Emory Remington
Encyclopedia
Emory B. Remington was a trombonist and music teacher
. His unique method made him one of the most well-known and influential trombone
educators in history. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
from 1923 to 1949, and on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester, NY from 1922 until his death in 1971.
on December 22, 1891, Emory Remington began his musical studies in the Boys' Choir of an Episcopal Church. His Father, Fred Remington, a brass instructor who played cornet
and trumpet
, presented young Emory with a trombone at the age of 14. By the age of 17 he was a member (and regular soloist
) with the Rochester Park Band.
In 1917 Remington joined the United States Navy
and was assigned to the orchestra at a training station near Chicago
. One of his bunkmates in the Navy orchestra was comedian/violinist Jack Benny
.
in 1922. He would remain on faculty there for the rest of his life. As a trombone teacher he was affectionately known to his students as "The Chief". He developed a system of legato
warm-up exercises (now immortalized by Donald Hunsberger
in his book, The Remington Warm-Up Studies (ISBN 0-918194-10-5) which have had major influences on trombone practicing up to the present time.
Remington was fond of singing, and during his lessons he would sing along with the student's trombone sound. He also encouraged his students to look for music to play that was outside of the common literature for trombone, especially music which would improve the singing characteristics of their trombone playing. His emphasis, whether in warm-up or in practice, was on relaxation and playing in a "conversational" and "singing" manner. This was quite different from the more traditional trombone methods of the time which focused on more marcato
and regimented technical studies such as the Arban Method
.
Another of Remington's contributions was the Eastman Trombone Choir. A large ensemble of trombonists would gather to play music written for multiple trombones or transcribed from other sources, such as the chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach
. Separating the different musical parts (i.e. SATB: soprano, alto, tenor, bass) into sections of trombonists, and transposing the music into the proper registers for the trombone. Remington encouraged his students to transcribe music for this ensemble, amassing a large library of "new" works for it. The music of J. S. Bach became the backbone of the ensemble. Remington used this great music as a tool to train his students in the art of ensemble performance. Ralph Sauer
has made a fine reputation with his beautiful transcriptions of the music of Bach. Donald Hunsberger's transcription of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue is considered one of the first of the great Bach transcriptions.
Selected sections from his method include exercises designed around sustained long tones, security in the high register, legato tonguing, flexibility or "lip-slurs", and "pattern scales" (which would create a trombonist equally adept in all the keys).
In 1954, Remington completed work in conjunction with C. G. Conn
Ltd. in developing the C. G. Conn 88H tenor trombone. The unique tone color and dynamic range of the instrument have made it popular amongst trombonists and contributed to its continuous production from its debut in 1954 to the present. Conn also manufactured a "Remington" tenor trombone mouthpiece which was available in either silver or gold plate. Remington encouraged his first year students to switch to this mouthpiece, as it produced a beautiful clear sound with moderate effort. The effect of the 88H combined with the Remington mouthpiece produced a very uniform sound in the Trombone Choir and trombone sections in the large ensembles. As students progressed, they would be encouraged to switch to other mouthpieces to refine their sounds depending on performance conditions.
Remington taught at the Eastman School for 49 years, teaching countless students, some of whom rank among the finest trombonists in history. He died on December 10, 1971. On October 20, 1979, Room 902 at the Eastman School of Music was formally named the Emory B. Remington Rehearsal Room.
Remington(Band) was named after Remington's son, David Remington.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. His unique method made him one of the most well-known and influential trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
educators in history. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music....
from 1923 to 1949, and on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester, NY from 1922 until his death in 1971.
Early life
Born in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
on December 22, 1891, Emory Remington began his musical studies in the Boys' Choir of an Episcopal Church. His Father, Fred Remington, a brass instructor who played cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, presented young Emory with a trombone at the age of 14. By the age of 17 he was a member (and regular soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
) with the Rochester Park Band.
In 1917 Remington joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and was assigned to the orchestra at a training station near Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. One of his bunkmates in the Navy orchestra was comedian/violinist Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
.
Professional career
Upon returning from the Navy, Remington joined the Eastman Theater Orchestra in Rochester, also becoming a faculty member at the Eastman School of MusicEastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in 1922. He would remain on faculty there for the rest of his life. As a trombone teacher he was affectionately known to his students as "The Chief". He developed a system of legato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...
warm-up exercises (now immortalized by Donald Hunsberger
Donald Hunsberger
Donald Hunsberger was the conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble from 1965 until 2001. He also held the position of Professor of conducting at Eastman...
in his book, The Remington Warm-Up Studies (ISBN 0-918194-10-5) which have had major influences on trombone practicing up to the present time.
Remington was fond of singing, and during his lessons he would sing along with the student's trombone sound. He also encouraged his students to look for music to play that was outside of the common literature for trombone, especially music which would improve the singing characteristics of their trombone playing. His emphasis, whether in warm-up or in practice, was on relaxation and playing in a "conversational" and "singing" manner. This was quite different from the more traditional trombone methods of the time which focused on more marcato
Marcato
Marcato is a musical instruction indicating a note, chord, or passage is to be played louder or more forcefully than surrounding music. The instruction may involve the word marcato itself written above or below the staff or it may take the form of an accent mark, ^ , an open vertical wedge...
and regimented technical studies such as the Arban Method
Arban method
The Arban Method is a complete pedagogical method for students of trumpet, cornet, and other brass instruments. The original edition was published by Jean-Baptiste Arban in 1864 and it has never been out of print since. It contains hundreds of exercises, ranging enormously in difficulty...
.
Another of Remington's contributions was the Eastman Trombone Choir. A large ensemble of trombonists would gather to play music written for multiple trombones or transcribed from other sources, such as the chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. Separating the different musical parts (i.e. SATB: soprano, alto, tenor, bass) into sections of trombonists, and transposing the music into the proper registers for the trombone. Remington encouraged his students to transcribe music for this ensemble, amassing a large library of "new" works for it. The music of J. S. Bach became the backbone of the ensemble. Remington used this great music as a tool to train his students in the art of ensemble performance. Ralph Sauer
Ralph Sauer
Ralph Sauer is an American trombonist and teacher. He was Principal Trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 32 years.-Biography:Sauer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated of the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Emory Remington.He was the Principal Trombonist of...
has made a fine reputation with his beautiful transcriptions of the music of Bach. Donald Hunsberger's transcription of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue is considered one of the first of the great Bach transcriptions.
Selected sections from his method include exercises designed around sustained long tones, security in the high register, legato tonguing, flexibility or "lip-slurs", and "pattern scales" (which would create a trombonist equally adept in all the keys).
In 1954, Remington completed work in conjunction with C. G. Conn
C. G. Conn
C.G. Conn Ltd., sometimes called Conn Instruments or commonly just Conn, was a United States manufacturer of musical instruments, especially brass instruments. In 1985 their Strobotuner division was bought by Peterson Electro-Musical Products, who continue to service their line of products.Assets...
Ltd. in developing the C. G. Conn 88H tenor trombone. The unique tone color and dynamic range of the instrument have made it popular amongst trombonists and contributed to its continuous production from its debut in 1954 to the present. Conn also manufactured a "Remington" tenor trombone mouthpiece which was available in either silver or gold plate. Remington encouraged his first year students to switch to this mouthpiece, as it produced a beautiful clear sound with moderate effort. The effect of the 88H combined with the Remington mouthpiece produced a very uniform sound in the Trombone Choir and trombone sections in the large ensembles. As students progressed, they would be encouraged to switch to other mouthpieces to refine their sounds depending on performance conditions.
Remington taught at the Eastman School for 49 years, teaching countless students, some of whom rank among the finest trombonists in history. He died on December 10, 1971. On October 20, 1979, Room 902 at the Eastman School of Music was formally named the Emory B. Remington Rehearsal Room.
Remington(Band) was named after Remington's son, David Remington.
Remington's Effects
- Trombonists who studied with Emory Remington
- Larry Campbell - United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Band (Ret.) and Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
(Ret.) - James DeSano - Cleveland Orchestra
- Ralph SauerRalph SauerRalph Sauer is an American trombonist and teacher. He was Principal Trombonist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 32 years.-Biography:Sauer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated of the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Emory Remington.He was the Principal Trombonist of...
- Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony - Herbert (Sonny) Ausman - Los Angeles Philharmonic, recording engineer
- Edwin Anderson - Cleveland Orchestra, Indiana University
- Robert Gray - University of Illinois
- Charles Baker - New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
- Gordon Cherry - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, University of British Columbia, National Arts Center Orchestra, Cherry Classics Music publishing
- Gregory Cox - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Eastern Music Festival
- Gordon Pulis - New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- Donald Knaub - Rochester Philharmonic, Eastman School of Music faculty, Professor of Trombone at University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. Irvin Wagner - Oklahoma City Philharmonic, University of Oklahoma
- Dr. Richard Fote - Crane School of Music of SUNY Potsdam, State College Fredonia New York, Erie Symphony PA
- Byron McCulloh - Pittsburgh Symphony
- George Osborn - Rochester Philharmonic, faculty Eastman School of Music
- Bill Harris - Syracuse Symphony
- Fred Boyd - South Carolina Philharmonic, Private Low Brass Teacher
- Doug Courtright - Syracuse Symphony
- Art Linsner - Chicago Freelance bass trombonist
- Tony Dechario - Rochester Philharmonic
- Dave Richey - Rochester Philharmonic
- Raymond PremruRaymond PremruRaymond Eugene Premru was an American trombonist, composer, and music teacher, who was based for most of his career in London, England...
- Philharmonia OrchestraPhilharmonia OrchestraThe Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
(London), Oberlin Conservatory - Harold Steiman - Pittsburgh Symphony
- Bernie Pressler - Ball State University
- Hal Janks - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
- Richard Myers - Buffalo Philharmonic
- Dennis Good - Nashville Symphony Orchestra
- Dr. Russ Schultz - Central Washington University, Dean of Fine arts at Lamar UniversityLamar UniversityLamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
- Lewis Van Haney - New York PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, Indiana University - Elwood Williams - San Francisco Ballet, Williams Music Publishing
- Bill Reichenbach - Los Angeles studio trombonist, soloist, arranger, composer
- Anne Witherell - Private Trombone Teacher
- Robert Boyd - Cleveland Orchestra
- Dr. Donald Hunsberger - Eastman Wind Ensemble Music Director
- David Fetter - Baltimore Symphony, Clevedland Orchestra, Peabody Conservatory
- James E. PughJames E. PughJames Edward Pugh is a trombonist, composer, and educator. He is noted as the lead trombonist with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and Chick Corea's Return to Forever Band . For 25 years, he worked as a freelance trombonist in New York City...
- New York recording artist, University of Illinois - Robert MarstellerRobert MarstellerRobert Loren Marsteller . Prominent US symphonic trombonist and music educator. He was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under Emory Remington...
- Los Angeles Philharmonic, U. of Southern California - J. Richard Raum - Regina Symphony Orchestra, University of Regina
- Dr. Neill Humfeld - East Texas State University
- Gary Greenhoe- Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, manufacturer: Greenhoe trombones
- Norm Wilcox-arranger and Principal Trombonist of the Finger Lakes Orchestra, Elmira Orchestra
- Rick Starnes-Conductor, Birmingham Community Concert Band
- Douglas Burden - National Arts Centre Orchestra, McGill University, Ottawa University, Capital Brass
- Audrey Morrison - soloist, freelance artist
- Robert E. Moran - United States Navy Dance Band, Monroe County (NY) Parks Band, Union Musician, RCSD Music Teacher
- William Peter Kline - Teaches music theory, music appreciation, low brass, and directs the brass ensemble at San Antonio College
- Larry Campbell - United States Coast Guard
Sources
- The Remington Warm-Up Studies, prepared and edited by Donald Hunsberger (ISBN 0-918194-10-5)
- Douglas Yeo's website has some quotes about Remington:
- The International Trombone Association has a small history and award in his name:
- Biography at Eastman School of Music