In working on the final manuscript for A Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player (Scarecrow Press), I came across some terrific YouTube videos of the great Rafael Mendez that I wanted to capture here and share in an organized format. The big find is the complete film (in four parts) that Mendez made for the Mills Picture Corporation’s educational series, Concerts on Film, in 1956. The four parts are embedded below in the original sequence. The second installment begins with a brief overview of trumpet history where Mendez shows off the cornet he played as a boy growing up in Mexico. Be sure not to miss Mendez performing the Mexican Hat Dance – all in one breath, for 36 seconds! – at the end of the third installment.
According to the biography, Magnificent Mendez, by Jane Hickman and Del Lyren (Summit Records, 2005 second edition, p. 50), the 16 mm films were intended for high schools, universities, and public libraries as a way to showcase the great musicians of the twentieth century. It was an honor for Mendez to be chosen for the film on the trumpet because the musicians featured in other films were violinist Jascha Heiftetz, pianist Arthur Rubenstein, and guitarist Andres Segovia as well as cellists Pablo Casals and Gregor Piatigorsky. Mendez considered the film to be one of the highlights of his career.
Here are a few more Mendez clips. First up is a brief performance of the fast section of Mendez’s Samba Gitana from the Milton Berle Show in 1951 (check out his dance moves half way through), followed by a clip of his performance of “The Girl From Chihuahua” from the 1946 movie, Holiday in Mexico (starting with a fabulous cadenza). Finally, it’s a soulful performance of “El Gitano” from the 1958 film, Cowboy. Enjoy!
Elisa Koehler is Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Formerly the Director of the Center for Dance, Music, and Theatre at Goucher College and the Music Director and Conductor of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, she is a professional conductor, trumpeter, and author. Dr. Koehler has performed on both modern and period instruments with the Bach Sinfonia, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Handel Choir of Baltimore, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Washington Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, Baltimore’s Bach Concert Series, and as the leader of Newberry's Victorian Cornet Band. Her publications include two books: Fanfares and Finesse: A Performer’s Guide to Trumpet History and Literature (Indiana University Press) and A Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player (Rowman & Littlefield), numerous articles on historic brass for the ITG Journal, and new performing editions of the Haydn and Hummel trumpet concerti for Carl Fischer Music. She was named a Distinguished Alumna by the University of Tennessee in 2009 and elected to the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild in 2017. In 2014 Dr. Koehler received Goucher College's highest faculty honor, the Caroline Doebler Bruckerl Award, which recognizes an exemplary faculty member in the areas of scholarship, teaching, and service. She earned a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Conservatory, a master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and bachelor’s degrees in both music education and performance from Peabody.
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Elisa Koehler 
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