David Hite
Encyclopedia
David L. Hite was an American clarinetist, teacher, and designer of clarinet mouthpieces.
, David Hite studied clarinet with Fred Weaver, Daniel Bonade
and Anthony Gigliotti
.
In 1941, he enrolled in the Ohio State University
School of Music later graduating after he completed his US Army service. In 1972 he completed his Master of Arts Degree in Music, also at Ohio State. During World War II
he served in Guam
and Okinawa as a band musician.
After the war, he played bass clarinet in the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra
where he met his first wife, the bassoonist and critic Rosemary Curtin Hite. In addition he performed with the Berkshire Music Festival
Orchestra at Tanglewood
where he played under Serge Koussevitzky
.
From 1954 to 1978 he was professor of music at the Capital University
Music Conservatory where he founded the Capital University Clarinet Choir
. He left Columbus in 1983, to move to New York City, where he specialized in customizing and fine tuning clarinets, working with the leading players of the time. Later he settled in Fort Myers Florida
.
From the 1940s on, while teaching and playing, Hite also worked continuously on the development of a superior clarinet mouthpiece. With his second wife Jean Hite he founded the J&D Hite Mouthpiece Company in the 1980s. He was internationally recognized for his hand-finished J & D Hite clarinet
and saxophone
mouthpieces. The David Hite, and later J&D Hite, Premiere Mouthpiece was noted as one of the finest student mouthpieces made, enhancing the abilities of thousands of clarinet players throughout the U.S. The custom-made professional Hite mouthpiece was played by many symphony and band musicians. Following Hite's death in 2004 in Fort Myers, the Hite mouthpiece is now owned and distributed by the JJ Babbitt Company of Elkhart, Indiana.
Biography
Born in New Straitsville OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, David Hite studied clarinet with Fred Weaver, Daniel Bonade
Daniel Bonade
Daniel Bonade , a French classical clarinetist and professor of clarinet, was the most influential teacher of classical clarinet of the first generation of American-born professional clarinetists.The first teacher of Bonade was Ferdinand Capelle in Geneva Daniel Bonade (Geneva, April 4, 1896 –...
and Anthony Gigliotti
Anthony Gigliotti
Anthony Gigliotti "was one of the world's most famous and most accomplished classical clarinet players for most of the second half of the 20th century." "He jointed the Philadelphia Orchestra as its principal clarinetist in 1949 and stayed for 47 years" and "designed a ligature that is now named...
.
In 1941, he enrolled in the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
School of Music later graduating after he completed his US Army service. In 1972 he completed his Master of Arts Degree in Music, also at Ohio State. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Okinawa as a band musician.
After the war, he played bass clarinet in the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra
Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra
The Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra was a symphony orchestra of the United States, located in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1941 and disbanded in 1949, the Columbus Philharmonic was the first professional symphony orchestra in Columbus and was a precursor to the present Columbus Symphony Orchestra...
where he met his first wife, the bassoonist and critic Rosemary Curtin Hite. In addition he performed with the Berkshire Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Center
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
Orchestra at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
where he played under Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
.
From 1954 to 1978 he was professor of music at the Capital University
Capital University
Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
Music Conservatory where he founded the Capital University Clarinet Choir
Clarinet choir
A clarinet choir is an instrumental ensemble consisting entirely of instruments from the clarinet family. Typically it will include E♭, B♭, alto, bass, and contra-alto or contrabass clarinets, although some pieces are scored for a smaller set of instruments....
. He left Columbus in 1983, to move to New York City, where he specialized in customizing and fine tuning clarinets, working with the leading players of the time. Later he settled in Fort Myers Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
From the 1940s on, while teaching and playing, Hite also worked continuously on the development of a superior clarinet mouthpiece. With his second wife Jean Hite he founded the J&D Hite Mouthpiece Company in the 1980s. He was internationally recognized for his hand-finished J & D Hite clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
mouthpieces. The David Hite, and later J&D Hite, Premiere Mouthpiece was noted as one of the finest student mouthpieces made, enhancing the abilities of thousands of clarinet players throughout the U.S. The custom-made professional Hite mouthpiece was played by many symphony and band musicians. Following Hite's death in 2004 in Fort Myers, the Hite mouthpiece is now owned and distributed by the JJ Babbitt Company of Elkhart, Indiana.