FRED BEGUN

BEGUN FRED BEGUN Fred Begun, was principal timpanist with the National Symphony Orchestra for 48 years until his retirement in 1999. He was 84 and died September 23 in Washington, DC. Fred was a world-class percussionist with a flair that set him apart. He didn't just bang the drums, he slid and swirled around them as he performed in such fashion that he might also have qualified as the symphony's unofficial principal dancer. A Brooklyn, N.Y. native, Fred came to Washington with his family in 1936 at age eight. Soon afterward, he got to know a couple of prominent jazz drummers and that was it for life: Fred Begun was a drummer. He played with bands in local DC night clubs as a teenager and went on to receive a master's degree in music from the Julliard School of Music. Fred never missed a beat: soon after graduation he successfully auditioned for the NSO's timpanist position. It was conducted anonymously behind screens such that those making judgment wouldn't have seen that he was barely more than a kid So he started out at the top and continued to rise. Fred was passionate, meticulous and gracious. He wore ascots. He wore tuxedoes so often and so easily they were as comfortable as painter's overalls (his father Israel Begun was a painting contractor.) Over the years, Fred played under the batons of (mostly last names, for the cognoscenti):Barbirolli, Dorati, Fiedler, Fruhbeck de Burgos, Gould, Leinsdorf, Mitchell, Reiner, Rostropovich, Slatkin, Steinberg, Stokowski, Stranvinski, Mazel and Leonard Bernstein. Fred gave four world permiere concerto performances for timpani with the NSO and authored the book "21 Etudes for Timpani," which is used in music conservatories worldwide. Earlier this year he was honored with the creation of the Fred Begun Percussion Suite at George Mason University, a rehearsal room that houses his music library, his scores and his writings. Fred is survived his daughters, Julie Begun of Bethesda and Rosalie Begun of Alexandria; brother Eugene Begun of Silver Spring and Fred's companion Jane Bonin of Washington DC. His marriage to Clair Berger Begun (mother of his daughters) ended with her death in 1990. Clair had been a high school friend whom he re-met several years later. He later married Marion Williams of Bethesda , who died in 1999. A funeral service will be held at Danzansky-Goldberg memorial chapel, 1170 Rockville Pike Rockville MD 20852 on September 27, 2012 at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, MD. Charitable donations can be made to the Fred Begun Percussion Suite. Charitable donations can be made to the Fred Begun Percussion Suite.