Goff Richards - RIP

[DaveR]

RIP Goff - a sad loss to the music world.

There was a nice tribute on BBC Radio Cornwall - including a performance of Calling Cornwall, which used to be their theme tune. You can here it on iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ld_27_06_2011/ - scroll forward to about 0:50 minutes after the start.

Also a news article about him on the BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-13927540

[Jan H]

I've adapted the thread title

[Arranger/Composer]

I never knew Goff Richards, albeit living just a few miles away from his present home in Stockton Heath, but his loss is not only a loss for brass and male voice choirs. His many genres of compositions and arrangements in addition to his teaching skills will I`m sure, be remembered as being an important highlight in the world of British light music.
I looked him up on Spotify this morning, and `Midnight Euphonium`, the only entry(!) is a typical example of his excellent `light music` style of writing. I wish him bon voyage, and offer all condolences to his family and friends.

[SteveT]

Like many others on this forum, I am sad to say goodbye (prematurely) to a fine musician and thoroughly kind human being. I have known Goff and worked with him in various ways since the early eighties and can only say what a consumate man of music he was.

I am sure many tributes will follow, but we have probably lost particularly, the finest arranger of brass band music of his generation.

Resurgam!

[cockaigne]

Very sad to hear of this news - the first I knew was the article on 4barsrest, already quoted above.

It's well worth a read - I knew he was a versatile musician, but had no idea he had so much success in with big bands as well. It certainly accounts for the high quality and ease of his writing when arranging music of that genre for brass bands.

Besides the lighter side of his music, of which we have a great deal, his contest music was also very finely-crafted ('The Aeronauts' springs to mind) - he was also a very consistent and thoughtful adjudicator. I'll always think of him as a hugely talented arranger, though; his is a sad loss, but he's left a wealth of good music behind for us to enjoy.

[Neillyboy]

He certainly did plenty of work with Kilmarnock Concert Brass in Scotland when Drew Keachie MBE was the MD and the band grew very fond of his input and his musicianship within the banding world. The band certainly felt shocked and the mood was low tonight. He was inspirational and may his work live on. The highlight of his work had to be the Voyage of Discovery and we are especially grateful for his input when we played that a few years ago.

Goff, you will be sadly missed.

[alanl58]

So sad to hear that he has passed away:



Alanl58

[Bob Sherunkle]

So
Farewell then
Goff Richards

He wrote a
Tune about a bus
But my favourite
Is Songs of the Quay

Naughtical
But nice


BJ Sherunkle (74)

[Thirteen Ball]

It was never my privilege to meet the man in person, but I was a great admirer of his work. Very skillful user of tone and timbre within a band, and a writer of spotless harmony. Capable of embracing of the whole sweep of music, from the bright, cheerful and tremendous fun of 'Doyen' and 'Golden lady' through to the heartstoppingly pretty and evocative writing in 'Pastorale' and his arrangement of 'I'll walk with God' - the latter of which is IMHO one of the finest crafted hymn arrangemnts in the whole band repertoire.

His work is also a large part of the reason I was inspired to start writing and arranging in the first place, because it's impossible not to have your mood brightened by his writing. It's just so cheerful and uplifting! The big grin that always ended up on my face when "Disney Fantasy" hit the stands eventually made me think I've got to get into this writing lark. And I've never yet played a Goff Richards piece that an audience don't instinctively and immediately latch onto and enjoy. His knack of knowing what would capture an audience is almost uncanny.

I'll never be half the musician he was, but when I do write something decent, Goff indirectly had a hand in it.

RIP sir. You earned it.