TromboneChat

From the NY Philharmonic archives, March 1931.

Maestro Toscanini has conveyed written some directive to management about the trombone players but I can't make it out...

I think it might be Toscanini saying who he wants on each part...

I can make out Falcone and Clark; maybe Lucas? Not sure about the third...

Looks like Heines on "3th"

robcat2075 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 10, 2022 9:23 pm From the NY Philharmonic archives, March 1931.

Maestro Toscanini has conveyed written some directive to management about the trombone players but I can't make it out...

ToscTrombA.jpg

ToscTrombB.jpg

My best guess...

“My dear Mr. _____
In conversations
with Mr. _____ _____
I have requested that
the trombone section
must be as follows
at every concert and
with every conductor
Mr. Falcone solo trombone
Mr. Lucas 2nd
Mr. Heines (?) 3th
Mr. Clarke _____ _____
Very truly yours”

pompatus wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:36 am My best guess...

“My dear Mr. _____
In conversations
with Mr. _____ _____
I have requested that
the trombone section
must be as follows
at every concert and
with every conductor
Mr. Falcone solo trombone
Mr. Lucas 2nd
Mr. Heines (?) 3th
Mr. Clarke _____ _____
Very truly yours”

That seems right.


I've heard that Toscanini thought of being a doctor but his handwriting was too good.


.

Did some digging through the NY Phil archives.

Here's a program from December 12, 1931
https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/a ... 1/fullview
It lists Mario Falcone, George Lucas, Allie Clarke, and Roy Haines as trombone soloists.

Here's some biographical stuff on Falcone:
https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/a ... 1/mode/2up

The catalog entries list "Clarke, Albert E." and "Haines, LeRoy (Roy) R."

Robert, do you have any idea of when this note was written?

JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 11:17 am

Robert, do you have any idea of when this note was written?

It appears to say March 16 1931

robcat2075 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 3:10 pm

JohnL wrote: ↑Mon Apr 11, 2022 11:17 am

Robert, do you have any idea of when this note was written?

It appears to say March 16 1931

That's a three? Looks more seven-ish to me - though I suppose context is everything.

So it would be from the season before the program I linked to.

Seems we've got the gist of it now.

I think the very first line is "My Dear Mr. Judson"; Arthur Judson was the Orchestra Manager. The person he mentions having conversations with is likely Vincent Van Praag, who joined the orchestra in 1916 as a horn player and became personnel manager in 1922, eventually retiring in 1952.

My dear Mr. Judson
In conversations
with Mr. Van Praag
I have requested that
the trombone section
must be as follows
at every concert and
with every conductor
Mr. Falcone solo trombone
Mr. Lucas 2nd
Mr. Haines 3th
Mr. Clarke _____ _____
Very truly yours

Maybe that one missing word is "alternate"? The first letter looks like and a and the second letter looks almost identical to the l in "Clarke".

I wonder what precipitated this.

Do you suppose they were doing rock-paper-scissors to decide who got what part prior to this?

Your guess is as good as mine. It wasn't a new lineup; I see the same four in this program:
https://archives.nyphil.org/index.php/a ... 1/fullview
From the 1929-1930 season.

It may be that they were rotating around and Mr. Toscanini wanted the same bodies in the same chairs every night.

What's odd is that he insisted on that same lineup even for those concerts that he wasn't going to conduct. Maybe some of the other conductors preferred a different seating and the maestro objected?

If Google Translate hasn't led me wrong, this book:
https://books.google.com/books?id=BedA6 ... &q&f=false
says that Falcone and Clarke were alternating as first trombone, at least at some point in time.

Note that this Clarke had a custom mouthpiece with his name on it that was copied to become the 6 1/2 AL. DJ sent one in a box of mouthpieces for me to analyze. I think it was a Conn Clarke. I was sorely tempted not to return it (but ethics dictate otherwise ).

I'm looking at my Conn-Clarke right now. However --- it's stamped "Conn-Clark" --- with no "E" at the end ! Did Conn make a major screw-up ?