Lowell E. Shaw—A Love of Making Music on the Horn

by Jeffrey Snedeker, Central Washington University, Ellensburg WA

Lowell E. Shaw (2016)

The April edition of The Horn Call will feature an article on the life and work of Lowell “Spike” Shaw who passed away on December 8. The article was originally planned as a celebration of his 95th birthday (July 7, 2025), presenting a new updated biography, compiling and combining the work of others, with additional information from Shaw, his family members, friends, and former students. Now, with recent events, it will be expanded to include tributes from friends and colleagues.

It should be noted that Lowell Shaw’s life has been summarized a few times in the past, and the forthcoming article in The Horn Call builds on the following:

Heather Lankford, “Lowell Shaw (b.1930): His Musical Career and Contributions to Horn Ensemble Literature” (DMA dissertation, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2000).

Wallace Easter, “Ride of the Fripperies: An Interview with Lowell E. Shaw,” The Horn Call Vol. XXX, No. 2 (February 2000): 47-50.

“Lowell Shaw (1930-2025)," International Horn Society website.

Born in Joliet, Illinois, Shaw grew up in a musical family that was very supportive of making music and attending concerts by many area groups. Performances by the Chicago Symphony were especially inspirational, particularly during World War II when Helen Kotas was Principal Horn. Spike decided to become a professional musician at a relatively early age, after inspirational experiences at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, and an opportunity during his sophomore year in high school to play with the Oak Park-River Forest Symphony, a group in which his father played. The orchestra needed a horn player for an upcoming concert that included Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Spike played second horn to none other than future IHS President and Honorary Member James Winter who was then working on an advanced degree at Northwestern University. These experiences sparked Spike’s interest in making horn his career.

While in high school, Spike had lessons with Max Pottag who was teaching at Northwestern University, so when he decided to make a career of it, continuing his studies at NU was an easy decision. Pottag taught at Northwestern for 18 years, and his teaching stressed the development of musicianship, focusing on tone and facility, which connected well with the idea of playing in a horn ensemble. The horn ensemble experience was significant, involving small and large groups playing repertoire that consisted of Pottag’s arrangements of music from a variety of sources and some original works. Pottag also encouraged the students to make their own arrangements, and this led to what would be Spike’s first published transcription, “The King’s Prayer” from Wagner’s Lohengrin for horn quartet, eventually published by Belwin in 1960.

After finishing his bachelor’s degree at Northwestern in 1951, Spike enlisted in the Air Force, and joined the US Air Force Band at Sampson Air Force Base near Geneva, New York. Many of the band members were Eastman graduates, and everyone was encouraged to compose and arrange music for numerous parades, park concerts, school presentations, social events, and even a weekly radio broadcast. The band program also maintained a few jazz ensembles. Occasionally the dance band would be short a trombone, and Spike filled in, learning a range of jazzy styles. In all, his time at Sampson was extremely important to his future as a composer, arranger, and musician.

After four years in the Air Force, Spike returned to Northwestern University for a master’s degree. In 1956, Shaw heard about a second horn opening with the Buffalo Philharmonic. He auditioned for it and won the position. The orchestra was apparently a good fit for him—he remained Second Horn with the Philharmonic for thirty-eight years until 1994. Spike claimed he was never interested in playing principal horn, although the position was available several times during his career with the BPO. He just loved playing second horn, often quoted as saying he didn’t feel he had the chops or the temperament to be a first chair player. Fortunately, the second horn position also came with many chamber music opportunities.

While playing in the Philharmonic was a good job, in 1956 the symphony season lasted only 22 weeks, so Spike started gigging, teaching privately, and even sold insurance for a brief period to supplement his income. He was soon invited to teach part time at the University of Buffalo in 1957. Shaw’s UB studio usually numbered between six and ten. With an easy-going yet meticulous attitude, he emphasized fundamentals as a means of developing light and fluid technique to make playing the horn easier. And, considering his Northwestern University experience, it is not surprising that he combined this approach with heavy doses of ensemble playing, including frequent duets and trios with his students. Heather Lankford wrote:

Lowell Shaw in 1972

Shaw’s university horn choir was a great teaching and learning environment for the students, but it also soon became a community gathering place. Together with other area horn teachers and players, Spike initiated the Buffalo Horn Club, meeting regularly at UB on Saturday afternoons. The membership ranged from five to twenty-five members, from junior high school to professional players. The club was primarily a recreational organization that shared information, read ensemble literature, and gave occasional performances. The initial repertoire included some Los Angeles Horn Club arrangements, other traditional horn ensemble pieces and arrangements, and new works, all written, adapted, or arranged by Shaw. The rehearsals were generally informal, usually lasting two or three hours, providing a venue where the sole purpose was to enjoy the sound of horn and to communicate with each other. Younger students would meet first, and professionals would come later. Many former students remember the day they were invited to stay on and play with the older folks.

The idea of publishing Shaw’s music was suggested by one of the horn club members, Jack Nyquist, a chemical engineer with the DuPont Chemical Company. Jack was moving out of Buffalo and asked if he could take some of the music with him. In the 1960s, photocopying technology was expensive and the idea of writing out all parts by hand was not appealing, so Nyquist suggested publication. Four members of the horn club, Nyquist, Charles McDonald, a hornist in the BPO at that time, John Park, a music teacher in western New York, and Shaw, provided approximately one hundred dollars each to consult with an attorney for the purpose of printing the first three publications: Fripperies, vol. 1, Four Quartets, and Bach Trios, vol. 1. In an interview in 2000, Shaw said:

The rest is history. The works published by The Hornists’ Nest include over 130 works by 45 composers and 17 arrangers. In the “frippery” style, the total is 40 Fripperies, 19 Bipperies, 8 Tripperies, 4 Mini-Tripperies, 8 Quipperies, and 13 Just Desserts for solo horn “in Frippery style” with optional string bass parts. There are also a few wind quintets and other unpublished arrangements that include the jazzy styles. Since the first volume appeared, the Fripperies, as well as his many other arrangements and compositions for horn ensembles, have become a source of great joy for hornists worldwide. A definitive recording of the Fripperies Volume 1-8 was released in 2001, and a second recording, …ipperies ’n Stuff, was released in 2008.

Wallace Easter, Tim Schwartz, Lowell Shaw, Jeffrey Snedeker, Calvin Smith, 2001

There are also two additional recordings released that include music published by The Hornists’ Nest: The Hornists’ Nest (Mark Records MES-29088, 1972) and From Fripperies Back To Bach (Hornists’ Nest Records #2, ca. 1974). These last two were released on vinyl and can be found in libraries and occasionally on eBay. While the Fripperies and similar works have become a staple of horn repertoire, The Hornists’ Nest also features many of Shaw’s arrangements—the most frequent composer from whom he has drawn is J. S. Bach, but there are many others. Heather Lankford’s dissertation devotes an entire chapter to Shaw’s compositional style and includes plenty of examples. The Hornists’ Nest also includes original compositions and arrangements of many other composers.

As IHS members know well, The Hornists’ Nest has been a committed presence at numerous workshops and symposia all over the world. Spike attended the very first annual horn workshop at Florida State University in 1969 and was actively involved with the formation of the International Horn Society, begun in 1970 and finally completed in 1971. He was also a strong voice for the inclusion of horn ensembles in workshop programming, and conducted large groups and led late-night reading sessions that became very popular over the years. He gave many presentations and participated on panels on composing for horns, Frippery styles, and orchestral playing at numerous regional and international workshops.

Late night ensemble with Shaw conducting, Ithaca NY, 2016

In 1990, the International Horn Society recognized Spike’s contributions at a national level with a Punto Award. In 2010, he was awarded the society’s highest honor, Honorary Membership, in recognition of his impact at the international level.

From a broader perspective, it is easy to see a connection between Shaw’s values of playing music together and enjoying each other’s company, and the growth of the sense of community in the International Horn Society and among horn players in general. In that same 2000 interview, Spike said, “I feel fortunate that I discovered an unfilled niche and had the background and experience to take advantage of it.” Horn players all over the world feel fortunate, too, and mourn the loss of a dear friend and influential force in music for horn.

Learn more about Lowell Shaw and his impact on the horn world in the April issue of The Horn Call.