armando ghitalla

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Armando Ghitalla: Master Trumpeter, Master Teacher, Master

Musician – Michael Tunnell (May96)

R eprin t s from t h e

International Trumpet Guild J o urnal

4 ITG Journal / May, 1997 © 1997 International Trumpet Guild

Armando Ghitalla in the early 1950s. (Photo by John Brook. Courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives)


May, 1997 / ITG Journal 5© 1997 International Trumpet Guild

Armando Ghitalla – Master Trumpeter,

Master Teacher, Master MusicianMICHAEL TUNNELL

Armando Ghitalla, professor of trumpet atRice University in Houston, Texas, is recog-nized as one of the most expressively musi-

cal trumpet virtuosos of this century. He was princi-pal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from1964-79, and he retiredfrom his position as profes-sor of trumpet at the Uni-versity of Michigan in 1993.The large number of hisformer students in promi-nent performing and teach-ing positions attest to hislegacy as one of the greatmaster teachers of ourtime.

During the past severalyears I have had the goodfortune to study with him.A trip to Houston for les-sons in January, 1996 in-cluded the opportunity tointerview this noted artistand pedagogue.

MT: Tell me about yourchildhood.

AG: I was born on June1, 1925 in Alpha, Illinois,and grew up in Knoxville,Illinois on a very smallfarm. It was small enoughthat no machinery wasused, and big enough thatwe had to work our buttsoff. My parents were two ofthe hardest working people I’ve ever known.

MT: Were other members of your family musical?AG: At occasional get-togethers of Italian friends

my father would play a small accordion called aconcertina. With the same key depressed, the instru-ment played one pitch while being pulled and an-other pitch when pushed. He couldn’t read music,and it was excruciatingly dissonant until he was ableto match both hands to the right chords. But then heplayed the music with such verve and such life thatI’ve never forgotten the thrill of those moments. To asmall degree I feel some of that same musicality.

MT: What is your family background?AG: My father’s name was Giacomo, Italian for

James, even though he was called Jack. He grew upin Piedmont, north of Turin high in the mountains.My mother’s name was Tressa. My brother’s birth

certificate reads Giacomoas well, but he has usedJack all of his life.

MT: How did you take-up music?

AG: My beginning withmusic was not exceptional.When I was six years old,my brother played clarinetand didn’t like practicing,so when my folks asked meif I wanted to play an in-strument, I said, “Yes, any-thing but the clarinet!”They brought home a usedHolton cornet with a No. 1Holton mouthpiece. Withthe case it came to $45. Aband director named For-est Woodman traveledaround different towns andcame through Knoxvilleone day a week. Bringingmy “new” cornet for thefirst time, he said if I couldplay America by the nextweek he would put me inthe band. Well, of course Ibusted my butt or my el-bow or something and wasable to get through

America and got into the band. That may not be agreat way to start a new student, but he didn’t havetime to give lessons.

MT: Who did you listen to while growing up andwhat were your favorite solos?

AG: In grade school I was given one record, a 78rpm of Del Staigers as soloist with the GoldmanBand playing Carnival of Venice on one side andNapoli on the other. How I loved that record! Thework ethic of the family was so strong that I rarelywould be allowed to play it on the wind-up Victrolaplayer. It was 1950 before I owned my own record

Armando Ghitalla, 1996. (Photo by Michael Tunnell)


player.My favorite solos were by Herbert L. Clarke. His

Characteristic Studies had all the solos at the back ofthe book. Others favorites were: Russian Fantasy,Columbia Polka, Premiere Polka, and Napoli. Thatmusic is still in my files, but it is in tatters.

MT: Who were your early teachers?AG: I took lessons with Herman Hampy of Peoria,

Illinois who was also an itinerant music teacher, andhe was very helpful. I was left to my own devices asfar as improvement was concerned. I loved the bandera and played many cornet solos and participated inthe solo contests of that day. During high school JaneAnderson, a caring Latin teacher, paid for a summerat Interlochen Music Camp. That was a wonderfulexperience! At Interlochen I took lessons with PatteeEvanson, then first trumpet at Rochester and myfirst professional trumpet teacher. The lessons costextra and since my folks didn’t have a nickel, Evansonarranged for me to do painting and cleaning workaround the camp to pay for my lessons. I was the onlyguy who could openly enter the girls’ camp – of courseI had a ladder, paint brushes, and paint.

The following year I attended Illinois Wesleyan atBloomington. In those days, one could work to payone’s way through college. My jobs were house boy atthe Delta Omicron sorority and driving a bakery

delivery truck in the wee hours of the morning. Ilived at the Phi Mu Alpha house on Chestnut Street.(The year was 1942 and I bought a Phi Mu Alpha lifemembership for $10.) My feelings for the trumpetwere very strong, but my naiveté and all the workleft little time for practice.

MT: Tell me about your lesson with Joseph Gustat.AG: While at Illinois Wesleyan University I won a

$10 prize in a competition playing the Carnival of

Venice. It may seem a bit presumptuous that I wrotea letter to Joseph Gustat, first trumpet of the St. LouisOrchestra, asking for a lesson for $10. His responsewas yes, and a bus trip brought me to the music storeon Olive Street in what seemed like a gray and darkcity. Gustat turned my embouchure around in thattwo-hour lesson. I grew up during the days when onewas taught to smile harder to play the high register.The higher one played, the more one stretched thelips, and of course the sound thinned out accordingly.He wanted a complete reversal – a pucker – which,after much consternation on my part, I was able tohalf do. He shouted, “That’s right!” and hit me overthe head with the mirror that was being used. All theway back on the bus to Bloomington I tried to re-member this very new concept. I have experiencedmany times, as a teacher, a similar attempt to changea concept or to find a different physical position thatyou as the teacher understand so well, while thestudent hasn’t an inkling. Gustat’s two-hour lessonwas, as I realized years later, a great contribution tomy trumpet playing. I wanted to express this to him,but in the interim he died.

MT: How did you get from Illinois Wesleyan toJuilliard?

AG: Being 1-A, I was drafted into the Navy, andmy three years in the service made it very clear to methat I wanted to play the trumpet. I loved the cornetsolos and played them all the time. I had never evenheard of Juilliard until someone in the service toldme about it. I wrote to the school and auditioned,playing my beloved cornet solos.

MT: Was it at that point that you came out of theservice on the GI Bill and went to Juilliard?

AG: Yes, that was a marvelous opportunity. Asterrible as war is, it offered the opportunity of at-tending a university through the GI Bill of Rights.There is no doubt it changed my life. Without theGI Bill, I would have finished Illinois Wesleyan andprobably become a band director in Illinois.

I arrived in New York City by train at Penn Sta-tion with a suitcase and my cornet. Not having aplace to stay, I began walking and after about46 blocks found a room on 82nd Street for $4.25 aweek – bathroom downstairs. The GI Bill paid tu-ition, books, and a stipend of $75 a month for living.My savings per month was $10 out of the $75. My

Armando Ghitalla as a student at the Juilliard School of Music.New York, 1948. (Collection of André M. Smith)


mother sent me peanut butter and I bought day-oldbread (possible in those days) at a bakery. A little blackbook that I found years later had a strict accounting ofmy expenses. Ten cents bought a glass of milk and anickel bought a bread bun and that was breakfast.The first morning at 6:30 a.m. I stood at the cornerwaiting for the bus. The bus stopped and I got on.The driver said, “You know, we don’t stop on thiscorner, it’s the next corner.” It must have been thelook on my face that made him stop. The next morn-ing found me waiting at thenext corner.

The GI Bill was a boon tothe servicemen and to thecolleges and universities.More young people went tocollege than ever before andschools expanded their fa-cilities to take as many students as possible. As aresult, there were 96 trumpet students my first yearat Juilliard. All the instrumental departments wereinflated. The 6:30 a.m. bus ride was the only way tobe assured of getting a practice room when the doorsopened at 7:00 a.m. Juilliard was still on 122nd Streetat Claremont Avenue, and practice space was at apremium. I would stay until the doors were locked atmidnight. There just didn’t seem to be another wayto find time and a room to practice.

MT: Did all 96 trumpeters study with Vacchiano?AG: No, they used the entire trumpet section of

the New York Philharmonic, as well as trumpetersfrom the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as teachers.I felt lucky to have had Vacchiano as a teacher. Hetook a lot of students, played on many New YorkPhilharmonic and RCA Orchestra recordings, anddid jobbing; so he was a very busy man. After enter-ing Juilliard I discovered the world of orchestral play-ing through Vacchiano. My original goal of beingcornet soloist with the Goldman Band changed tothis new challenge.

MT: In what ways did Vacchiano help you?AG: He was very, very helpful. Conductors and

contractors would call Vacchiano for hiring trumpetplayers. During my third year at Juilliard, the NewYork City Center Opera and Ballet Orchestra neededa replacement for first trumpet. Vacchiano sent medown and said, “If the contractor asks if you’ve playedopera before, say yes.” Well, it was awfully hard forme to lie, but I did say yes. The contractor looked atme, smiled, and knew I was lying. But I made it. Theopera was Salome. I was very uptight! At the end ofthe first performance when Halasz, the conductor,passed the trumpet section on his way out, he hit meon the head with his baton as a compliment.

Vacchiano also arranged an audition with EframKurtz, then conductor of the Houston Symphony, for

first trumpet. I remember going to his suite at theWaldorf Astoria in New York City and playing forhim. I was fortunate enough to get the job. Takingthe Houston job at the end of my third year at Juilliardpresented problems getting a degree. Juilliard bentover backwards to help me amass sufficient points tograduate.

MT: What is the chronology of your years in theservice, Juilliard, Opera, Houston, etc.?

AG: My hitch in the U.S. Navy ended in 1945, and1946-49 were spent atJuilliard. The 1949 and 1950seasons were with the Hous-ton Symphony, and 1951 wasthe beginning of my tenurewith the Boston SymphonyOrchestra (BSO). The first13 years of the 28 years in

Boston were as third trumpet and assistant or associ-ate, becoming first trumpet in 1964 and continuingthrough 1979.

I anguished as to whether to accept the Universityof Michigan job, but viewed in hindsight, it was theright decision. I can say without equivocation thatduring my 14 years at Ann Arbor (1979-95) I reallylearned how to teach trumpet. With the high qualitytalent found in orchestral centers like Boston, NewYork, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., the teacher hasonly to point the student and the results are formi-dable. The University of Michigan, however, did notenjoy large numbers of exceptionally talented stu-dents, so I really had to dig to be able to help thesestudents. It was a learning experience for which I amvery grateful.

I spent 1994 as a furlough year in Stockbridge,Massachusetts. If I could handle 18-20 hours a weekof private lessons I might still be there, but healthproblems made that schedule too heavy.

MT: Who influenced your musical concepts anddevelopment?

AG: Any great soloist – singers and instrumental-ists – can contribute to our playing. Some of myfavorites were Heifetz, Caruso, Ponsell, Sutherland,Rubenstein, and so on. Upon joining the BSO, part ofmy assignment was to play first trumpet for artistswho came to play concertos. Hearing Piatigorsky,Primrose, Perlman, Casals, and so many others wasa tremendous learning experience. For me, a lot ofrepertoire learning came on the job as a player in theorchestra.

Listening to recordings is an important learningtool for today’s musicians. The availability of record-ings is a great aid to help develop maturity and style.The availability of orchestral excerpts is also veryhelpful to modern day musicians. Somewhere in myarchives are two volumes of excerpts that I hand

A fter entering J uillia rd I d iscovered

the w orld of orchestra l play ing through

V acchiano. My origina l goa l of being

cornet soloist w ith the Goldm an Band

changed to this new cha llenge.


copied from scores before xerox existed. It was aboring, time-consuming necessity at that time.

The crit eria for advancing to aud it ion

sem i-fina ls or fina ls a re: no m istakes,

accuracy in rhy thm , p lay ing in tune,

consistency , and endurance – a ll w ith a

sound and sty le tha t w ill fit into the

exist ing t rum pet sect ion.

MT: What changes have you noticed over the yearsin the quality of players and teachers?

AG: There is no doubt that today there are manymore fine trumpet teachers than 50 years ago. Therewere 25 players when I auditioned for the BSO job in1951. Ten years ago there were 600 inquiries for afourth trumpet job in the St. Louis Symphony. Theyaccepted about 175 tapes, and at least 60 playerscame to play the audition. No one was chosen.

With so many fine players from which to choose,committees and conductors want to find the perfectplayer who will immediately fit into the position.There is still considerable learning and fitting-in forany new player after he is on the job. The criteria foradvancing to audition semi-finals or finals are: nomistakes, accuracy in rhythm, playing in tune, con-sistency, and endurance – all with a sound and stylethat will fit into the existing trumpet section. Listen-ing for musicality and potential in a player is, in mybook, very necessary as well.

MT: During your career did you develop a regularwarm-up?

AG: Yes, many have evolved. Combining a warm-up and a daily playing routine is the best formula toimprove players. Basically, being a musician requires

rote practice and rote play-ing. The kind of person wholikes doing the same kindsof things every day has aneasier time in a professionwhere skill is required. Infact, if habitual daily prac-tice and sound are boringto a person, they shouldchoose another career. The

warm-up and routine is designed to sharpen theplayer’s ability, instincts, and technique to the ut-most each day. Therefore, the student’s abilities dic-tate the content of this daily routine. Not only should itbe challenging, but it also must allow for adding moredifficult passages to promote continuous development.The warm-up and routine should include:

Lip and Mouthpiece Buzzing. The prolif-eration of lip conditioning books (Claude Gor-don, Stevens’ Total Range, Schubreck, Maggio,Caruso, Quinque, Stamp, and others) attestto the remarkable improvement and strengthone can attain through lip buzzing, mouth-piece buzzing, pedal tones, bends, glissandos,etc. I used Stamp after a heart operation whenI had not played for months and was still veryweak. In two-and-a-half years I had a doublehigh C that I never had previously in mywhole life. By this time I was in my late 50s.

Scales, Slurs, Arpeggios, and Tonguing.

While the lip conditioners make embouchuresstrong, the scales, etc., keep and sharpen ourtechnique. As a player, have you noted thatyou can rarely play an exercise the first timetoday as well as when you finished practicingit yesterday? As basic technique improves,we learn new music faster and execute itbetter.

Musicality and Soft Playing. Being musicalon the trumpet takes experimenting and prac-tice, and many players cannot control theinstrument in pianissimo passages.

MT: Describe your University of Michigan embou-chure survey.

AG: That was a fortunate study I was able to do.About 115,000 people live in Ann Arbor where theUniversity of Michigan is located. There were 60 trum-

Asbury Park Band trumpet trioca 1970: Don Tison, ArmandoGhitalla, Irwin Bourque.(Collection of André M. Smith)


peters in the marching band, 13 in another band, andother students around town. From a pool of about135 trumpeters approximately 65 participated in thesurvey. Participants were identified by a numberrather than by name.

The survey involved taking photographs of eachparticipant’s embouchure, both side and front viewswith the mouthpiece, then having them play a 3-pageexcerpt that became progressively harder and higher.The player had to maintain tempo and was not sup-posed to stop until the excerpt was completed. Someplayers simply quit playing. When the player stopped,I immediately marked the pressure ring with amarker, and took pictures of the lip again to showwhere the mouthpiece had marked. We measuredthe quality of sound, the number of mistakes made,and notated the type of mistakes. Sometimes whenyou go for a higher note and miss it, it’s not alwaysbecause your lip is tired, so we could not attributeevery mistake to fatigue.

I did all the judging myself, even though I partici-pated in the survey in order to see how I would do aswell. I felt that placement was important, but wassurprised to learn the amount of roll inward seemedto make a difference in the results. It was wonderful.My students were generally in pretty good shape, butsome marching band members didn’t play very wellor very often. So the survey covered the whole spec-trum of trumpet players.

MT: What about your flexibility studies, transpo-sition studies, and even beyond that – do you haveany plans for writing other methods?

AG: I have written a few flexibility studies andabout 35 pages of transposition studies. Transposi-tion is very often a stumbling block for students. Acertain degree of proficiency is necessary to competesuccessfully in the symphony orchestra field. Manystudents have had little or no training, so studyingtransposition (which can so easily make one soundlike a beginner again) is hard to do. The approach Iuse is to play in more than one transposition within asingle etude and to play accidentals rather than toadjust pitches in only one transposition. To illustratevery briefly, let us say that one has a C trumpet inhand and wishes to transpose to B-flat trumpet. Withthe disappearance of solfeggio as basic training formusicians, very few people use clefs, so now the gen-eral practice is to read a step down in B-flat major. Ifflats appear, the music is no longer in the key of B-flat major but is in the key of A major, because theflat has lowered the pitch by an additional half-step.This is accomplished by reading down a third to thekey of A. When naturals return, the player returns todown a step in the key of B-flat. When sharps appear,the player reads down a note but now in the key ofB-natural rather than B-flat, since the sharp has

raised the pitch by a half-step. My exercises are de-signed to train the mind to switch transpositionswhen encountering accidentals. This method is notnew, and has been around for many years.

I’ve also wanted to publish a pamphlet on “How toStart a New Student.” The formation of the embou-chure in order to play that first note is extremelyimportant. The beginning student gets his or herembouchure from:

• Trying on one’s own to get a sound (thechances of establishing a poor embouchureare very high)

• Mimicking the teacher’s embouchure (veryreliable and good if the teacher has a goodembouchure)

• Following instructions of a teacher who hassome basic knowledge about embouchures.

When I read articles about trumpet playing andthe author says simply that the mouthpiece is to beplaced in a “natural” position without one furtherword of explanation, I am infuriated. In such a case,the chance of getting a good embouchure is verysmall. During my tenure at the University of Michi-gan it was important to me to attend the first twoclasses of every one-term trumpet requirement forthose in music education programs. After explainingthe simple steps necessary to form an advantageousembouchure, I demonstrated and started the firststudent, and that person then started the next per-son, etc. Part of the final exam in that course in-cluded bringing a nonparticipant to the class andstarting that person on the trumpet.

I’ve started hundreds of people, and over the yearsthere has come forth a huge amount of evidence tocorroborate the three results of a good embouchure –sound, range, and endurance. Here at Rice there aregood reports from my students who teach in localschools who incorporate this simple technique of start-ing embouchures. Even nonbrass players can suc-cessfully do it.

MT: What are the main points of this technique?AG: First, some background: the trumpet embou-

chure does not at all compare in formation to any ofthe other brass embouchures. It is set up differentlythan trombone, tuba, and particularly horn. There isconsiderably more roll-in of the lips for the trumpetembouchure as the embouchure survey pointed out.The horn embouchure produces the best sound andflexibility by rolling the lips outward. The set also isin the red of the bottom lip with a significant amountof upper lip in the mouthpiece. Since horn playersmust play an extra octave in range, this set-up workswell. There are trumpet players using this same set-up with success if the upper lip is rolled in some.Some roll-in is definitely advantageous to the trum-pet embouchure, while the amount of roll-in is less


important. Also, when a student receives his newtrumpet and tries playing, whatever method of blow-ing that produces a sound will be almost indeliblyadopted by the body and, should it be anunadvantageous setting, will be extremely hard tochange. For this reason, it is better to keep the in-strument away from the student until the first les-son.

There are three steps to initiate a good embou-chure. They are:

1 Form an “M” with the lips in a manner thatno red of either lip is showing. With youngbeginners, it is advisable to bring the teethtogether so that rolling in the lips does notoverlap the teeth into the mouth cavity. Itis well worthwhile to spend some time atthis point for those who have difficulty roll-ing. There are also those who will do iteasily. A premise here is that the lip-roll isextreme (no red showing) because what un-rolling that will need to be done is a mucheasier road than beginning with not enoughroll and trying to tuck more in.

2 The teacher places the mouthpiece on theM-formed lips – in the middle laterally andabout 40% top and 60% bottom lip, or 50%on each. An immediate “body memory” takesplace, and when the mouthpiece is removed

and the student is asked to replace it, he orshe will instinctively replace it in exactlythe same spot.

3 With the mouthpiece in position on theM-formed lips it is now necessary to blowair (not a buzz) through the mouthpiecewithout deforming the M set-up. Generallythis is the hardest step, because with theextreme M position it is difficult to get airmoving through all that rolled lip in themouthpiece. If the teeth are closed to formthe “M” they will naturally open for thisstep. When the student is able to get airthrough the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece isattached to the trumpet and the air willimmediately translate into a high, very clearnote (third space C or much higher). Alter-nately there are squawks, air sounds (novibration), and varying degrees of goodsounds.

If a good clear sound comes out, the stu-dent is encouraged to hold on to the note foras long as is possible. The student mustalso play in this upper register for four orfive days until the embouchure is set. Thenit is safe to work downward in register.There may be some unrolling here, but aslong as the player can play back into the

BSO Chamber Players. Seated: Doriot Dwyer, flute; Joseph Silverstein, violin; Burton Fine, viola; Jules Eskin, cello. Standing: RalphGomberg, oboe; Buddy Wright, clarinet; Charles Kavalovsky, horn; Armando Ghitalla, trumpet; Ron Baron, trombone; Vic Firth, percussion;Sherman Walt, bassoon; Ed Barker, bass. (Photo by Story Litchfield. Courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives)


upper register with ease, it is safe. At theoutset, if second line g's or low c's come out,the lips have definitely unrolled too much.As mentioned earlier, unrolling can easilybe accomplished, but rolling in more lipafter a set is almost impossible.

A disadvantage to the teacher today isthat almost every beginning trumpet/cor-net method book starts on low c'. There isno doubt that successful trumpeters haveemerged from this beginning, but the per-centage of success is very much greater ifone begins with a rolled-in higher set.

A couple of observations a teacher will notice are:1 There are times when a beginner cannot

get a sound vibrating. This is frustratingfor all concerned. Patience and sometimesmore pressure against the lips will be suc-cessful.

2 If a student does not have enough bodybulk, there will be difficulty playing. That’swhy it is best to wait until a boy or girl isaround 10 years old and weighs 100 poundsor more.

MT: What equipment have you used over the years?AG: When I first went to Juilliard just after WW II,

Vacchiano sent me up to Bach’s factory. In those daysthe factory was located in a run-down building inupper Manhattan and one could get there on thesubway for a dime. I had arrived at Juilliard with aterrible cornet from high-school days and Vacchianovery rightfully felt I should have a Bach trumpet. Istayed with Bach for many years and Vincent Bachwas good to me.

For a period of time I switched to Martin trum-pets. The Hummel and Molter recordings made inthe late 50s were both played on Martin trumpets.They were very nice people. At one point with Mar-tin, I sent my C trumpet to them for refinishing.When the horn came back it was definitely not asgood. I was told the valve casing had become worn sothin in one place that light could be seen through it,so they replaced the valve section which changed thehorn completely. The Martin company went throughvarious mergers and ownership changes, so I wentback to Bach until Yamaha wooed me away in 1979.

After one makes the initial choice of a new trum-pet for sound, intonation, and evenness, the besttesting ground is in the orchestra. There one gets afeeling of projection, sound quality, and warmth. Iremember switching to another maker’s trumpet dur-ing a repeat of a passage at a rehearsal and thedifference was so marked that numerous heads turnedtoward me.

As for mouthpieces, I’ve played Tottles for years.Old Bill Tottle in Boston was like a father to me and

was always there when I needed him. He was agreat, great artisan. On one occasion he was openingup a backbore little by little while I tested the mouth-piece. At one point the result was remarkably betterand I excitedly asked him how much he had reamedout. With a twinkle in his eye his response was, “Oh,about two lungs worth.” My tendency has been toplay V cups – probably because of my early yearsplaying a cornet.

MT: What is the history and functionality of thepiston trumpet with rotary valve conversion capabil-ity?

AG: In the 1950s Roger Voisin used a 4-valveFrench trumpet which was a C trumpet that becamea D trumpet upon pushing the fourth valve. Rogercalled it a compensating trumpet. Since the length ofthe valve slides are cut for C trumpet, only certainnotes could be played successfully on the D side be-cause of the intonation. I spoke to Bill Tottle aboutthis C/D trumpet, and after a suitable amount ofgrumbling he built one for me. I used it for years andYamaha, as a favor to me, also built a fine combina-tion C/D.

Through the years I have had many ideas abouttrumpets. One of the good ones was being the first touse an A piccolo trumpet for music in D. Before that,the B-flat piccolo was used for Baroque and Bach’smusic.

Another idea was a double trumpet so that a trum-pet pitched in two keys would have two complete setsof valve slides like a horn. A prototype was made butthe weight was considerable and the playing qualitywas not good.

One of my wilder ideas was adding a fifth valve tothe C/D combination that I mentioned above. Again,

Ghitalla’s C trumpet with combinations to B, D-flat, and D. Tworotary valves are shown. When the first rotary valve is pressedthe trumpet is shortened by a whole step, changing it to the keyof D. When the second rotary valve is pressed the trumpet islengthened by a half step to the key of B. When both valves arepressed the trumpet plays in the key of D-flat.


the fourth valve cut off tubing to put the basically Ctrumpet into D, then the fifth valve added a half-step. By using one or the other, or by pressing boththe fourth and fifth valves, it is possible to play thetrumpet in B-natural, C, D-flat, and D.

For years I played the first two movements of theTomasi Concerto on a D-flat/D trumpet using the 5-valve trumpet. All the difficult scale passages in thekey of D-flat and G-flat were suddenly in just plain Cand F. The 5-valve part of the trumpet was designedand beautifully executed by Kenzo Kawasaki, thenhead of brass development at Yamaha. When it cametime to pay he refused payment, saying, “You know,my present position no longer allows me to work inthe shop. This project gave me an opportunity towork with my hands again, and I enjoyed it.”

I have been asked many times why I need such atrumpet. My first answer is, “When you get as old asI am, you need all the help you can get!” The real

answer is that there is truthfully no need – playingthe trumpet well has little to do with any fourth andfifth valves. On occasion an awkward trill or finger-ing can be greatly facilitated by having the option ofalternate fingerings. Another example also comes tomind. I always used the C trumpet to play the HalseyStevens Sonata. The numerous low C-sharps in thesecond movement are played as C-naturals on the B-natural side of the horn.

MT: Have instrument companies sought your in-put regarding technical design?

AG: Yamaha has been extraordinarily energeticand thorough in its research and quest to improveinstruments. In 1979 I was sponsored by Yamaha todo clinics and recitals in Japan. They asked if I wouldbe willing to do some testing. The result was testing24 unmarked bells three times in a row in a concerthall. Each bell was attached to the same body byscrews, and the total of 72 tests took the better part

The Schnickelfritz Division of the Asbury Park Band: Lloyd Williams, Paul Schaller, Roy Gardner, Armando Ghitalla, William Bell.Asbury Park, ca 1955. (Collection of André M. Smith)


of an afternoon. It was gratifying to me that I pre-ferred the same six bells each time. There were nu-merous company people in the audience observingand taking notes.

A number of years later Kawasaki brought six newprototype trumpets for trial to the University of Michi-gan. My students had a ball trying them. I played allsix, and after getting Kawasaki aside, I whispered tohim that I didn’t like any of them. He whisperedback, “I know, this is not your kind of trumpet.” Heknew what type of trumpet fit me best. He wouldshow up with a couple of bells and tuning crooks formy B-flat. I couldn’t get over how much differencethis could make. When one of these parts was decid-edly better, he would solder it on right on the spot.

Yamaha has been very good to me and they stillare, even though my orchestra and solo playing daysare over. They want people who play now; who arethe names today, and I don’t blame them. I contrib-uted bits and pieces to their ongoing design of trum-pets. For years I have experimented with addingweight to the horn by using solder (it should beleadless because the skin absorbs lead) and applyingit to every conceivable place on the horn. The ease ofapplication and removal and the amount of solderused is very conducive to on-the-spot judging andimprovement. It is sometimes amazing how muchbetter notes will lock in or how the quality of soundcan be changed. Monette has revolutionized what’shappened in trumpet making. There is no doubt thatweight in the right places can significantly improve atrumpet. I would have wrapped solder around mynose if I thought it would have helped.

MT: Are there any young players who have caughtyour attention?

AG: Certainly. It’s difficult to name players with-out leaving out some important names, but to name afew, I like Hardenberger and Smedvig for classicalwork. Also, Sandoval and Vizzutti command atten-tion for their abilities. When I hear wonderful youngplayers, I think “wow!” I believe my forte has beenmusicality, and when I was their age there was noway that I could play the technique that these play-ers exhibit. That feeling kept me practicing for yearsto find ways to build technique.

MT: Did your practice habits change at all throughyour career, as you balanced the rigors of your per-forming schedule with your teaching?

AG: Yes, I have to mention that a student pre-pares etudes, excerpts, transpositions, and basic kindsof playing for a lesson. You just can’t do this kind ofpracticing in a job. There aren’t enough chops. I woulddo my routine and I stuck with it. After I becameprincipal in Boston, my practice schedule dependedon the degree of difficulty of the program that week.

Every orchestral trumpet player remembers the

big and hard brass programs and loves to boast aboutthem. One such program for me was three Respighiworks rehearsed, recorded, and played in four con-certs in one week. Poem of Ecstasy (I call it Poem of

Agony) could be daunting if coupled with other heavypieces. Certainly in those weeks you saved chops.Playing a note or a passage in lessons sometimes isworth a hundred words of explanation, but whenthere are four or five rehearsals and four or fiveconcerts in a week that involved a demanding pro-gram, I was careful how much, if any, playing wasdone in lessons.

There are about 1% of players who have endur-ance from day one and never have a worry about it. Iwasn’t one of those, and most of us aren’t. I lookedforward to days off and free time to practice. I wasmaniacal about it. My teaching at the University ofMichigan began in 1979, and for that first year I mayhave missed one or two days of practice, so I was stillpretty uptight about it. Then I began to let down alittle, and, considering my health, it has been a goodidea.

MT: Has it only been in the last year that you nolonger play?

AG: After two by-pass operations my heart is notvery strong and the stamina to play is just no longerthere. I am fortunate to be living in Houston where

Armando Ghitalla in the early 1960s.(Courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives)


the heart center is located. My life is still somewhatactive, but before all this information was forthcom-ing there were considerable problems with playingthe horn. After performing, I felt like I was going todie. I had lots of anxiety about coming to terms withnot playing any more. My motivation to play andpractice so much in the early years was that I feltlike a complete person only while playing. However,in my case the anxiety of giving up was unfounded.The relief was enormous! After 50 years of staying inshape, the release from thatbondage and feeling a slaveto it was truly miraculous! Iam still learning to relax moreand more after those manyyears of pushing myself. Be-ing aware of world events,reading the newspaper, anddoing nothing without feeling guilty have all becomean interesting part of life. My hope is that everyonearrives at this point. It feels delicious!

MT: Who are some of the conductors you playedunder?

AG: Charles Munch hired me in 1951 to the BSO.He was a wonderful, sensitive man and helped me agreat deal. After considerable indecision, I invitedhim and some of the French orchestra members fordinner. I shudder when I think of my cooking abili-ties in those days. The menu was spaghetti and meat-balls, followed by roast beef. Later, Munch askedwhen he would be invited again, and happily it be-came a yearly event.

One anecdote: Harold Farberman was a great per-cussionist who, after leaving the BSO, conducted theOakland Symphony in California and is now living inNew York City. This story is about when he was theBSO snare drummer. The renowned BSO conductor,Arthur Fiedler was known as being very irascibleand very quick; and although he loved to have a goodtime, he was always unhappy with whatever situa-tion he was in at the moment. Harold also had manyof these attributes. In fact, Munch called him the“enfant terrible.” After a Pops concert when Fiedlerleft the stage, Harold held the door shut from thestage side so Fiedler could not come out for his firstbow. After a bit of tugging each way, Harold releasedthe door and quickly assumed his place. Fiedler cameout, fussing and fuming, knowing who the culpritwas, and I believe he was actually tickled by theincident.

There were great guest conductors: Fricsay,Abbado, Monteaux, Bernstein, Colin Davis, andBarbirolli. The music making was spectacular. Will-iam Steinberg followed Munch as music director, andhis musical taste was one of the finest I’ve ever heard.I adored him, too. Leinsdorf followed, bringing his

dazzling ability to handle pieces requiring 4 off-stagebands, 2 choruses, and 12 soloists with great aplomb.He could recite pro baseball players’ statistics by thehour, and if called in the afternoon to fill in for anailing conductor, would conduct Parsifal that eveningat the Met without a score. Then came Seiji Ozawa asmusical director. We got along very well.

In my opinion, the raison d’etre of the conductor isto mold a single interpretation of the piece beingplayed, rather than the musicians each doing their

own thing. The criteria whichthe conductor imposes on theorchestra – for example,quality of sound, style, en-semble, balance, and evenintonation – all affect the fi-nal excellence of the rendi-tions. His body motions and

what he says (sometimes they talk too much) are alsoreflected in the response and sound of the orchestra.

Being a first player in an orchestra is a combina-tion of being a leader, being aggressive, being force-ful, and being willing to fit in, follow, and adjust forthe good of the music. It is good to remember that youare being paid to perform your job. I have often bittenmy tongue in moments of anger in the orchestrawhen an outburst or stubbornness would only add tothe frustration of the moment.

I have been asked many times if I miss playing inthe orchestra. Orchestra schedules are hard and gru-eling – I don’t miss that. I do miss the music and themusic-making, as well as playing for and judgingnew conductors. In the first rehearsal, one can assessthe qualities and shortcomings of a new conductor(he looks you over, too). When I hear some of the fineyoung conductors of today, I feel a “hankering” to bein the orchestra to observe them. I was not fortunateenough to work with the older giants like Toscaniniand Reiner. What a wonderful life I’ve had in theorchestra – doing the thing I love so much.

MT: What are some of your philosophies aboutteaching and its rewards?

AG: Students are fascinating and frustrating! Anyperson who has taught knows that it is much easierfor some to play the trumpet than others. The reallygood talents only need to be pointed in a direction,while a person not as gifted will have a more difficulttime playing well.

The three most important requirements to be afine trumpet player are desire, good ears, and musi-cality. First is desire. Without desire, there is littlehope. To reach a point where a player becomes amodern viable competitor requires an enormousamount of work. We never know how much practiceis enough, so the dedication is endless. The desiremust be real to sustain the driving force to practice

Being a first p lay er in an orchest ra

is a com bina t ion of being a leader,

being aggressive, being forceful, and

being w illing to fit in, follow , and

ad just for the good of the m usic.


methodically and habitually.Practicing hard for two weeksand then taking two or three daysoff almost completely cancels theprogress made.

Second, it is important to re-alize that really good playershave great ears. A large percent-age of my students have neededto improve pitch sense and haveprofited from doing so. We playonly as well as we hear. I willcajole, threaten, reward – almostnothing short of dire conse-quences to get students to im-prove their hearing. Unfortu-nately, almost every music schoolhas long ago cut solfeggio classesfrom their curriculums. Thepresent day offerings in ear train-ing are not nearly thoroughenough for the needs of an aspir-ing professional player. Eartraining and the study of rhythmare real necessities and are bestaccomplished away from thetrumpet. Everything gained inthese areas is priceless!

The third requirement is thatrather nebulous area called mu-sicality. It’s a bit like that quote,“Art is in the eye of the beholder,”because one cannot use a singledefinition to describe musicality.We do know that musicality com-municates (very often in an ex-citing way), gives music form and direction, and cer-tainly is the antithesis of a boring, lifeless, note-playing performance. The presence of musicality does

make itself felt and does make a difference. A fewhave this gift, and it can be improved in most cases tobe a notable part in one’s playing.

As teachers, we have a big responsibility to ourstudents. Students are as different physically, emo-tionally, and in display of attributes such as sensitiv-ity, brightness, and talent as is found in any group ofpeople. It is important that the teacher finds the bestpath of communication that will fit the student’sperception of your instructions and ideas. Sometimesmotivation is enough to make that communication –or saying things in other ways or even losing one’stemper. I tell my students, “Part of my job is to findout all the things you can’t do on the horn and thenraise hell until you can overcome them.” This meansthe student and I must find the best and quickestway to overcome one, a few, or myriad of problems on

the horn. I believe the teacher must guard againstgoing off on tangents in his or her teaching thatwaste time. Our knowledge and experience shouldhelp us to focus on what each student needs, andthen to implement exercises, routines, advice, or what-ever is necessary to improve the student’s playing.

Teachers offer students as a goal a mature “some-thing” that is above their present technique, style,and sound. We are that important extra pair of ears.That doesn’t mean they’re going to become clonesthat sound like me. I give them the benefit of myexperience, ears, style, etc.; hopefully, they will run itthrough their own sieve and keep or use the partsthat benefit them the most.

Because there exists every kind of student, somewill take every word you say as gospel. It’s betterwhen a person knows how they want to sound andthe teacher just adds to it. Once in a while there arestubborn ones who, despite what they are told or try,revert back to their old way of playing. Frankly, after

BSO Chamber Players: Jules Eskin, cello; Doriot Dwyer, flute; Sherman Walt, bassoon; JosephSilverstein, violin; Charles Kavalovski, horn; Vic Firth, percussion; Buddy Wright, clarinet; RalphGomberg, oboe; Armando Ghitalla, trumpet; Henry Portnoi, bass; Burton Fine, viola; WilliamGibson, trombone. (Photo by Eugene Cook. Courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives)


years of trying different things, the best antidote incases like this is a temper tantrum. Something has toshake them loose, and a tantrum certainly gets theirattention. I’m glad to be teaching this long becausetrying to reach and improve each student is a realchallenge, and I feel I’ve gotten a little better at it asthe years have gone by.

MT: In the record stores I see all the recordings byyour former students – Rolf Smedvig, Ray Mase, andSteve Burns – I think this is a powerful testament toyour teaching.

AG: Perhaps, but they are the ones who put in allthe time and hard work. My part was minimal. Theycertainly deserve to make these recordings, and I’mproud and happy for them.

MT: What are your nonmusical interests?AG: Cooking and learning Italian are certainly

special interests. Cooking turns me on. I do not con-sider myself a gourmet cook because I don’t have theability to minutely distinguish tastes. Nevertheless,my enjoyment of cooking is complete.

Italian is a challenge for me, and I enjoy chippingaway at it with a determination to become fluent.Rapid talking and Italian TV continue to annoy me,simply because I cannot understand everything. I travelto Italy as often as possible and have even attendedlanguage school there with the hope of improving.

MT: Tell me about your honorary doctorate.AG: It was conferred in 1994 by Illinois Wesleyan

University in Bloomington, Illinois, where I had spentone year as a student in 1942. It was a great momentin my life.

MT: Also, ITG presented you the ITG HonararyAward in 1993.

AG: Yes, that was wonderful. There I was, cryinglike a baby on the stage amid the applause and pre-sentation.

About the author: Michael Tunnell is professor oftrumpet at the University of Louisville School of Mu-sic. He is principal trumpet of the Louisville BachSociety and third trumpet of the Louisville Orchestraand has performed on numerous Louisville Orches-tra First Edition recordings. He is founding memberof the brass quintet Sonus Brass and is featured onthe CD Sonus Brass Captured. Tunnell has releasedthree solo recordings, Mixed Doubles, Melancholia,

and Lumen (Coronet Recording Co.). He is a formermember of the music faculties of the University ofSouthern Mississippi, Potsdam College, Universityof Illinois, and New England Music Camp. Tunnell isco-editor of “News from the Trumpet World” sectionof the ITG Journal.

For further information see the following ITG Jour-

nal and ITG Newsletter articles:Clark, Keith C. Trumpet Sections of American Sym-

phony Orchestras: The Boston Symphony Orches-

tra. ITGNL May79/6.Glover, Stephen. Armando Ghitalla: An Interview.

ITGNL Feb82/7.Libs, Jean Moorehead. Embouchures: Their Assets and

Liabilities – An Interview with Armando Ghitalla.

ITGJ Feb87/17.Libs, Jean Moorehead. Preparation of the Undergradu-

ate Recital: An Interview with Armando Ghitalla,

Byron Pearson, and Jan David Roller. ITGJ Feb89/28.

Yeo, Douglas. Trumpet Players of the Boston Symphony

Orchestra, 1881-1990: A Pictorial History. ITGJDec90/11.

armando ghitalla

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