"Mr. Mueller is someone who allows the student to grow. He taught a great Life Lesson to me: 'Patty, don't let other persons' perceptions of you change you from what you are.' And if I thrive now as an oboist, and as a musician, it is because of Mr. Mueller. "
-Oboist, Patricia Stenberg
On March 15, 1929, Herman Devries, music reviewer of the Chicago Evening American, had attended several concerts. He wrote: "Of these, perhaps the one concert of greatest importance in local musical life was the first public appearance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra of its new oboe (sic), Florian Mueller, whose composition for his chosen instrument was also given initial hearing at this time. Both soloist and composer merit the warm spontaneous applause given by the "pop" audience, real connoisseurs, if we know them." (The popular concert series of the Chicago Symphony bore no relation to the "pop" concerts given by other orchestras. No food or drink was served and no jazz or show tunes were played. The repertory consisted of light classics by composers such as Massenet and Grieg. In addition the better known symphonies of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, etc. were regularly performed. Soloists were mainly members of the orchestra and local musicians.)
Devries continued: "Mr. Mueller is a genuine virtuoso of the oboe, master of its technic, creator of what moderns call an "intriguing" tone, by which we mean a peculiarly individual tone, unlike any other we have heard upon this medium. The concerta (sic), too, was original in an idiom smacking somewhat of the modern Russians flavored a la Stravinsky, the Stravinsky of Petruska and L'Oiseau de Feu, but always singularly oboish, with the Oriental coloring that belongs to it by its very nature. It is a spirited, arresting work, and it was played exceedingly well. Besides, it was short. Thank goodness, here is a twentieth century composer who can write concisely. (Mueller's Oboe Concerto is possibly the first complete oboe concerto ever written in the 20th Century, as the Eugene Goossen's concerto which preceded it by a few years was only in a one movement form.)
Mueller had come to the Chicago Symphony in 1927 as assistant first oboe to Alfred Barthel. By the beginning of the 192930 season, Barthel had been pensioned and Marcel Honore became principal through the 1930-31 season. After four years as assistant, Mueller became principal in 1931, with Robert Mayer coming in as assistant first. In 1938 Mayer switched to English horn.
It is important to note that Mueller was one of the first American-born oboists to sit in the principal chair of a major American orchestra.
As for repertory in those days, Mueller says, "Frederick Stock, principal conductor of the CSO, was always interested in new music. On an average, a new piece was played every other week. I remember the Symphony of Psalms, for instance, most vividly for I was placed in the concertmaster's seat." Mueller remembered these particular composers as guest conductors of the orchestra: Maurice Ravel, Georges Enesco, Alfred Casella, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, and Zoltan Kodaly, and he played when Bela Bartok and Serge Prokofiev were soloists. Considering the compositions being written in this period, these were exciting musical times.
Mueller was born in Bay City, Michigan, in 1904. He began piano lessons at the age of four, with his mother Therese von Nostitz Mueller, a well-known pianist and teacher in the state of Michigan. Violin lessons were begun at the age of seven with Erich Gebessler and later Helen Bromfield, both of Bay City.
His first "gig" was in the Bay City Eastern High School Orchestra. He also played Eb clarinet in the high school band. Charles White, the supervisor of music in Bay City public schools, was the conductor of these ensembles and an important influence.
Mueller said that he first heard the oboe played on a visit to the Detroit Symphony when he was 14 years old! Later on a trip to Saginaw to hear the violinist Fritz Kreisler, Mueller saw an oboe in a pawn shop and purchased it for $15.00. It was a 15-keyed "military system". A musician who happened to be in the pawn shop at the time showed him how to form an embouchure. He was on his own from that time until he went to Chicago at the age of 16 to study with Alfred Barthel, principal oboist of the Chicago Symphony. Barthel was a student of the famous Georges Gillet of Paris.
His high school education was interrupted because he was granted a Frederick Stock Scholarship to play oboe in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble. He said, "I went to school part-time both in Chicago and in Bay City and completed my high school education at a later date." It was during this time in the Chicago Civic that Mueller had the opportunity to play under Vincent D'Indy, who was a guest conductor.
While in the Civic, he bought his first Loree oboe for $200.00! He joined the Chicago Federation of Musicians at age 18 and landed his first job at the Chicago Theater where he subbed for ten weeks. Mueller has often stressed the importance of his theater training as excellent preparation for the strenuous work of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He stayed with the same chain of theaters from 1922 until 1927 except for a one season hiatus in Rochester at the Eastman Theater and Rochester Philharmonic. Of his early training in the theaters, Mueller says, "We were treated no better than common laborers; it was hard work."
Two other factors shaped Mueller's life. First, while he was in Chicago he undertook work in music theory and composition at the American Conservatory of Music, which led to a Master of Music in 1929. His composition teacher at the Conservatory was Arthur Olaf Andersen, and Mueller's Oboe Concerto was written under Andersen's guidance. Frederick Stock was to champion Mueller, the composer, and conduct several premieres of his works with the Chicago Symphony.
Secondly, during his early CSO years, Mueller met William D. Revelli who became a master force in the building of the University of Michigan's School of Music. Revelli, too, was a great champion of Mueller's creative activity. He wrote, "My first meeting with Florian Mueller was at a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert in Orchestra Hall in 1928. I was then Director of Bands in Hobart, Indiana. I vividly recall how impressed I was with Florian's superb musicianship and his wonderful playing. Later, we met informally and I was equally impressed with Florian 'the man'. I found him to be a very warm, friendly, congenial person. I liked him from the moment we met, and decided then, that hopefully one day he might be a member of our University of Michigan wind instrumental staff. Several times I mentioned this to Dean E. V. Moore and he, too, was equally interested."
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra season that he experienced during his long tenure consisted of 126 concerts played in 28 weeks, increased by a two week road trip in 1949. Rehearsals were on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, but the Tuesday rehearsal was skipped when the orchestra played in Milwaukee on Monday night. There were often short spring tours during the Stock regime. The average number of concerts per week was five of which two were the same. Summers were spent playing operas at Ravinia Park, but this was suspended during the Depression from 1933 to 1935. Mueller was able to tour with the Sousa Band during the summer of 1929, an event of which he was very proud. A portrait of the 1929 Sousa Band held a prominent place on the wall of his studio in Ann Arbor.
Bob Mayer remembers Mueller when he first joined the CSO as, like himself, a very thin man: "At that time, I recall, he weighed 132 pounds, and I weighed 128. Mr. Stock used to say that his two first oboes did not make one second clarinet." (The second clarinet Sam Evanson weighed over 250 pounds!) .
![[Image of Mueller and Chicago Sym.]](p3.jpg)
Both men got married during the Depression years. Florian to Jean, and Bob to Dorothy, and both made use of the services of Jean Mueller's father, George Parkinson, who was a minister. The Mayer marriage actually took place in the Mueller abode in Chicago. In speaking of the CSO oboe section Mayer states that it was the most friendly and capable of any orchestra in the country.
Mueller and his family lived 18 miles out of downtown Chicago, on the route of the Illinois Central Railroad. The ride was anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes into Orchestra Hall and he spent that time learning scores and relearning counterpoint. The counterpoint would come in handy several years later in retirement, when he would begin composing his three cycles of duets for two oboes, part of which were published in 1981 by Shawnee Press as 24 Duets for Treble Clef Instruments.
Mueller described what it was like to be a member of the CSO during this period: "The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was a very proud organization, and if it ever played badly it was by accident, never by design." He describes the Depression years as difficult for the members of the orchestra, particularly since the 10 week opera season at Ravinia Park was canceled for three years. Many members of the orchestra served in World War II and three of the four members of the oboe section were drafted. Mueller himself was too young to be in World War I and too old to be drafted into World War II.
![[Image of Chicago Sym.]](p4.jpg)
Surprisingly, cane from France was readily available in music stores in Chicago. Mueller relates that only during the Second World War did he have to send to New Mexico for the home-grown variety.
Philip Farkas, principal horn of the CSO for many years wrote me of Florian: "In fact Florian and I shared a house at Ravinia several summers in a row. We would rent with several other orchestra members, including Bob Mayer and Dick Beidel, a large house in Ravinia rather than take the long drive back and forth from the south side of Chicago. So we became good friends in more ways than just as musicians. We gave some pretty good parties as a group in these rental houses, even inviting conductors over - men like Mitropoulos and Beecham. They did not always show up, but this didn't matter too much as we were quite capable of finishing off the extra food and drink by ourselves.
Reviewers of his compositions for the Chicago Symphony held him in high regard as a composer. In February, 1935, the Chicago Daily News contained a review by Eugene Stinson who wrote: "Florian F. Mueller, a young oboist of the Chicago Symphony, conducted the first performance of a new work of traditional mold upon whose interesting theme he has built a passacaglia and fugue of magnificent treatment, excellent color, and tremendous effect." Joseph Fishman, currently Personnel Manager of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, who was an oboist in the Chicago Symphony during Mueller's years there, wrote: "The year 1940 was the Golden Anniversary of the Chicago Orchestra, and almost every concert featured a new composition. In my opinion, Florian's contribution was one of the most successful. "
Trumpeter Clifford Lillya, who was later to become Chairman of the Wind and Percussion Department at the University of Michigan, also attended the anniversary concerts. "Florian Mueller was one of the composers invited to participate in this festive contribution to the orchestra's anniversary year, and I remember his composition being received with enthusiasm. Also, Florian, as principal oboist, was Mr. Oboe to all of Chicagoland."
Cecil Smith, in the Chicago Sunday Tribune of February 1942, wrote concerning his Five Symphonic Etudes: "My own reaction to Mr. Mueller's set of Etudes was one of spontaneous pleasure at the directness and liveliness with which the music reached its audience. All the movements were effective and appealing."
In commenting on the performances of his music by the CSO, Mueller states that the Orchestra "performed my music superbly and the membership was always most supportive."
From Chicago Symphony Orchestra program notes of February 9, 1943.
Five Symphonic Etudes Based on the American Folk-Song, "El-A-Noy." -- Florian F. Mueller, Born June 15, 1904, at Bay City, Mich.
Mr. Mueller, who is first oboist of the Chicago (Symphony Orchestra, received his first musical training from his mother. Later he became a pupil in oboe playing of Alfred Barthel and, having entered the American Conservatory of Music, studied musical theory and composition there with Arthur Olaf Andersen. Mr. Mueller joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as oboist and, having for three years received his orchestral training in that organization, was taken into the Rochester (N. Y.) Philharmonic Orchestra. From there he returned to Chicago to join the woodwind division of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1927.
The works by Florian Mueller, all of which are still in manuscript, comprise a concerto for oboe and orchestra (this was played by the composer at a Popular Concert of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Stock, March 14, 1929); Two Symphonic Sketches (first performed at concerts of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, March 10-11, 1932); Small Symphony in E (1938); String Quartet (1935); sonata for violin and piano, some pieces in the smaller forms for violin, and about fifteen songs.
The Five Symphonic Etudes were first produced at concerts of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago, February 5-6, 1942. Frederick Stock was the conductor.
The following matter concerning his Five Symphonic Etudes was contributed by Mr. Mueller to this program:
The Five Symphonic Etudes were written during the summer of 1941 at Ravinia and at Bay City, Michigan. They are dedicated to Frederick Stock. During the Golden Jubilee Season of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Stock asked twelve Chicago composers to contribute a variation each on an American folk-tune. My variation was scored for wind orchestra. After the performance the idea occurred to me that other variations might be written exploiting usual and unusual instrumental combinations.
"Theme, El-A-Noy.* The harmonies used here are simple ones in keeping with the character of the melodies.
"VARIATION I, for string orchestra. Allegro, 2-4 time. The melodic material of the variation is given out by the violas, 'cellos and basses. This material is developed against running figures in sixteenth notes taken from the first six notes of the theme.
"VARIATION II for strings and brasses. Con spirito, 2-2 time. The harmonic material used is composed of triads in the keys of C minor and B minor. All of the notes of the theme arc given in the lower instruments in the key of G minor Most of the variation is a very close canon on the figure given out by the trumpets at the beginning.
"VARIATION III, for full orchestra. Lento, 8-8 time. A slow variant of the theme with the harmonies alternating between the keys of E f at minor and B f at minor. There are no complete cadences except the one to the final chord.
"VARIATION IV for wind orchestra. Presto 6-8 time. A short introduction leads to a direct variant of the theme in various instruments. This same melody is announced in all the lower instruments At the close the theme proper is given out by the brasses. The running figures employed in the high woodwinds are all thematic. Again a perfect cadence is formed only to the final chord.
"VARIATION V. Dance and Fugue. Moderato, 2-2 time. The clarinet announces a figure in the character of the American barn dance. This is repeated in the violins. Each division of the theme is treated through the dance. The subject of the fugue is the figure announced by the clarinet at the beginning of the variation. The countersubject (which is recurrent) is taken from the first eight notes of the theme of the entire composition. The second exposition is in contrary motion throughout, with the counter subject retained-also in contrary motion. This leads to the finale in which 'El-A-Noy' is again stated with its original harmonies in the brasses with the upper strings and woodwinds keeping the melody of the dance."
* The theme El-A-Noy," was drawn} from Carl Sandburg's collection of American tunes and verses entitled "The American Songbag (New York, 1927), which it was stated that the song - as well as its title - was derived from; "Illinois." The composers invited by Mr. Stock to contribute variations on the tune for the closing concert of the fiftieth season (April 17-18, 1941) were: David Van Vactor, Arne Oldberg, Rossetter Cole, Samuel Lieberson Leo Sowerby, Edward Collins, Florian Mueller, Albert Noelte, John Alden Carpenter, Felix Bolowski, Rudolph Ganz, and Thorvald Otterström.
Roosevelt University needed Florian's talents in both Oboe and Music Theory from 1945 until 1954. Roosevelt, of which he was a founding father and Head of the Wind Instrument Department, appointed him conductor of their orchestra. He also served on the senate of Roosevelt University.
During these Chicago years, Mueller, because he was the only member of the Chicago Symphony with a Masters degree, was given the title "Doc" by his colleagues. Several of his students from that period including Joseph Fishman, Jean Cantwell, and June Panduro, still refer to him as Doc Mueller to this very day.
The good "Doc" told these students, "If I have a piece of advice to give to players, it is to look neither to the right or to the left. Watch the conductor, play your best, take your money and go home. And watch out for compliments from a conductor. That means you are being watched, and it is better not to attract undue notice."
June Panduro Wollwage remembers her famous teacher: "I had studied with a former student of Florian's, and when I would hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play their Milwaukee series at the Pabst Theater (in the gallery!), I hoped that the wonderful oboe player would take me on as his pupil. Well, luckily for me he did, and on the Monday nights that they had their concerts I would get my lesson in one of the basement dressing rooms of the theater."
After playing the Handel Concerto in G minor, in Grant Park in 1941, the Chicago Tribune reviewer, Edward Barry, spoke about Mueller's tone of "effortless purity", his attacks which had, "refinement and sureness", and how he "eased his way into phrases without any suggestion of awkwardness or harshness."
Herman Devries writing in the Chicago Herald American reminds us how little was known about the oboist's Baroque repertoire in 1941: "Very few composers have written anything worthwhile for the oboe . . ." He went on further to describe Mueller's playing: "These virtues (fluency in technique and tonal roundness) are Mr. Mueller's in profusion." The Chicago Daily News review by Eugene Stinson spoke of the "charm and excellence of Mr. Mueller's performance."
Asked about performances of chamber music during the Chicago years, Mueller replied, "A great many Bach Cantatas were performed while I was in the orchestra and I did play a radio performance of the Cimarosa (Concerto) with Raphael Kubelik conducting, and a performance of the Holst Concerto for Flute and Oboe with Ernest Liegl, flute, and Sir Adrian Boult conducting at Ravinia Park. There were a few chamber music performances at the University of Chicago."
After Frederick Stock's death in 1942, great instability set in at the podium with frequent changes. But Mueller, by now a super professional, was able to weather these constant changes with relative ease. Apparently his early years of work in the theater had prepared him for all sorts of surprises. In the next 10 years he played under Desire Defauw (1943-47), Artur Rodzinski (1947-48), guest conductors (1948-50), Rafael Kubelik (1950-53) and Fritz Reiner (1953-54), all of whom he says treated him well.
But he was developing plans for the future during this unsettled period: "Jean and I had often talked of going into full-time university work after 25 years. As it turned out, it was 27 . . . I enjoyed my tenure in the orchestra and left with no regrets."
William Revelli mentioned Mueller's decision to leave the Chicago Symphony for the University of Michigan: "Later, when Florian indicated his interest, I, as Head of the Wind Instrument and Percussion Department recommended Florian as our Professor of Oboe. The Executive Committee and Dean Moore concurred and Florian was contacted. Florian accepted the position and the rest is history. What a wonderful job he did for us . . . he is a gem!"
![[Image of F. Mueller]](p8.jpg)
After 27 years in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the move to the University of Michigan in 1954 was a major change because it included only modest opportunities for orchestral playing such as Plymouth and Toledo. Instead, the Faculty Woodwind Quintet and the Baroque Trio would make up the bulk of his performing activities. (It must be noted that the U of M was a leader in the concept of maintaining a full-time staff to play in these ensembles at a time when other schools either lacked sufficient players or hired them on a part-time basis.) College teaching and committee work would not be new to him since Mueller had been busy in these areas while he was at Roosevelt College.
Allen Britton, Dean Emeritus of the School of Music at the University of Michigan mentioned Mueller's work on the Executive Committee during the period 1967-70: "He was a veritable Rock of Gibraltar when things were difficult. He provided the Committee with his wisdom and stability, and his presence on the Committee reassured the faculty that careful and kindly attention was being given to their problems."
Tuesday, September 16, 1969, 8:00 P.M. Rackham Lecture Hall
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784)William Boyce (1710-1779)
Trio Sonata No. 1 in A minor
Trio Sonata No. 5 in D
INTERMISSION
Michael Blavet (1700-1768)
Sonata in B minor for Flute and continuo
Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)
Three Sonatas for Harpsichord
George Philipp Telemann (1681-1757)
Trio Sonata in F
![[Image of Baroque Trio]](p10ex1.jpg)
The florid ornamentation needed in the repertory of the Baroque Trio would become his forte, and here too he had preparation. In 1941, Mueller had made a recording of the Handel Concerto in G-minor with all sorts of adornment on the solo line. This in a period when ornamentation was still a lost art to most oboe players in the world. A review from the Chicago Daily News of February 7, 1941 states that, "The oboist is the excellent soloist of the Chicago Symphony, Florian Mueller, who gives a beautiful performance . . . The music is splendid in Handel's best style, bold, beautiful, and expressive, though self-contained for all its prodigious Baroque." In this Handel recording, the ornaments had been worked out with Mueller by the harpsichordist of the continuo. In the future, Mueller, the composer, would be the one to undertake this work.
A review of the Baroque Trio from February 1958 in the Michigan Daily reads as follows: "The Baroque Trio concert was superb. Mr. Mueller's playing is ravishing to the ear. His technique, breath and phrasing are nearly flawless. The ornaments and difficult florid passages of this work (Thomas Vincent, Sonata in D for Oboe and Continuo) were negotiated with ease and abandon as to make them seem like child's play."
By 1968, the Baroque Trio had amassed a large following from all parts of Ann Arbor's social strata: professors, students, townsfolk, even hippies in their colorful garb. The Trio had as good a following as did the Michigan hockey team! Nelson Hauenstein was the flutist and the continuo was comprised of Lawrence Hurst, bass, and Charles Fisher, harpsichord.
![[Image of Michigan Quintet]](p10ex2.jpg)
The Woodwind Quintet was quite active, too. John Mohler, clarinetist in the group says of Mueller that "he was above all a scholarly musician and gentleman. His oboe performances mirrored his personal qualities and was remarkably maintained during our close association as members of the U of M Faculty Woodwind Quintet."
The secret to Mueller's meticulously maintained technique, mentioned by John Mohler, lay in his masterful art of practicing. Shortly after arriving in Ann Arbor, he had occasion to describe in detail for Etude Magazine his method of scheduling and content in daily practice. (Etude, March 1965, p. 19). For advanced players he recommends the following: 10 minutes on tone and vibrato; 20 minutes on scales; 10 minutes on velocity studies; 30 minutes on general studies; and 20 minutes or more on solos. And to this day, Mueller, at an advanced age, maintains a 45 minute practice schedule!
In Ann Arbor, he turned from compositions for Symphony Orchestra to those for Woodwind Quintet, Symphony Band and solo instruments. He also produced several works for pedagogical use among which included his class methods for oboe and bassoon. In 1960, William Revelli took his Overture in G for Symphony Band on tour with the fabulous Michigan Band. For this work Mueller received the prestigious Ostwald Award given by the American Bandmasters Association.
Mueller said he found his work at Michigan as a performer of chamber music and as an educator to be the most rewarding experiences of his life. One of the first students he was to teach on his new job was Joan Gassaway Berndt and she spoke of her initial impression of Mueller: "He was so kind and considerate toward all the oboe students." I would like to mention at this time that a large number of students taught by Mueller were women. Jean Cantwell, a Mueller student from the Chicago years, pointed this out: "Some famous teachers were reluctant to teach young women, feeling that it was a waste of time since they did not expect a woman to stay with the job if they succeeded in getting one. They were hesitant to recommend a woman for a symphony chair. Doc Mueller stands out as a champion for women oboists. He was responsible for securing June Panduro her position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as an English horn player." (June replaced Bob Mayer for three years while he was away in the Army during the Second World War.)
Joan Gassaway Berndt further describes the oboe class at Michigan during her years as a student: "The oboe players of the 1950's were a tightly knit group, competitive with each other, but also compassionate. None of the backbiting, clawing your way to the top attitudes were present. We all respected each other, and were, and remain to this day, friends. An example of our fun came in the summertime oboe players' picnics initiated by Florian, and hosted by him with help from Jean and Therese (their daughter), at his home. Who else but crazy oboe players would play baseball with ice cubes and a bat! And with Pat Stenberg (one of the most outstanding of the Mueller students) pitching a curved iceball, it was a real challenge."
The doctoral program in oboe at Michigan was a rigorous one. If the oboist survived the proficiency exams in French and German, then it became possible to move on to the preliminary exams in Music History, Music Theory, and in Performance. Then, there was the repertoire requirement: one concerto or sonata per week was a bare minimum! Mueller was always trying to put me at ease as I worked upon, what seemed to me, impossible hurdles: "Look, you take these things too seriously my friend, relaaax!" Of course, I thought, it was easy for him to say that; he already knew all of this massive oboe repertory, was a master of Theory, and to top it all off, he spoke perfect German!
Charles Veazey remembers his lessons in the Doctoral Program: "As my oboe teacher, Mr. Mueller was the benevolent task master. He expected me to complete a great deal of literature for each lesson. He demanded technical accuracy as well as musical integrity for his students and for himself . . . his knowledge of solo literature for the oboe was boundless. . . he made me practice instead of continuing my search for the 'perfect' reed!"
In lessons with doctoral students, Mueller did not take for granted that such advanced students knew all there was to know about playing oboe. I remember an occasion when he really got on my case about how sharp I played my F#. Also, he was a master of style, and I recall him using the following expression in order to get me to play a less motivicly delineated line in a Mozart work: "Look, my friend, Mozart was a man!"
If I thought I had it rough, I should have compared notes with the undergraduates. Joan Gassaway Berndt wrote this of her lessons: "His insistence of complete memory mastery of all major and minor scales diatonically and in thirds for the full range of the oboe almost finished me in my freshman year. He could never understand why high notes or low notes didn't speak as he had no sympathy for any missed notes no matter how complicated an exercise might be."
Janet Ruffner Evans remembers her undergraduate lessons with him: "If I was having trouble with some particular spot in the music, he would reach down into his pocket and with great theatrics get out five coins- usually nickels or quarters. He would place them on the edge of the desk and ask me to play. If I played the passage correctly, one coin was moved to a new spot on the desk This continued until I made a mistake, then a coin was moved back to the original stack. It seemed like an eternity until all five coins were in that second pile! After this exercise, I usually did much better practicing for a long time!"
Ann Bartholomew Miller described the content of her lessons: "Much of our lesson time was spent learning solo literature. A typical lesson consisted of Marquarre Daily Exercises for the Flute or Prestini, followed by whatever solo was being studied, a few orchestral excerpts, and finally sight-reading some duets." Ray Lynch remembers studying Barret and Ferling in addition to the solo repertory. In Louise Scribner's words, he was "a most meticulous teacher who put me through more etudes and solos than anyone before or since."
Ann Bartholomew Miller, part of the last contingent of the Michigan students to study with him comments: "One of the best things about his studio was his taped accompaniments. Only as a college teacher now do I appreciate those tapes! " (These were made especially for Florian by Martha Rearick.)
James Ostryniec, Assistant Principal Oboist of the Baltimore Symphony, mentioned his wonderful ideas about Baroque ornamentation. Anne Miller gives particulars: "He was particularly good at teaching and demonstrating Baroque ornamentation and would unselfishly lend me his Thurston Dart and Quantz to clarify various aspects of ornamentation."
Julie Giacobassi, English Horn player of the San Francisco Symphony wrote the following concerning advice she got from Florian during lessons: "Florian was quick to point out that there was a lot of pain and work behind the glory of performing. He spoke of the horror stories of politics, auditions, and managements. He would talk of the drudgery of reed making and performances of the same work over and over. He didn't discourage me from an oboe career but he did want me to see all sides of such a career before I plunged into it."
Concerning the tone quality of various oboists, Mueller always impressed upon his students how individual and personal this was. He recently wrote: "The tone of any instrument is in the individual. You have played on my reeds and you sound like Lehrer, and I'm sure if I played on your reeds I would sound like Mueller." He always felt that the most difficult part of oboe playing has been the reed making, and that we are all at the mercy of the cane we have. He mentioned Otto Konrad, a famous clarinetist with the New York Philharmonic who told him: "Wenn man ein gutes stuck Holz hat, dann gehet das Rohr wenn es nur halb gemacht ist!" that is, "When one has a good piece of cane, the reed will play even if it is only half finished ! "
Janice Norvell, Principal Oboist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, relates this conversation she remembers having with her teacher:
Mueller: "Isn't that reed a little stiff? It sounds hard and unresponsive."
Janice: "Yes, but I like the tone quality, and I think that is more important."
Mueller: "Just remember, no matter what you play on, you will sound like you. If you are ever on tour and are rushed off the bus and into a concert hall, you will need a reed which plays!"
She continues: "When that later happened to me, I finally understood what he was talking about."
During the time he worked at Michigan his reeds changed from the short scrape he had learned from Alfred Barthel, to the long scrape which Tabuteau, whom he greatly admired, had made popular. Mueller still was holding the oboe in the traditional high-angled manner despite this change of scrape. Also, since the age of 20, he had played with the assistance of a neck strap to relieve all pressure from his right hand, which had suffered a severe injury.
Students at Michigan who knew Florian Mueller would soon be using and enjoying his many humorous "Muellerisms". Conductors were always referred to as conducers, and any oboist who dared to show an interest in conducting was said to be suffering from stick fever. Of course, he himself had been hit with the dreaded stick fever back in the Chicago days. Not only had he led his own compositions with the Civic Orchestra but he was the Conducer of the Roosevelt College Orchestra!
Many stories have come down through his students relating aspects of his incredible kindness in teaching. If a student needed discipline, the kindness with which it was dispatched always overwhelmed the recipient. To one boy in the oboe techniques class of non-majors: "Consider yourself bawled out for coming late." At another time a student was unsure and reluctantly asked, "Mr. Mueller, did you just bawl me out?"
The present writer remembers the kindness and the sensitivity Florian Mueller used in getting him to work on his sight reading in a constructive way. There was Mueller, catching Lehrer on the run between classes, inviting him into his studio to read some Telemann Duets. He had discovered Lehrer's major weakness, sight-reading; but he kept on him week after week until he taught Lehrer the secrets of successful sight-reading: "Charles, you are going to miss a few notes during your life!"
Raymond Lynch remembers Mueller's sight reading ability: "His unerring perfection in sight-reading was always a marvel and an inspiration-something to aspire to, as was his dedication to music. Therese (Mueller's daughter) told me once that players in the Chicago Symphony used to bet on when he would make a mistake, and that no one had ever collected anything on such a bet."
By the time the School of Music at Michigan had moved from Harris Hall to the new luxury of the North Campus structure, the parking lot for the Music School boasted three Mark IV's, one of which appeared daily to deliver or pick up Florian Mueller. In time, the students there would all become familiar with the chauffeur of the Mark IV, none other than his wife and greatest admirer, Jean "Honey-Baby" Mueller. He never had need for a car in the Chicago years, but when he got to Ann Arbor it became a necessity and it fell to Jean to take on this job. But what a car she got in the deal!
Also, the couple was famous for their attendance at recitals and concerts during the Michigan days. Performances were scheduled daily, sometimes back to back. If a Mueller student or any student he knew well was playing, one could expect to see the two of them there. They always came up afterwards and found something supportive to say.
The Muellers established a little ceremony for the graduating Doctoral students. This included a dinner for the student and spouse with them at one of their favorite restaurants such as Bill Knapp's. This was followed by an invitation to the Mueller residence to hear his famous "interview records" from the Chicago days, where one heard him putting the interviewer on with such lines as, "If there were no low Bb key, I would have to use my foot!" and "Some of the boys in those days used to wear a headband when they played the oboe to contain the wind, so they wouldn't go off their nut from the pressure!" This was followed by shrieks of laughter from everyone present!
Janice Norvell sums up the roles played by Florian and Jean at Michigan in the conclusion of her recent letter:
"The Muellers are both concerned and caring people. It was comforting to know that calm and sane advice on most topics was available for the asking. Florian's approach was not an intense, high pressured one, but he taught the essential skills. Sometimes I thought that he did not push us hard enough, but that only served for me to do more by myself. He was a great teacher in that he encouraged independence and individuality. We were all different and this was respected. Too many teachers dogmatically try to make each of their students into copies of themselves, much to everyone's frustration. Let it be said that Florian Mueller is a superb human being as well as a fine musician. His performances were inspiring, his presence was comforting, and his advice was pure gold!"
Janet Ruffner Evans wrote, "I can say that he truly touched my life in the most positive way of any teacher I have ever studied with. He is richly blessed and has richly blessed many of us who have been fortunate enough to have been his students."
The last concert in which Mr. Mueller participated before his retirement from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
School of Music
Tuesday, July 24,1973, 8:00 p.m. Recital Hall
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Divertimento
Florian Mueller
*Five Pieces for Woodwind Quintet (1960)
Louis Spohr (1784-1859)
Quintet in C minor. Op. 52
*Dedicated to the University of Michigan Woodwind Quintet
Presented in conjunction with the 25th Annual National Band Conductors' and Wind-Percussion Teachers' Conference
In 1973 at the age of 69, Mueller retired from Michigan, and was granted the title of Professor Emeritus of Music. He and Jean moved to a pleasant condominium in St. Petersburg. Florida, which overlooks the Gulf of Mexico, and where he continues his work.
Instead of the dinners at Bill Knapp's, there is Gigi's Italian Restaurant, and Siple's Garden Seat. But the rest is about the same; students are still coming for lessons, he still gets together occasionally to play, new compositions flow forward, and his daily oboe practice continues uninterrupted by time.
Many of his friends from the Chicago and Ann Arbor days live down in Florida near him. Bob Mayer and his wife Dorothy live close by, and Gene Bossart, whose studio was across the hall from his at Michigan, now lives across the hall in his condo! Students and friends on vacation visit year round. The conversation centers on music and the music business in which all sorts of good advice on how to handle your dean, conductor, etc., is given. Visitors also hear Pat Stenberg's or Jim Lakin's newest tape, then come the crazy "interview" records.
Already I am looking forward to a visit on Florian and Jean's 50th Wedding Anniversary. As Jean recently wrote: "We are looking forward to the 50th. The Fishmans want to come too. We may not be here, but then, we just may!"
"I have only the greatest of respect for Florian to this day . . . He is an optimist and has shown it in all his other activities. I feel his professional activities in Composition are a marvelous contribution of his musical life. May it remain that way for some time to come."
-Oboist, Jerry E. Sirucek
Berndt, Joan Gassaway. Letter to the Author. June 7, 1981.
Britton, Allen P. Letter to the Author. June 15, 1981.
Cantwell, Jean Barker. Letter to the Author. June 5, 1981.
Evans, Janet Ruffner. Letter to the Author. June 23, 1981.
Farkas, Philip. Letter to the Author. July 14, 1981.
Fern, Annette. "Chicago", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980.
Fishman, Joseph. Letter to the Author. June 12, 1981.
Geerdes, Harold. Letter to the Author. May 30, 1981.
Giacobassi, Julie. Letter to the Author. July 11, 1981.
Humphrey, Doris. Letter to the Author. June 15, 1981.
Johnson, E. A. The Chicago Orchestra 1891-1942, University of Chicago, 1951.
Kennedy, Hal. Letter to the Author. June 3, 1981.
Lillya, Clifford P. Letter to the Author. June 22, 1981.
Lynch, Raymond M. Letter to the Author. June 26, 1981.
Mayer, Robert M. Letter to the Author. June 8, 1981.
Miller, Anne Bartholomew. Letter to the Author, June 18, 1981.
Mohler, John Letter to the Author. June 3, 1981.
Mueller, Florian F. "Oboe Teaching", in Etude, The Music Magazine, George Rochberg, ed. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Theo. Presser Co., March, 1951.
Mueller, Florian and Jean. Letters to the Author. May 26, 1981-June 11, 1981.
Norvell, Janice Miner. Letter to the Author. June 22, 1981.
Ostryniec, James. Letter to the Author. June 23, 1981.
Rearick, Martha. Letter to the Author. July 12, 1981.
Reid, Dawn. Letter to the Author. July 11, 1981.
Revelli, William D. Letter to the Author. June 1, 1981.
Scribner, Louise. Letter to the Author. July 2, 1981.
Sirucek, Jerry. Letter. to the Author. July 20, 1981.
Stenberg, Patricia. Letter to the Author. June 25, 1981.
Veazey, Charles. Letter to the Author. July 3, 1981.
Wollwage, June Panduro. Letter to the Author. June 30, 1981.