Herb Mazer (1925 – 2009): A Remembrance Herb Mazer, a good friend and fellow hornist in the Coachella Valley Symphony was a Chicago transplant to southern California who, as a youth in the late 1930's and early 40's, had been a “horn tester” for Mr.Carl Geyer, and later in his life was a semi pro player with some of the Chicago area's music groups. He was acquainted with many of the luminaries of the horn world from that time, including the great master of the horn, Phillip Farkas, and Dale Clevenger, the current esteemed Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Herb played a rare Jerry Lechniuk crafted F/Bb horn, one of only 20 or so ever made, as well as an antique Alexander 103. Of his Lechniuk, he was exceptionally admiring, considering its pedigree. Herb played all the positions in the Coachella Valley Symphony Horn section during his eight years with us and was of late our Second Horn, but tragedy struck him this spring. Just after our Memorial Day concert his health began to fail, and Herb, saying that he had had a wonderful 84 and a half years and would play the cards with which he had been dealt, left us on August 1st. At his interment he was laid to rest by a U. S. Navy Honor Guard and a rendition of Taps. Two players from his section bade him farewell with a short excerpt from the Alphorn Call of the Brahms’ First Symphony.
In addition to his talent and vast experience, Herb was an interesting gentleman, with many anecdotes from his years “on the stand and in the pit”. Likewise, his memories from his World War II naval service contained another insight into the universality of the man. He recalled, that after he graduated from high school in 1943, he immediately joined the Navy, and deliberately did not reveal his musical skills because, as he put it, in the flush of youthful exuberance he wanted to be a regular sailor and maybe “to become a war hero”, not a bandsman. He served as a combat sailor on an LST in action until the end of the war, and even during lulls in the action becoming a fleet boxing champion! Yet while at sea, he never forgot his horn, and in his spare moments “buzzed” on his mouthpiece, just to keep his chops in shape. How he escaped being “pressed” into being the ship’s bugler was always a mystery to me. After the war, he continued his education, and following graduation, embarked on a career in industry. Yet through the years, he never forgot the “first love” of his youth, and after a few years he followed his heart and took up his beloved horn again. Herb was a good friend and we will miss him in the symphony. He was not only the consummate professional, but a man of great concern and caring, someone who always had a ready smile and a kind and encouraging word for all of his friends and colleagues. Those of us who performed with him couldn’t help but having benefited from his compassionate spirituality and his vast store of artistic talent, knowledge, skills and experiences. James J. Ogden, Harry Nugent-Patten, William A. Botte, Chris Roddy, and Waldo Peter Johnson Horns associated with the Coachella Valley Symphony, Christian Chalifour, Music Director and Conductor Palm Springs / Palm Desert, California _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
