Herbert L Clarke Essay

Herbert L.Clarke addresses in his autobiography the significance of his music atmosphere as a developing child and musician. Just as his environment helped him into the music world, Clarke’s method’s that he used himself and produced into studies became very helpful to developing musicians to this day. His experience and talent have made an influence in music history, and specifically, on trumpet players today.

Clarke was one of the best cornet players of his time. Clarke was born on September 12th, 1867 in Woburn, Massachusetts (source 1). His father, William Horatio Clarke, was an organist, writer and composer. Even though William Clarke was mainly an organist, he could play almost every wind and brass instrument of that time period (source

As any siblings would, they played together in string quartets when they were young. Herbert Clarke’s drive to be a cornet player really came to life when he say Bowen Church play cornet at the Horticultural Pavilion in Toronto (source 4, pg 13). Clarke admired the ease and beauty of Church’s tone and finally realized that this was the instrument he really “cared and craved” (source 4, pg 14). Since his brother Edwin played the cornet, he decided to use his brother’s cornet to learn and practice. About the same time, Clarke joined the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra (source 1). Although he was playing violin in the orchestra, Clarke longed to have a cornet of his own to practice, so he joined the Queen’s Own Rifle band in 1882 (source 1). Being placed as twelfth cornet did not phase him at all; Clarke was beyond excited to now have an issued cornet from the government (source 4, pg 23). After graduating from high school, Clarke began to play in the pit orchestra of the English’s Opera House in Indianapolis while also continuing to play in the Queen’s Own but as second chair cornet (source 1). Three years later, in 1887, Herbert Clarke joined John Bayley’s Citizen’s Band of Toronto as the solo cornetist (source