Arnold Jacobs
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Arnold Jacobs (June 11, 1915 - October 7, 1998) was the principal tubist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1944 until his retirement in 1988.
Jacobs was considered one of the foremost brass pedagogues of his time and was considered an expert on breathing as it related to brasswind, woodwind, and vocal performance. While it is rumored that he had only one lung, he did in fact have both of his lungs. Due to childhood illness and adult onset asthma, his lung capacity was significantly impaired. He is best remembered for his playing philosophy which he referred to as "song and wind".
Some may also argue that Jacobs had an indelible impact on the design of modern piston valve tubas. While he did not design the York tuba he used for most of his career, it is one of the more copied large piston tubas. The Holton company was the first to make a reasonable copy of Jacob's large York, the model 345. Hirsbrunner was the next one to build a high quality replica of the York, the HB-50, often referred to as the Yorkbrunner. Meinl Weston, part of a large German musical instrument manufacturing company, built a replica of a replica, the 2165. The 2165 is based on the Holton 345 but with modern improvements. Walter Nirschl also builds a high quality reproduction of the York CC that is used by many professional orchestral tubists. The most recent company to build a replica of the York is Yamaha. The Yamaha is known for being an excellent instrument but is also the most expensive York replica retailing for about US $30,000. They are also in short supply as Yamaha only makes about 3-4 per year. The York style design is also used on smaller tubas such as the Meinl Weston 2155, essentially a smaller 2165 and the Besson 995, designed by Nirschl.
[edit] References
- Brian Frederiksen, Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind (Windsong Pr Ltd, January, 1997), 276 pp., ISBN 0-9652489-0-9.
- M. Dee Stewart, Arnold Jacobs: The Legacy of a Master (Instrumentalist Co, June, 1987), ISBN 0-318-37570-2.
- Bruce Nelson, "Also Sprach Arnold Jacobs: A Developmental Guide for Brass Wind Musicians", Polymnia Press 2006.
- Luis Loubriel, "Lasting Change for Trumpeters: The Pedagogical Approach of Arnold Jacobs", Scholar Publications 2006
