In Memoriam: Randal Charles Noyes (1950–2021)
The International Trumpet Guild mourns the passing of ITG Member Randal C. Noyes. Noyes acquired a life-long enthusiasm for the trumpet and a passion for music from participation in school bands in Fairview, Montana. After first attending the University of Montana at Missoula, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Music Education at Dickinson State University (North Dakota) in 1974.
Robert Metzger was influential in Randy’s formative years in Fairview. At the University of Montana, Butler Eitel instilled a strong work ethic necessary for mastery of the trumpet. It was Robert Plaehn at Dickinson State who really challenged Randy to develop his musicianship and play in a variety of idioms. He was also fortunate to spend one summer working in the kitchen at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan, where he benefitted from lessons taught by Leon Rapier who was principal trumpet of the Louisville Orchestra at the time.
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Randal C. Noyes
Shortly after graduation from Dickinson State U, Mr. Noyes landed a teaching position as director of instrumental music at the high school in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. He developed a successful music program and taught there for many years while living in nearby Sherwood Park and playing trumpet in the Edmonton Wind Sinfonia (a semi-professional/community ensemble including many music educators).
He maintained membership in the American Federation of Musicians and in the International Trumpet Guild even after a change of career. For over 25 years, Randy was self-employed as a technical writer helping companies train their employees, inform their customers, and document their projects.
As a result of his keen interest in music education and his experience in technical writing, Mr. Noyes authored an in-depth exploration of transposition by use of clefs: Noyes Notes … on Transposition – A Transposition Method for Wind Musicians (2009). It is written in a very conversational style with questions and answers such as:
“What do I need to know before I can use this guide?”
“Why should I want to learn how to transpose?”
It also includes 21 Quick Reference charts to show how to transpose any instrumental part for any other instrument in any key via clefs without rewriting the part. This method would also be useful for reading band scores, as well.
Alas, the trumpet community lost a valued friend and colleague when Randal C. Noyes died peacefully on May 22, 2021, after a short bout with metastatic melanoma that had spread to lung, liver and spine. His official obituary at https://edmontonjournal. remembering.ca/obituary/ randal-noyes-1082561146 indicates that his book on transposition will remain available posthumously at http://www.noyesnotes.com/
There was a second edition published in 2017.
There was a second edition published in 2017.
(Source: Alvin Lowrey, Principal Trumpet Emeritus, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra)