Inspiring talent Alan encouraged generations of young musicians
janet.hughes@reachplc.com
ARESPECTED classical musician who helped provide the sound effects for films like Alien, nearly ended up in a Russian Gulag and played in many of the country’s leading orchestras has died at the age of 86.
Alan Frederick Lumsden was a selftaught multi-instrumentalist who had learned to play the trombone by the age of 14 and used money from his paper round to collect and play ancient instruments.
He went on to become a distinguished music professor and was so talented he was once filmed by the BBC playing pieces on 115 instruments for the Guinness Book of Records to raise money for charity.
Now students who have passed through Gloucestershire Academy of Music, which he helped wife Caroline found in their front room over 40 years ago, are mourning the death of the father-of-five.
The fourth of six children born in 1934 to Archibald and Dorothy Lumsden, Alan read history at Downing College, Cambridge, where he earned money by playing in the university dance band and by translating Russian Music Catalogues for Musica Rara, a London music shop which specialised in importing music.
He made several trips to Russia, selling clothes on the black market in order to pay for rare editions of lesser known Russian composers and bring them back from behind the Iron Curtain.
But on the last trip he was caught by the Russian authorities and given a suspended sentence of three years hard labour in Siberia.
His aptitude for languages led him to train as a Russian interpreter during his National Service towards the end he became the official Russian interpreter at the Admiralty and was later was employed by the BBC Russian service to give talks on music.
During the late fifties and sixties he was a trombonist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and went on to play with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle, the BBC Scottish Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and many more.
He was a Professor of Sackbut at the Royal College of Music and Professor of Recorder and Early Music studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire.
While giving wind and brass lecture recitals around the UK he stayed with music organiser Tony Hewitt-jones and his wife Anita and met their daughter, Caroline, a violin student at the Guildhall School of Music.
They married in 1973 and had five children, Caroline, Rebecca, Emma, Ben and Kate.
Throughout the 1970s Alan toured extensively in Europe, Australia, and America, mostly with the London Early Music Group but also with the London Serpent Trio, with whom he provided the sound effects of the ‘Alien’ in the Ridley Scott film.
He also appeared in or on sound tracks for many other films and historical television productions.
In 1981 the family moved to be near Caroline’s parents he helped her create Beauchamp Music Group, now the Gloucestershire Academy of Music, which started in their front room.
Beauchamp Music Group flourished and Alan supported Caroline in setting up the Gloucester Academy of Music and Performing Arts for those who wanted to specialise.
Alan juggled Musicland Publications Ltd with a full time position as head of brass at Malvern College, adjudicating around the world, conducting orchestras and organising residential courses at Beauchamp House.
Throughout the 90’s Alan continued his Early Music research, creating more than 500 editions of early works under the imprint ‘Beauchamp Press.’
The couple then spent 19 years i running a holiday gites business in the Charente Maritime until Alan was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2012.
They returned to Gloucestershire where he continued to play tennis and table tennis at the Frampton-on-severn clubs.
He could still harmonise with the local Alzheimer singing group, play the recorder and enjoy concerts.
He spent the last year of his life at the Old Vicarage care home and leaves behind his wife of 46 years, “four deeply appreciative children, nine adoring grandchildren and a wealth of musical memories.”
Viv Hargreaves, GAM’S chair said: “The energy and enthusiasm generated by Alan and Caroline has spawned new generations of musicians, some of whom now teach at GAM, while others, including daughter Emma, have professional performing careers.”
GAM’S Artistic Director Glyn Oxley said: “Alan inspired and encouraged generations of young musicians with good humour, fiery intellect and incredible energy.
A private family funeral will be followed by a thanksgiving memorial concert next year.
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