ROBERT MARION GILCHRIST
A Memorial
1939-2004
Part I

Compiled & edited by Catherine Thompson from conversations & correspondence with:
Paul Rabinov, Gary Woodward, Bill Tosh, William Bennett, David Straubinger,
Andrew Sternum, & Colleen Carroll

"Bob understood that being someone’s flute technician could be more than just repairing their flute. Bob’s approach was quite different – more personable, insightful, nurturing. His impact on people’s lives was apparent by the people who attended his Memorial Service and the words said.”
- Paul Rabinov, flute technician

“Many of us lost a treasured friend…Bob Gilchrist. He was a master of flute repair. Specializing in the restoration of classic old flutes, such as old Powells, old Haynes, and especially the wonderful old French flutes of Louis Lot, Bonneville, etc. However, that is but the surface of the matter. Bob Gilchrist was one of the most unusual and special people, a man who so profoundly understood what other people were about that you felt more artistic and more human when his ears, his skills, and his conversation were around.”
-Andrew Sternum

“He did such innovative stuff with acoustics…with the aim of taking the tension out of the metal, yet with no metal removed as a result of his work. He spent all of his life doing this work and gained a world reputation for his “gilking…and what Almeida called mocking…how do we spell that?mekking? meching? Or moecking? . I have no idea how many flutes he must have worked on in this way, but he had a lot of insight.”
- David Straubinger

Commenting on Bob’s passing: “He took so much with him.” - Bill Tosh

“If I could convey the essence of his contribution…what he stood for…there was an instant connection to meet you where you were and at the deepest level that you could go…there was no limit to the depth that he could go. And he was not a taker. Those of us close to him here, we looked in on him, fussed over him, and he accepted us at whatever level were at and met us there…much like he accepted our flutes…he transformed and mended our flutes and us as people.”
– Gary Woodward

A long time friend, Bill Tosh, shares his memories of witnessing more than 40 years ago a youthful and healthy Bob Gilchrist in military uniform playing the clarinet! Bill Tosh was Assistant Bandmaster and made the acquaintance of Bob Gilchrist while in the U.S. Marines. Initially, they met in September of 1960 after returning from Hawaii. He was trained at Camp Pendleton in the 2nd Infantry Training Regiment. Bob graduated Sept. 23, 1958, Platoon 395, United States Marine Corp, in San Diego, CA. After Christmas leave he was transferred to Alaska, but soon after requested an audition that following autumn and joined the 1st Marine Division Band at Camp Pendeleton, CA. This placement was a sharp contrast to his tour in Viet Nam. This new, and yet familiar terrain of music would eventually foster his connection to the service of instruments and the musicians who played them. After gaining membership in the Marine Band he succeeded in performing as solo clarinet in the ensemble and also played in a Dixieland Band at local sites i.e. the “Slanty” in Oceanside, and other locations in Carlsbad, Poway, and Cucamonga. His musical colleagues affectionately crowned him with the nickname “Gillie”. Bill Tosh remarks:

“Bob played so well that after the first week of sectional rehearsals he became solo clarinet. He had a beautiful tone and interpretation. His finesse was obvious once he got his chops back. I was shocked at what a good player he was. He was a ‘shoe-in’.”
Officer Toth qualifies that though he outranked Gilchrist, they became friends and shared many things over the years. “Bob had unique qualities and exhibited a kind gentleness…even in later years he was kindly and patient…really ageless in a way…young for his age, delightful and fresh with a soft voice that always had the timbre of genuine interest. After the Marines, he didn’t carry over the Marine stuff, he shed ‘it’as it was a small portion of his life.”

With transfers imminent, Bill and Bob lost contact for 4-5 years with Bill’s re-location to Okinawa. It was during this tenure at Camp Pendleton that Bob Gilchrist became interested in instrument repair and received his first training from Master Sargent “Gus” Gorman. Unable to know of his early experiences and guidance one can only assume that he had a natural interest and disposition for such a skill – especially since this inclination resulted in considerable years spent restoring and repairing so many instruments and flutes. Likely, his background playing the clarinet was a contributing factor in developing his fine ear and harmonic awareness…that was to become so significant in his interactions with flutists.

Eventually, after leaving the Marines, Bob continued his chosen career path and repaired flutes at various locations. After the service he worked in various music stores in and around Bakersfield, CA as well as in the San Joaquin Valley, namely San Jose. After some years he found employment at the House of Woodwinds where he had a close working relationship with flute maker George Koregolos. Bob and George worked on everybody’s flutes and helped establish a stellar reputation for the House of Woodwinds.

Paul Rabinov, flutist and flute technician remembers his early acquaintance with Gilchrist. Paul had the distinct pleasure of knowing Bob as a customer, as a student (he was Bob’s apprentice), and later as a colleague. He very well may be one of the only, if not the only person to know Bob Gilchrist in all three capacities over so many years. Initially, they first met in 1976, when Paul was a student at the University of the Pacific. He would visit the House of Woodwinds in the San Francisco area. While in the shop he would take notice of a funny gnome-like man working on the flutes – Bob Gilchrist. At the time George Koregolos, flute maker, was Paul’s main contact person at the House of Woodwinds. It was not until he crossed paths again in Temple City at Moennig Music that he began to develop a dialog and friendly relationship with Bob Gilchrist.

Paul Rabinov began his apprenticeship with Bob Gilchrist during these years. He shares that Bob had an intense desire to be independent and not be in employment with anyone else. Having his own business was a career dream and for a brief time he was the proprietor at the Gilchrist Flute Shop in the San Fernando Valley located in Studio City, CA. Later Bob relocated his shop to Burbank, CA on the Golden Mall where Paul Rabinov began his apprenticeship in earnest.

“In retrospect I can say that Bob’s approach to flute repair was very intuitive…you can tell by the condition of the tools… they were arcane and yet he did top notch instrument repair – that’s important because in the last 15-30 years the career of repairing has become more and more sophisticated – demanding new tooling etc. Bob recognized that with something lost something is gained – he continued a personal and involved approach - he didn’t want to see those things lost…namely what appeared to be the older approach. This intuitive manner of working…it was a fascination to him to make sure it was preserved in terms of the flute and as a concept of flute playing.”

Throughout all the time Paul knew him, his states that Bob’s professional goals were preoccupied with two things that were very important to him:

1. To get customers to think more about musicality
2. To help them learn how to improve their listening abilities

In addition to his efforts to create and maintain solid multi-faceted relationships with his customers, he also exhibited incredible insight into voicing instruments and the people he dealt with. This constant compassionate and analytical mode of operation for Gilchrist contributed to the development of his notable reputation. A distinguished list of his long-time customers included people like William Bennett, Keith Underwood, David Sanborn, Christine Smith, Gary Woodward, Mary Stolper, Joel Tse, Andrew Sternum, Geri Rotello, Connie Branson, and as well as ongoing dialogue with industry associates Cynthia Kelley, Steve Finley and Gary Lewis to name a few.

Another interest that gave Bob a lot of pleasure and satisfaction was the fact, as Paul states, “He fancied himself to be a bit of a flute historian-sleuth. Aware that so much information about flute manufacturing has been lost; Bob was fascinated to attempt to piece together concepts of various flute makers. He was determined to piece together the conceptual aspect of flute making from an historical standpoint.”

Over decades, he developed some relationships with an assortment of flute makers. Older Powell makers such as Dick Jerome, Ed Machon, Ed Almeida, as well as newer generations of makers like ‘Tip’ Lamberson, David Straubinger and Jack Moore. There was communication by telephone and other correspondence, if not face-to-face meetings. From inquiries he developed some ideas and theories about certain manufacturing techniques that he believed had been lost by flute makers or simply discarded due to the lack of perception of value of these techniques that may have simply been mistakenly perceived as primitive …yet obviously they were critical (to Bob and his loyal customers) to the process of making a ‘complete’ instrument. Through his search for missing methods and links, Bob either discovered or uncovered certain acoustical treatments which he would use on after-market enhancements to people’s flutes. People would come from all over the world to have their new flutes enhanced by Bob Gilchrist.

Many of his repair consultations appeared to be more like coaching sessions or an educational research session into the workings of the flute. This approach is confirmed by all who knew him as Bob was determined to not only complete the flute in optimum condition, but to ‘adjust the customer as well’. Paul witnessed countless times Bob’s unorthodox methods and says, “One of Bob’s most rewarding experiences was to take a new customer who had never experienced working with him before and help them uncover hidden aspects of their flute as well as their own tone production – not just by solely enhancing instruments, but also guiding their listening with regards to their sound production.”

Even after considerable time spent apprenticing in flute repair with Bob, Paul lost contact shortly after 1980 when Bob left the Los Angeles area. Yet with the passage of time, their student-teacher relationship would come full-circle with a surprising phone call about 20 years later coming from only about 2 miles away. Paul feels that perhaps that was when Bob began seeking closure to his life. His failing and chronic health problems must have undoubtedly had an effect on his quality of life, yet he still continued the chosen purpose of his craft and skill.

“He indicated he wanted to complete my training. He said that… he had, since our time together, developed some skills for which he wanted to pass on…that he was looking for somebody to pass them on to. It became apparent to me over the succeeding 5 years – that, he, Bob, felt that he was at the twilight of his career and wanted to be able to pass on his life experience to people he felt could appreciate it. He was adamant about walking me through each step of restoring my first Louis Lot flute. Grateful for his contribution and generosity to my own skills, it was my pleasure to introduce him in person to some of other like-minded people in the flute industry with a trip back east to spend time with David Straubinger and Jack Moore; people he could share some of his ideas with and both of whom he developed ongoing dialogues and close friendships.”

Suffice it to say that Bob fulfilled his life’s purpose, though likely to the detriment of his family. He sacrificed a lot of himself to get to where he was. He was a cancer survivor and had lived with diabetes for years, though he frequently ignored his diabetes management while indulging in cigarettes, junk food, and soda pop – which was soon replaced by diet coke.

Sadly, the last few months of his life Bob’s health rapidly declined and he passed away on November 7, 2004. A memorial took place on November 12 at Pasadena’s Church of the Angels where friends and family members gathered in music and prayer to share memories and offer mutual support. Attendees came as far away as Boston, New York, Oregon, Washington state, Pennsylvania along with a multitude of some of Los Angeles’ top musicians and practitioners of the flute. His friends presented a beautiful memorial fitting for a unique and special human being. Bob’s close friend Gary Woodward delivered a meaningful Eulogy that was followed by a musical response performed by flutist and flute maker Steven Finley. Also present were Bob’s sons and sister.

It has been said that to pay homage to someone, it is sufficient to continue in some way the thread of their own story. So, in true Gilchrist fashion I present a few of the topics which reflect his concerns and near-obsessions for the purpose of commencing a dialogue or for readers to ponder. Those close to him likely had similar experiences with the following topics and are encouraged to reply:

Question: What is the flute supposed to sound like today?

Question: In our generation, the flute doesn’t really have a voice/identity. In earlier times, the flute had a place in people’s lives…it was the gentleman’s instrument, it was Pan’s instrument. There seems to be some confusion in people’s minds today about what they are supposed to sound like. “They just blow and don’t play, and don’t listen either!”
Being a fervent collector of old flute music, recordings, and Moyse Publications, Bob liked to study and ponder perhaps the approach of the vintage musicians, master teachers, and methods for teaching - much like he considered investigating the earlier flute makers. Is it any wonder that he was so respected for his ability to restore antique and vintage flutes to such an exceptional level? His self-immersion and love affair with the instrument went far beyond just technical adjustment and repair mastery. He was considered to be amongst the top people in the world for his ability to restore antique and vintage flutes. His acoustical work, while based on his own research of traditional methods, was really quite original. William Bennett refers to it as phishing, others call it ‘gilking’ and additional terms of ‘moecking, meching, or mekking’ surround the effort to homogenize the flute to it’s own original voice.

Those close to Bob probably experienced his own human method of harmonizing or homogenizing. He could look at you, or listen in conversation so deeply that you wondered if he was fixing the flute…or you! But he was always gentle and patient with presenting any advice and had his ‘ways’ of getting a point across.

The mind of Bob Gilchrist was always engaged upon matters of the flute. He liked to listen to and examine the music and performances of the great flutists of the past. He would often remark how important he felt it was to educate a young flutist to musical concepts and help a flute player connect with their own voice in the flute – not just imitate others.

Another large topic of conversation was his interest in flute makers being involved in assisting players in this adventure away from the generic sound and manner of playing that seems to predominate today’s musical atmosphere. He’d talk about what kind of flutes he felt they should be building, etc. This ‘lack of voice’ that concerned him - he did make note of which players were striving for expression artistically and felt that those were the people flute makers should be listening to and pursue dialogue with. A prime example would be the tremendously successful and recent influence that Thomas Robertello has had in his collaboration with David Straubinger or William Bennett’s long time influence on the development of the Altus flute by Japanese maker Shuichi “Speedy” Tanaka, or the ongoing feedback to other makers like Miguel Arista, and in the past the creator of the Emerson Flute, Emerson DeFord.

Consulting with David Staubinger

To quote Bob Gilchrist, “It takes a ‘certain’ integrity to sound like your self.”

And in my opinion, this is what Bob Gilchrist was about. His own self-acceptance with his life and circumstances was a confrontation in and of itself; coupled with his loyal generosity and kindness if he established a friendly connection with a person. Whatever faults, idiosyncratic behavior or eccentric nature that he presented while living, he was for many of us a precious resource of not only flute repair and restoration…but also a resource for emotional support, inspiration, kindness, insight, and refreshing honesty and style of communication, phrased by his humor and sometimes mad genius. Unpretentious to a fault, his interactions enhanced us to strive for a particular potential, a target of living ‘in tune with ourselves’ – much like he tuned our flutes to be the best they could be – and so he pursued such a style of working with people. His approach encompassed ‘the operator’ – the other half of the instrument. He was not satisfied to just accomplish mechanical levity, for in his mind that was only part of the picture or part of the problem. He set about to stretch the ears of players and educate their understanding of the instrument with the goal for an effective integration in overall performance of the instrument and the music by the musician. It was all about integration – healing or creating connection with one’s self and the process of music making. Much like his work perhaps symbolized his own inner process of healing and integration of his own past – he lived his philosophy in the actions of his efforts to be sincere and do his very best work. Those of us that knew him will always remember him in thought and in the fulfillment of our own personal commitments to him. His legacy lives on not only with his sons and family, but by those people nurtured by his own example and purpose.

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