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Emory Brace Remington (1892–1971) was a trombonist and music teacher. His unique method made him one of the most well-known and influential trombone educators in history. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1923 to 1949, and on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY from 1922 until his death in 1971.

Emory Remington
Born(1892-12-22)December 22, 1892
Rochester, New York
DiedDecember 10, 1971(1971-12-10) (aged 78)
OccupationTrombonist and music teacher
Years active1922-1971

Early life


Born in Rochester, New York on December 22, 1892, Emory Remington began his musical studies in the Boys' Choir of an Episcopal Church. His Father, Fred Remington, a brass instructor who played cornet and trumpet, presented young Emory with a trombone at the age of 14. By the age of 17 he was a member (and regular soloist) with the Rochester Park Band.

As a young trombonist, Remington studied with Garell Simons, Principal Trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Remington student (BM Performance 1968) Jim Willis tells the following story:

"One of the great things about studying with Emory Remington was that, if you tried hard enough, every session in his studio could become a history lesson. His stories were varied and wonderful, but, because he was a modest man, you had to sometimes drag them out into the light of day with some carefully selected questions. One of my favorites concerned his memoires of studying with Gardell Simons. As he told it, this was during the time Simons was writing Atlantic Zephyrs, the famous solo for trombone and piano. It had been a staple of mine when I was in high school, so I pressed him for details. It seems as though every week, when Simons finished composing a section of the piece, he would bring it in to have Chief give it a go. In Remington’s words, “He taught me to play it with all the hip-wiggling nuances.” When Spring came, and it was time for New York State high school students to show up for adjudication trials, Chief played Atlantic Zephyrs. It was one of the first performances of the piece, and he played it just as his instructor had taught him. A week or so later, when he received his adjudication form in the mail, the judge had written, in big letters, “Absolutely the wrong interpretation of the piece!” Simons got a real kick out of it. When it came time for my own Performer’s recital at Eastman, I passed on doing something I have regretted ever since. Since Chief was, of course, in the audience, I really wanted to add a surprise for him, and play Atlantic Zephyrs. But I was young, hadn’t yet developed much confidence, and thought that somehow the sky would fall in if I didn’t stick to the script. It was a big life-mistake I wish I could now go back and correct! I think Chief would have loved it."

In 1917 Remington joined the United States Navy and was assigned to the orchestra at a training station near Chicago. One of his bunkmates in the Navy orchestra was comedian/violinist Jack Benny whom he spoke of with admiration.


Professional career


Upon returning from the Navy, Remington joined the Eastman Theater Orchestra in Rochester, also becoming a faculty member at the Eastman School of Music in 1922. His performing career was marked by lengthy tenure as Principal Trombonist with both the Rochester Philharmonic and the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, an amalgamation of the Philharmonic and the Eastman School of Music. He would remain on faculty there for the rest of his life. As a trombone teacher, he was affectionately known to his students as "The Chief". He developed a system of legato warm-up exercises (now immortalized by Donald Hunsberger in his book, The Remington Warm-Up Studies (ISBN 0-918194-10-5)) which have had major influences on trombone practicing up to the present time.

Remington was fond of singing, and during his lessons, he would sing along with the student's trombone sound. He also encouraged his students to look for music to play that was outside of the common literature for trombone, especially music that would improve the singing characteristics of their trombone playing. His emphasis, whether in warm-up or in practice, was on relaxation and playing in a "conversational" and "singing" manner. This was quite different from the more traditional trombone methods of the time which focused on more marcato and regimented technical studies such as the Arban Method.


Another of Remington's contributions was the Eastman Trombone Choir formed in 1941. A large ensemble of trombonists would gather to play music written for multiple trombones or transcribed from other sources, such as the chorales and fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach. Separating the different musical parts (i.e. SATB: soprano, alto, tenor, bass) into sections of trombonists, and transposing the music into the proper registers for the trombone. Remington encouraged his students to transcribe music for this ensemble, amassing a large library of "new" works for it. The music of J. S. Bach became the backbone of the ensemble. Remington used this great music as a tool to train his students in the art of ensemble performance. Ralph Sauer has made a fine reputation with his beautiful transcriptions of the music of Bach. Donald Hunsberger's transcription of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue is considered one of the first of the great Bach transcriptions for trombone choir.

Selected sections from his method include exercises designed around sustained long tones, security in the high register, legato tonguing, flexibility or "lip-slurs", and "pattern scales" (which would create a trombonist equally adept in all the keys).

In 1954, Remington completed work in conjunction with C.G. Conn Ltd. in developing the C.G. Conn 88H tenor trombone. The unique tone color and dynamic range of the instrument have made it popular amongst trombonists and contributed to its continuous production from its debut in 1954 to the present. Conn also manufactured a "Remington" tenor trombone mouthpiece which was available in either silver or gold plate. Remington encouraged his first-year students to switch to this mouthpiece, as it produced a beautiful clear sound with moderate effort. The effect of the 88H combined with the Remington mouthpiece produced a very uniform sound in the Trombone Choir and trombone sections in the large ensembles. As students progressed, they would be encouraged to switch to other mouthpieces to refine their sounds depending on performance conditions.

Remington taught at the Eastman School for 49 years, teaching countless students, some of whom rank among the finest trombonists in history. He died on December 10, 1971. On October 20, 1979, Room 310 at the Eastman School of Music was formally named the Emory B. Remington Rehearsal Room.

Remington (band) was named after Remington's son, David Remington (1926-2007).[1] His daughter, Janet Remington was Principal Harpist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for many years.


Personal life


Remington was married to Laura W. (née Wilbur) Remington (1891-1966) a professional organist and pianist. Together, they had three children, David, Emory Jr., and Janet.

David (1926-2007), the eldest, was a jazz trombonist, had his own big band in Chicago, toured, and made some recordings. Emory Jr. worked for Eastman Kodak. Janet was a world-class harpist, having studied with Eileen Malone. She became the Principal Harpist with the Pittsburgh Symphony under William Steinberg.


A Partial List of Emory Remington's Students and their Principal Career Positions (in alphabetical order)


Trombonists who studied with Emory Remington at the Eastman School of Music:


References


  1. "David Remington Obituary (2007) - Chicago, IL - Chicago Tribune".

Sources




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