Posted by Richard on November 22, 2000 at 20:28:03:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Joe Novetney posted by Chuck Jackson on November 22, 2000 at 01:31:09:
I'm not the last word on Joe Novotny (that is the correct spelling though) I knew him the least well of the New York players of that period. However, I can tell you he was no mere sub at the Met, he was principal tuba there for nearly ten years prior to moving to the Philharmonic. He was replaced at the Met by Herb Wekselblatt. From the time Joe arrived in New York, after leaving the service at the end of WWII, he was an active and successful free-lancer. He probably did sub and play extra with the Met before he was hired full-time, and certainly did with the Philharmonic before he joined them. Met and Philharmonic players in those days free-lanced much more than they do now, and it is likely that Mr. Novotny played with Radio City, the NBC, and other studio and numerous "pickup" orchestras on occasion, but to my knowledge, he was not a member of these groups.