Reprints from the

to promote communications among trumpet players around the world and to improve the artistic level of performance, teaching,and literature associated with the trumpet

International Trumpet Guild Journal

The International Trumpet Guild (ITG) is the copyright owner of all data contained in this file. ITGgives the individual end-user the right to:

Download and retain an electronic copy of this file on a single workstation that you own

Transmit an unaltered copy of this file to any single individual end-user, so long as no fee, whetherdirect or indirect is charged

Print a single copy of pages of this file

Quote fair use passages of this file in not-for-profit research papers as long as the ITGJ, date, and pagenumber are cited as the source.

The International Trumpet Guild prohibits the following without prior written permission:

Duplication or distribution of this file, the data contained herein, or printed copies made from thisfile for profit or for a charge, whether direct or indirect

Transmission of this file or the data contained herein to more than one individual end-user

Distribution of this file or the data contained herein in any form to more than one end user (as inthe form of a chain letter)

Printing or distribution of more than a single copy of the pages of this file

Alteration of this file or the data contained herein

Placement of this file on any web site, server, or any other database or device that allows for theaccessing or copying of this file or the data contained herein by any third party, including such adevice intended to be used wholly within an institution.

http://www.trumpetguild.org

Please retain this cover sheet with printed document.

WILLIAM VACCHIANO (1912 2005): A TRIBUTETO HIS LIFE, CAREER, AND PEDAGOGICAL METHOD

BY BRIAN SHOOK

March 2006 Page 6

On Teaching

Vacchianos teaching career spanned an incredible sevendecades where he instructed at The Juilliard School (1935 2002), Manhattan School of Music (1937 1999), MannesCollege of Music (1937 1983), Queens College (1970 1973, 1991 1994), and Columbia Teachers College (datesunavailable). In addition to his tenure at these renowned musicschools, he instructed many stu-dents at his home in Flushing, NewYork, where he taught from 1935 2005. Vacchiano estimated he hadtaught well over 2,000 students pri-vately during those seven decades.

Vacchianos professional teachingand playing careers began simulta-neously when he joined the NewYork Philharmonic as third trum-pet at the age of 23. Due to thedeclining health of his formerteacher, Max Schlossberg, Vacchi-ano was appointed to the faculty ofJuilliard where he subsequentlytaught some of his peers from theprevious year. One of those stu-dents was Jimmy Smith, who laterbecame fourth trumpet in the Phil-harmonic.

The teaching style Vacchianoemployed during his long careerwas strikingly similar to that ofMax Schlossberg, focusing primari-ly on orchestral style, transposition,and the rudiments of playing the

trumpet. Weekly lessons were composed of studies from threemain method books: Arbans Complete Conservatory Method forTrumpet, Saint-Jacomes Grand Method for Trumpet or Cornet,and Sachses 100 Studies for Trumpet. In addition to thesematerials, Vacchiano would frequently compose exercisesspecifically addressing the students particular weaknesses. Heeventually compiled these drills into his own various etudebooks.

Vacchianos general ap-proach to teaching was verysimple: build the strongestand most complete founda-tion possible to prepare thestudent for any and every sit-uation. This was accomplish-ed by drilling the student onthe bas ics of arpeggios ,scales, transposition, articu-lation, and style. MalcolmMcNab, Los Angeles studiomusician, commented, Ifyou practiced everything heassigned you, you would bean incredible technician!

A typical first lesson withVacchiano was very muchthe same for everyone. It didnot matter if you were a pro-fessional or an amateur; hepu t a l l o f h i s s tuden t sthrough their paces to exposetheir strengths and weakness-es. Initially, he would checkthe students quality of tone

WILLIAM VACCHIANO (1912 2005):A TRIBUTE TO HIS LIFE, CAREER, AND

PEDAGOGICAL METHODBY BRIAN SHOOK

W illiam Vacchiano, the former principal trumpetof the New York Philharmonic, passed away onMonday, September 19, 2005. Mr. Vacchianohad an extensive career as an orchestral musician and was oneof the most sought after pedagogues of the 20th century.Vacchiano joined the Philharmonic as third trumpet in 1935and was later appointed principal by Bruno Walter in 1942;he held that position continuously until 1973. The incredi-ble thirty-eight years Vacchiano spent with the Philharmonicwere undoubtedly its most formative years, with music direc-tors such as Sir John Barbirolli, Leonard Bernstein, PierreBoulez, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Leopold Stokowski, ArturoToscanini, and Bruno Walter. At the time of his retirement,

he had maintained the longest tenure of any principal trum-pet player in America.

When Vacchiano came to New York City in 1930, heintended to go to college to begin a career as a CPA. As hewould say in retrospect during an interview with the author,Beginning in the early days of my childhood, and continu-ing through my years as principal trumpet with the Phil-harmonic, my entire career happened by accident. I wasextremely lucky.1 In reality, his life and career were not acci-dents, but the result of his love for people and music. Hisimpassioned performing, teaching, and friendships will besincerely missed and will certainly live on in the lives ofeveryone he touched.

6 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet GuildCollection of Lee Soper

2006 International Trumpet Guild March 2006 / ITG Journal 7

by having them play the simple exercises on page 40 in theArban. After assessing the tone, he would go over to page 73to check the low register (G major scales). Vacchiano wouldthen proceed to check lip flexibility on page 44. Beginning onpage 155, the students triple and double tongue would be test-ed. The chord studies on page 142 (and following) would beused to determine the understanding of chord structure andharmony. Scales and various articulation patterns were exam-ined both in Arban and Saint-Jacome. The interval studiesbeginning on page 125 of the Arban were used for ear trainingand flexibility.2 In addition toplaying these exercises at the sug-gested tempo, Vacchiano also ad-vised that these pages be practicedat an extremely slow tempo todevelop the proper orchestralweight and heaviness to the tone,with each note maintaining a con-sistent timbre in all registers. Fin-ally, the lesson was rounded outwith sight-reading and transposi-tion work from various etudebooks.

During the students initial les-son with Vacchiano, each one hada unique introduction into hispedagogy and personality, oftentimes mixed with both humor andseriousness. Albert Ligotti, Profes-sor Emeritus of Trumpet at the University of Georgia, recallshow poignant Vacchiano could be while making a specificpoint: For my first lesson I had prepared two etudes the bestI could, one from Arban and one from Saint-Jacome. Afterplaying about the first three-quarters of the Arban etude, hestopped me. I will never forget what happened next: hereached into his pocket and took out a nickel (in those days, itonly cost a nickel to ride the subway). He flipped it into the airand it landed on the music stand. He said, You see that nick-el? With that nickel and the way you play, you could ride thesubway! You are playing all these little notes and they do notmean anything. Play a C major scale in quarter-notes in oneoctave from low C to middle C at 72 bpm? I played them andhe responded, You played eight notes up and eight notesdown. What did you accomplish? Every note leads to anothernote, then to a third note, and suddenly you are playing music.There is music in everything you do. Any time the mouthpiecegoes to your lips, you must play music. From that point on, itwas like somebody turned on the lights to the world.

Lee Soper, a New York freelance artist, chuckled when heremembered his first lesson: The first time I met Bill myknees were shaking. I was straight out of the West Point Bandand very happy to be a civilian again. I walked in wearingmulti-colored bell-bottom pants with vertical stripes. Helooked at me and said, Hey Soper, did you forget to take yourpajama bottoms off? That was my first lesson. It was that kindof humor that broke the ice and made you feel calm andrelaxed.

The overall concept of sound and weight was of paramountimportance to Vacchiano. He used to practice long tones forhours just to get the perfect sound. He said, Many studentscome to me not understanding the significance of the weight

of the sound. The trumpet must come through with a cleartone in a 100-piece orchestra. Tone is everything, technique issecondary.3

Mario Guarneri, formerly with the Los Angeles Philhar-monic, tells how Vacchiano taught the concept of weight andsound in his lessons: I was working hard trying to makeeverything sound perfect on the opening of Don Juan. Bill wasstanding by an open window looking down to the street whileI was playing. When I finished what I thought was a prettygood performance, he said, Guarneri, that was terrible, but

with a warm smile on his face.I was not surprised by that res-ponse since that was his usualevaluation of almost everythingI did in our lessons. What hesaid next has stayed with methrough my career, and is reallybasic to my music making andteaching. He said, I was look-ing down on the street whileyou were playing and not oneperson stopped and looked up.That was very instructionaland inspiring.

The weekly lesson consistedof studies from various methodbooks or orchestral excerpts.The entirety of each lesson wascomprised of simultaneous

sight-reading and transposition. A typical lesson would takethe following course: two or three etudes in Sachse (all in thehardest transposition possible), a few pages in both Arban andSaint-Jacome to work on fundamentals and technique, a widevariety of etudes, and a few orchestral excerpts (always in atleast three different transpositions). None of these exercises,etudes, or excerpts was ever played in the written key. Uponcompleting the sight-reading of an etude, Vacchiano wouldsay, Okay, work that up. Over the course of the followingweek, the student would zealously work up each etude thatwas sight-read in the lesson. Vacchiano, however, rarelyrequested to hear an etude from the previous week. He did thisto cover as much material as possible with each student. Hewas more interested in how well the student could play with-out preparation, instead of what could be accomplished afterhours of practice.

Many of Vacchianos students noted the fact that they neverplayed more than a few consecutive measures during a lessonbecause of the intense sight-reading and transposition require-ments. Vacchiano would incessantly stop them to demand cor-rect transposition, rhythm, and style. Consequently, Vacchi-ano very rarely heard the polished and rehearsed capabilities ofhis students. Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of the SeattleSymphony, reminisced about Vacchianos response after hear-ing his student recital at Juilliard: I remember when I wasstudying with Bill at Juilliard I still felt (after having studiedwith him already for three years) that he had never really heardme play. So I arranged a recital and I asked him if he wouldcome. He said he couldnt because he was too busy and he didnot like to go to recitals. I said I would arrange the recitalaround his schedule. I had to remind him of his promise toattend on several different occasions. Finally, it was the night

Vacchiano, Nat Prager, John Ware1950(photo courtesy of NYP Archives)

8 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet Guild

of the recital and the Philharmonic had a matinee, so he wasavailable. Of course, when I saw him there I was shocked andthrilled at the same time! Iplayed my recital, and when theconcert was over Vacchianocame backstage and he said tome, That was terrific! I had noidea you could play like that!

Even though the lessons werebased on sight-reading, Vacchi-ano had a progressively meth-odical and strategic plan foreach student. Mario Guarnericomments on his weekly lessonroutine: If he gave you page142 in Arban (major triads),then all week you would prac-tice viciously on them. The nextweek you would come in readyto play them from memory, andthen he would say, Lets readthe minors. So you would fallall over it and he would say,You dont know these very well,you had better learn them.What have you been practicingall week? So you would workeven harder on those, and thenthe next week we went on to theseventh chords. It was alwayscontinuous. My two years at Juilliard were certainly the mostintense period of practicing that I ever had in my life.

Malcolm McNab describes the atmosphere created by Vac-chiano during his weekly lessons: While you were turning toa certain page in Arban, Saint-Jacome, or Sachse, he would besolfging the etude in the key you were about to play in, as wellas the desired tempo. He was already putting pressure on youbefore you had even found the right page. Then he would say,Ok, you ready? D trumpet and change articulationslur two,tongue two. You had to concentrate on an extremely highlevel. He would put you on the spot and then youd fall onyour butt. The idea was that you would be so embarrassed thatyoud go home and practice so it wouldnot happen again.

The purpose of this type of instructionwas not to be intimidating, but rather tocreate a professional environment for thestudent, allowing them to perform underpressure in the professional world.Thomas Stevens, former principal trum-pet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic,attributes his success in overcoming thesetypes of pressures to his studies with Vacchiano: After endur-ing the rigors of Vacchiano lessons, situations like studiorecordings or concerts with no rehearsals were never problem-atic for me. I have always believed this was why he taught inthe manner he did, one which simulated the actual pressuresand requirements of the professional music business. More-over, he always concentrated on what I could not do. If I wereto come in and play something very well, he would stop meand move on to something else. He once remarked he did not

want to hear a recital; he was there to help me with my liabil-ities rather than my assets.

Vacchiano also had a veryspecific ability to critique a stu-dents playing and immediatelyfind their weaknesses. He un-derstood how each weakness,no matter how small, could po-tentially evolve into a fatal flawthat would inhibit the studentsprogress. He enjoyed the chal-lenge of each individual per-sonality regardless of howheadstrong they were, andwould not relent until theproblem was fixed. Ronald An-derson, former principal trum-pet of the New York City Bal-let, expressed his appreciationfor Vacchianos relentless cri-tique: The cleanliness hehounded out of me during mylessons allowed me to play bothaccurately and passionately.Had he not ironed out myweakness, I would not havebeen able to do all the things Ihave done.

On Transposition

One of the first things that come to mind when former stu-dents reminisce about their lessons with Vacchiano is how thetwo words Vacchiano and transposition are almost synony-mous. Before Vacchiano ever picked up the trumpet, he tooksolfge lessons with Seor DiNobile for an entire year while ingrade school. This early training, along with piano lessons,developed his ear and ability to sight-sing, both of whichassisted him greatly in the skill of transposition.

There are many types of exercises for technique and facilityon the trumpet, but the best exercise for ear training is trans-position. The purpose of transposition is to address the stu-dents overall musicianship by developing the mind and ear. A

note is usually cracked whenthe student does not hear thenote prior to it being sounded.If the player attempts to play aG#, an F# or an A# may comeout instead. Consistent practiceof transposition will greatlyreduce the chances of crackingor splitting notes.4

Vacchiano said on manyoccasions, Nothing will develop a musician better than trans-position. Those players who cannot transpose are merelybuglers; those who can are musicians. If you can play theSachse book in every key, you can play anywhere.5 MannyLaureano, principal trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra, rem-inisced about his studies with Vacchiano on transposition:The study of transposition was another constant; and Godbless him, he always had us do them on the B-flat trumpet.You pulled out your Sachse book and the B-flat at the same

Those players who cannot trans-pose are merely buglers; those whocan are musicians. If you can playthe Sachse book in every key, youcan play anywhere. W. Vacchiano

Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives

2006 International Trumpet Guild March 2006 / ITG Journal 9

time. During one of Jeffrey Silberschlags lessons, Vacchianotold him, When you stop practicing the Sachse book, youhave stopped practicing!

In his teaching, Vacchiano taught three main ways of trans-position: clefs, intervals, and numbers. He tended to favor clefsin lessons, but he did not require the student to use thismethod; he merely wanted them to understand the variousways to transpose. In his playing he primarily used clefs, but healso visualized everything on the piano.

While teaching orchestral excerpts in lessons, Vacchianoinsisted that each passage be played in at least three differentkeys and on three different trumpets. The purpose and endresult enabled the student to play whichever trumpet made theconcert or recording ses-sion easiest. His conten-tion was that if you walkedinto any gig with B-flat, D,and p icco lo t rumpets(with both A and B-flatslides), you would be pre-pared to play anything inany transposition. Laure-ano recalled the impor-tance of Vacchianos relent-less study of transposition:During my first concertas principal trumpet withthe Seattle Symphony, wehad to play two very heavyprograms back-to-back atan outdoor season opener.Of course, the last piece weplayed was the final move-ment of TchaikovskysSymphony No. 4. The firsttime through was fine, butby the second time I wasthinking, Im starting to feel a little heat! So I reached downand picked up my D trumpet and read the entire last move-ment in that transposition, even though I had never played itbefore on the D trumpet. All of these transpositions were freshin my mind and it was exactly what Vacchiano had trained usfor.

Vacchiano also used the study of transposition to developrange and endurance. He advocated taking excerpts, like Wag-ners Parsifal Prelude to Act III, and playing them in the low-est possible transposition, gradually moving up in half-stepincrements until the pupil reached the original key. By practic-ing in this manner, the student also learned the intonation ten-dencies of the trumpet in each key.

The Rules of Orchestral Performance6

In the context of sight-reading and transposition, Vacchianotaught many rules of orchestral performance. Vacchianoabsorbed these rules from his lessons with Schlossberg as wellas from his exposure to all of the great conductors who camethrough New York. Vacchiano performed under all of them somany times that he knew how to play every major trumpetsolo to their individual taste.

These rules were taught as a starting point for interpretingorchestral music, rather than hard-and-fast rules. Vacchiano

made it very clear that Mozart was played differently fromWagner, and that Strauss was played differently from Bruck-ner. The Italian style is vastly different from the French style,which is different from the German style. The rules addressedhow to play each style appropriately in terms of rhythm, artic-ulation, sound, and dynamics. Vacchiano taught the rules in ageneral sense rather than as individual rules pertaining to spe-cific compositions. This instruction enabled the student to col-lect the necessary tools to perform even if they were not famil-iar with a particular composition. The rules, if applied andstudied correctly, would be sufficient to govern the appropri-ate style of virtually every composition.

To emphasize how fundamental these rules are to orchestralperformance, Jeffrey Sil-berschlag relates the fol-lowing story: On myfirst day as principal ofthe It a l i an Nat iona lSymphony, I was con-sciously playing with theVacchiano orchestralrules in mind when thesecond trumpet playerleaned over to the Frenchhorn player and said inItalian, Everything isgoing to be fine, this guyknows the rules. I wascompletely across theAtlantic Ocean and therules still applied eventhough I could barelyspeak Italian.

Stephen Chenet te ,Professor Emeritus at theUniversity of Toronto,made the following ob-

servation about Vacchianos conception of sound and style:Vacchiano not only had an incredible ear for transpositionand solfge, but also for subtle nuances of sound. In the les-sons, while various experimentations of mouthpieces andtrumpets occurred, he would intently listen for the timbre andsound that would be most desirable in an orchestra. Theabsolute best thing about his teaching was his ear. He could lis-ten to you play on a number of different mouthpieces andtrumpets and he could say which one was better and why. Ihave never heard such a beautiful trumpet sound from anyone.Also, if you played a passage in two different styles, he couldtell you which way was preferable. His lessons educated yourear, so that after a while you could recognize the proper quali-ties of sound, style, and nuance. He pointed you in the rightdirection of your mental conception. No one could do this aswell as Vacchiano.

On the Mouthpiece7

As every one of his students will give testament to,Vacchiano possessed an uncanny knowledge of the inner work-ings of the mouthpiece. Moreover, he had the distinctive apti-tude to find the right mouthpiece for each student. He used tosay, If you have a problem with your feet, you change yourshoes. If you have a problem with your eyes, you get different

Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives(Promotional photo in support of the Red Cross)

10 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet Guild

glasses. Why should the lips be any different?8 He acquiredthis vast knowledge from many years of personal experience, aswell as critical analysis of each students embouchure and facialstructure.

Vacchiano would spend countless hours each week withVincent Bach and John (Peppy) Pettinato studying everyaspect of the mouthpiece by combining all possible variants.Vacchiano estimated that he had accumulated about 500mouthpieces over the years. This type of curiosity and experi-mentation made Vacchiano an authority on mouthpieces.

The first time Vacchi-ano became aware of theimportance of the mouth-piece is related in his fol-lowing story: One day Iwas wa lk ing on 57thStreet and I met GeorgeMager and I was prettydepressed about my play-ing. After I told him whatmouthpiece I had, he ex-plained why it was toosmall for me and thenproceeded to give me acopy of his mouthpiece.That night we were doingDon Juan and I kept kick-ing my second trumpet player and telling him, Dont double;dont double! I thought he was doubling with me because itwas so loud!9

In finding the right mouthpiece for each student, the firstelement of the mouthpiece Vacchiano would ascertain was rimdiameter. The common misconception is that a large rimdiameter will give you more tone. Vacchianos position wasthat the cup depth affects the tone more than the diameter:You cannot get as much sand in a one pound bag as you canin a two pound bagthe same is true with the mouthpiece. Ifyou want more sand (i.e., toneand volume), you must increasethe size of the bag (i.e., cup)rather than the mouth of thebag (i.e., rim diameter).10

The most important aspectof the mouthpiece, in terms ofcomfort, is the rim. It is essen-tial to find a rim that is com-fortable and then match it withother aspects of the mouth-piece. You can use dozens ofdifferent cups with impunity ifyou keep the same rim. In spiteof the stories of how manytimes I changed mouthpieces, Ialways kept the same rim. I wasnot out to be a hero.11

Albert Ligotti, who playedextra with the Philharmonic for eleven years, confirmedVacchianos claim: For the Friday and Sunday afternoon con-certs, Bill wore a vest that had three pockets on each side. Iwould watch him as he stocked each pocket with a differentmouthpiece so he could easily switch mouthpieces during the

concert. He could swap mouthpieces in the middle of a soloand you would never know. He always had one main mouth-piece as home base, all the others he switched to were very sim-ilar; there were no major changes that would throw hisembouchure off.

The cup is the most important factor of the mouthpiece indetermining the overall sound and attack. It also has a pro-found affect on range and intonation. When a comfortable rimis attained, the student can change the depth and shape of thecup for various styles of music without detriment to the

embouchure.The cup depth can also affect articula-

tion in the lower register. A shallowercup will offer more resistance and con-trol of intonation in the lower register,while a deeper cup has less resistance andtends to go flat in pitch. The generalprinciple is that low notes have lessresistance than high notes, and a shallowcup has more resistance than a deep cup.If a deep cup (with little resistance) isused to play a low passage (also with lit-tle resistance), then the result will be oneof tubbiness and troublesome intona-tion. The opposite is also true: if a cupthat is too shallow (with significantresistance) is used to play in the upper

register (also with much resistance), then the tone will soundpinched and the pitch will go sharp. Vacchiano observed,When I played something in the lower register, I usuallyresorted to a shallower mouthpiece to gain greater control overthose notes.12

Louis Ranger, professor of trumpet at University of Victoriain British Columbia, explains how Vacchiano would use anarray of mouthpieces to develop the students concept ofsound: He would use mouthpieces in a therapeutic manner.If he decided your attack was too heavy, he would say, Okay,

play this 7D for a weekwith the idea that yourattack would be magnifiedso you would have toattack lighter. If he wantedyou to play brighter hewould say, You had betterplay this 1A for a week soyou would have to worklike mad to get any kind ofbrightness at all.

The information andknowledge Vacchiano pos-sessed of mouthpieces,music, and trumpet equip-ment was unfathomable.More importantly, Vacch-iano allocated his passionand zest for both music

and people to everyone who came in contact with him. Hemade individuals feel as if they were the most important per-son in the world while talking with him. Virtually every stu-dent, colleague, friend, and family member never recalledhearing the same story twice.

Vacchiano backstage at the Philharmonic(photo courtesy of Phyllis Stork)

Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic Archives

2006 International Trumpet Guild March 2006 / ITG Journal 11

Comments on the Musician and the Music

When I first joined the orchestra, the principal brass playerswere Vacchiano, Gordon Pulis (trombone), and James Cham-bers (horn). Everything theydidintonation, rhythm, ar-ticulation, timbre, and dynam-icswas right where it neededto be all the time; there wasnever any question. Bernsteinused to say, This is a push-but-ton brass section. All you haveto do is push the button and they play it the way you want.(Ranier De Intinis, Horn, New York Philharmonic, Retired)

I saw a concert once of the Philharmonic in which theyplayed Petrouchka. When they got to the Ballerinas Dance,Bill played the articulated sections, and Nat Prager (secondtrumpet) played the slurred parts; they traded off through thewhole solo. I sat there staring from the balcony of CarnegieHall with my mouth wideopen. I could not believe whatI was seeing and hearing be-cause it sounded like one guy. Ihad also seen Bill play Pet-rouchka on other occasionswhen he played the wholething like it was no sweat. They did things like that all thetime; it was just part of the job. (Frank Kaderabek, PrincipalTrumpet, Philadelphia Orchestra, Retired)

I will always remember Vacchianostone. It wasnt dark; it was bright,shiny, and coppery. It matched per-fectly with James Chambers on horn;it had a core. The primary thing Itook from Vacchiano was his conceptof tone. I have always tried to soundlike that. (Chandler Goetting, SoloTrumpet, Bavarian Radio Orchestra,Retired)

Vacchiano had an extremely haunt-ing sound that was full of a many col-ors. He could really float a note outwith no sense of power or energyitwould just be there. It was a very dis-tinctive and very beautiful musicalsound. He learned to play with a cer-tain lightness of approach eventhough he was an orchestral player.His sound was his most unique quali-ty. Just listen to the Mahler recordingswith Bruno Walterthe solos arehaunting and his interpretations areimmaculately impeccable. (FrankHosticka, New York Freelance Artist)

I had the pleasure one time of playing with Vacchiano onstage. The West Point Band played a concert where we satbehind the orchestra and we played the Berlioz Symphony Fun-eral and Triumphant. When the march begins, the band joinsthe orchestra. William Steinberg was conducting and we wereall sitting there in our band uniforms. We could only see theheads of the brass section that were several rows in front of us.Vacchiano was laying out on one of the tutti parts in the march

where the band and orchestra were play-ing together. I will always remember thatthe instant he brought his horn up andstarted to play, the volume of sound inthe hall doubled! He was the only onewho had not been playing! (MalcolmMcNab, Los Angeles Freelance Artist)

One wonderful experience I had wasthe first time I ever heard Vacchiano play live; he playedCoplands Quiet City, and he played it on his D trumpet. Hislyrical playing was outstanding; he made it sound like thetrumpet had no valves. He had this incredibly liquid sound. Iasked him in my next lesson, How did you do that? He kindof smiled and said, Does Macys tell Gimbels? He never didtell me. (Adel Sanchez, Assistant Principal Trumpet, National

Symphony Orchestra)I distinctly remember hearing a concert

where the Philharmonic was playing theSaint-Sans Symphony in B-Flat, whichhas a lot of lyrical passages for trumpet.The solos he played were so passionateand beautiful that it brought tears to my

eyes. (Mike Hipps, Minnesota Orchestra, Retired)

There is a very important recording of Bill in his prime play-ing Bergs Wozzeck with Mitropoulos conducting. Bill sound-

ed absolutely magnificent on thatrecord. This was also at a time whenmost orchestral players would havelooked at that music as somethingfrom outer space. All of thoseimpossible licks are clean and bril-liant; despite their treacherous char-acter, it was quite miraculous. It wasa real lesson in how to play litera-ture many people considered off thebeaten path, but play it beautifully.(Louis Ranger, Professor of Trum-pet, University of Victoria, BritishColumbia)

One remarkable experience that Iremember was when Mr. Vacchianoinvited me to come to a Mondaynight CBS recording session whenhe was soloist in the ShostakovichPiano Concerto, Opus 35 with thePhilharmonic. Bernstein was con-ducting while Andr Previn was thepiano soloist. Mr. Vacchiano wasunbelievably fine, even after record-ing Nielsen Symphony No. 5 all

I will always remember that theinstant he brought his horn up andstarted to play, the volume of soundin the hall doubled! M. McNab

The solos he played were so pas-sionate and beautiful that it broughttears to my eyes. M. Hipps

Vacchiano with Ray Mase at Juilliard during his85th Birthday partynotice the mouthpiece in his

right hand! (photo 1997 Peter Schaaf)

The following quotations are excerpts from interviewsconducted by the author in which those who knewVacchiano best described him in their own words.

12 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet Guild

afternoon. His powerful endurance did not wane after playingfor over six hours while he continued to spin that beautifulVacchiano sound through the cadenza in the Shostakovich firstmovement. The recording is still around and the ending isspectacular. (Fred Mills, Canadian Brass, Retired; Professor ofTrumpet, University of Georgia)

Vacchiano impacted the brass commu-nity by establishing a sound and style ofplaying that has brought us to where weare today. His playing style was alwayswith a big and very lyrical bravura sound.You always knew when Vacchiano wasplaying. Regarding his pedagogy, he was apioneer and a student of the instrument.He was always asking himself, How canI do this better? (Irwin Katz, President,Helicon Records)

Personality and Character

About twenty-five years ago, I met Bill for lunch in NewYork when I was playing there with the Minnesota Orchestra.As we were saying goodbye, I said, Ill try to call you moreoften. He said, Thats okay. Just think about me sometimes.I said, I dont think I have picked up my trumpet once in thelast 15 years without thinking of you. That is still as true to-day as it was then! (CharlesSchlueter, Principal Trumpet,Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Bills ego did not require anykind of feeding. He was a verygenerous man who did notneed to have his apple pol-ished. In other words, he blew his trumpet, but he never blewhis own horn. He only had kind things to say about otherprincipal trumpet players in America. He was a soft, gentleman as a human being and when he played first trumpet hewas a monster. (Carmine Fornarotto, Second Trumpet, NewYork Philharmonic, Retired)

Bills personality and demeanor never changed: he was thesame in the orchestra as he was walking down the street. Hewas just a down-to-earth,friendly person who neversaid a negative word aboutanybody in rehearsal ornever told any of us whatto do. He was always verycalm; I never saw his tem-per get involved in a les-son, concert, or rehearsal.In my 40 years with thePhilharmonic I never sawhim raise his voice to any-one. (John Ware, Co-Prin-cipal, New York Philhar-monic, Retired)

The name WilliamVacchiano means: excel-lence set in the tradition

of the master composers; perfection in the art of transposition;exactness of rhythm and preciseness of the tongue; uniquenessof a tone that soars above the orchestra while remaining in finetaste by paying careful attention to style; and that being a char-acter is okay as long as you are always a professional and a gen-tleman. At one point, I had to be out of school for a while andI missed a lot of lessons. Vacchiano insisted that I make up the

lessons during the summer at hishome. He was extremely dedicated.To me the man is like the LincolnMemorial, and for him to say, I oweyou two lessons, you need to come tomy house for those lessons, wasamazing. I will mostly remember hisstyle, sound, depth of musical know-ledge, and the understanding he hadof himself and the purpose of why he

was here. He has shared that with so many people. (BobKaron, Los Angeles Freelance Artist)

The thing I get the most choked up about is how Vacchianowas always an inspiration and an encouragement, even decadesafter his retirement. As I go on in my musical career, I want tobe as willing as he was to hand the baton off and be able to doeverything I can to lift that person up and say, Go on, you cando it. We are given that moment to be the best we can, and

then to encourage others to carry it on and runwith it. Bill Vacchiano has done just that. He andJulius Baker were both like that to me. They weregiants of their time and to hear them come to youand say, You can do this, was tremendous.(Philip Smith, Principal Trumpet, New YorkPhilharmonic)

I collect Civil War cornets and consequently am familiarwith their history and value. One day, when visiting our house,Bill showed me a cornet that he was going to sell and inquiredas to what price he should ask. I replied, Well, Bill, if it is yourcornet it is worth more than the going price. He would nothear of that, so we had to totally ignore the fact that his nameand fame would add value to the instrument. That is the kindof humility that he was known for. He never took advantage of

the fact that he was a liv-ing legend among trumpetplayers. (Lee Soper, NewYork Freelance Artist)

Guys like Bill broughtto the music business acertain dignity. They car-ried themselves in a specialway; there was a c lassabout them. That, alongwith everything else hetaught, rubbed off on you,too. You not only wantedto play as well as he did,but you wanted to be likehim as a person. (JosephWilder, New York Free-lance Artist)

We are given that moment tobe the best we can, and then toencourage others to carry it onand run with it. Bill Vacchianohas done just that. P. Smith

He was a soft, gentle man asa human being and when heplayed first trumpet he was amonster. C. Fornarotto

L R: Joseph Polisi (President of The Juilliard School), Vacchiano, andRonald Romm at Vacchianos 90th birthday party at Juilliard

(photo 2002 Peter Schaaf)

2006 International Trumpet Guild March 2006 / ITG Journal 13

A few years ago Vacchiano played third trumpet in a sum-mer municipal band near his home. The trumpet section wasseated on a riser and a step had to be made for Mr. Vacchianoso he could safely get to his seat. Apparently he was embar-rassed to use an extra step thatnone of the other trumpetplayers needed. To remedythis, he had a box made thesame height as the riser andpracticed all winter getting upon the box. The followingsummer he very proudly re-moved the extra step. I guess38 years with the New YorkPhilharmonic gave him con-siderable gumption! (LaurieFrink, Manhattan School ofMusic, New York FreelanceArtist)

Bill joined my family onesummer for a vacation at theGettysburg National Park, the site of an epic Civil War battle.He was thoroughly captivated with the stories of this mo-mentous historical event and he was filled with great excite-ment and curiosity during the entire tour of the battlefield. Billwas especially intrigued with the museum display of brass ins-truments of the civil war era. His knowledge of these unusual-ly-shaped cornets and saxhorns, mostly pitched in E-flat, wastruly amazing. As rudimentary instruments, he was aware oftheir intonation tendencies, lack of water keys, and the diffi-culty of playing period mouthpiecesthat resembled those used for themodern French horn. During his im-promptu commentary, I believe Billwas very much amused by the num-ber of visitors at the exhibit whopaused to hear him with the beliefthat he was our guide! (Philip VarrialeM.D. FACC, Chief Emeritus of Car-diology, Cabrini Medical Center ofNew York)

I knew Bill as most people did: as avery fine gentleman and a talentedmusician. Our professional playingcareers never crossed paths, but Iwould indeed consider him a socialcolleague. He was one of the stalwartsof the legitimate music scene in NewYork City and everyone admired what he did. If someone saidto me, Tell me something negative about Bill, I would say,There is no such thing in my mind. (Raymond Crisara, NewYork Freelance Artist; Professor of Trumpet, University ofTexas at Austin, Retired)

I first heard Vacchiano play with the Philharmonic when Iwas just a kid, and the first thing that comes to mind is hissound; he had a huge, beautiful, warm, trumpet sound. Nomatter what he played, it was always songlike and never bru-tal. I loved to hear him sing excerpts of classical music. He was

very precise and you knew exactly how he heard the music inhis head. As I got to know him while serving on the faculty atJuilliard, I loved to hear him tell stories of the old days. He wasalways a sweet man and very easy going. (Mark Gould,

Principal Trumpet, MetropolitanOpera Orchestra, Retired; Profes-sor of Trumpet, The JuilliardSchool)

For years, I heard people com-ment on Bills vivid memory. Inever gave it much thought untilone day about ten years ago whenI witnessed it firsthand. I wasplaying a concert on Long Islandand Bill was in the audience. Afterthe concert, an elderly man ap-proached me and struck up a con-versation mentioning that he hadstudied trumpet many years agoat the old High School of the Per-forming Arts in the City. I asked

if he remembered who his teacher had been. He laughed andsaid he didntthat it had been almost sixty years ago. I askedif it might have been Bill Vacchiano, and he replied that yes,that was his teachers name, but he hadnt seen him since. Ibrought him across the room to meet Billthe teacher he had-nt seen since high school. He introduced himself and not onlydid Bill remember him, but also he recalled they had often hadlessons in Queens where this students father owned a restau-rant. Bill remembered a sunny afternoon at the restaurant

where the two of them had lunch,what they had eaten, and how theywatched the traffic go by on QueensBoulevard from their table. Withhis lower jaw hanging, Bills studentnodded in agreement as Bill incred-ibly recounted the details of theirday together from over a half-centu-ry ago! (Raymond Mase, AmericanBrass Quintet; Chair of Brass, TheJuilliard School)

Funny Lesson Stories

All of his students tried a vastnumber of mouthpieces. One of hisstudents came back after monthsand months of trying at least threedozen mouthpieces and played oneof them for him. Bill looked at him

and said, Thats it; see how good you sound on that one! Youfinally found the mouthpiece for you! The kid was happy, butthen he said, Mr. Vacchiano, what am I going to do with allthe old mouthpieces? Bill replied one second later, Well, usethem as sinkers when you go fishing! (Carmine Fornarotto,Second Trumpet, New York Philharmonic, Retired)

During one of my lessons, I happened to bring a banana inand began to snack on it when the lesson ended. He turned tome and said, Hey, that looks great. And I said, Here, trysome. It was so ripe and so perfect that he said, This is oneof the best bananas Ive ever had! At the time I lived at home,

Vacchiano with the Polisi family after receiving hishonorary doctorate (photo 2003 Peter Schaaf)

Vacchiano and Julius Baker congratulating eachother on receiving their honorary doctoratesfrom Juilliard (photo 2003 Peter Schaaf)

14 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet Guild

so I told my mother what had happened and she began to packa banana for him every Monday. One day he actually took thebanana out and sliced it up and put it on a peanut butter sand-wich he had brought with him just for that occasion! (MannyLaureano, Principal Trumpet, Minnesota Orchestra)

Tributes

Your teacher, when you have left him or her, is truly respon-sible for nearly 100% of what you are artistically. Thatamountcall it Xnever changes. You cannot turn it aroundand say you are more responsible. But, as that amount neverchanges, the amount you add begins to grow as you make yourcareer. You should always acknowledge that amount in thebeginning which belongs to your teacher. It is to Vacchianothat I give everything. (Ronald Anderson, Principal Trumpet,New York City Ballet, Retired; Professor of Trumpet, Benning-ton College)

He turned me from a second player into a first player. Thatwas the most concentrated amount of progress that I evermade. Without Vacchiano, I never would have become a prin-cipal trumpet player. (Stephen Chenette, Former Principal,Minnesota Orchestra; Professor Emeritus, University of Tor-onto)

Mr. Vacchianos humility and honesty would obscure thefact that he was the most influential orchestral trumpet playerever. Just like his small wood paneled basement studio inQueens, nothing about him was pretentious. His voice, hissmile, and his sound all were honest, beautiful, and full ofhumanity. When I think about all the people he taught, I feelfortunate to have studied with him, and I am thankful for thewisdom and knowledge he imparted to me. (David Krauss,Principal Trumpet, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)

The four years I spent in Mr. Vacchianos studio shaped thenext 40+ years of my professional life. In the early years insymphony orchestras, I was playing every piece of repertoirefor the first time. If I had any doubts or questions about howto interpret a piece of music, I would first follow the rulesgoverning style, rhythm, and articulation. Then if I still did-nt get it, I would try to imagine how Vacchiano would soundplaying it. The longer I played professionally, the more I appre-ciated what I had learned in what seemed like an agonizingforty-five minutes a week. (Charles Schlueter, Principal Trum-pet, Boston Symphony Orchestra)

I have known him over many years and in many differentcapacities. I knew him as my idol, then as my teacher, then asa colleague at Juilliard, and finally as a close friend. The thingabout Vacchiano was that he had a tremendous personality asa player. You heard him play three notes and everybody knewwho it was. It was an incredible sound with great personality.I loved the man and just adored him. Lessons were terrific andwe had fun together. (Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony,Music Director)

After my student days, as a fellow professional, I foundVacchiano to be an affable, warm, and outgoing person who

was always a joy to be around; nothing even remotely like histeaching style. He once asked one of my fellow students, Doyou guys ever think of me anymore? Was he kidding? For mypart, there was hardly a working day when I didnt think abouthim and something he taught me. This is in no way an exag-geration. (Thomas Stevens, Principal Trumpet, Los AngelesPhilharmonic, Retired)

I think people who studied with Bill found him to be a verydemanding teacher. He would accept only the very best fromyou, regardless of your level of playing. If you werent giving ityour best, then he would be upset with you. He just felt thatif you had talent and you were wasting it, that it was a sin. Hewas very serious about playing the trumpet and about music.Because of that, I looked forward to each lesson with greatanticipation. I couldnt wait for the next week to get in thereand play for him again. (Lee Soper, New York freelance artist)

The Influence of William Vacchiano (1912 2005)

The following is a partial list of former students who studiedwith Vacchiano and what positions they hold/held. This list is notcomprehensivethe estimated total number of students taught byVacchiano exceeds 2,000.New York Philharmonic

Morris Boltuchformer fourth trumpetCarmine Fornarottoformer second trumpetPhilip Smithcurrent principalJames Smithformer fourth trumpetJohn Wareformer co-principal

Metropolitan Opera OrchestraJoseph Alessi, Sr.former second trumpetMel Broilesformer principalFrank Hostickaassociate musicianDavid Krausscurrent principalJames Pandolfiformer third trumpet

Various OrchestrasStephen ChenetteMinnesota Orchestra, former principalPhilip CollinsCincinnati Symphony, current principalArmando GhitallaBoston Symphony Orchestra, former

principalRichard GiangiulioDallas Symphony Orchestra, former

principalChandler GoettingSymphony Orchestra of the Bavarian

Radio, former principalDon GreenLos Angeles Philharmonic, current principalMike HippsMinnesota Orchestra, retiredDavid KuehnBuffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, former

principalManny Laureano Minnesota Orchestra, current principalDouglas LindsayCincinnati Symphony Orchestra, cur-

rent associate principalAdel SanchezNational Symphony Orchestra, assistant

principalCharles SchlueterBoston Symphony Orchestra, current

principal

He would accept only the very best fromyou, regardless of your level of playing.L. Soper

His voice, his smile, and his sound allwere honest, beautiful, and full of human-ity. D. Krauss

2006 International Trumpet Guild March 2006 / ITG Journal 15

Thomas StevensLos Angeles Philharmonic, former princi-pal

NYC BalletRonald Andersonformer principal, currently teaching at

Bennington CollegeNeil Balmcurrent co-principal NYC BalletRobert HaleyNYC BalletTheodore WeisNYC Ballet and Opera, former principal

Studio/FreelanceNeil BalmNew York CityBob KaronLos AngelesMalcolm McNabLos AngelesAlan RubinNew York CityLee SoperNew York City

JazzDonald ByrdMercer EllingtonJonah JonesWynton MarsalisJoseph Wilder

Soloists/Chamber ArtistsStephen Burnssoloist and Artistic Director of Fulcrum

PointFred Millsformerly with Canadian Brass, currently at

University of GeorgiaRonald Rommformerly with Canadian Brass, currently at

University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignProfessors

David BaldwinUniversity of MinnesotaEdward CarrollCalifornia Institute of the ArtsMario Guarneriformerly with LA Philharmonic, current-

ly at San Francisco ConservatoryJames OlcottMiami University of OhioLouis RangerUniversity of Victoria, British ColumbiaJeffrey SilberschlagSt. Marys College of Maryland

ConductorsAlbert LigottiAthens Symphony, GeorgiaGerard SchwarzMusic Director, Seattle SymphonyGene YoungPeabody Institute

Honors/Awards/Accomplishments

Honorary Doctorate from Juilliard (2003)Earned Masters degree in Trumpet from Manhattan School of

Music (1955). In order to show his students how importantit was to have advanced degrees, he went back to school toearn his masters.

International Trumpet GuildAward of Merit, June 1984New York Brass Conference for Scholarships Recognition,

January 1978*Only trumpet player ever to win an audition for the

Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic inthe same day (1934)

Hired by Toscanini to join New York Philharmonic*At the time of his retirement in 1973, he was the longest con-

tinuous principal trumpet player in America (31 years)*67 years on the faculty at the Juilliard School of Music

(1935 2002)*62 years on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music

(1937 1999)*46 years on the faculty at the Mannes College of Music

(1937 1983)

*Premier recording of Gustav Mahlers Fifth SymphonyBruno Walter conducting

*Recorded Stravinskys Petrouchka twice in one day; in themorning with New York Philharmonic and Mitropoulos,and in the evening with a freelance group with Stokowski

*Recorded Nielsen Symphony No. 5 and Shostakovich Concertofor Piano, Trumpet, and Strings in the same day with Bern-stein

*Co-inventor of the Alessi-Vacchiano straight mute*Every principal or co-principal of the New York Philharmonic

since 1973 has been a Vacchiano student (John Ware,Gerard Schwarz, Louis Ranger, and Philip Smith)

Method Books

Advanced Etudes for Trumpet, for Ear Training and AccuracyBalquhidder

Bugle CallsTrombaThe Art of Bel Canto (singing style) for TrumpetManduca

MusicThe Art of Double TonguingC.F. PetersThe Art of Solo Playing for TrumpetTrombaThe Art of Triple TonguingC.F. PetersComprehensive Trumpet StudiesVacchiano PressEtudes for Trumpet (Orchestra Etudes and Last Etudes)by Vas-

sily Brandt, compiled and edited by William VacchianoLeonard Publishing

Graduate Studies for Trumpet, As Taught at the JuilliardSchoolTromba

Improvisations Based on Nursery Rhythms and The MarinesHymn for Trumpet or CornetManduca Music

16 ITG Journal / March 2006 2006 International Trumpet Guild

Miniature Variations on The Carnival of Venice for Piccolo orE-flat TrumpetC.F. Peters

Miniature Variations on The Carnival of Venice for SoloTrumpetC.F. Peters

Moving TranspositionC.F. PetersNecessary Technique for B-flat TrumpetManduca MusicOrchestral Rhythms for B-flat TrumpetBalquhidderTrumpet RoutinesCharles ColinSuppli-Bilities, Advanced Technical Drills for Suppleness and

AgilityVacchiano PressStudies in Waltz TempoVacchiano PressA Study of Intervals for TrumpetManduca Music Transcribed

for Two TrumpetsConcerto in D Minor (BWV 1052), J.S. BachCharles ColinConcerto in C Major (BWV 1053), J.S. BachCharles ColinConcerto in C Major (BWV 1054), J.S. BachCharles ColinConcerto in F Major (BWV 1055), J.S. BachCharles ColinConcerto in A Minor (BWV 1056), J.S. BachCharles ColinConcerto in E Minor (BWV 1058), J.S. BachCharles Colin

Special thanks to the following people and institutions thathave greatly assisted in the research of William Vacchiano:Allan Colin for his generosity in providing information previ-

ously published in the New York Brass Conference forScholarships Journal and The Brass Player.

David Hickman for his guidance and mentorship in preparingWilliam Vacchianos biography.

Albert Ligotti for his inexhaustible information, anecdotes,and enthusiastic support.

Gary Mortenson for his advisement, benevolence, and atten-tion to detail in preparing this article.

Lee Soper for his longstanding and committed friendship withVacchiano, who always treasured his personal and profes-sional relationship with Lee.

New York Philharmonic Archives for allowing access to theresources necessary to do this research.

The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music formaking available their historical records and archives.

All of those who have graciously given of their time for inter-views (including over 50 of Vacchianos students, col-leagues, and friends).

About the author: Brian Shook is a member of the touringand recording ensemble The Kings Brass, as well as a found-ing member of The Brass Co. quintet. He served for two yearsas a Trumpet Teaching Assistant at Arizona State Universityunder the tutelage of David Hickman. For the past three years,Brian has been researching the life and career of WilliamVacchiano in preparation of his doctoral research project atASU. In addition to his publications in the ITG Journal, Brianhas also been published in the New York Times, London Times,and The New York Sun. This summer he will be featured as aguest lecturer on William Vacchiano at the 2006 ITG Confer-ence at Rowan University in New Jersey. This article is a sum-mation of William Vacchianos full biography that will be com-pleted in May 2006, and published shortly thereafter.

If anyone wishes to contribute to future publications on thelife and work of William Vacchiano please contact:

Brian Shook1600 W. La Jolla Dr.Apt. #2102Tempe, AZ 85282brian.shook@yahoo.com602-762-0798

Endnotes

1 William Vacchiano, interview by author, 22 August 2003,New York, audio recording, home of William Vacchiano,Flushing, New York.

2 William Vacchiano, The Introductory Lesson, The BrassPlayer (Winter 1992): 4.

3 William Vacchiano, interview by author, 22 August 2003.4 William Vacchiano, interview by author, 15 March 2004,

New York, audio recording, home of William Vacchiano,Flushing, New York.

5 William Vacchiano, Personal Notes and Memoirs, pp.143 4, organized and collected by Brian Shook.

6 The rules of orchestral performance taught by Mr.Vacchiano are being compiled and edited in preparation forthe authors forthcoming biography of William Vacchiano.

7 The information in this section regarding Mr. Vacchianosanalysis of the trumpet mouthpiece has been collected fromhis Personal Notes and Memoirs (see note number 5).

8 William Vacchiano, interview by author, 15 March 2004.9 Ibid.10 Ibid.11 William Vacchiano, Personal Notes and Memoirs, p. 47.12 Ibid, p. 109.

THE WILLIAMVACCHIANO AWARD IN

TRUMPET AT THEJUILLIARD SCHOOL

In recognition of William Vacchianos lifelongartistry as a teacher and a musician, contributionsto the scholarship in his name are being accepted atThe Juilliard School.

The William Vacchiano Award in Trumpet willallow Juilliard to make scholarship grants to talent-ed young trumpet players studying at Juilliard. Allof Mr. Vacchianos students were very close to hisheart, and he would be thrilled to have a scholar-ship endowed in his name running in perpetuity.Please give as generously as possible to ensure hislegacy.

Tax-deductible contributions payable to TheJuilliard School for the William Vacchiano Awardin Trumpet can be mailed to Ms. Tori Brand,Manager of Scholarship Development, The JuilliardSchool, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NYUSA 10023, or call (212) 799-5000, ext. 692, ifyou wish to make a credit card contribution.