The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is saddened by the loss of retired principal tuba and eminent pedagogue Arnold Jacobs, who died on October 7, 1998, at the age of 83.

"One can hardly overstate the importance of Arnold Jacobs as a musician and as a teacher," CSO President Henry Fogel said in a written statement. "His musical abilities were rightly the stuff of legend, and served for over four decades as the foundation of the brass section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a teacher, he had an impact on generations of brass players that is almost certainly unequalled by anyone else."

The CSO's subscription concerts on October 21, 22, 23, and 24 at Orchestra Hall were dedicated to his memory.

The life of the late former CSO Principal Tuba Arnold Jacobs will be celebrated with A Tribute to Arnold Jacobs at Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, on Thursday, December 17 at 5 p.m. The Symphony Center tribute will feature performances by the CSO Trombone and Tuba Ensemble; the CSO brass section, led by CSO Principal Trumpet Adolph "Bud" Herseth; and the Northwestern University Faculty Brass Quintet. Audience members will also hear an archival recording of Mr. Jacobs performing the slow movement of Vaughan Williams' Tuba Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by photographs. The musical celebration will conclude with a joint performance by members of the CSO and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra; Northwestern University faculty members; and others, led by CSO Music Director Daniel Barenboim.

Following the tribute, a reception will be held in the Symphony Center Rotunda for all audience members. Memory books will be made available at the performance and reception for members of the general public who wish to write a personal message to the Jacobs family.

Admission to A Tribute to Arnold Jacobs and the reception will be free. Tickets are not required. For more information about this event, members of the general public should call (312) 294-3000.

A native of Philadelphia, Arnold Jacobs was raised in California. After taking piano lessons from his mother, whom he credited with his love of music, he went on to study the trumpet, bugle, and trombone. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music on scholarship, studying with Philip Donatelli and Fritz Reiner. After graduation in 1937, he played in the Indianapolis Symphony for two seasons, and from 1939 until 1944, he was tubist for the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner.

In 1944, Jacobs joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until his retirement in 1988. He appeared as soloist with the Orchestra on numerous occasions. His recordings with the CSO include Vaughan Williams's Tuba Concerto, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. A 1978 performance of the same work, conducted by Henry Mazer, was released in conjunction with Radiothon 12 on From the Archives, vol. 2. In addition, he was a founding member of the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet.

Internationally recognized as an educator, Arnold Jacobs taught tuba at Northwestern University for more than twenty years and gave master classes and lectured at clinics all over the world. He was especially known for his ability to motivate and inspire brass players and singers by teaching new breathing techniques. Many leading brass and woodwind players considered him the greatest tubist in the world. A biography, Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind, by his assistant Brian Frederiksen, was published in 1996 by WindSong Press Limited.

Jacobs's honors included the highest award from the second International Brass Congress (1984) and honorary doctor of music degrees from VanderCook College of Music and DePaul University. He was an active member of the Chicago Symphony Alumni Association and attended several reunions. Arnold Jacobs recently appeared with members of the Chicago Symphony at the fiftieth anniversary concert for Adolph (Bud) Herseth on June 7, 1998, performing works by Gabrieli with other guest musicians.