John Herrick Littlefield ~ flautist
About John Herrick Littlefield
John Herrick Littlefield comes from a long line of story tellers and colorful personalities with ancestors ranging from Pilgrims of Plymouth (1620) to crusty sea captains and inn keepers. Growing up on the land grant estate (1763 from King George III) at the family inn which was opened in 1889 in a tiny hamlet (year round population of 4) he learned to sail on the coast of Maine. Stepping out of the conventions of his heritage he landed in New York City to pursue a passion for performing and expressing himself through music. He fell in with an illustrious collective of mentors and teachers steeped in old world musical traditions (names including Monteux, Blaisdell, Baker & Hillyer) and was fortunate to live through one of the “golden ages” of music when Rubenstein, Horowitz, Rampal, Stern, Copland and other now legendary musicians frequented the streets of New York City. They performed regularly at Carnegie Hall and during breaks in rehearsals often walked out the stage entrance crossing the street into the Joseph Patelson Music House where he worked as a clerk selling classical sheet music for his day job. He listened and learned from many of these larger than life personalities about music, performing and life on the road which simply reinforced his desire to pursue such a career. After a Carnegie Recital Hall debut at the age of 19, his own performing career really started by playing on weekends on the streets of New York City, his case open on the sidewalk for spare change. As a result of being in the right place at the right time and having a striking publicity photo with his musical partner guitarist Leonard Handler (see album cover above) in hand, a manager discovered them and performing opportunities with favorable reviews quickly evolved from smaller to larger concert venues in towns and cities throughout most of the United States. Later in other ensembles as well as in a duo with his wife, Karen Littlefield, he was invited to perform not only in the United States, but also in portions of the former Soviet Union and Europe. He founded The Herrick Quartet (flute, violin, viola & cello) in the early 1980s reviving and touring with a neglected repertoire by more than two hundred composers. After twenty years of fly and drive touring he moved to the suburbs and went underground, savoring a personal life sans travel, but teaching with only occasional appearances in New England as limited travel time would allow. These years, however, provided an opportunity to expand his library, explore repertoire and produce two CDs: French and Viennese Masterpieces for flute & piano (with Karen Littlefield playing piano) (Justin JRS2701CD) and Flute Quartets (flute, violin, viola & cello), Opus 145 by Ferdinand Ries, who was a contemporary and student of Beethoven, (Naxos 8.570330), both CDs stretching traditional flute repertoire in one way or another. Now, an empty nester at liberty to embark on a new chapter in his life, he finds himself returning to a few stages farther afield. When not teaching or performing, however, he can often be caught indulging in the passion of his roots, sailing on the Hudson River or somewhere in the midst of the myriad of islands on Penobscot Bay in Maine.
Allemande from Partita BWV 1013 for unaccomtpanied flute by J. S. Bach
John Herrick Littlefield, flute; recorded in 2018
