| Meet
Julius Baker
Legendary
flutist Julius Baker is famous for his orchestral career, as soloist
and chamber musician, and as teacher to generations of flutists.
I met him at the National Flute Association convention in Boston
when I was 11, and studied with him at the Curtis Institute of Music.
He took me under his wing and shared his astounding expertise with
me, thus initiating my career in the flute world. It is with deepest
admiration and affection that I dedicate this column to Julius Baker.
I'd like to share with you, my Flutewise friends, some of the musical
wisdom he imparted to me during our time together.
Born
in Cleveland, Ohio in 1915, Julius Baker starting playing the flute
under the tutelage of his father, an amateur flutist. At the Curtis
Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he studied with
William Kincaid, principal flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra (1921-1960).
William Kincaid belongs to the first generation of influential flutists
born in the United States. During the late 19th century and early
20th century, the leading flutists were French, often connected
to the Paris Conservatory. Some, like Georges Barrère, who
premiered Debussy's L'après-midi d'un faune "Afternoon
of a Faun", and Georges Laurent, principal flute of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra (1918-1952), brought their tradition of flute
playing to the United States. Kincaid, a pupil of Georges Barrère,
fused elements of the French school with his own style to create
a new, American style of flute playing that would come into its
own with Julius Baker.
After
graduating from Curtis in 1937, Mr. Baker joined the Cleveland Orchestra.
He soon became principal flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony under
Fritz Reiner. Next, Mr. Baker moved to New York, where he played
principal of the CBS Symphony Orchestra under Bruno Walter and joined
the Bach Aria Group, a chamber ensemble dedicated to performing
Bach Cantatas with whom he performed for 18 years.
He
served as principal flute of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before
returning to New York as principal flute of the New York Philharmonic,
a position he held from 1965 to 1983. Mr. Baker's tenure with the
New York Philharmonic coincided with that of conductor Leonard Bernstein.
As one of the most recorded orchestral flutists in history, Julius
Baker is heard on numerous recordings of the New York Philharmonic
with Bernstein and almost every other major conductor of the period.
Despite
his distinguished career as a classical performer, Julius Baker
has always been open to performing other musical styles, appearing
as "Piccolo Pete" on Mitch Miller's popular TV show and
recording movie soundtracks including Beauty and the Beast and Fame.
Julius
Baker made teaching new generations of flutists an integral part
of his career. He has been a faculty member at The Juilliard School
in New York since 1954, the Curtis Institute of Music since 1983,
and also taught at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and
the New England Conservatory in Boston. Many of his students hold
chairs in orchestras throughout the world and enjoy distinguished
solo careers. Two of his best-known students are Jeffrey Khaner,
principal flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra and my teacher at
the Curtis Institute of Music, and Jeanne Baxtresser, former principal
flute of the New York Philharmonic and teacher at New England Conservatory.
One
of the most striking aspects of Mr. Baker's playing is his tone.
In my lessons with him he talked a lot about "tone colors",
that is, differences in tone produced by dynamics and vibrato in
order to serve the varying expressive needs of the music. Having
Mr. Baker's sound in my ear is the greatest inspiration to me.
1.
"You are your own best teacher"
Mr. Baker often told me that "you are your own best teacher".
He meant that the way to improve your playing is not just to play
through your exercises and pieces of music, doing what your teacher
tells you, but to listen carefully to yourself at all times. As
you know, learning a musical instrument takes a lot of disciplined
practice every day. Many of us are passive students who wait for
our teacher's guidance to improve an aspect of our playing. By saying
that you are your own best teacher, Mr. Baker's goal is to make
us active students who always listen critically to our practicing
and monitor our own progress. Next time you pick up your flute,
ask yourself questions about how you sound. For example: Do I like
my tone? Am I supporting the sound? Does the character of my playing
suit the character of this piece? Develop your ear and let your
musicality guide you toward more excellent playing.
A good
way to develop your critical ear is to record yourself. I do this
often and recommend it to my students. It's a great way to listen
objectively to your own playing and produces improvements rapidly.
Here's a method: Record yourself playing a short piece. Listen once
focusing only on your rhythm, and mark your music wherever you might
have been either rushing ahead or lagging behind. Then listen again,
this time making note of any parts that were out of tune. Next,
put these technical concerns aside and listen solely for musicality
and expression. This exercise enables you to go back and target
the spots in your practicing where your rhythm and intonation need
work, and helps you make your interpretations more musical.
2.
"Sing"
During lessons Mr. Baker would request that I "sing out more"
or use a "singing tone" for a particular passage. When
explaining how he wanted a piece to sound, he would draw a parallel
between the flute and the human voice. As I wrote about in my Summer
2002 column on my book of arrangements of Debussy songs, Nuit d'étoiles:
8 Early Songs Arranged for Flute and Piano (Theodore Presser), there
is a natural connection between the flute and the human voice. Mr.
Baker's analogies to song help flutists explore this connection,
because flutists breathe and phrase in a similar way to singers.
Thinking in terms of singing out when you play helps develop the
kind of lush, rich tone Mr. Baker is known for.
At
your next practice session, imagine yourself a singer. To increase
the beauty of your sound, take deep breaths and support your sound
with strong breath support and a fast column of air. Open your throat
to produce a
larger, open sound.
3.
"Whatever piece I'm playing at the moment is my favorite piece"
Julius Baker has played just about every piece of music ever written
in his over 70 years of performing, but his enthusiasm and love
for the flute have never waned. Considering every piece of music
to be your favorite is integral to Mr. Baker's philosophy. Approaching
a piece with your complete dedication will really make a difference
in the way you play it. I've always loved sharing my enthusiasm
for the flute and music with audiences, and Mr. Baker's approach
was an inspiraton for me to give every piece of music my all.
When
you learn repertoire, remember that each piece has its own character.
Use your imagination to unlock it and try to communicate that to
your listeners.
Any
introduction to Julius Baker would not be complete without mentioning
his great sense of humor. His jokes, stories about his experiences
in music, and humorous poems always brought laughter into our lessons.
Let me share one memorable anecdote with you. I was playing Bach's
Partita for Solo Flute in A Minor, one of the wonderful staples
of the flute repertoire. After the first movement, which is made
up of steady sixteenth notes with scarcely a pause for breathing,
I asked Mr. Baker to suggest better places for me to breathe than
the spots I had chosen. He replied: "If it ain't broke don't
fix it!"
It's
difficult to put into a few words all that I gained from my years
studying with Julius Baker. Now that I teach my own students, I
strive to pass his wisdom on to them. I take great pride in being
part of the Baker family.
Activities
Box
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Try the tips for practicing from Julius Baker, above.
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Check out Mr. Baker's books
Julius Baker, Daily Exercises for the Flute (Ludwig Music
Publishing Co. 1982)
Johann Sebastian Bach, The Flute Solos from the Bach Cantatas,
Passions and Oratorios, Compiled and Edited by Julius Baker (G.
Schirmer, New York 1972)
-
Check out Mr. Baker's CDs, heres a selection:
Julius Baker in Recital (VAI Audio), Julius Baker in Recital,
Vol. 2 (VAI
Audio), The Virtuoso Flute (Everyman)
- Check
out Mr. Baker's Website: juliusbaker.com
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