Author: D. Goodman
Date: 2006-01-24 16:47
I am sorry to report that David Weber passed away yesterday, Jan. 23, 2006. He was 92. Remarkably, he was still teaching until the middle of 2005.
Weber was major figure in the clarinet world. A student of Simeon Bellison, Daniel Bonade, and Roy Schmidt (Detroit), Weber was asst principal clarinet alongside Bellison in the NY Philharmonic, was associate principal and Eb clar in the NBC Symphony under Toscanini, and principal clarinet in the CBS Symphony and Symphony of the Air under Stokowski, the Metropolitan Opera Orch, and was a longtime principal in the NYC Ballet Orch (1964-86). He taught clarinet at Juilliard in the 70s and 80s.
Weber's most enduring legacy is his many students, and his lifelong pursuit of beautiful tone. "The most important thing," he would implore me and others, "is to have a beautiful sound." A double-lip player himself (though many of his students are not), he would teach his students to strive for a rich, liquid, legatissimo sound, much in the style of Ralph McLane (a close friend of his) and Harold Wright. Variations on that beautiful Weber sound can be heard from his many students, who hold clarinet seats in numerous major orchestras, including Cleveland, Milwaukee, Dallas, Philadelphia, American Ballet Theater, Met Opera Orch and elsewhere.
Weber was a mentor from the old school. He cared about our clarinet playing, but he also cared about our lives. The care he showed his students was mutual, as a number of us gathered with him to celebrate his 90th birthday in 2003, and joined him again last month for his 92nd birthday in his NYC apartment.
I asked him recently what he felt his legacy has been. He considered it, then said contentedly, "I gave a good lesson." Indeed. We will miss him. But his beautiful sound will outlive him, and be passed on to many generations of clarinet players.
David Goodman
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