Those of you who read my posts know I am highly critical of the New York Times, whether it relates to failure to cover the SS Stage at CPAC this year or my book proposal: No Clear Link: How the NY Times Helped Elect Trump in 2016.
But despite its many flaws, the NY Times is essential. Except maybe for the WaPo, there is no comparable coverage of global and national news, no comparable resources.
And there are also stories like this today:
Paul Laubin, 88, Dies; Master of Making Oboes the Old-Fashioned Way
[Full disclosure: I played oboe in HS and college and still have one, though not a Laubin]
Paul Laubin learned the craft of making oboes from his father, Alfred, They both played the oboe as well as making them. The Laubin oboes are highly prized by musicians because of their “dark rich tone” that “strikes a chord in your body,” according to a NY Philharmonic oboist. Mr. Laubin sent beauty into the world through the master oboists whose skills brought out the magic of his instruments,
The Times writer perfectly captured the master at work::
In a dusty workshop near the Hudson River, lined with machines built as long ago as 1881, Mr. Laubin crafted his oboes and English horns with almost religious precision. He wore an apron and puffed a cob pipe as he drilled and lathed the grenadilla and rosewood used to make his instruments. (The pipe doubled as a testing device: Mr. Laubin would blow smoke through the instrument’s joints to detect air leaks.)
There are so many wonderful things about this story:
- The passing of the craft from father to son
- His use of techniques dating back centuries
- The old-world loving meticulous care at every stage of the process (in later life he made only 15 oboes a year.)
- The way he stored the wood for the oboe for years to acclimate it to weather changes and avoid cracks after it was made
- That he died literally working at his bench
The comments share the wonder:
Blessed are the artisans and the magical qualities with which they imbue their wares. We lose something special with the passing of these traditionalists. That is especially true in the case of musical instruments such as these rare and wondrous oboes. A toast to Master Laubin and a life well lived.
*******
Prior to this obit, I had not known about Paul Laubin and his beautiful oboes, but now, whenever I listen to one of my favorite parts of the Nutcracker Suite (you know it, the one with the oboe intro), I will know who to thank for the instrument out of which that most beautiful music comes to fill the air and move through the deepest parts of one's soul
The obit ends:
“On his work table the day he died lay the beginnings of Laubin oboe No. 2,600.”