Léon Goossens

[1] Oboists of the past had tended to be divided between the French school (elegant but thin and reedy in tone) and the German (full and rounded but rather clumsy, with little or no vibrato), but Goossens brought together the best qualities of both styles.

[3] Goossens commissioned a number of works for the oboe from such distinguished composers as Sir Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Rutland Boughton and collaborated extensively with other prominent soloists such as Yehudi Menuhin.

[5] During WW2, when Londoners found shelter from German bombs in the Tube, in the underground, Goosens was a reliable entertainer.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1950 and made a Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 1962.

He married his second wife Lucie Leslie Burrowes in 1933 and there were three daughters: Benedicta, Jennie (an actress) and Corinne.