by Ken Bell
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Ken Bell
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My friend, George McCracken, left us all in early 2024. He left a tremendous legacy of horn design and creation, and a wealth of knowledge about repair, music, and acoustics.
He had several fine apprentices and protégés, one of which, Douglas Hall, has bought George’s business and will carry on the name McCracken Horns from his new shop in San Diego.
This will be a personal reminiscence of my moments with George.
I first met him on a trip to the King factory in Eastlake, Ohio. At the time, he was chief design engineer for brass instruments at King. George had worked with acoustician Arthur Benade to develop the famous “Eroica” bell. This was the late 70s and, on the advice of a fellow classmate from the Eastman School of Music, Brian Drake (retired, Los Angeles Philharmonic), I went to try George’s newly designed “Fidelio” model. He met me at the factory, gave me a tour and a selection of the new horns to try. The horn I settled on was perfect for my needs at the time, and I won my first 2 jobs on this instrument. George was friendly, gregarious and down-to-earth from our first meeting.
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George McCracken
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I met George again a few years later in his horn shop in Barhamsville, Virginia. My wife and I traveled to meet him to put a patch on an old Kruspe that I had acquired. The patch was practical yet elegant. He took plenty of time, showed us some new designs, chatted about his work on historical instruments and Williamsburg, and introduced me to A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor’s famous radio show.
About 15 years ago, I was reacquainted with George by our mutual friend, Doug Hall, who made twice-yearly trips from San Diego to help George in his new shop in West Point, Virginia. I had started doing instrument repair in Baltimore around this time, so I truly looked forward to my frequent trips to visit and learn. George was extremely knowledgeable, clever, and a quiet genius in my opinion. He loved the art of fine-tuning and improving an instrument. By his own admission, he preferred coming up with new solutions rather than assembly-line production. This explains why there are so many different McCracken horns. (Exceptions are the model 7 and the triple which were made multiple times). No matter how crazy some of them looked, everyone that I have played was superb. He built one of the finest “Geyer” wrap horns that I have ever played—but only one. There was little guess work; he knew what he was doing.
George attempted to help me in person or over the phone with any horn questions I had. I was able to incorporate many of his suggestions, even quick remarks, into my own business. Early on, George explained to me his bell cutting method. I have used his step-by-step advice for years, and never had a bad cut. If George couldn’t get done what he wanted to do, he would spend hours designing and making jigs and tools that would get the job done. A few years ago, I gave him an old King Kruspe model that had seen better days. Just for fun, he completely redesigned the horn with a new convertible leadpipe, cut bell, new trigger geometry, and redesigned third B-flat slide. He loved his work, and he helped me feel the same passion for mine.
Aside from horn making, there was much more to him. George was the choir director for many years at St. John’s Episcopal Church across the street from his home in West Point. He loved vocal music, and like his spouse, was an expert at it. I enjoyed playing at his church occasionally, along with several of his friends from the area. He was kind, thoughtful, and welcoming to visitors (like my wife and me), and devoted to his family members.
Two favorite memories: going to lunch at one of his favorite lunch spots. “Hot tea in a travel cup, please.” All of the waitresses knew and liked him. This is where he would tell stories of his youth in North Carolina…or the time when he was late for his ship in the Navy and ran to the ship, climbed the cargo net, and started playing with the band, the tardiness unnoticed by his superiors.
The last few years, as he slowed down a bit, George would enjoy talking with my wife and me in the shop about all sorts of things, but particularly music. George was a voracious listener of European classical radio broadcasts and streaming orchestral and opera broadcasts. He could share for hours what he discovered. One afternoon when he was too tired to work, we sat as he explained the fundamentals of acoustics for about 2 hours. I felt as if I had just taken an advanced college class, and most of it was over my head.
I will miss the visits and the answers to my horn questions, but mostly the friendly hello from George every time he answered the phone.
Ken Bell is a long-time professional hornist in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area and has himself been in instrument repair for about 15 years.
