Vic Firth | |
|---|---|
 Vic Firth in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Everett Joseph Firth (1930-06-02)June 2, 1930 |
| Died | July 26, 2015(2015-07-26) (aged 85) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, business owner |
| Instrument(s) | Percussion instruments,drums,timpani |
| Years active | 1946–2015 |
| Website | VicFirth.com |
Everett Joseph "Vic"Firth[1] (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder ofVic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makespercussion sticks and mallets.[2] He was also known for his association with theBoston Symphony Orchestra.
Vic Firth was born June 2, 1930, inWinchester, Massachusetts.[3] He was raised inSanford, Maine by parents Everett E. and Rosemary Firth, where he graduated fromSanford High School.[4] Son of a successfultrumpet player, he started learning thecornet at age four, turning later topercussion,trombone,clarinet,piano, andmusic arrangement. When he reached high school, he was a full-time percussionist, and created an 18-piece band at age 16. He played a variety of percussion instruments such asvibraphone,timpani, and thedrum set. He held a Bachelor's degree, as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Music fromNew England Conservatory in Boston.
Firth was the principal timpanist of theBoston Symphony Orchestra from 1956 to 2002. He was the orchestra's youngest member when music directorCharles Munch hired him as a percussionist in 1952.[5]
Firth wrote several books in his career. He wroteThe Solo Timpanist in 1963,[6] followed byMarching Drums in 1964.[7] He wrote for beginning snare drum with hisSnare Drum Method Book I - Elementary[8] andSnare Drum Method Book II - Intermediate,[9] published in 1967 and 1968. These books combined the concepts of orchestral snare drum technique with 30Drum rudiments. He published the more advanced bookThe Solo Snare Drummer in 1968.[10]
Firth died at the age of 85 on July 26, 2015, at his home inBoston, Massachusetts.[11]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturer ofpercussion sticks and mallets,salt and pepper mills, androlling pins |
| Founded | 1963; 62 years ago (1963) |
Number of locations |
|
Key people | Vic Firth, founder |
| Website | VicFirth.com |
Founded in 1963 and headquartered inNorwell, Massachusetts, the company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drumsticks and mallets, which are made in their factories inNewport, Maine and Norwell.[12][13][14] In 2010, the company merged withAvedis Zildjian Company; officials said at the time that the companies would continue to run independently.[15]
The company began when Firth, who had been performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 12 years, was asked to perform pieces which he felt required a higher-quality drumstick than those that were currently being manufactured. Firth decided to design a set of his own sticks.[2]
Firth hand-whittled the first sticks himself from bulkier sticks and sent these prototypes to a wood turner inMontreal, Quebec, Canada. The two prototypes that he sent would become the SD1 and SD2, the first two models of sticks manufactured by Vic Firth, Inc. Firth said, "It came out of necessity, not of imagination or my ability to start a company." Although the sticks were initially intended for Firth's personal use, they gained popularity among his students and were eventually carried by retailers.
As of 2012, the company offered about 300 products, and made 12 million sticks a year.[2] The company also produced a line of pepper mills, salt grinders, and rolling pins sold under theVic Firth Gourmet brand for many years until those interests were sold to Maine Wood Concepts of New Vineyard, Maine in 2012 and re-branded under the nameFletchers' Mill.[16]
Percussion instrument companies | |
|---|---|
| Drums | |
| Cymbals | |
| Sticks | |
| Hardware | |
| Electronic drums | |
| Other instruments | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
