Max Woodbury (Princ Trumpet Indianapolis Symphony)

[Derek Reaban]

I just received a message from the grandson of Max Woodbury who was principal trumpet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra from 1937 until 1968. I was able to find a brief article in the ITG Journal (Feb 1998) that provides a photo of Max Woodbury as well as his years of tenure with the ISO. Unfortunately, there is little information that I have been able to find about his career.

His Principal Trumpet contemporaries in the United States were:

Adolf Herseth: Chicago Symphony (1948 – 2001)
Renold Schilke: Chicago Symphony (1939 – 1941)
Elden Benge: Chicago Symphony (1933 – 1939)
Sidney Baker: Chicago Symphony (1941 – 1942 and 1946 – 1948)
Gerald Huffman: Chicago Symphony (1942 – 1946)
Georges Mager: Boston Symphony (1919 – 1950)
Roger Voisin: Boston Symphony (1950 – 1966)
Louis Davidson: Cleveland Orchestra (1935 – 1958)
Leonard B. Smith: Detroit Symphony (1937 – 1942)
James Tamburini: Detroit Symphony (1944 – 1966)
Vladimir Drucker: Los Angeles Philharmonic (1931 – 1944)
Isidor Blank: Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (1939 – 1972)
James Stamp: Minneapolis Symphony (1929 – 1944)
Benny Baker: NBC Symphony Orchestra (1939 – 1942)
Harry Glantz: NBC Symphony Orchestra (1942 – 1954), NY Phil (1928 – 1942)
William Vacchiano: New York Philharmonic (1942 – 1973)
Saul Caston: The Philadelphia Orchestra (1923 – 1945)
Murray Karpilovsky: Pittsburgh Symphony (1938 – 1942)
Samuel Krauss: St. Louis Symphony (1936 – 1944)
Benjamin Klatzin: San Francisco Symphony (1931 – 1944)


I think it would be great if anyone has stories about his career, who he studied with, any prominent students that may be able to offer insights about his teaching, etc. His grandson would certainly be appreciative of anything that TH could share with him.

[Derek Reaban]

Rex,

Former students of Max Woodbury include jazz trumpet great Freddie Hubbard and symphony trumpet player Edmund Cord. Edmund Cord is a professor of music at Indiana University and may be able to share some information about his time with your Grandfather. I’m not sure if he participates on the TH website, but he would definitely be a good source for information.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

There is a book by Donald Rosenberg entitled “The Cleveland Orchestra Story – Second to None” and I found a cool reference to Max Woodbury related to the construction of Severance Hall in 1930. Type the following search words in Google (Max Woodbury Orchestra) and it will take you to a Google Books link:
Here is the paragraph that I thought you would enjoy:

On January 20, 1930, Ginn sent a happy message to Severance: “ERECTING STEEL SEVERANCE HALL COMMENCED THIS MORNING AND BY NINE O’CLOCK TEN COLUMNS IN PLACE AND WORK PROCEEDING. “ Two months later Ginn reported that, “the steel work is all in place, only a few more rivets here and there to be driven. The setting of stone will start in a few days, sufficient of the sandstone being ready for setting.” On May 2, Severance presided at the corner-stone laying ceremony, smoothing the mortar as orchestra trumpeters Alois Hruby, William Hruby, and Max Woodbury played an excerpt from Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben.

Here's a photo of Severance at the ceremony in 1930


In the back of this book, I found that Max Woodbury was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1929 through 1934 and apparently won the position after Nat Prager (1928-1929) left for the New York Philharmonic.

You can see the music to this fanfare if you go to the IMSLP website and look up Richard Strauss in the Composer category. Then go to Ein Heldenleben (alphabetical under H), and click on the Parts tab. You want the trumpet 1, 2, and 3 parts in Bb. The fanfare is between rehearsal numbers 42 and 43 and is scored for three trumpets and was certainly a very exciting excerpt to select for this ceremony. I’ve played it myself several times, and coincidently played the part that your grandfather would have been playing (3rd trumpet).

Here is a website with some excellent photos of the construction of Severance to give you a feel for what is looked like back in 1929 - 1930.

And here is it today...


_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Max St. Clair Woodbury was with the Cleveland Orchestra from the 1929/30 season through the 1933/34 season. He was first trumpet with the Indianapolis Symphony from 1937-1968 and was in the section until 1975. He was also personnel manager from of the Indianapolis Symphony from 1961-1976. He taught at Indiana University from 1939-1946 and at the National Music Camp, Interlochen in 1940 and 1941.

This information was taken from the ITG Journal Article Trumpet Players of the Cleveland Orchestra 1918-1993: An Addendum by Mary Thornton.

I also found that he was living in Los Angeles in 1935. I’m wondering if he would have been studying with Vladimir Drucker in this period between when he was with the Cleveland Orchestra and winning the Principal Trumpet job with the Indianapolis Symphony. Vladimir Drucker was a Russian virtuoso who studied with Brandt before moving to the United States. Drucker was principal trumpet with many orchestras (New York Symphony 1923-1925, San Francisco Symphony 1925-1929, Los Angeles Philharmonic 1931-1934, Cleveland Orchestra 1934-1934, Los Angeles Philharmonic 1935-1944). It would make sense that if Max Woodbury was looking for a Principal chair he would take time to study with a prominent player / teacher that he met in Cleveland in 1934 and travel back to Los Angeles to continue to refine his playing. I wonder where he played when he was in Los Angeles?
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[kytyrx]

Thank you very much.

[kytyrx]

Thank you Derek for your help.If any of his contemperaries or foermer students have any information, my email is: kytyrx@yahoo.com. I also trying to locate any information about when he was in the band that played music for tje Mark Brothers films. I remember him telling me stories about it when I was a kid. Again thank you for getting the word out and the information you have supplied.

[LakeTahoeTrpt]

I studied with Max Woodbury from 1965 until 1971. Ed Cord, formerly of the Israeli Philharmonic and Utah Symphony and currently professor of trumpet at Indiana University was another of Max's students. I think that Delbert Dale, formerly of the Indianapolis Symphony, was another, and, of course, Freddie Hubbard. I am sure that Max had many others who studied with him that went on to play at a much higher level than I, but he was a pretty humble guy who never dropped names. He had great stories, some of which I can think of right off the top of my head; others will come to me. Max, throughout his career, was a performer and a teacher. At various times, he was on the faculty at Indiana U., Butler U., and Ball State U.

Max inspired me to make my living as a musician, and I was fortunate to be able to make a decent living at it for a number of years in a commercial music venue. I played in casino showrooms and regional orchestras, as well as chamber groups, doing Young Audience gigs, etc.

Where do I start with Max? He made the trumpet come alive for me. He allowed me to enjoy the trumpet rather than fight it. He taught me about breathing and the importance of it in playing trumpet. Recently I pulled out an old practice book and saw his writing on it, almost 50 years old -- it said simply, "HOT AIR!" I knew exactly what it meant, and proceeded to play the passage utilizing the breathing skills he taught to so many. Freddie Hubbard, in interviews, always credited Max with teaching him how to breathe correctly while playing trumpet. That is part of Max's legacy. Max taught me the importance of playing the trumpet lyrically. He thought of the trumpet as a solo instrument just as capable of producing beautiful music as a violin or any other instrument. Max knew the technical stuff would take care of itself with practice, but that musicality wouldn't necessarily follow. We would spend hours working on melodies.

Max sold me my first good trumpet, a Burbank Benge. He was the area representative for Benge. I got mine, with case, for $330. Max played a mouthpiece like one I've never seen before or since; the rim was molded to fit his chops! He said a mouthpiece salesman, years ago, had him bite the end off a potato and then sent it away, and a few weeks later, he got the mouthpiece back, and never played another. Max would let me cut his lawn during the summers to pay for trumpet lessons throughout the school year. His wife, Norma, gave cello lessons in the other upstairs room of their house. I know current symphony musicians who studied with Norma. Oh, my. I haven't thought about this stuff for years. I'll have to add more as I think of it. Now that I'm older and wiser, I am not so sure he wasn't pulling my leg with some of the stories, like the time he told me he was waiting backstage to play the off-stage trumpet call in the Beethoven Leonore Overture and the stage hand tried to kick him out: "there's a concert going on in here!" Or the "all night" rehearsal because the orchestra couldn't play the Sabre Dance without the after-beats melding into the downbeats...

Anyway, I'll post more as I remember it, and will look forward to more from others on here!
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Burbank Benge Bb MLP
Kanstul 1510 C
Benge Eb/D
Benge Flugelhorn 3X
Buescher 400 Model 275 Cornet
Curry Precision Mouthpieces

[Derek Reaban]

Rick,

Thanks very much for posting. It's great to get a few insights into his teaching approach. I'm sure as a young student he was an impressive model for inspiration.

Looking forward to any other remembrances.


Thanks,

Derek
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

I found this from Max's obituary (Feb 2002):

He was employed for 35 years as a professional trumpet player and then for four years as a personnel manager with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He played trumpet for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for 20 summers in New York. He also taught trumpet at Ball State University for 21 years, at Butler University for 20 years and at the Indiana School of Music for 10 years.

In the 1940 United States Federal Census (Indiana, Marion, Indianapolis) it shows that Max's profession was "trumpet player" and his industry was "symphony orchestra". His income from 1939 (1-Jan to 31-Dec) was $2500 and he was employed for 40 weeks in 1939. He was renting a home for $25 per month. It also shows his residence on April 1, 1935 was in Los Angeles.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[kytyrx]

I have just started a Facebook page for him, www.facebook.com/MaxSWoodburyTrumpeterAndMentor

Thanks,
Rex Woodbury