Facts About Don Butterfield
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:58 pm
Harvey Hartman ("Harv's Happy Horns") and I talked this morning and decided it would be appropriate to list some facts about Mr. Don Butterfield, who is recuperating from a stroke.
Don Butterfield studied under Mr. William Bell. After graduating from the Juilliard School of Music, Mr. Butterfield became principal tubist with the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski for eighteen years. Concurrently he was principal tubist with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. He was also principal tubist with the Cities Service Band of America under Paul Lavalle for eighteen years. He was a member of the Frank Sinatra Orchestra for four years. Mr. Butterfield has performed under the great symphonic conductors of this century, including Arturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Dmitri Mitropoulos, and Leonard Bernstein. He has also performed with jazz greats like Charles Mingus and others.
Mr. Butterfield is one of the first tuba players to write music specifically for tuba and euphonium ensembles. He has written extensive solo and study materials for these instruments.
In his capacity as a soloist and clinician with the King Musical Instrument Company, Mr. Butterfield has contributed many improvements to tuba design and manufacturing methods. For example, Clifford Bevan ("The Tuba Family") claims that Mr. Butterfield is the first to have the lead pipe raised away from the bell in order to improve the tuba player's vision and to improve resonance in the bell.
Mr. Butterfield has been very active in community music. He served as conductor of the Gloria Band for 22 years. He has played in the West End Klezmorim, the Tappan Zee Brass Quintet, the Butterfield Tuba Quartet, and the Degenshein All-Stars. He has made numerous appearances with community bands, most recently with the the Allentown Band and the Imperial Brass.
Mr. Butterfield has been a lifelong music teacher and has served on the music faculties of Trenton State College, New York University, and Columbia Teacher's College. His many students, some of whom are now retired, have worked as professional musicians, music educators, and service bandspeople around the nation. It is said that Mr. Butterfield convinced Harvey Phillips to continue playing tuba, when Mr. Phillips wanted to quit Juilliard and go to chef school in France.
Mr. Butterfield is said to be the most-recorded tuba player ever.
Don Butterfield is arguably the foremost tubist of his generation. Seemingly no other professional tubist has come close to his breadth and depth.
Don Butterfield studied under Mr. William Bell. After graduating from the Juilliard School of Music, Mr. Butterfield became principal tubist with the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski for eighteen years. Concurrently he was principal tubist with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. He was also principal tubist with the Cities Service Band of America under Paul Lavalle for eighteen years. He was a member of the Frank Sinatra Orchestra for four years. Mr. Butterfield has performed under the great symphonic conductors of this century, including Arturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Dmitri Mitropoulos, and Leonard Bernstein. He has also performed with jazz greats like Charles Mingus and others.
Mr. Butterfield is one of the first tuba players to write music specifically for tuba and euphonium ensembles. He has written extensive solo and study materials for these instruments.
In his capacity as a soloist and clinician with the King Musical Instrument Company, Mr. Butterfield has contributed many improvements to tuba design and manufacturing methods. For example, Clifford Bevan ("The Tuba Family") claims that Mr. Butterfield is the first to have the lead pipe raised away from the bell in order to improve the tuba player's vision and to improve resonance in the bell.
Mr. Butterfield has been very active in community music. He served as conductor of the Gloria Band for 22 years. He has played in the West End Klezmorim, the Tappan Zee Brass Quintet, the Butterfield Tuba Quartet, and the Degenshein All-Stars. He has made numerous appearances with community bands, most recently with the the Allentown Band and the Imperial Brass.
Mr. Butterfield has been a lifelong music teacher and has served on the music faculties of Trenton State College, New York University, and Columbia Teacher's College. His many students, some of whom are now retired, have worked as professional musicians, music educators, and service bandspeople around the nation. It is said that Mr. Butterfield convinced Harvey Phillips to continue playing tuba, when Mr. Phillips wanted to quit Juilliard and go to chef school in France.
Mr. Butterfield is said to be the most-recorded tuba player ever.
Don Butterfield is arguably the foremost tubist of his generation. Seemingly no other professional tubist has come close to his breadth and depth.