Robert Goble (2)

Robert Goble (30 October 1903, Thursley, Surrey — 14 October 1991) was a British maker of harpsichords, clavichords, spinets, and recorders, father of British-American writer and illustrator Paul Goble (1933—2017). In 1947, he established the "Robert Goble & Son" firm in Headington, Oxford, operated today by his grandsons. Goble grew up in Thursley, a small village in Surrey, South East England, and apprenticed with a renowned instrument maker, Arnold Dolmetsch (1858—1940), who moved to West Surrey in the fall of 1917, seeking refuge from London air bombings. Between 1924 and 1937, Robert Goble worked at the Dolmetsch workshop in Haslemere. In 1930, he married Elizabeth "Betty" Brown (1907—1981) from Liverpool, an aspiring violinist, one of the first recipients of the Arnold Dolmetsch Foundation grant established a few years earlier. Goble launched an independent woodworking shop in the late 1930s, making recorders and bespoke furniture. During the Second World War, Robert was involved in manufacturing torpedo motorboats and prototype radar apparatus at the local Admiralty branch in Haslemere. In 1947, Goble relocated to Headington in the eastern suburbs of Oxford, purchasing a large family house in Greatstones, Kiln Lane, where he launched the "Robert Goble & Son" workshop with his eldest son, Andrea Edward Goble (1931—2023). They continued making recorders for a few years before focusing exclusively on spinets, clavichords, and harpsichords. At the time, most harpsichordists demanded modernized, contemporary instruments with advanced features, like a 16' set of lower strings and pedal controls, and suitable for touring with minimal maintenance — unlike fragile and demanding antique builds. Robert Goble introduced his first concert model in 1952, endorsed by Millicent Silver and other notable musicians, and steadily grew the company, exporting instruments to the Netherlands, Australia, and the USA. By the early 1970s, the revivalist movement grew stronger among early music performers, calling for antique instruments and "period" replicas; thus, the demand for Goble harpsichords and other "modern" builds notably declined. In 1972, sixty-nine-year-old Robert retired after signing over 700 keyboard instruments and passed the business over to Andrea (who gradually adapted and transitioned the production towards Baroque models). Andrea E. Goble passed away in April 2023, bequeathing the family business to his sons.