scholarships to study with Margaret Eliot at the Royal Academy of Music and later under Terence McDonough at the Royal College of Music , where he won the Joy Boughton Memorial Prize in only his second year of study.-...
, Gordon Hunt
Gordon Hunt
Gordon Hunt is a British oboist.-Academic history:Gordon Hunt studied under Terence MacDonagh, and is now a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and an Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.-Musical career:...
, Richard Woodhams
Richard Woodhams
Richard Woodhams is an American oboist and recording artist. He is currently Principal Oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Professor of Oboe at the Curtis Institute of Music....
, , Martin Schuring, Emily Pailthorpe, and many more.
The retail shop and repair workshops are based in Chiltern Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, whilst the manufacture of instruments takes place in Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
on the south coast of England. The London shop is divided into three sections: the oboe and bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
specialists; saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
specialists; and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
specialists. There is also a small retail outlet attached to the Worthing factory. The company is presently co-owned by Nigel Clark and Jeremy Walsworth.
The company is renowned chiefly for its manufacture of oboes, but it is also a maker of the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, cor anglais
Cor anglais
The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
and oboe d'amore
Oboe d'amore
The oboe d'amore , less commonly oboe d'amour, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the mezzo-soprano of the oboe family, between the oboe itself and the cor...
. It has become the largest oboe manufacturer in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and continues to expand into other fields. Recently it has developed F and G tenoroon
Tenoroon
The tenor bassoon or, "tenoroon," is a member of the bassoon family of double reed woodwind instruments. This group also includes the more widely known bassoon and contrabassoon, along with a smaller version of the tenor bassoon, the octave bassoon. Tenoroons are extremely rare in the United...
s (the G instrument is dubbed a "mini-bassoon"), smaller versions of the bassoon, designed for younger players.
In 2008 Howarth launched the Junior oboe, designed on similar principles to the Mini-bassoon and Tenoroon, to provide an instrument appropriate to the needs of a younger child wishing to start an instrument, in this case the oboe.