Category: Boston Symphony Orchestra

An update on Joannès Rochut’s “Melodious Etudes” for trombone – the missing etudes

by Douglas Yeo (November 14, 2024)

Readers of The Last Trombone know that I have been researching the life, work, and influence of trombonist Joannès Rochut for nearly 40 years. I began my journey to learn more about Rochut when I joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985 because I knew that Rochut had also played in the BSO (from 1925–1930). This past spring, I gave a presentation about Joannès Rochut at the International Trombone Festival (held on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas) and the International Trombone Association Journal will carry my major article about Rochut in its January 2025 issue.

The cover of the first edition of Joannès Rochut’s Melodious Etudes for Trombone (New York: Carl Fischer, 1928).

In 2018, I wrote an article for The Last Trombone about etude No. 1 (in Volume 1) in Rochut’s famous book, Melodious Etudes for Trombone Selected from the Vocalises of Marco Bordogni (New York: Carl Fischer, 1928). That etude was not written by Bordogni, and my article unpacked the source of Rochut’s illusive No. 1.

Since that time, I learned that there is ANOTHER etude in Rochut’s book, No. 73 (in Rochut’s Volume 2) that was not written by Bordogni. That story is told in my forthcoming article about Rochut, but today, I decided to update my blog article about Rochut No. 1 with information about Rochut No. 73. Have a look at the revised blog article HERE.

There, you’ll see the source for Rochut’s Nos. 1 and 73 (these etudes were neither by Bordogni nor Rochut) and I also provide the music to the two Bordogni etudes that are missing from Rochut’s books. If you want your Rochut books to truly have the complete Bordogni Vocalises, you’ll want to download the music to the two missing etudes.

There will be more about this in my ITA Journal article in January, but here’s a preview. My revised article about Rochut’s Nos. 1 and 73 gives readers the opportunity to download copies of the two Bordogni etudes that are missing from what trombone players frequently call, “the Rochut book.”

A busy autumn. And a thought.

By Douglas Yeo (November 11, 2024)

It has been a few months since I’ve posted anything to The Last Trombone and to those who have asked me why, it’s simply that I’ve been busy with other things. Busy with a lot of things. Here’s a quick update before I offer a thought on something else.

Douglas Yeo with members of the University of Illinois Marching Illini trombone section: Derrick Neal, Pablo Rosales, Douglas Yeo, Poorna Kumar (who, in addition to being a dual major in trombone performance and community health, is also a drum major for the Marching Illini), Jake Bae, Sam Murray, September 2024.

In September, my wife, Patricia, and I returned to the campus of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I served as trombone professor from 2022–2024. We were there for homecoming and the Illinois football game against Central Michigan (the Illini won, 30–9). While there, I met up with several of my former students who are in the Marching Illini. I was so happy to see them again.

Douglas Yeo with Dr. Nathaniel Brickens and members of the University of Texas trombone studio, September 2024.

The next week, I spent a few days at University of Texas in Austin, in residence with the trombone studio of my good friend and UT’s trombone professor, Dr. Nathaniel Brickens. I always enjoy being at UT and working with its talented trombonists (and sporting a headpiece of the university’s mascot, Bevo, above).

In October, I traveled to San Francisco for a week where I played ophicleide with the superb early music group, Philharmonia Baroque. The conductor, Grete Pedersen, led us in a program that included the overture to Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. What a joy it was to play under her leadership with this fine ensemble (I’ve been playing serpent and ophicleide with Philharmonia Baroque since 2009). While there, I visited the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It was my first time visiting these superb museums, and in addition to seeing iconic art by Auguste Rodin, Claude Seurat, Claude Monet, and many others, my eyes were opened at two special exhibitions of art by Mary Cassat and Tamara de Lempicka. Art old and new that inspires, soothes, and provokes.

A day after I returned home from San Francisco, I flew to Atlanta where played bass trombone with the Atlanta Symphony, substituting for a week on a program that included Serge Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances conducted by Roderick Cox. While I was there, I was a guest for a session with Slide School, hosted by Atlanta Symphony acting principal trombonist, Nathan Zgonc, and Brian Hecht of the Dallas Symphony. I also had the happy opportunity to spend a lot of time working with the ASO’s two fellowship players, bass trombonist Jordan Johnson (who, a few days later, won the bass trombone position with Houston Grand Opera—bravo, Jordan!) and tubist Joshua Williams. I look forward to returning to the Atlanta Symphony for a few more weeks after the calendar turns to 2025.

Douglas Yeo in front of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, October 2024.

While in Atlanta, I visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national historic site. In the book I co-authored with Kevin Mungons, Homer Rodeheaver and the Rise of the Gospel Music Industry (Rowman and Littlefield, 2021), we introduced Rodeheaver to readers with an opening chapter, Prologue, in which we described the 1917 Billy Sunday meetings in Atlanta (Homer Rodeheaver was Billy Sunday’s trombone-playing song leader for 20 years). To stand in front of and inside historic Ebenezer Baptist Church (where Dr. King, his father, and his father’s father-in-law all served as pastor, and where Dr. King’s mother, Alberta Williams King, was tragically murdered in 1974 while she was playing The Lord’s Prayer at the organ), to see the grave of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, and imagine the huge temporary, wooden, 15,000 seat tabernacle that Billy Sunday erected on what is now the site of the historic site’s Visitor Center, was powerful, indeed.

Douglas and Patricia Yeo on the Fay Canyon trail, Sedona, Arizona, October 2024.

Right after I returned home from Atlanta, my wife, Patricia, and I spent a week in Arizona where we enjoyed some great hiking on spectacular trails in Sedona and Phoenix. After so many weeks of traveling with a trombone in my hand, it was nice to be together on the trail where the sky was blue, the rocks were orange and red, and the peacefulness and beauty of the Sonoran desert was on full display.

Excerpt from page 27 of the 1926 New England Conservatory of Music yearbook, The NEUME, showing Ida Isabella Bisbee, trombone student of Joannès Rochut. Courtesy of New England Conservatory of Music Archives.

My big project for this autumn was finishing my article about Joannès Rochut that will appear in the January 2025 International Trombone Association Journal. This is an article that has been nearly 40 years in the making. I’ve written a little about my research process for this article; read this post on The Last Trombone about my one day research trip to the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives in August of this year where I uncovered some important information about Rochut’s life and work. Rochut’s influence on the trombone—and brass—world has been remarkable, and in the course of my research, I learned so much about this iconic influencer in the trombone community. Including, thanks to the archives of New England Conservatory of Music, the fact that Rochut’s first student at NEC was Ida Isabella Bisbee, the first woman to graduate from NEC (in 1926) with a degree in trombone performance (above). I’m looking forward to receiving proofs very soon of what is expected to be an 80 page article in the Journal. Stay tuned.

And, overarching all of this in last few months is the tremendous joy I’ve had of playing trombone duets and trios with my granddaughter and her mom, our oldest daughter, Linda (who is a fine bass trombonist and low brass teacher). Our granddaughter, who is 10 years old, began playing trombone in May when I was at the International Trombone Festival. She loves playing the trombone—she’s good, too!—and in our little family of my wife and me, our two daughters and their husbands, and our two grandchildren, our granddaughter is the sixth brass player (and the fourth female brass player: Patricia plays baritone horn, Linda and and her daughter play trombone, and our other daughter, Robin, plays trumpet). Our grandson has told us he wants to play the tuba next year. When that happens, he will become the seventh brass player in our family.

All of these activities were and are fun, exciting, and rejuvenating. But then, there was also an event of momentous importance: the national election here in the United States that was held on November 5. In the midst of all that swirled around that impactful day, I was heartened when I received an email from Dr. Linda Moorhouse, Director of the School of Music at University of Illinois. On election day, she sent a message to all students, faculty, and staff in the School of Music with some helpful, sensible, and comforting thoughts on how to navigate this contentious election season and what follows. Her words, in a message titled, “Managing the Noise,” resonated deeply with me. Dr. Moorhouse wrote, in part:

As a School full of practicing musicians, we manage all kinds of noise every day. And outside of musical noise, we also know how the vast volume of information, opinions, and discussions can sometimes become overwhelming or disruptive.

I’m reaching out to remind you that you are a part of a School of Music community, and while this day and the next few days may be stressful, we are here for one another. Listed below are a few ways we can navigate the next few days and weeks together and keep our environment supportive and respectful:

Be Mindful of Election “Noise”
Staying informed is important, but the constant influx of election-related content can become a source of stress. Take breaks from social media, limit your news intake to trusted sources, and remember it’s okay to step away when things get to be too much. Giving ourselves space can help maintain balance.

Respect Diverse Perspectives
We all have different viewpoints shaped by our unique experiences, and recognizing this helps foster mutual respect. Election season is a celebration of our democratic process, and despite differing opinions, we can share in that respect for civic engagement. Supporting each other through this season means being thoughtful and considerate in our communications.

Practice Self-Care
Anxiety around election outcomes is normal. Be kind to yourself by setting aside time for things that bring you peace and comfort. Exercise, hobbies, meditation, or simply stepping away from the news cycle are great ways to maintain your emotional health.

Be Good to Each Other
Kindness goes a long way, especially in uncertain times. Small gestures of thoughtfulness and understanding can create a sense of community and support. Let’s check in on each other, be gentle in our interactions, and focus on the qualities that unite us rather than divide us.

One of the reasons I found Dr. Moorhouse’s words so impactful was the fact that a few weeks before her message arrived, a lunchtime conversation I had with a friend and an encounter with a sign I saw on my way home from that meeting got me thinking about some related things.

As a result, I wrote a short article for the blog hosted by my church, New Covenant Church of Naperville, Illinois. The article—it was published two days after the election, on November 7, 2024—is about the well-known and well-worn phrase from the Bible, “Love your neighbor.” I’ll let the article speak for itself. Have a look at the article—and the rest of the sign—HERE.

In a time where there is a lot of shouting, a lot of judging, a lot of anger, a lot of finger pointing; in a time when many people make assumptions about the motives and beliefs of others without taking the time to speak with and understand them; in a time when name calling and insulting others has risen to a harmful, toxic level; the admonition to “Love your neighbor” has, as I discovered on that day when I had lunch with a friend, some unexpected components. It got me thinking. Have a look at my article. Maybe that sign and its implications will prompt you to do some thinking, too.

A day in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives with Joannès Rochut

by Douglas Yeo (August 15, 2024)

I’ve loved reading, researching, and writing for as long as I can remember. My curious nature leads me to want to know more about things. And when I learn things, I like to tell others about them and share the excitement I feel when I make a new discovery.

Over the years, I’ve published five books and many articles, book chapters, and dictionary entries. If you’re interested in some of what I’ve written over the years, you can find a list of many of my publications HERE. While there, you can click on the names of titles and view PDFs of some of my articles.

At the moment, I am deeply immersed in researching and writing an article about the celebrated French trombonist, Joannès Rochut, who played principal trombone in the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1925–1930. I have been interested in learning more about Rochut ever since I joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985.

Douglas Yeo giving a presentation about Joannès Rochut, International Trombone Festival, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, May 28, 2024

I gave a presentation about Joannès Rochut at the recent International Trombone Festival that was held at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. I wrote about my experience at the Festival—including my presentation and other things I did there such as recitals and roundtable discussions HERE. Now I’m continuing the research I conducted to make that presentation and I’m writing a major article about Rochut that will appear in the January 2025 International Trombone Association Journal.

Douglas Yeo’s copy of the first edition of Joannès Rochut’s Melodious Etudes for Trombone, selected from the Vocalises of Marco Bordogni (New York: Carl Fischer, 1928)

I would be hard pressed to think of any serious student of the trombone—including professional players who are life-long students—who does not know the name “Joannès Rochut.” That’s because Rochut compiled three volumes of Melodious Etudes that he transcribed from Vocalises of Marco Bordogni that were published by Carl Fischer in 1928. Rochut’s books are among the most important and most frequently used trombone books in the world. Yet, most people don’t know a thing about Joannès Rochut except the fact that he published these books of Bordogni’s music.

One of the things I tell my students—especially my doctoral students who need to write a thesis or dissertation—is that research takes time. It takes discipline. It takes patience. And it requires money. Not everything is free; not everything can be accomplished from the comfort of your favorite chair at home. The Internet is a remarkable, helpful tool (while, at the same time, it is also toxic cesspool), but anyone that assumes they can successfully research a subject simply by putting a few words in a search engine or an artificial intelligence program will found out quickly that they need to do more. There is no substitute for what I call “real research.” Not “compilation,” which is taking the work of others, stitching it together, and rewording it. I’m talking about real research: finding information from diverse sources, connecting dots, and creating a coherent, new narrative that sheds light on things that are not widely known. THAT is research.

Working in and with museums, universities, libraries, archives, and other institutions is essential if one wants to find information that informs research. In my research of Joannès Rochut, I’ve been in contact with many such institutions. The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. has the Serge Koussevitzky Collection. Koussevitzky was the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra when Rochut played in the orchestra, and Rochut also worked for Koussevitzky in Paris before both of them came to Boston. The LOC has letters that Rochut wrote to Koussevitzky, letters that Rochut’s Boston Symphony Orchestra colleague, Jacob Raichman, wrote to Koussevitzky, and programs from Rochut’s and Koussevitzky’s shared time together in Paris.

The New England Conservatory Archives has yearbooks, student cards, catalogs, and other information about students and faculty including Joannès Rochut and his students. Rochut’s first student at NEC was Ida Isabella Bisbee; she graduated in 1926.

The Sibley Library at Eastman School of Music has the Edna White Collection which contains more photographs of Ida Isabella Bisbee.

Postcard from Joannès Rochut to Anton Hansen. The text of the card (translated from the original French) reads: 9 September 1929 [the postcard was mailed from East Dennis, Massachusetts], Dear friend, Have you received the 2nd and 3rd books of my transcriptions of Mr. Bordogni?? I just spent a few pleasant weeks at Cape Cod and will soon return to Brookline. Best Regards, Joannès Rochut. Courtesy of the Royal Danish Library, with thanks to Mogens Andresen for photographing the card on my behalf.

The Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen has the papers of the influential Danish trombonist, Anton Hanson, including many letters that Rochut and Hansen wrote to each other in the 1920s and 1930s.

The National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, has an extensive collection of information about trombone manufacturers, including Besson (of London) who made an instrument that Joannès Rochut played for several years.

The Registrar of Deeds in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, helped me obtain information about the house that Joannès Rochut and his wife, Louis, purchased in 1927.

The Bibliotheque national de France has many documents relating to the annual Paris Conservatoire Concours at which Joannès Rochut won first prize in 1905.

Then there is networking, connecting with old and new friends, and gratefully receiving their considerable help when I ask questions or ask for their assistance. Benny Sluchin in Paris (who has helped me in countless ways, including taking photographs of Joannès Rochut’s home and grave), David Fetter, Ronald Barron, Mogens Andresen, and Carsten Svanberg, and many more. All of them will be thanked in my article.

Joannès Rochut’s business card, 1927, courtesy of the Rochut Family

Most importantly, I made contact with the Rochut family in France. The Rochut family has been exceptionally generous in sharing photographs, documents, and information about Joannès Rochut. I have always said that if you are researching a historical individual and you can find a family member who is willing to share things with you, the needles you find in haystacks suddenly turn to diamonds. I am so grateful to the Rochut family for their kind assistance and generosity.

The list goes on. Without connections to these institutions and individuals, my article about Joannès Rochut would amount to no more than a junior high school level term paper on the level with a paper titled, “My Summer Vacation.”

Sometimes archives are able to provide me with resources through scanning and then sending them to me. In other cases, if it’s not possible for me to get to an archive, a friend of mine is able to view the resources I’m looking for on my behalf. And sometimes, you just have to go yourself.

A few weeks ago, I decided I needed to spend one day researching in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. This is a place that is near and dear to my heart. When I joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the orchestra and its low brass players in particular, including Joannès Rochut. I asked William Moyer, who at the time (1985) was personnel manager of the BSO (he had played second trombone in the BSO from 1953 to 1966 before becoming personnel manager), if the orchestra had an archive. He took me to a building adjacent to Symphony Hall, what was, at the time, called the Symphony Hall Annex (today, fully renovated, it is the Cohen Wing of Symphony Hall). It was a run down building that the orchestra had plans to renovate someday. Bill and I came to a locked door, he put a key in the door, opened the door, and there was the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives.

It was a shambles. As I walked into the room—a large room with another room next to it—and Bill turned on the light, I saw shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. There were jumbles of documents, books, and other materials strewn around the room. Filing cabinets were open and documents were falling out. There was no heating or cooling system in the room. It was damp.

But I could tell right away that the room was full of treasures. Despite the chaotic disorganization of materials, my mind raced and recalled on Howard Carter’s words when he first peered into King Tutankhamen’s tomb and was asked what he saw. “I see wonderful things,” Carter said. Yes. I saw wonderful things.

Two of the several dozen negatives Douglas Yeo had made from photographs in the proto-Boston Symphony Archives, 1985–1987

Because of my interest in researching Joannès Rochut and other Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players, Bill gave me a key to this room. The BSO had no archivist at the time; Bill just gave me a key. He told me I could look through it and if I found things that were helpful to my research, I could use them. So I did. I spent hundreds of hours in those rooms, during rehearsal breaks, between rehearsals, before concerts, on some of my days off. And this was in the era before personal computers, scanners, or cell-phone cameras. If I found a photograph I thought I would someday use in an article, I needed to take photographs to a photography studio and have large negatives made so I could submit the images to publications. This was expensive. But it was the only way I could have permanent access to the images I wanted to use and continue to reference.

Cover of the Fall 1986 issue of the International Trombone Association Journal that contains the article by Douglas Yeo, “A Pictorial History of Low Brass Players in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1887–1986”

I began to systematically work through the contents of these disorganized rooms, looking for photographs and information about Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone and tuba players. I found a lot. I carefully made new piles of materials on the disorganized shelves, an attempt to bring some order to the mess. I would bring my discoveries to Bill Moyer who shared my excitement and in time, I amassed a great deal of information that eventually found its way into four articles I wrote about Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players (click on the titles to read a PDF of these articles):

A Pictorial History of Low Brass Players in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1887-1986, International Trombone Association Journal, Volume XIV, Number 4, Fall 1986.
Tuba Players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1913-1987, T.U.B.A. Journal, Volume 14, Number 4, May 1987.
Horn Players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1881-1988, The Horn Call, Volume XVIII, Number 2, April 1988.
Trumpet Players of the Boston Symphony, 1881-1990, International Trumpet Guild Journal, Volume 15, Number 2, December 1990.

These were among my earliest published research projects and if I did them over today, I would do them very differently. My research methods have improved over the years, no doubt about that. But they were an earnest attempt to inform readers about some of the rich history of Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players. Even after my articles were published, I continued my research into the lives and work of the fascinating individuals who played brass instruments in the BSO.

The opening paragraphs of a draft memo Douglas Yeo wrote for Boston Symphony Orchestra acting General Manager Daniel Gustin after meetings of the first ac-hoc committee to explore the establishment of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives (Douglas Yeo, Steven Ledbetter, Bruce Creditor, and Eleanor McGourty), April 27, 1987

But there was more. Intuitively, I knew that the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s history needed to be better preserved. Two disorganized rooms were not a proper archive. I began talking with others in Symphony Hall about this. I started with Daniel Gustin, who was, at the time, acting General Manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He listened to all I had to say about the need for a proper archives at Symphony Hall. He suggested I get together with others who shared an interest in the BSO’s history and come up with a proposal that he could consider. So I began talking with Bruce Creditor who was Bill Moyer’s assistant. Eleanor McGourty was director of publications for the orchestra—she was responsible for putting together the weekly concert programs for the orchestra along with Steven Ledbetter who, as the orchestra’s musicologist, wrote program notes for the concert programs. Bruce, Steven, Eleanor, and I loved the BSO and its rich history, and we met to put our heads together. After we met, I drafted a memo on April 24, 1987, that summarized some of our discussion. You can read that memo (the opening paragraphs are in the photograph, above) HERE. It was a seminal document, the basis for a subsequent memo that was used by Daniel Gustin and then his successor, Boston Symphony Orchestra General Manager Kenneth Haas, as the orchestra’s management discussed the idea of a proper archive with the Board of Trustees. The happy result was the formal establishment of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives and the hiring of a full time archivist, Bridget Carr, who holds the position of Blanche and George Jones Director of Archives/Digital Collections for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including the Boston Pops, Tanglewood, and Symphony Hall.

If you look at the four articles I wrote about Boston Symphony brass players that appeared in the International Trombone Association Journal, the T.U.B.A. Journal (now the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal), the International Trumpet Guild Journal, and The Horn Call (linked above), you will see that most of the material that informed those articles came from the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. As I’ve continued my research on Joannès Rochut more recently, it became clear to me that I needed to spend some dedicated time in the BSO Archives to get information that can only be found there. Many archivists around the world have been extremely helpful to me—including Bridget Carr—in locating and sending me documents and photographs. But archivists are not my personal research assistants. There is a limit to what I can ask them to do. And, while I had a long list of things I knew I wanted to see in the BSO Archives, I also wanted to look at resources and files and see what I might find that I didn’t even know I wanted.

So, last Tuesday (August 6, 2024), I flew to Boston to spend a day in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. It was another “crazy day,” my second one this summer. Readers of TheLastTrombone know that when my flight to Texas was cancelled when I was scheduled to attend the International Trombone Festival in Fort Worth, I did the only thing I could do to get to the Festival on time: I drove. 16 hours from Chicago to Fort Worth, 960 miles. Straight through, no overnight stop. Truly crazy. My trip to the BSO Archives was not THAT crazy. OK, I did have to get up at 3:00 am to get my 6:05 am flight from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to Boston’s Logan Airport. And I walked in my front door after my return at midnight the same day. But with a $139 round trip plane ticket (thank you, American Airlines), a couple of Uber rides to and from Logan, parking at O’Hare, and lunch and dinner (of COURSE I had a bowl of New England Clam Chowder and a lobster roll at Legal Sea Foods for dinner at Logan airport), my less than $500 investment in the trip bore rich fruit.

Douglas Yeo and Charles Cassell in the basement of Symphony Hall, Boston, August 6, 2024. Photo by Bridget Carr.

Bridget Carr met me at the Symphony Hall Stage door, and as we wound our way through the hall to the Archives, the first person I saw was my friend, Charles Cassell. We met with a big hug. Charlie is the only member of the Symphony Hall house crew who is still there from the years I was a member of the orchestra (1985–2012). When I was a member of the BSO, I always felt that he and the other members of the house crew were superheroes. They cared so deeply about Symphony Hall and nobody cared more—and knew more—about Symphony Hall than Charlie. I appreciated those great guys of the Symphony Hall house crew, and they appreciated me. It was really, really wonderful to see him.

Douglas Yeo in the Reading Room of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, August 6, 2024. Photo by Bridget Carr.

It was an absolute joy to be back in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. It is one of my happy places. Archivist Bridget Carr and I have been good friends for over 30 years. With my long list of things I hoped to find during my time in the Archives in her hand before I arrived, Bridget had them all ready for me in the Archives’ Reading Room. The day flew by and the discoveries mounted up. Bridget was exceptionally accommodating and helpful beyond words as we discussed Joannès Rochut and his time in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. All day long, I kept asking questions, Bridget kept pulling out more resources from the shelves and stacks in the Archives, and we immersed ourself in a moment of time in BSO trombone history nearly 100 years ago.

Handwritten comments by Boston Symphony Orchestra President of the Board Frederick P. Cabot, referencing Joannès Rochut on a document that was used to guide renewal of player contracts and salary adjustments for the 1926–1927 season. Cabot’s comments about Rochut read, “increase pay – magnificent.” Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

I was interested in learning about BSO member salaries at the time. The records were there. I wanted to learn about the impact of the Great Depression on the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The annual auditor reports were there. I wanted to find more photographs of Rochut with the BSO. They were there. I wanted to find newspaper clippings and reviews of concerts. They were there.

A page from a Boston Symphony Orchestra scrapbook that includes an announcement in the Boston Herald of “Boston Symphony Orchestra’s New Principals” (October 4, 1925). In the photo at the top of the page, Joannès Rochut is second from right. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

I found a photograph of Joannès Rochut in a Boston Symphony Orchestra scrapbook from 1925 (above). It appeared in an article in the Boston Herald on October 4, 1925. These scrapbooks proved to be invaluable during my research trip. I must have looked at 15 of them during my visit to the Archives. They are old and brittle, but, fortunately, they also have been photographed so the treasures they hold will be available for researchers to consult long after the fragile paper turns to dust.

A check from Arthur Fiedler to Joannès Rochut, payment for one week of concerts on the Charles River Esplanade, August, 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

And there were other discoveries, like this check (above) that conductor Arthur Fiedler wrote to Joannès Rochut for playing a week of summer concerts with Boston Symphony Orchestra members on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston during the summer of 1929.

Arthur Fiedler with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a concert in the Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, summer 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Detail of the above photo. Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone section members Joannès Rochut, Jacob Raichman, and Leroy Kenfield, Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, summer 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Bridget brought out a huge photo of Arthur Fiedler with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at a Charles River Esplanade concert in the summer of 1929 (above), one of many things that brought Rochut’s time in Boston to life during my visit to the BSO Archives.

The cover of Percy Paul Leveen’s unpublished book manuscript, I Played Fiddle for the Czar. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

The Archives had another treasure I had not previously known about—the memoirs of violinist Percy Paul Leveen, who was a member of the BSO from 1919–1944. Leveen’s unpublished manuscript for a planned book, I Played Fiddle For the Czar—there is no doubt, after reading the manuscript, that “the Czar” was BSO conductor Serge Koussevitzky—provides first person insight to pivotal moments in Boston Symphony Orchestra history. Such as “Black Tuesday,” October 19, 1929, that signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. On that fateful day, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was in Chicago for a concert in Orchestra Hall. Leveen’s comments about how players reacted to those life-changing economic events are riveting. And I will use some of Percy Paul Leveen’s insights in my article.

A view from the stage of Symphony Hall, Boston, August 6, 2024

On my way out of Symphony Hall, I told Bridget I’d like to have a look at the inside of the hall itself. I was very happy to stand on the Symphony Hall stage again. The hall was undergoing the changeover from the Boston Pops season—the usual seats are removed on the main floor and replaced with tables and chairs during Pops—while the orchestra is at its summer home, Tanglewood, and there was maintenance work going on. I played so many concerts in Symphony Hall; seeing it again brought back a lot of memories. I played concerts on that stage for over 27 years, the same stage where Joannès Rochut played many concerts. Symphony Hall remains a very special place to my family and me.

In the days since I’ve returned from my visit to the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, my article on Joannès Rochut has taken on a new dimension. I have a lot more work to do in the coming weeks before I hit the submission deadline for my article, but many of the documents and photographs I obtained during my visit will now be part of my article. I am so grateful to Bridget Carr and her staff who are keepers of the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the value of her helpfulness cannot be overstated.

Douglas Yeo and Bridget Carr in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, August 6, 2024

This is research. Looking, digging, contacting, networking, visiting, calling, emailing, connecting. Last Tuesday, all of those things came together in Symphony Hall, Boston’s proud temple of music. The fruits of my research on Joannès Rochut will appear in print soon. His story is quite a story, and thanks to places like the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives and people like Bridget Carr, I will be able to tell it in a way that has never been told before. Stay tuned.

[And here’s a little bonus. Compare this photo of me, below, that I took last week outside of Symphony Hall’s Stage Door with the following photo of three members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra that was taken in 1934, 90 years ago. I love this stuff.]

Douglas Yeo at the Symphony Hall Stage Door, Boston, August 6, 2024

Three members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Jacob Raichman (trombone), Cornelius Van den Berg (horn), and William Gebhart (horn), Symphony Hall Stage Door, 1934. Courtesy of Irene Raichman Shermont.

[Header photo: The reading room in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. The bust on the table is of Major Henry Higginson, founder and sustainer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.]

Grateful: The International Trombone Association Lifetime Achievement Award

by Douglas Yeo (April 2, 2024)

I’ve been playing the trombone for 60 years. I started on the instrument when I was nine years old, in 1964, and while my end is nearer than my beginning, I never think of myself as “getting older.” Life is a steady rhythm of engaging activities, individual and shared activities, and the blessing of regularly being with family members and friends.

The International Trombone Association was founded in 1972 and I joined it in that same year. I was a senior in high school at the time and in those days, I ordered a lot of trombone music from Robert King Music Sales in North Easton, Massachusetts. Since I didn’t have a checking account at the time, I used to send cash or stamps to Robert King to pay for the music I ordered. That was a different time than today, for sure. In one order of music I received, a flyer about the newly formed International Trombone Association was enclosed, I joined right away (I probably sent cash or stamps for my first membership fee, too), and I’ve been a member ever since. I guess you could say I’m a founding member of the ITA. Over the last 52 years, I’ve been involved in the ITA in a lot of the ways. I’ve written dozens of articles for the ITA Journal, I’ve served on ITA committees (Governance Committee, Board of Advisors), I’ve been a guest artist at many International Trombone Festivals (held in Nashville, TN 1982, Potsdam NY 1999, Ithaca NY 2004, Columbus GA 2013, Redlands CA 2017, Iowa City 2018, Conway, AR 2022, and the upcoming ITF in Fort Worth, TX), and I’ve adjudicated many of the ITA’s annual competitions.

When it was founded in 1972, the International Trombone Association instituted an annual award, the ITA Award. It was given to one trombonist each year in recognition of “an elite level of creative and artistic activity.” The first recipient was Henry Romersa, founder of the International Trombone Workshop (now the International Trombone Festival). The list of recipients over the last 52 years reads like a who’s-who of notable trombonists including Lewis Van Haney (second trombonist of the New York Philharmonic and trombone professor at Indiana University, 1973), Robert King (1975), Thomas Everett (founder of the ITA, retired professor, Harvard University, 1980), George Roberts (the great Hollywood studio bass trombonist, 1983), the great jazz trombonists Urbie Green (1985) and J. J. Johnson (1988), my teacher, friend, and mentor, Edward Kleinhammer (bass trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 1986), Christian Lindberg (1991) and Joseph Alessi (2002), bass trombonist Ben van Dijk (2003), my Boston Symphony Orchestra colleague Ronald Barron (2005), David Taylor (the great New York based bass trombonist, 2016), my “brother from another mother,” jazz giant Wycliffe Gordon, and Megumi Kanda (principal trombonist of the Milwaukee Symphony, 2020). All of these people have shaped my life; many are friends; others have been trombone heroes of mine.

Douglas Yeo and Ronald Barron, International Trombone Festival, Eastman School of Music, 2014

In 2014, I received the ITA Award and was inducted into this Pantheon of trombonists. It was a tremendous honor and I received it at the International Trombone Festival held at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. One of the things that made my receiving the ITA Award at that time was the fact that my friend and colleague from my years as a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Ronald Barron, received the ITA’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the same time.

The ITA’s Lifetime Achievement Award was one of several awards established by the ITA several years after its founding in order to give recognition to deserving individuals. The first of these new awards was the Neill Humfeld Award for Excellence in Trombone Teaching, established in 1997 (the 2024 recipient of the Neill Humfeld Award is Abbie Conant; the 2024 recipient of the ITA Award is John Fedchock). The Neill Humfeld Award was followed by the Lifetime Achievement Award (established in 2007 to recognize individuals “who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to the trombone profession over a long career”), and the Legacy Circle Award (also established in 2007 and usually recognizes deceased individuals “who have made a profound and lasting impact on the evolution of trombone playing or teaching”). Among recipients of the Legacy Circle Award are Arthur Pryor, Emory Remington, Jack Teagarden, Al Grey, Russell Moore, Bill Watrous, Keith Brown, Joannès Rochut, Lillian Briggs, and Dorothy Ziegler). The 2024 recipient of the ITA Legacy Circle award is John Swallow who was a member of the New York Brass Quintet for many years and with whom I taught alongside at New England Conservatory of Music.

Last week, I was informed that I have been selected to be a 2024 recipient of the International Trombone Association’s Lifetime Achivement Award. My friend, trombonist Benny Sluchin, was also named a recipient of the ITA’s Lifetime Achivement Award and we will accept our awards at the upcoming International Trombone Festival at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is a very special feeling to be recognized by ones’ peers for accomplishments over a lifetime. And it will be very special to accept the Award at TCU, where David Begnoche—who was a student at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston when I was teaching there—is trombone professor and host of the Festival, and my friend Ronald Barron and I will play a duet with the TCU trombone choir. Other connections abound: David Yacus, who studied bass trombone with me at New England Conservatory of Music and is now one of the leading sackbut players in the world, will be performing at the Festival. So will my good friend and fellow ITA Award recipient David Taylor. Benny Sluchin has been so helpful to me in various research projects, including my upcoming presentation at the ITF about Joannès Rochut (the presentation is the basis for an article about Rochut that I am writing for the ITA Journal that will be published in early 2025). Benny lives in Paris and we don’t get to see each other very often, so it will be great to see him at the Festival.

Announcement of the International Trombone Association 2024 Lifetime Achivement Award recipients (ITA Facebook page)

I’m very grateful to be recognized in this way—it is not lost on me that I am one of only a few individuals to have received both the ITA Award and the ITA’s Lifetime Achivement Award, a group that includes Edward Kleinhammer, George Roberts, and Ronald Barron—but, in fact, I would not be receiving this award were it not for the hundreds and hundreds of friends, colleagues, and teachers whose lives have intersected with mine. I am a blessed man to have worked, talked, and interacted with so many engaging artists/musicians/trombonists since I started playing the trombone 60 years ago. My students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, New Jersey, Peabody Institute in Baltimore, at New England Conservatory of Music, Arizona State University, Wheaton College, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have also made a profound impact on me. In a sense, the names of all of these individuals are pencilled in on my Lifetime Achievement Award certificate because without them, I would not be who I am today, I would not have lived the life I have lived, and I certainly would not have made the contributions to the world of the trombone were it not for them informing, encouraging, and challenging me. I say the same for my family, my wife of 49 years, Patricia, our daughters and sons-in-law, and our grandchildren. They have been supportive, patient, caring, and loving through all of my activities. I thank God for all of you.

If you’re going to be at the International Trombone Festival at TCU next month, I look forward to seeing you there. Four days of all trombone, all the time. Sounds pretty good to me!

Biography of Douglas Yeo from the International Trombone Association website, April 2024. In the photo that accompanies this bio and the ITA Facebook announcement of 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, I am holding a buccin (dragon bell trombone, made in the 19th century) during a recital I gave at the Hamamatsu (Japan) Museum of Musical Instruments. The International Trombone Association adopted the buccin as its logo, based on a buccin owned by New England Conservatory of Music.