Manuel Valerio (BSO 2nd clarinet, 1933-1965) oral history interview: Valerio, Robert, interviewee (Side A); Jean DeVergie (BSO 2nd oboe, 1925-1963) oral history interview: DeVergie, Alain, interviewee (Side B), April 9, 1994; October 22, 1994, 2023-08-10T00:00:00+00:00

Cassette 72: Oral history conducted by Robert Ripley on April 9, 1994, Robert Valerio is the son of Manuel Valerio (Side A); Oral history conducted by Robert Ripley on October 22, 1994, Alain DeVergie is the son of Jean DeVergie (Side B).

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT

Tape 72, Side A

Interviewer: Bob Ripley Interviewee: Robert Valerio Subject: Manuel Valerio (BSO 2nd clarinet, 1933-1965) Note: Robert Valerio is the son of Manuel Valerio Date: April 9, 1994

0:09 INTERVIEW BEGINS

0:51-2:06 born in New Bedford, MA; family was not musical; took classes at the Boston Conservatory

2:06-3:20 after graduation, played in chamber orchestra at Wentworth Hotel in New Hampshire

3:20-4:51 limited memories of audition for KOUSSEVITZKY, had very good tone; played second clarinet with Patsy CARDILLO and Rosario MAZZEO

4:51-6:13 Robert'sc onversations with Brad KING about Manuel; Manuel teasing Doriot Anthony DWYER during rehearsals

6:20-10:30 story of KOUSSEVITZKY and performance of a piece by and conducted by Irving FINE, Kousse walking through rehearsal saying "Fine? Fine? That was awful!"; story of conflict between KOUSSEVITZKY and RACHMANINOFF; Robert played with John Philip SOUSA

10:30-12:26 memories of visiting Tanglewood; memories of CIOFFI onstage during a blackout

12:26-14:50 taught at Boston University, Boston Conservatory, Shalloff(sp?) School, and possibly New England Conservatory; also took on private students; did not do much chamber music

14:50-16:57 did not remember LEINSDORF favorably; liked MUNCH best

16:57-18:06 story of KOUSSEVITZKY's car, had a Lincoln, the transmission fell out and was replaced within two hours

18:06-23:04 personal life; likely met his wife in Cambridge, MA; Robert has a sister; memories of the familial nature of the BSO and attending performances; Robert's memories of playing with defective reeds in the tub;

23:04-24:23 Robert's musical career; plays piano as an accompaniest

24:23-26:20 memories of Tanglewood; Manuel would stay with the Middletons; memories of John BARWICKI;

26:20-27:36 friendship with Leslie MARTIN

28:41-29:32 Manuel did not like French repertoire, so felt negatively about MUNCH; did not like some of the Pops music too

29:32-30:29 memories of Arthur FIEDLER; feeling that he was a good person to work for, good with children

30:29-31:01 did not do much solo work; warmed up with Mozart before students arrived for private lessons

31:28-35:28 no hobbies; continued to teach after retirement from BSO; dabbled in and studied the stock market; cooked often at home, especially seafood; no composing or conducting experience; discussion of small collection of recordings he made and/or kept

35:28-36:42 end of life; cerebral illness in the final years of his life

36:52 INTERVIEW CONCLUDES

Tape 72, Side B

Interviewer: Bob Ripley Interviewee: Alain DeVergie Subject: Jean DeVergie (BSO 2nd oboe, 1925-1963 Date: October 22, 1994 Location: Washington, DC, Kennedy Center

0:06 INTERVIEW BEGINS

0:40-4:01 early life; born in 1900 to a large family in Marseilles; parents were not musical, father was a horse trader; apparently picked up the oboe because there was greater demand for oboe players; went to Marseilles Conservatory around age 18

4:01-7:30 moved to Paris after Conservatory and rapidly found position and housing; attended Paris Conservatory; at some point, served in the Paris military band at the end of the war; met RAVELLE and Nadia BOULANGER at the Conservatory; played with Paris Opera Company

7:30-10:24 made friends with Fernand GILLET while in Paris; Gillet served as a mentor for him; in 1925, KOUSSEVITZKY did a recruiting tour in France, found DEVERGIE through Fernand GILLET; Jean agreed to come to BSO for a year

10:29-11:37 respected KOUSSEVITZKY but did not like him;

11:37-13:01 social connections in Boston; knew Louis SPEYER before coming to US; roomed with Albert BERNARD, Lucien HANSOTTE, and Jean PORQUAY(sp?)

13:01-15:45 met his wife who was working for the American Steamboat company in Boston; he wanted to return to France after first year, she showed him reasons to stay in the US; he returned to France after his mother's funeral; but he stayed in the US afterwards

15:45-16:27 discussion of proposed "mandatory retirement" at age 60 discussed in the 1960s; interviews about this conducted in the Boston Globe

16:27-20:10 story of Jean learning to cook from his mother; became reknowned as a chef among Boston social circles; when RAVELLE came to the US, Jean invited him to dinner and cooked for him; also befriended MITROPOULOS, ORMANDI, HEIFETZ, ANSWERMET, Bruno WALTER, and RACHMANINOFF and brought them to dinner; befriended Lilian GISH

20:10-22:50 memories of members staying at the Lennox Hotel while at Tanglewood; Jean cooked for the hotel on a night when the chef was sick; story of a guest asking to speak to the chef and realizing he'd just seen Jean perform with the orchestra

22:50-24:30 memories of Nadia BOULANGER guest conducting in Boston, friendship with Jean and his family

24:30-27:33 life as a child of a BSO member; wandered around Symphony Hall, attended rehearsals and performances; explored backstage extensively; memories of unusual details of backstage and the storage hallways

27:37-28:58 preference for French composers, dislike for Wagner; liked Debussy and Berlioz

28:58-30:37 position as second oboe; was offered first chair in New York Philharmonic but turned it down in favor of remaining in Boston

30:37-32:44 discussion of Jean's routine; soft notes in the morning, reed-making, practice before rehearsals, BSO rehearsals, lessons or practice in the evening before evening concerts; made reeds for GOMBERG and GILLET

32:44-34:44 played chamber music with group who played early instruments, created many records

34:44-37:05 during summers, played with the Esplanade; after Tanglewood, he went to the Cape for vacation; French contingent all began to vacation on the Cape in the 1930s and 1940s

37:05-41:19 reflections on life with a BSO member as a father; challenges of his busy schedule and high pressure work environment; attended many concerts and enjoyed the prestige of family in the BSO; family was bilingual at home, though Alain stopped practicing his French as a teenager

41:36-43:29 [Alain DeVergie's wife Frankie tells this story] story of meeting Jean in Ann Arbor, Alain told Jean that Frankie played the oboe, so Frankie played for him, and he took the oboe away and put it away

43:29-44:25 memories of MUNCH and dislike for LEINSDORF

45:12 INTERVIEW CONCLUDES