Posted by Johnson W on April 19, 1999 at 22:32:45:
In reference to a recent tribute to A. Jacobs entitled "Arnold Jacobs -- The End of An Era" in the Winter '99 issue of the TUBA Journal, I am curious as to how Mr. Jacobs' contributions to our society can be compared to those of Abraham Lincoln. Undoubtedly, Mr. Jacobs has positively influenced (and continues to influence) many a musician through his knowledge of respiration and resonance, and more arguably, through his many years of performance with a great orchestra. But for crying out loud, he was a tuba player, not a president during wartime! Mr. Lincoln was responsible for emancipating human beings; Mr. Jacobs emancipated whole notes! Only when we cease this sort of senseless hero worship and begin to think through things will we stand a chance at influencing lives the way Jacobs did, much less the way Lincoln did.