Herb Wekselblatt

[Paul Scott]

I've been told that the great Herb Wekselblatt passed away over the weekend. A very, very kind man and great player.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Sad news...

[bisontuba]

Sad...

[J.c. Sherman]

Among his other achievements, he put together an entertaining book for ambitious students.

Very helpful book... and left a lasting impression in the tuba world as a player and editor. RIP, sir.

[Stephen Shoop]

I had the pleasure of corresponding with Mr. Wekselblatt in 2003 or 2004 when putting final touches on my article about Fred Geib that was published in the ITEA Journal, in 2005. Wekselblatt was Mr. Geib's final student at Juilliard. (Geib was affectionately known as "the old man"). Herb mentioned purchasing his Sander CC tuba from Geib. He also mentioned that he considered switching to Mr. Bell as his teacher when Bell joined the faculty, but decided to complete his studies with "the old man." I emailed Wekselblatt a draft of my article and a list of materials I had collected up to that point. In response, he told me he had some materials I did not have (or know about).... sent me his ORIGINAL copies and manuscripts.... and asked for nothing in return. Among them were a collection of unpublished tuba etudes (all simply titled "Exercise") and a nice little arrangement of "The Happy Farmer" titled "The Children's Carnival and the Elephant," for solo tuba with percussion section accompaniment. Great guy and a class act... for sure.

[EdFirth]

I was fortunate to have lessons with Mr. Wekselblatt in 1973 during my last eight months in the West Point Band. He lived in Ft. Lee, New Jersey and was teaching at his house. His wife, who was very sweet, would put stuff, rags or newspaper, I can't quite remember which, under us to protect their carpet. We usually started with duets, then " anything you having trouble with kid?", then excerpts. The one I mostly recall is the Dragon" solo that goes C..Db..C……..Db.C.Eb. D... No breaking the phrase, just the way it's written. I don't think I ever really got it to where he wanted it but we finally moved on. He played on a BBb Sander tuba and told me that when the conductors asked for "the F tuba" he pulled out an Olds 99 four valve horn. No F, No Eb, no cimbasso. He got a beautiful sound and it's too bad the Met orchestra didn't record much because I used to listen to them on the radio(AM !) and he knocked it out of the park every time. The original edition of Solos for the Tuba Player had a drawing of a Conn 25J on the gold cover. That horn lived in his basement and I later bought it. It now resides in Melbourne, Fl. He was an easy going friendly guy who just played his job and went home. Years later I had just finished a job at SeaWorld and when I flipped the radio on it was the Met and he was playing that Dragon solo and he by God practiced what he preached with the phrasing. He wasn't a Bill Bell student. He took with Fred Geib who wanted only the fingerings in the beginning band books, No alternates. He was going to try a Mirafone and wanted to have two shipped out for him to choose between and said I could have the other one at his cost but about a month before I got out of the Army I called to set up the lesson and he said "We're gonna have to hold off on lessons and the Mirafones for now. I got illness in the family" And his wife passed shortly after that so I didn't get to see him again before leaving to go to college in Illinois. Great guy with a great career and a warm heart. Rest in Peace. Ed

[Uncle Markie]

Years ago I was playing a gig with a hot little dixieland band as part of the old 52nd Street Fair. It was good pick up group and we were having fun, and I ended up playing a lot of "choruses", etc. A month afterward I received a 35 mm Kodachrome slide of me (this has been lost over the years of course) and the nicest letter from Herb complimenting my playing, etc. He had taken the time and trouble to find out who I was and send that to me. Of course I wrote him back immediately offering to establish a mutual admiration society since I grew up on the old Texaco Met broadcasts. Herb was a great guy and set the standard for tuba players that followed him at the Met - or any other opera orchestra for that matter.