TMC is deeply saddened by the death of Peter Gane, a leading light of Tonbridge Music Club’s committee.

In memory of Peter we would like to share with you the eulogy from Peter’s funeral, written and delivered by Sarah Alexander, the Chief Executive of the National Youth Orchestra.

 

A Tribute to Peter Gane, A Life in Music

As many of you will understand, Peter was an absolutely consummate musician. Peter knew that musical generosity can make wonderful things happen between people, quite literally ‘out of thin air’. In him, the technical and the ‘’human spirit’’ of musical generosity were combined into a single musical vision – and a single grin.

Breath was everything for Peter: ‘Put more air through the instrument and you’ll make it your own’. That was his big message to his many students. And he practiced what he preached. He put air through the trombone first of all as a precociously brilliant player. headhunted to play 1st Trombone for the LSO at the age of 19, where the 1st Trumpet declared that Peter’s was the best trombone playing he’d ever heard.

Later, sadly an accident ended his performance career, Peter threw his pent-up musical energy wholeheartedly into teaching, mastering the art of putting air through the trombone without raising the instrument to his lips.

We’ve just heard Sibelius Symphony no 2. Peter loved that piece FOR the sense of pure space and air that just keeps on growing. It has the same theatricality of space and air that Peter himself carried into the room – a spaciousness that welcomed others to expand.

Peter enjoyed nothing more than enabling young musicians to come into the infinite space for musical expression – that he understood so well – through their playing. And that great big grin of his showed everyone in advance that he knew they could do it, and the grin just kept on growing with their success.

Because what Peter heard and saw and said was rooted in his purely positive energy, Peter never shied away from telling people hard truths. The tough part was just something you had to face so you could get beyond it, into the space that is created by your own breath.

Peter was a courageous man and when I first came to the National Youth Orchestra he supported me to be courageous too. People trusted him instinctively because his integrity – his love of music and his will to
help others – was impossible to mistake.

He didn’t use many words. His habit was to scan the room looking for good intentions, sizing people up, searching for something positive he could work with. And if things were difficult, he responded with a twinkle and a joke, not telling people but showing them that everything was going to be okay. He channelled energy in the direction that seemed to him most likely to make something wonderful happen. Over and over again, it did.

Peter was astonishingly modest, he seemed to have no ego at all, while at the same time being quite able to fill the room with his own special energy.

Peter was a unique man who relished the uniqueness of others so in the spirit of Peter it’s time to hear other voices on the subject of Peter, which I’m going to share without attribution.

‘The shock of white hair, big grin and eyes dancing with mirth’

‘I can clearly picture him, singing along, sometimes dancing along, giving 100% positive energy in lessons.’

‘There’s no time I play the trombone without at least one of his ideas in my head!’

‘He was a giant in our world, I don’t think there was a trombonist in the UK whose life wasn’t somehow touched by him’

‘He was the gold standard of brass teaching for 5 decades.’

‘Thank you for the vast number of brass players who are enjoying successful careers because of you and who are continuing your teaching techniques worldwide.’

‘I foolishly said I wanted to learn the clarinet to which Peter then ask me to leave the lesson, saying, “you’re welcome back when you see sense.’

‘His spark was like a hundred bouncy balls being thrown around the room!…. The students didn’t know what had hit them!’

‘I remember the exams as being more like lessons. He made them fun and took the fear away.’

‘Teaching the technique of an instrument is one thing, but even more important is to convey the spirit of the music in which that technique is employed. Peter had that gift’

‘Because of him I always knew ‘things would be ok.’

‘It’s given to very few people the ability and opportunity to help and change people’s lives for the good. Peter was just such a man’

‘He was one of biggest of friends I could possibly have in my life. A fantastic musician, a sounding board for my crazy ideas, and inspiration to everyone touched by him.’

That is only scratching the surface of the love and appreciation that simply heaped up in mounds wherever Peter’s long career took him.

I’ll finish with a very personal reflection. The National Youth Orchestra was immensely dear to Peter, not least because it is where he met the other love of his life, who is so very musical but not ONLY music – Pat  when they were both teenagers. And where he loyally worked as a tutor for 5 decades. Peter ended up having a very unique impact on the organisation not unlike the one he had had on many individual musicians.

When I arrived at NYO in 2007 there was a fair amount of concern about the appointment of a non-musician to lead the organisation. I quickly noticed that alongside his special qualities of warmth, Peter had absolutely no interest in negativity. And so, at a very crucial point in my career and perhaps in the history of NYO as an organisation, I met with Peter, and explained, there is an immense amount of musical creativity ahead of us Peter, an immense amount more that can be achieved here for young people. But I need a musician to stand by my side and demonstrate their support for me, in order to make it happen. And it didn’t take Peter more than about half a minute to decide that that he was going to be that musician. And he stood beside me at NYO quietly and cheerfully demonstrating the trust he had honoured me with and using all his energy and brilliance and knowledge and humour from that moment onward to help us transform the organisation, so that it could become as good as it possibly could be and reach many more young musicians.

So with intense gratitude of my own, and on behalf of all the people whose lives have been touched by Peter – by his technical artistry but above all by his musicianship of the human spirit – thank you Peter. It has been an immense privilege and a pleasure for us all to see and to hear – just how much breath you managed to get through your trombone, and how much you made the instrument your own. Teaching us all just how much we are able to create out of thin air.

 

Sarah Alexander, July 2024

Trumpeter Alison Balsom also reflected on her time as a student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama whilst Peter held the position of Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion.

“Peter was the most extraordinarily inspiring teacher and mentor. He was encouraging and ALWAYS seemed to be in a positive, buoyant mood. Even if he was imparting precious and ingenious advice that implied we could do better, without fail he did it with a twinkle and an amusing comment. No one was more important to impress – not the international conductors or any examiner. And his lessons and sessions were just so engaging and rewarding. His approval was the ultimate goal. He attended a concert I performed about a year ago, and I knew deep down that it was for his ears only – if he enjoyed it, everyone else was certain to as well, as no one’s standards were higher. He lives on in so many of us, and for me personally he will continue to be in every half decent note I play.”