Robert Neil Cavally (February 24, 1906 – April 25, 1994) was an American flutist who trained and inspired many noted flute performers and teachers, and edited many solos and etudes for use by teachers. He was an eloquent writer and woodworker.
Early life and education Cavally was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he studied with Ary van Leeuwen. He moved to France to do graduate work at The Paris Conservatory of Music with flutists Marcel Moyse and Philippe Gaubert. At the end of these studies he was offered a position with the Paris Opera Orchestra but turned it down because he would have had to give up his United States citizenship, and he returned to Cincinnati.
Career He taught flute and conducted woodwind ensembles at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music from 1938 to 1979. He retired as Professor Emeritus of Flute. He was flutist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1943 to 1965. He taught flute at the Edgecliff College of Xavier University (Cincinnati) and had a studio in Dayton, Ohio.
Cavally's extensive performance career also included touring with soprano Lily Pons for 5 years, first flute with the Armco Band under the direction of Frank Simon, broadcasts on the NBC radio as soloist introducing compositions dedicated to him, Cincinnati Summer Opera and Dayton Symphony Orchestra. He played under the baton of many famous conductors: Georges Enesco, Eugene Goossens, Pierre Monteux, Paul Paray, Fritz Reiner, Max Rudolph, John Philip Sousa, Igor Stravinsky and Arturo Toscanini.
Awards and recognition Cavally was recognized twice by the National Flute Association. On August 17, 1988 he was the Convention Honoree in San Diego. At the National Flute Association Convention in Orlando, Florida August 17–20, 1995, Bootsie Mayfield presented a retrospective of his life and co-authored, edited, published and distributed a written documentary entitled "The Cavally Legacy" which included contributions from many of his former students. Robert Cavally wrote and edited for the Flute Forum published by the W. T. Armstrong Company in the 1960s. He wrote "The Ideal Flute Tone" for the January/February edition of The Instrumentalist. He is listed in Music and Dance in the Central States and My Complete Story of the Flute by Leonardo De Lorenzo.
Works Works compiled and edited by Robert Cavally published through Southern Music Company, San Antonio TX:The Flute Forum
Methods and studies Famous Flute Studies and Duets Let's Play the Flute Melodious and Progressive Studies (Books 1-4) Andersen/Cavally - Op. 30 24 Instructive Studies Andersen/Cavally - Op. 37 26 Small Caprices for Flute Andersen/Cavally - Op 41 18 Studies Andersen/Cavally - Op. 60 24 Virtuosity Studies Andersen/Cavally - Op 63 24 etude Studies Fuhler/Cavally - 24 Artistic Studies Kohler/Cavally - Op. 33 Book 1 15 Easy Melodic Etudes Kohler/Cavally - Op. 33 Book 2 12 Moderately Difficult Studies Kohler/Cavally - Op. 33 Book 3 8 Difficult Studies Kohler/Cavally - Romantic Etudes Kohler/Cavally - 22 Studies in Expression and Facility Schade/Cavally - 12 Impromptu Etudes Schade/Cavally - 24 Caprices
Collections 15 Concert Pieces Romantic Music for Flute, Books 1 and 2 Van Leeuwen/Cavally - 7 Artistic Solos Handel/Cavally - 7 Sonatas Mozart/Cavally - Sonatas V-IX Six Brilliant Pieces Solos for the Debutante Flutist 24 Short Concert Pieces
Flute and piano arrangements Andersen - Scherzino Bach - Sonata in B Minor Bach - Sonata in A Minor Barth - Petite Suite Pittoresque Benoit - Symphonic Poem Bizet - Second Minuet (L'Arlesienne) Blodek - Concerto Delibes - Waltz of the Flowers Duvernoy - Concerto Gariboldi - Grand Fantasy on an Arabic Theme Gluck - Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits Godard - Allegretto Hofman - Concertstuck Hue - Serenade Jadassohn - Concert Piece Kronke - Second Suite Lax - Tarantelle Manigold - Concerto Perihou- Ballade Pessard - Andalouse Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumblebee Taffanel - Andante, Pastorale and Scherzettino Verhey - Concerto
Ensembles Andersen/Cavally - Allegro Militaire (2 flutes and piano) Grimm/Cavally - Salute to Quantz (4 flutes) Rebikoff/Cavally - The Musical Snuff Box (3 piccolos and 2 flutes) Schumann/Cavally - Twelve Selections from "Album for the Young" (7-10 flutes) Wagner/Cavally - Under the Double Eagle (3 flutes and alto flute) Flute Family Sketch (piccolo, flute and alto flute) Eight Madrigals for Seven Flutes
Sources The Flute Forum Autumn 1984 "Robert Cavally - Master Teacher" by Arthur Ephrass Director of Publications for Southern Music Company The Cavally Legacy August 1995 by Bootsie Mayfield (Flute Faculty at Gardner-Webb University North Carolina
References