Submitted by Larry and Lea Rogers
Wendell Hoss had "class." Larry studied horn with Wendell for many years in Los Angeles. Larry, formerly the second horn in the Honolulu Symphony, and George Cable, formerly the second horn in the San Diego Symphony, used to take lessons from Wendell in his Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., Glendale home in 1965. At first a lot of players from S.D. went up to study, but eventually Wendell came down to teach at Coady's School of Music, stayed at the Churchill Hotel at first, and taught many horn students in San Diego.
Discussion on playing flat or sharp: I posed a question once, saying that playing sharp gave a little brilliance to the music. Wendell's retort: "probably just better to play in tune."
Working on the Fidelio trio with Wendell: interested in pitch, detailed approach, exact rhythms, style, he was gentle and firm about what he wanted.
A delightful remembrance is of his wife Olive, one of the first women violists in the Cleveland Symphony, watering plants.
An amusing story from the Cleveland Orchestra days was playing once in an armory: Wendell leaned over to the third horn and commented that he was a 1/4 tone flat. The third horn responded, "What's a quarter tone in a place like this?"
Wendell was gracious and generous. He had John Barrows teach his students one week when he was in town.
In the late '70s, Wally Linder, a retired studio player and Wendell's assistant in the Cleveland Orchestra was playing duets with Wendell. Both played with a slight vibrato, but perfectly in tune and very musically.
Wendell spent WWI in the Navy Band in the Great Lakes.
At the IHS conference in Florida, he demonstrated some Bach Cello Suites and remarked that it was the first time in his life that he was nervous.
A story that Wendell told: John Barrows played at the Florida workshop. John was ill with cancer at the time, and had a bad toupee on because he had lost so much hair. One student in the audience asked if he had a toupee. The other student responded that he thought it was Holton.
In 1979, Wendell moved down to San Diego after his wife, Olive's, death and lived in our apartment complex for several years. He was friendly, generous, playful, and beloved. He showed us by example how to live and die gracefully. Wendell kept a small diary, sketching pictures of daily life. A touching picture at the end shows Wendell walking down a road alone. Larry sometimes would pick up some food items for him. Wendell said, "bring me some pears if they aren't more than $.29 a pound." On the other hand, he would take 8 horn players out to dinner and pick up the tab.
Nancy Fisch, also a student of Wendell's, took loving care of him in the last few years of life. He was thankful for the help he received from many in his last years. Another young woman helped him out and received a loan for a car.
Leon Donfray, another great friend, rode the bus down many times to see Wendell. Many other great players visited and paid their respects: Barry Tuckwell, Wally Linder, Froydis Werke, Huntington Burdick, Tom Greer, Art Briegleb, and Art Frantz.
Wendell taught by example. He didn't drink or smoke, was a lifelong vegetarian, exercised faithfully, and never spoke ill of anyone. He had a salad almost every day for dinner, with some of the most questionable limp greens that you could imagine. Larry introduced him to flour tortillas with cheese, and that became a new love. His life was an inspiring gift for those who knew him. He was ill with cancer for many years, but only his last six weeks were really difficult. A plus about having Wendell in the same complex was that we got to meet so many horn players from around the world. The day before he died, he was still receiving friends.
Wendell played first horn in Rochester, Cleveland, Chicago, and Disney Studios for 30 years. He edited Bach Cello Suites for Horn and composed a Mozart cadenza.
Resources:
Nancy Fisch (619)296-4504
Larry Rogers (619)284-9722
larryrogers2453@gmail.com
Dave Jolley (917)482-0617 C
jolley3782@aol.com