Sol Schoenbach

A Curtis Institute program marking Schoenbach's 75th birthday on October 7, 1990, indicates that he was born around 1915.[1] His documented musical training included study with bassoonist Simon Kovar.[2]

Schoenbach was appointed to The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1937.[2] He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1943, where he taught bassoon and later coached the Curtis Woodwind Ensemble.[2] His service was interrupted by World War II military duty in 1944, during which he served in the same infantry regiment as one of his students.[2] He returned to both The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Curtis faculty in 1946.[2]

In 1950, Schoenbach was one of five musicians who organized the Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet, taking the bassoon chair alongside Burnett Atkinson on flute, John de Lancie on oboe, Anthony Gigliotti on clarinet, and Mason Jones on horn.[2] The group's recordings were described as collectors' items.[2] Schoenbach was eventually succeeded in the quintet by Bernard Garfield.[2]

At the start of the 1974–75 academic year, Schoenbach was appointed coach of the Curtis Institute's Woodwind Ensemble, sharing responsibility for the ensemble with John de Lancie.[2] Curtis recital programs from the early 1960s identify several bassoonists—including Sue Bournes, Susan Willoughby, and John LaSalandra—as students of "Mr. Schoenbach," and one 1961 program notes that group accompaniments were conducted under his supervision.[3]

In 1957, Schoenbach left The Philadelphia Orchestra to become executive director of the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, succeeding Johann Grolle.[2][4] The 1974 Curtis anniversary publication described his tenure in that position as carried out with "outstanding success."[2] The Settlement School had been established to serve children in a disadvantaged Philadelphia neighborhood, placing his administrative work within a community-music institution.[4] In 1990, Robert Capanna, then executive director of the Settlement Music School, delivered remarks at Curtis's 75th-birthday tribute to Schoenbach.[1]

Beyond performing and teaching, Schoenbach contributed to the technical development of the bassoon itself. He introduced or helped develop several mechanical improvements, including a high E key, coupling of the low E and F keys, and a low C-sharp/D-sharp trill mechanism, among other enhancements; the Curtis anniversary publication credits the craftsmanship of W. Hans Moennig as making these changes possible.[2]

For his students, Schoenbach wrote a number of bassoon works and a Solo Book.[2] His editorial and arrangement projects included an edition of Weber's Concerto in F, a transcription of Ravel's Alborada del gracioso, and a book of Twentieth Century Orchestra Studies.[2] He also prepared editions of ten Vivaldi bassoon concerti with piano accompaniments realized by Curtis graduate William Winstead.[2]

On October 7, 1990, the Curtis Institute of Music held "A Seventy-fifth Birthday Tribute honoring Dr. Sol Schoenbach." The program included bassoon performances conducted by William Winstead and Peter Schoenbach; Don Roberts delivered remarks titled "Sol Schoenbach and His Academic Influence," and Robert Capanna, executive director of the Settlement Music School, also spoke.[1] A program list identified former bassoon students and colleagues in attendance, and the guide recorded multiple donors to the "Sol Schoenbach Student Assistance Fund for Bassoon Students."[1]

The David Diamond Papers include a folder labeled "Schoenbach, Sol" in box 59, folder 5, within a correspondence series covering 1928–2000.[5] The Leonard Bernstein Collection includes four items filed under "Schoenbach, Sol and Bertha, 1975–1991" in box 49, folder 69.[6] The finding aids do not describe the contents of the Diamond folder or explain Schoenbach's relationship to either composer.