Stephanie Mayer

MUSE 250 - Palmer

12/7/2016
Arnold Jacobs: Legend of the Brass World
Students world wide in all facets of the musical world have probably
been introduced to different breathing techniques and lung capacity
exercises. Of these one video is overwhelmingly popular, Breathing Gym.
From sixth grade choir programs through collegiate studios and Drum Corps
will all make use of this interactive DVD, created by students that were
inspired by brass legend and tuba player Arnold Jacobs. Born in 1915 and
passing away in 1998, Jacobs touched almost every aspect of the musical
world in his lifetime, ranging from touring Europe, teaching countless master
classes, being tenured in one of the most famous orchestras in the world,
and making developments to breathing more prominent than anyone else to
date. Jacobs came from a musically gifted family, further propelling him into
success early on. He went to the Curtis Institute at only fifteen years old on
scholarship. After graduating Curtis in 1936, he went to the Indianapolis
Symphony and served as one of their tubist for two years. After this, he
moved to the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra for five years, from 19391944. Finally, in 1944 he won the tubist spot in the Chicago Symphony where
he remained as a tenured player until his retirement in 1988.
Outside of being an orchestral player, Jacobs toured the world, taught
collegiately at Northwestern, and founded one of the most well-known brass

quintets to date, the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet. Outside of music

Jacobs studied the art of breathing more notably than almost any player.
When asked about this Jacobs stated:

I had no intention of using the biological studies that I was doing in

teaching. Once I began to learn how we function, then it was obvious. If
I saw phenomena existing in an individual in the way he uses his
musculature, and I knew that he cannot move air at that point, I would
work with him a little bit as a therapist just to establish the air flow, to
get him back into the use of the bellows activity that we have in
respiration.
This quote truly ties together Jacobs views on the importance of respiration
and how he viewed it as a separate lesson rather than just an exercise that
was tagged onto a bigger idea. After thousands of hours of research Jacobs
began teaching his information to students via one on one private lessons,
master classes, and lectures across the globe. One of the Jacobs methods of
teaching is also a deep personalization with students. He believed that
students should be taught in a very individual manner and not to use the
same material from student to student. Jacobs also did not believe in
crossing the information between teaching and performing. His philosophy
was that there was a hat for each thing he did. When he taught he would
wear only a teachers hat, in this he would analyze the performances ready
to critique and fix; while performing he would wear a performers hat, in

this his thoughts would move to strictly his own playing and performance.
These different aspects truly helped mold his teaching and playing into the
techniques taught by thousands of his students or his students students
worldwide, keeping his playing and teaching techniques alive even after the
legend himself is gone.

Arnold Jacobs with Chicago Symphony

Brass Quintet

Discography:

Portrait of an Artist Arnold Jacobs. Summit Records. Released August

15, 2000.

Legacy of an Artist Arnold Jacobs. Summit Records. Released January

9, 2007.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra First Chair Soloist. Deutsche

Grammophon. Released April 8, 2003
Books about Arnold Jacobs:

Brian Frederiksen, Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind (Windsong Pr Ltd, January,
1997), 276 pp., ISBN 0-9652489-0-9.

M. Dee Stewart, Arnold Jacobs: The Legacy of a Master (Instrumentalist Co,

June, 1987), ISBN 0-318-37570-2.

Kristian Steenstrup, "Teaching Brass", 2nd revised edition (Royal Academy of

Music, Aarhus, 2007), ISBN 978-87-988393-3-0.

Bruce Nelson, "Also Sprach Arnold Jacobs: A Developmental Guide for Brass
Wind Musicians", Polymnia Press 2006.

Loubriel, Luis E., "Brass Singers: The Teaching of Arnold Jacobs," Scholar
Publications, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9828935-1-7

Loubriel, Luis E., "Lasting Change for Trumpeters: The Pedagogical Approach
of Arnold Jacobs," (Second Expanded and Updated Edition) Scholar
Publications, 2011, ISBN 978-0-9828935-2-4

Works Cited:
Windsong Press website: http://www.windsongpress.com
Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind. Author: Brian Frederikson. Edited by:
John Taylor.