A Comprehensive List of Bob Marvin’s Publications

“The Fornication of Recorder Windways” by Bob Marvin. FoMRHI Quarterly 35, April 1984, Comm 532

For almost forty years (1968–2007), recorder maker Bob Marvin has generously shared an impressive amount of knowledge, personal experience and detailed technical information on the reconstruction of recorders based on original instruments preserved in European museums—making him probably the most prolific writer among recorder makers. He has done this in a very personal, concise and sometimes provocative way, always in the hope of stimulating debate and an exchange of ideas between makers and readers, and always with great insight and a unique sense of humour.

I’ve tried to compile a (hopefully) comprehensive list of his publications in various journals and periodicals, many of which are freely available online, such as those in FoMRHI. For this purpose, the highly recommended book The Recorder: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge Music Bibliographies, 3rd ed., 2012) by Richard Griscom and David Lasocki, was a tremendous help and time-saving tool. Where available, I’ve included the articles numbers from this book —sometimes referring to the first (1994) and second (2003) editions if a particular piece was not included in the third one— for additional reference (e.g. Lasocki #903).

I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I do. Thank you, Bob!

A Comprehensive List of Bob Marvin’s Publications

→ You can also download a PDF version of this list: A comprehensive list of publications by Bob Marvin. Last updated: February 23, 2019.

1. FoMRHI Communications (‘Comms’), published in FoMRHI quarterlies (1977–1985)

  1. What is a musical instrument, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 6 (January 1977): 38–39 (Communication no. 52). [No Lasocki #].
  2. A Ganassi flauto, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 11 (April 1978): 40–46 (Communication no. 118). Lasocki #903.
  3. Nuts, bolts and plugs, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 12 (July 1978): 42 (Communication no. 146). Lasocki #2108 (2nd ed.).
  4. Making reamers on a shoestring, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 14 (January 1979): 37–38 (Communication no. 180). Lasocki #2107 (2nd ed.).
  5. A serviceable early baroque flauto, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 16 (July 1979): 50–51 (Communication no. 226). Lasocki #683.
  6. A double recorder, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 31 (April 1983): 42–43 (Communication no. 453). [No Lasocki #].
  7. Untitled (tuning conical bore woodwind instruments), FoMRHI Quarterly no. 33 (October 1983): 34–35 (Communication no. 492). [No Lasocki #].
  8. The fornication of recorder windways, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 35 (April 1984): 48–49. (Communication no. 532). Lasocki #2106 (2nd ed.).
  9. Comments on Comms. 529 and 536, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 37 (October 1984): 4. (As it is not properly a Communication, it bears no Communication #). [No Lasocki #].
  10. Reamer-saving counterbores, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 41 (October 1985): 20 (Communication no. 648). Lasocki #2109 (2nd ed.).
  11. A flexible recorder, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 41 (October 1985): 21 (Communication no. 649). Lasocki #739.
  12. Apologies to Sverre, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 41 (October 1985): 21 (Communication no. 650). [No Lasocki #].
  13. A Bassano flauto, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 41 (October 1985): 22–23 (Communication no. 651). Lasocki #420.
  14. Tuning recorders, FoMRHI Quarterly no. 41 (October 1985): 23–24 (Communication no. 652). Lasocki #2110 (2nd ed.).

2. American Recorder

  1. Playing French Late Baroque Music on the Recorder, American Recorder 9, no. 2 (spring 1968): 39–41. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #1182. [The article’s given author name is Robert Marvin, a common mistake or overcorrection since, in the case of Mr. Marvin, Bob is only his nickname and not a shortened version of Robert. Cited as Bob in AR full index].
  2. Letter, American Recorder 13, no. 3 (August 1972): 102–3. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #889. [Reprinted from A Recorder Odyssey: Searching for a Renaissance Consort, Recorder and Music Magazine 4, no. 4 (December 1972): 118–21. ISSN 0034–1665 (see item 31 on this list)].
  3. Letter, American Recorder 28, no. 2 (May 1987): 84. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #1293. [Response to an article by Scott Reiss on articulation].
  4. Q & A, American Recorder 31, no. 2 (June 1990): 40. ISSN 0003-0724. Lasocki #41 (1st ed.). [Response to a reader’s questions on temperaments built into historical recorders].
  5. Letter, American Recorder 34, no. 1 (March 1993): 30–34. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #1293. [Response to an article by Patricia Ranum on articulation in French music].
  6. Letter, American Recorder 36, no. 2 (March 1995): 30–33. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #823. [Fragments and commentaries on a letter by Bob Marvin in reply to Raymond E. Dessy’s review of John Martin’s book, The Acoustics of the Recorder].
  7. In: Recorders of the future, American Recorder 36, no. 5 (November 1995): 4. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #744. [Panel discussion on the future of the recorder].
  8. American Recorder 37, no. 1 (January 1996): 32–34. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #786. [Raymond Dessy responds to comments sent to him by Bob Marvin].
  9. Paean to Paeons, American Recorder 37, no. 5 (November 1996): 10–14. ISSN 0003–0724. [No Lasocki #].
  10. Thoughts about Judging Recorders, American Recorder 46, no. 1 (January 2005): 29–31. ISSN 0003-0724. [No Lasocki #]. See item 33 on this list.
  11. A Short, Personal and Musical History of Recorders, American Recorder 46, no. 5 (November 2005): 30–31. ISSN 0003-0724. Lasocki #108 [Lasocki’s book gives page numbers 26–27]. See item 34 on this list.
  12. American Recorder 48, no. 2 (March 2007): 32–33. ISSN 0003–0724. Lasocki #910. [Letter from Bob Marvin with a response from Brown about the latter’s article The Ganassi Recorder: Separating Fact from Fiction in American Recorder 47, no. 5 (November 2006): 11–18].

3. Woodwind Quarterly

  1. Ruminations of a Recorder Maker, Woodwind Quarterly no. 9. [No Lasocki #].
  2. Designing Pre-Baroque Recorders, Woodwind Quarterly no. 12 (spring 1996): 98–101. ISSN 1070-2512. Lasocki #682.

4. Continuo

  1. Letters from Bob Marvin, Continuo 3, no. 4, January 1980: 3–9, ISSN 0705–6656. Lasocki #610.
  2. Making Renaissance Recorders, Continuo 9, no. 4, January 1985: 2–7. ISSN 0705-6656. [Cited as Continuo 9, no. 4, January 1986 in Lasocki #888].

5. Recorder and Music Magazine

  1. A Recorder Odyssey: Searching for a Renaissance Consort, Recorder and Music Magazine 4, no. 4 (December 1972): 118–21. ISSN 0034–1665. Lasocki #889. [Reprinted as a letter in American Recorder 13, no. 3 (August 1972): 102–3 (see item 16 on this list)].

6. The Galpin Society Journal

  1. Recorders & English Flutes in European Collections, The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 25 (July 1972): 30–57. Lasocki #504. [See Lasocki #385 for some corrections on the identification of some of the Vienna recorders listed here].

7. archive.org

  1. Judging Recorders on an Historical Basis. See item 24 on this list.
  2. A Short, Personal, and Musical History of Recorders. Lasocki #108. See item 25 on this list.
  3. The Gomer van Awsterwyke Society

8. Bob Marvin’s website

  1. Thirds. Posted on December 28, 2014. Last accessed: January 17, 2016.

9. Other

  1. Jean-Luc Boudreau: Alexa Eicken sprach mit dem Blockflötenbauer aus Montreal, Windkanal 2/2001: 12–14. ISSN 1864–6204. Lasocki #547. [Canadian recorder maker Jean-Luc Boudreau on what he learned from two days with Bob Marvin].
  2. Commentaar op het Commentaar op ‘Het intoneren van blokfluiten.’ Bouwbrief 37, p. 16, 1985. Dutch translation of item 9 on this list.

10. Unpublished manuscript articles

  1. Renaissance Styles on Recorders (1985). Available at: An unpublished essay by Bob Marvin.
  2. 16th-century Bicinia (1986). (Forthcoming).

Many thanks to the following people for sending me scanned versions of several articles: Nicholas S. Lander (items 27, 28 and 30); Ben Nieuwhof (item 38); David Ohannesian (item 39); and Helge Stiegler (item 40).

Any comments, corrections, additions, etc., will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

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