Frederick Hemke
Fred Hemke, DMA (né Frederick Leroy Hemke Jr.; July 11, 1935 – April 17, 2019) was an American virtuoso classical saxophonist and influential professor of saxophone at Northwestern University. Hemke helped raise the popularity of classical saxophone, particularly among leading American composers and helped raise the recognition of classical saxophone in solo, chamber, and major orchestral repertoire. For a half century, from 1962 to 2012, Hemke was a full-time faculty music educator at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music. In 2002, Hemke was named Associate Dean Emeritus of the School of Music.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Hemke retired from Northwestern University in 2012. From the start of his career in the early 1960s, building on the achievements of earlier influential American teachers of classical saxophone — including those of Larry Teal, Joseph Allard, Cecil Leeson, Sigurd Raschèr, and Vincent Abato — Hemke, and a handful of peer American saxophonists — including Eugene Rousseau and Donald Sinta — helped build American saxophone repertoire through composers that included Muczynski, Creston, Stein, Heiden, and Karlins.[8][9] Journalist and author Michael Segell, in his 2005 book, The Devil's Horn, called Hemke "The Dean of Saxophone Education in America."[10][11] Hemke died on April 17, 2019.[12]
Fred Hemke | |
---|---|
Birth name | Frederick Leroy Hemke Jr. |
Born | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | July 11, 1935
Died | April 17, 2019 83) (aged |
Genres | Classical |
Occupation(s) | Saxophone artist Music pedagogue |
Instruments | Saxophone |
Years active | 1962–2019 |
Associated acts | Northwestern University |
Website | www |
Formal education
From 1955 to 1956, Hemke studied saxophone with Marcel Mule at the Paris Conservatoire National de Musique et de Declamation, earning in 1956 the Premier Prix diploma.[lower-alpha 1] Hemke holds the distinction of being the first American saxophonist to earn a Premier Prix diploma from the Paris Conservatory. In 1958, Hemke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in music education from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In 1962, he earned a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. In 1975, Hemke earned an A.Mus.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1]
In primary and secondary school, until the start of college, Hemke studied saxophone with Eddie Schmidt, a jobbing teacher, band director in Milwaukee, and a close friend of Ralph Joseph Hermann (1914–1994) — musician, composer, songwriter, and music publisher. Hemke was highly influenced by Schmidt's recording of Marcel Mule — and also of his recordings of Al Gallodoro, and Freddy Gardner. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Hemke studied with Jay Morton, teacher of woodwinds. Hemke did not have a formal saxophone teacher at Eastman, but while there, studied reeds with clarinetist Stanley Hasty (1920–2011), flute repertoire with Joseph Mariano (1911–2007), and oboe repertoire with Robert Sprenkle (1914–1988).[13][14]
Teaching career
Hemke taught saxophone at Northwestern's School of Music for fifty years. He began in 1962 as a teaching associate. In 1964 he became an assistant professor and was appointed chairman of the newly formed Winds and Percussion Instruments Department. In 1967 Hemke was elevated to associate professor; on September 1, 1975, Full Professor; and on September 1, 1991, chairman of the Department of Music Performance Studies at the School of Music. Hemke served as senior associate dean for administration in the School of Music from 1995 to 2001. In 2002, Hemke was named the Louis and Elsie Snydacker Eckstein Professor of Music and also named associate dean emeritus of the School of Music. He retired from full-time teaching in 2012. As a music educator in higher education, Hemke has taught hundreds of saxophonists, many of whom have flourished as performing artists and music educators of international rank.[1]
Selected former students:
- Jan Berry Baker
Associate Professor of Saxophone
Georgia State University - Roger Birkeland
Professor of Saxophone
Elmhurst College - James Bishop
Director of Instrumental Music
Eastern Florida State College, Cocoa, FL - Ron Blake
Professor of Jazz Saxophone
Juilliard
Jazz performer and
recording artist - Dave Bomberg
- Paul Bro
Professor of Saxophone
Indiana State University - Steve Cole
International jazz performer and
recording artist - David Dees
Professor of Saxophone
Texas Tech University - Geoffrey Deibel, DMA
Assistant Professor of Saxophone and
Director of Jazz Studies
Florida State University - Mark Engebretson
Associate Professor of Composition and
Electronic Music
University of North Carolina at Greensboro - Susan Fancher
Saxophone Instructor
Duke University - Dan Ferri
Teacher & owner
DRF Studios
Maitland, Florida
Saxophone Instructor
Stetson University
Deland, Florida - Chico Freeman
Jazz saxophonist - Jason Fritts
Teacher and Performer - Bunky Green
Director of Jazz Studies
University of North Florida - Jeffrey Loeffert, DMA
Director and Professor
Oklahoma State University - Jonathan Helton
Professor of Saxophone
University of Florida - Frederic J.B. Hemke
Professor of Saxophone
Northern State University - James S. Hill
Professor of Saxophone
Ohio State University - William Hochkeppel
Professor of Saxophone
University of Louisiana at Lafayette - Eric Honour
Professor of Music
Director of Music Technology
University of Central Missouri - Jeremy Justeson
Professor of Saxophone
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania - Gail B. Levinsky
Professor of Saxophone
Susquehanna University - Anders Lundegard
International performer - Joseph Murphy
Professor of Saxophone
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania - Nathan Nabb
Professor of Saxophone
Stephen F. Austin State University - Ryo Noda
- Stephen J. Parker
Teacher, Performer
Naples philharmonic - Harvey Pittel
Professor of Saxophone
University of Texas at Austin - Scott Plugge
Director of the School of Music
Professor of Saxophone
Sam Houston State University - Debra Richtmeyer
Professor of Saxophone
University of Illinois - Timothy Roberts
Associate Professor of Saxophone
Shenandoah University - Johnny Salinas
Visiting Assistant Professor of Saxophone
Oklahoma State University - John Sampen
Professor of Saxophone
Bowling Green State University - David Sanborn
International jazz performer
and recording artist - Andy Snitzer
International jazz performer and
recording artist - William H. Street
Professor of Saxophone
University of Alberta - Masahito Sugihara
Professor of Saxophone
Sam Houston State University - Matthew Younglove
Professor of Saxophone
Tennessee Tech University - Naomi Sullivan
Professor of Saxophone
Birmingham Conservatoire - Shawn Tracy
Professor of Jazz Saxophone
Merit School of Music - Jeremy Williamson
Teacher
Seminole State College and
Seminole County Public Schools - Kathleen Mitchell
Professor of Saxophone
The College of New Jersey
- Steven Jordheim
Professor of Saxophone
Lawrence University
Other positions
Hemke was well known as the designer of a line of reeds which bear the trademark "Frederick L. Hemke Reeds." Rico Reeds began making the brand in 1982. Hemke was an artist-clinician for The Selmer Company,[lower-alpha 2] the North American distributor of saxophones made in France by the Paris firm, Henri Selmer Paris. In 1979 Hemke was host for the Sixth World Saxophone Congress held at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Performing career
Hemke was an internationally acclaimed saxophone artist. Hemke has appeared extensively as a solo artist and has given master classes and lectures in the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, and the Far East. He performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and many other orchestras. He premiered several works for saxophone, including Allan Pettersson's Symphony No. 16 (February 24, 1983)[15] and James Di Pasquale's Sonata for tenor saxophone. Di Pasquale, a prolific composer, had studied saxophone with Hemke and Sigurd Rascher.
- Selected performances
- Hemke made his New York debut on April 16, 1962, at the Town Hall, a storied concert venue that had its first-ever classical saxophone performance on February 5, 1937 — by Cecil Leeson. Hemke performed compositions by Pascal, Lantier, Rueff, Hartley, and Stein and arrangements by Mule of Bach and Leclair.[16]
- Premier, February 27, 2014, Augusta Read Thomas, Hemke Concerto, Prisms of Light, for solo alto saxophone and orchestra
- "Illuminations" (sample at 1:14 on YouTube)
- "Sunrise Ballad"
- "Chasing Radiance"
- "Solar Rings"
- Hemke, saxophone, with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, William Boughton conducting
- Recorded at Woolsey Hall, New Haven, Connecticut, February 27, 2014[17]
- Commissioned as a retirement gift to Fred Hemke by current and former students; the composer, Thomas, had been Hemke's colleague at Northwestern
- From the album, A Portrait of Augusta Read Thomas, Nimbus Records (CD) (2014); OCLC 889352260
Advocacy for B♭ tenor saxophone
In a traditional modern saxophone quartet — B♭ soprano, E♭ alto, B♭ tenor, and E♭ baritone saxophone — repertoire and popularity for solo classical was, and still is, dominated by B♭ soprano and E♭ alto saxophone. Bucking the trend, Hemke spent time focusing on the B♭ tenor as a classical solo instrument, as evidenced by the release of his 1971 solo album, Music for Tenor Saxophone. In orchestral music, the tenor is known as one of the three saxophone voices in Ravel's Boléro — originally performed by two saxophonists, one on E♭ sopranino and one on tenor doubling on B♭ soprano. Recordings by tenor saxophone virtuoso James Houlik and others notwithstanding, classical tenor saxophone recordings make up a small portion of the classical saxophone repertoire and discography universe.
Selected discography
- Solo recordings
- Contest Music for Saxophone, Lapider Records M 249-04, distributed by H. & A. Selmer, Elkhart (LP) (1962)[lower-alpha 3]
- Side 1
- Matrix N° XCTV-87627[lower-alpha 4] (mono)
- Matrix N° RG 576A (stereo)
- Chanson et Passepied, Op. 16, by Jeanine Rueff, Leduc (©1951); OCLC 3643353, 70350851
- Sicilienne, by Pierre Lantier, Leduc (©1944); OCLC 2513787, 220710420, 494480544
- Chant Corse, by Henri Tomasi, Leduc (©1932); OCLC 1693762, 65054912, 60574040, OCLC 2788030
- Elegie, by Hermann Reutter, Leduc (©1957); OCLC 4319498, 17711417
- Villageoise, by Marcel Bitsch, Leduc (©1953); OCLC 2520728, 659257906
- Suite, by Paul Bonneau, Leduc (©1944); OCLC 1042470
- "Plainte"
- "Espieglerie"
- Variations on a Theme by Claude Le Jeune, by Franz Tournier (1923–2010), Leduc (©1955); OCLC 4245478, 222890465
- Cantilena et Danse, by Denis Joly (fr), Leduc (©1949); OCLC 4257200, 77295149
- Side 2
- Matrix N° XCTV-87628[lower-alpha 4] (mono)
- Matrix N° RG 576A (stereo)
- An Abstract, by David Ward,[lower-alpha 5] Southern Music Co. (©1963); OCLC 271801728, 4026579, 878470044
- Cantilena, by Warren Benson, Boosey & Hawkes (©1954); OCLC 70345845, 5910326, 743342657
- Petite Suite, by Walter Hartley, Fema Music Publications (©1962); OCLC 461584790, 3958081
- Violin Sonata No. 2, Op.1, by Jean-Marie Leclair
- "Gigue," arr. Marcel Mule
Leduc (©1951); OCLC 80882751, 4700064
See: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- "Gigue," arr. Marcel Mule
- Prelude to Cantata No. 12, by Bach, arr. by Sigurd Raschèr, Chappell (©1938); OCLC 1881486, 33309682
- "Weinen"
- "Klagen"
- "Sorgen"
- "Zagen"
- Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068, by J.S. Bach
- "Gavottes I & II", arr. by Marcel Mule
Leduc (©1939); OCLC 4451340
See: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- "Gavottes I & II", arr. by Marcel Mule
- Adagio, by Arcangelo Corelli, arr. by Marcel Mule, Leduc (©1939); OCLC 7301376
- Le Fete du Village, by François-Joseph Gossec, arr. by Marcel Mule, Leduc (©1937); OCLC 317456709
- Music for Tenor Saxophone, Brewster Records[lower-alpha 6] BR 1204 (LP) (1971); OCLC 5111369
- Milton Lewis Granger (born 1947), piano
- Album cover art: Fred Hemke
- Notes by Charles (Chuck) Brewster Hawes, PhD (born 1945)
- Sonata, for tenor saxophone and piano, by James Di Pasquale
- A Ballad in Time and Space, by William Duckworth
- Poem, for tenor saxophone and piano, by Walter Hartley
- Music for Tenor Saxophone and Piano, by Martin William Karlins
- The American Saxophone, Brewster Records[lower-alpha 6] BR 1203 (LP) (1971); OCLC 4256573
- Milton Lewis Granger (born 1947), piano
- Album cover art: Fred Hemke
- Notes by Alan Burrage Stout (born 1932)
- Concerto, for alto saxophone, by Ingolf Dahl
- Farewell, by Warren Benson
- Concerto, for alto saxophone, Karel Husa
- Aeolian Song, by Warren Benson
- Music for Tenor Saxophone (1971) and The American Saxophone (1971) was
- Re-issued as a compilation under the title:
- The American Saxophone, EnF Records[lower-alpha 7] 1203-2 (CD) (2006); OCLC 111103801
- Simple Gifts, EnF Records[lower-alpha 7] (CD) (2006); OCLC 64770800
- Douglas Cleveland, organ
- Recorded at Alice Miller Chapel, Northwestern University on the Æolian-Skinner Organ and at Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette, Illinois, on the 2001 Reuter Organ
- Fascinating Rhythm, Sins Of My Old Age, EnF Records[lower-alpha 7] (CD) (2010); OCLC 696220898
- The Music of George Gershwin
- Hemke, Alto Saxophone
- Figard String Quintet: Tracy Figard, violin; Catherine Price, violin; Kristin Figard, viola; Sam Norlund, cello; Douglas Nestler, double bass
- Notes by Jonah L. Blum (born 1976) (in English) and Hemke
- Cover art by Hemke
- Premier, February 27, 2014, Augusta Read Thomas, Hemke Concerto, Prisms of Light, for solo alto saxophone and orchestra
- "Illuminations" (sample at 1:14 on YouTube)
- "Sunrise Ballad"
- "Chasing Radiance"
- "Solar Rings"
- Hemke, saxophone, with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, William Boughton, conducting
- Recorded at Woolsey Hall, New Haven, Connecticut, February 27, 2014[17]
- Commissioned as a retirement gift to Fred Hemke by current and former students; the composer, Thomas, had been Hemke's colleague at Northwestern
- From the album, A Portrait of Augusta Read Thomas, Nimbus Records (CD) (2014); OCLC 889352260
- Ensemble recordings
- Hemke has recorded with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and The University of Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players.
- Symphony No. 16, by Allan Pettersson, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Ahronovitch conducting, Swedish Society Discofil (LP) (1985); OCLC 13762831 and (CD) (1994) OCLC 45586363
- Recorded at the Stockholm Concert Hall, October 17 & 18, 1984[lower-alpha 8]
- Winds of Change – American Music for Wind Ensemble From the 1950s to the 1970s, New World Records NW-211 (LP) (1977); OCLC 276861490, 3213973, 179723476, OCLC 221635446, 855950059
- Northwestern University Wind Ensemble, John Philip Paynter (1928–1996) (nl) conducting
- Recorded November 1976
- 4th work: Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra of Wind Instruments, by Ross Lee Finney, Hemke, alto saxophone
- Music by Warren Benson, CRI Records SD-433 & SD 418 (LP) (1981); OCLC 7584165, 604060123, 317743723
- Hemke, E♭ alto saxophone
- With the Kronos Quartet: David Harrington, violin; John Sherba, violin; Hank Dutt, viola; Joan Jeanrenaud, cello
- Recorded November 27, 1978, Kresge Recording Studios, Eastman School of Music
- First work: The Dream Net, quintet for saxophone and string quartet, commissioned by Hemke
- Incantations (in four movements), by Ralph Shapey, CRI Records 232 (LP) (1969); OCLC 830762, 80385473, 19685002, OCLC 221615298
- Notes by Carter Harman
- For soprano, violoncello, trumpet, E♭ alto saxophone, French horn, piano, tympani, cymbals, tomtoms, irons, and gongs
- Bethany Beardslee, soprano, Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago
- Ralph Shapey conducting
- Re-released CRI Records (CD) (1995); OCLC 33428323
- Re-released CRI Records (CD) (2007); OCLC 793773808, 842067254
- Concerto for Saxophone and Winds by Paul Creston, Interlochen Arts Academy Records (1978)
- Interlochen Arts Academy Wind Ensemble, Dennis L. Johnson (born 1946) conducting
- 33rd Annual Midwestern Conference on School Vocal and Instrumental Music
- Performed live, January 21, 1978, Hill Auditorium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- "Meditative"
- "Rhythmic"[19]
- Concerto for Saxophone and Wind Orchestra by Ingolf Dahl, University of Wisconsin–Madison Records (1972); OCLC 49941229
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Wind Ensemble, (H. Robert Reynolds) conducting
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Pictures at an Exhibition, by Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Ravel, Ozawa conducting (1968); OCLC 10201160
- L'Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 and 2, by Bizet, RCA Red Seal LSC-2939 (LP) (1967); OCLC 8454572, 226408757, 833224471
- Age of Gold (ballet suite), by Shostakovich, RCA Red Seal GL 42916 (LP) (1968); OCLC 16697745
- Stokowski conducting
- Recorded February 20–21, 1968, Medinah Temple, Chicago
- Re-released RCA Red Seal LSC 3133 (LP) (1970); OCLC 79804294, 4663689
- Re-released RCA Red Seal (LP) (1975); OCLC 11646599
- Re-released RCA Red Seal (LP) (1979); OCLC 16697745
- Re-released RCA Red Seal (CD) (1997); OCLC 39096777
- Also re-released with several various compilations
- Martinon conducting
- Boléro, by Ravel, Decca Matrix N° ZAL 14720[lower-alpha 9] (LP)
- Solti conducting
- Recorded May 1976, Medinah Temple, Chicago
- Original release Decca (1977)
- Original release London Records (LP) (1977); OCLC 869375711
- Re-released Decca (CD) (1996); OCLC 23366204
- Boléro on YouTube
- Re-released Universal Classics (2003); OCLC 52087462
- Re-released Deutsche Grammophon (2003); OCLC 178786394
- Boléro on YouTube and orchestral scores of Boléro at: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Barbara Hendricks, soprano; Fred Hemke, Robert Black, soprano saxophones; Fred Spector, mandolin; Frederic Chrislip, tenor banjo; Herman Troppe, accordion; Solti conducting
- Recorded January 1980, Medinah Temple, Chicago
- Re-released on Decca Eloquence 442 995, Australia (CD) (2008); OCLC 226380109
Selected publications
Educational publications
- The Early History of the Saxophone (DMA dissertation), by Hemke, University of Wisconsin (1975); OCLC 19033726, 65652818, 164782566
- The dissertation explores in depth the saxophone's history and gradual acceptance in the realm of symphonic music
- On Reading Music: An Information Processing Analysis, by Gilbert Koreb Krulee (born 1924) & Hemke (1980); OCLC 30499976
- The Selmer Series, Elkhart, Indiana
- "Teacher's Guide to the Saxophone," by Hemke, Elkhart, Indiana: Selmer[lower-alpha 2] (1977); OCLC 6549827
- The Orchestral Saxophone, by Hemke & Walker L Smith, Elkhart, Indiana: Selmer (1975); OCLC 9051582
- A Comprehensive Listing of Saxophone Literature, by Hemke, Elkhart, Indiana: Selmer (1975); OCLC 2987346
Commissions and dedications
- "Music for Tenor Saxophone and Piano," by M. William Karlins (1969, ©1972); OCLC 1951589, 70345764
- Symphony No. 16, for orchestra with bravura alto saxophone, by Allan Pettersson, commissioned by Hemke (1979, ©1989); OCLC 36855336
- The Dream Net, 1974, revised 1978, by Warren Benson, commissioned by Hemke, dedicated to Alec Wilder, premiered by Hemke May 23, 1975, with the Eckstein Quartet, Lutken Hall, Northwestern University; OCLC 9579996
- "Wind Rose", by Warren Benson (1966), commissioned by Hemke and the Northwestern University Saxophone, dedicated to Hemke and the Northwestern University Saxophone Quartet on their tour of Asia, Spring, 1966; OCLC 2992504, 157036679, 435949517
- Little Suite, by Walter Hartley, for Hemke, for baritone saxophone and piano (1974); OCLC 51963415, 5377209
- 5 Etudes for Alto Saxophone, by Robert Lemay (fr), Courlay: Éditions Fuzeau
- 2000; OCLC 63046841
- Revised 2006; OCLC 76879383, 76879383, 658778115, OCLC 878432573, 658778115, 658778164, OCLC 76879388
- Commissioned by Jean-François Guay
- Homage to Marcel Mule, Jean-Marie Londeix, Eugene Rousseau, Fred Hemke, Daniel Deffayet
- Funded in part by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
- Episode, for saxophone quartet, by Jared Tozier Spears (born 1936), commissioned by Hemke (1969); OCLC 28207501
- Symphony for Saxophone and Wind Band, by Gerald Eugene Kemner (1932–2006) (composed around 1962 for Hemke)
Music editions
- Hemke has edited works for saxophone solos and saxophone ensembles, twenty-five of which are part of the Frederick Hemke Saxophone Series published by the Southern Music Company.[lower-alpha 10]
Awards and honors
1956 | Premiere Prix[lower-alpha 1][20] du Saxophone, Paris Conservatory; Hemke was the first American to win a First Prize from the Conservatory; his achievement inspired other American saxophonist to work towards First Prize diplomas at the Paris Conservatory, and other well-known European conservatories known for classical saxophone, including the Royal Conservatory of Brussels |
1976–1978 | Founding coordinator of the North American Saxophone Alliance; later awarded Honorary Life Membership |
1999–2001 | Distinguished Service to Music Medal, Kappa Kappa Psi, for Instrumental Music Education[21] |
2004 | Appointed the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University |
2013 | Centerstage Lifetime Achievement Award, Conn-Selmer[22] |
2013 | Honorary Alumni Award, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois[23] |
Hemke's saxophone and accessories
Hemke had been a primary design consultant for the S-80 mouthpiece manufactured by Henri Selmer Paris. For alto saxophone, Hemke uses a custom version of the S-80. The mouthpiece is metal with a square chamber.
The Selmer Mark VII E♭ alto and B♭ tenor saxophones, introduced in 1974, were designed in consultation with Hemke.
Miscellaneous
- For research, while in grad school at Eastman, Hemke had borrowed from H. & A. Selmer[lower-alpha 2] one of the world's original saxophones made by Adolphe Sax around 1860. On September 17, 1960, a custodian unwittingly stuffed a cardboard box containing the instrument into an incinerator and completely destroyed it. The only other one in existence was in a Paris museum.[24]
- Hemke has been a lifelong visual artist. His works are in the Regenstein Hall of Music at Northwestern University and on the covers of his albums.
Audio samples and videography
- Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Ahronovitch conducting, Swedish Society Discofil (1994); OCLC 45586363
- Coefficient on YouTube, by Claudio Gabriele (composed 2005)
- For 12 saxophones
- North American premier
- Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble, Hemke conducting
- Illustration Analytique Supergelatineuse on YouTube, by Claudio Gabriele (composed 2011)
- For 9 saxophones
- World premiere, 2008, Pick-Steiger Concert Hall, Evanston, Illinois
- Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble, Hemke conducting
Hemke Legacy Tribute: May 29 – June 3, 1912, Northwestern University
- 7:30 pm, May 31, 2012, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University
- Songs by Gershwin, arranged by Jonah L. Blum (born 1976)
- Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, Robert Hasty conducting
- Scenes from Porgy and Bess
- "Summertime" (prologue on YouTube)
- "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" (at 2:30 on YouTube)
- "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' " (at 4:42 on YouTube)
- "Gone, Gone, Gone" (at 6:40 on YouTube)
- "I Loves You, Porgy" (at 9:00 on YouTube)
- "Summertime" (epilogue at 11:49 on YouTube)
- (Brahms's Variations on the St. Anthony Chorale by Haydn)
- Arranged by Gary S. Bricault (born 1952) at the request of Fred Hemke
- Northwestern University Alumni Saxo Orchestra, Stephen Alltop conducting
- Performed June 3, 2012, at Northwestern University
- 105 saxophones: 3 E♭ sopraninos, 23 B♭ sopranos, 35 E♭ altos, 25 B♭ tenors, 12 E♭ baritones, 6 B♭ basses, and 1 E♭ contra bass tubax[lower-alpha 11]
- My Teacher, the Fred Hemke Legacy on YouTube, Eric Howell Music (DVD) (2012); OCLC 853456426
Further reading
- Interview with Frederick Hemke, April 20, 2000
Academic offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Cecil Leeson |
Full-time faculty, saxophone Bienen School of Music Northwestern University 1962–2012 |
Succeeded by Timothy McAllister |
Notes
- A First Prize from the Paris Conservatory, in any musical discipline, is an internationally recognized distinction. A First Prize in saxophone from the Paris Conservatory under Marcel Mule holds a unique distinction because of Mule's unprecedented level of virtuosity, his influence in building the saxophone family of instruments in orchestral repertoire, and his role in developing a new generation of highly influential performing artists.Mule's leverage from two of his American First Prize protégés, Hemke and Rousseau, greatly helped transform classical saxophone in America, a country that led the world in the use of saxophones. When Hemke began teaching saxophone in 1962 at Northwestern University, few American universities and conservatories had full-time saxophone-only faculty members. The role was typically filled by other orchestral woodwind experts who doubled on saxophone. By 1970, many reputable music institutions of higher learning had a dedicated saxophone professor. As of 2014, most major universities, and all comprehensive music institutions of higher learning, have a least one dedicated saxophone instructor.
- H. & A. Selmer, Inc., and its successor, The Selmer Corporation, based in Elkhart, Indiana, has not been owned by Henri Selmer Paris since 1927. But in the North American market, H. & A. Selmer assembles and distributes Henri Selmer Paris instruments manufactured in France. H. & A. Selmer, Inc. — its successors and affiliates — are now part of Conn-Selmer.
- The imprint date is inferred from an announcement in the Music Educators Journal, April May 1963, pg. 137; ISSN 0027-4321
- The alpha matrix prefix "XCTV" was an imprint of Columbia Custom Records of Columbia Records. The prefix was designated for LP mono. The matrix numbers XCTV-87627 (side A) and XCTV-87628 (side B) were handwritten on the stamper and appear in the runout areas of both sides of this particular pressing.
- David Ward, born 1936, earned a Bachelor of Music from Oklahoma City University, and Master of Music (1960) and Doctor of Musical Arts (1966) from the Eastman School of Music.
- Brewster Records was a label with a mailing address of 1822 Monroe Street, Evanston, Illinois. It was founded in 1967 by Charles Brewster Hawes, PhD (born 1945), who was also its chief engineer. Other engineers included James S. Hill and Robert E. Diehl. All three were saxophone students at Northwestern University
- The acronym EnF (for EnF Records) reflects the initials of the first names of Elizabeth and Fred. Elizabeth is Fred's daughter.
- From the liner notes for the CD cataloged under OCLC 45586363.
- The alpha matrix prefix "ZAL" indicates that the record is a London-based Decca 12-inch 33-1⁄3 rpm stereo record ("Decca/London Phase Four Recordings — Part V: Decoding the Inner Groove Information," The Absolute Sound, Vol. 11, No. 42, July–August 1986, pps. 181, 182; ISSN 0097-1138)
- Southern Music Company, the former San Antonio based sheet music retailer and wholesaler founded in 1937, sold its sheet music assets in 2012 to Lauren Keiser Music Publishing of Maryland Heights, Missouri, and became known as Southern Music LLC. The sheet music is published and distributed by the Hal Leonard Corporation.
- The E♭ contrabass tubax, made by Benedikt Eppelsheim Instruments in Munich, is pitched one octave lower than a standard E♭ baritone saxophone
References
- Frederick L. Hemke Papers, Northwestern University Library
- The New Grove Dictionary of American Music (Hemke is in vol. 2 of 4), H. Wiley Hitchcock & Stanley Sadie (eds.) Macmillan Press (1986); OCLC 13184437
- International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory, 1990–1991 (12th ed.), International Who's Who in Music (1990); OCLC 632053332
- Who's Who in American Music: Classical, R. R. Bowker (1983); OCLC 10206087
- Who's Who in Entertainment 1998–1999 (3rd ed.) Marquis Who's Who (1997); OCLC 38740408
- Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (Hemke is in Vol. 2 of 6), Macmillan; Schirmer
- Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Classical Musicians, Nicolas Slonimsky (ed.), Schirmer Books (1997); OCLC 36111932
- The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone, Richard Ingham (ed.), Cambridge University Press (1998), pps. 46, 166; OCLC 38748296
- The Saxophone, by Stephen Cottrell, Yale University Press (2012), pg. 256; OCLC 785865144Cottrell is a saxophonist and professor of music at City University London
- The Devil's Horn: The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool (first Picador edition), by Michael Segell (born 1951), Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2006), pg. 261; (2005 Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition OCLC 63047414)
- Classical Saxophone Transcriptions: Role and Reception (masters thesis) by Kathryn Diane Etheridge, Florida State University (2008); OCLC 668117435
- "Frederick Hemke (1935-2019)". Northwestern Bienen School of Music: News. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- Fostering Artistry and Pedagogy: Conversations With Artist-Teachers Frederick Hemke, Eugene Rousseau, and Donald Sinta, (PhD dissertation), by Julia Nolan, University of British Columbia (2012)
- "An Interview with Frederick Hemke," by Jonathan Helton, The Saxophone Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1, pps. 26–31 (2006)
- Allan Pettersson: destin, douleur et musique: la vie et l'œuvre, by Jean-Luc Caron, Éditions L'Âge d'Homme (fr) (2007), pg. 106; OCLC 716568162
- "Fred Hemke at Town Hall," New York Times April 17, 1962
- "A Light Breeze: Premiere Of A New Sax Symphony At NHSO," by Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, February 27, 2014
- List of Chamber works with audio mp3 samples Archived October 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Warren Benson www
.warrenbenson .com - Programs: "33rd Annual Midwestern Conference," School of Music, Theatre & Dance Publications, by the University of Michigan, January 19–21, 1978
- "The Paris Conservatory: Its Oboe Professors, Laureates (1795–1984)" Archived October 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (explaining First Prize), by George Arnold Conrey, DFA (1919–1994), IDRS Journal, Vol. 14, No. 8, July 1986; ISSN 0092-0827
- Guide to Membership for the 2011–2013 Biennium – Archived January 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Chapter: "Distinguished Service to Music Medal," Nick Smith (ed.), Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma, pps. 57–59
- "Dr. Fred Hemke Wins the Conn-Selmer Centerstage Lifetime Achievement Award," Archived October 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (press release), Conn-Selmer, June 12, 2013
- "Alumni recognition awards for 2013," Augustana College, June 5, 2013
- "Original Sax Lost in Blaze," Schenectady Gazette (AP), September 20, 1960, pg. 1, col. 6