Clement Barone; piccoloist for Detroit Symphony & Motown
Hyfler/Rosner
piccoloist played on Motown recordings
By George Hunter / The Detroit News
Clement Barone began playing the piccolo when he was 12
years old. He hated it.
Mr. Barone's father, who was the principal flutist in the
Philadelphia Orchestra, was his first teacher. But in the
beginning, he did not like playing the instrument.
"No flutist likes to play the piccolo," said Sharon Sparrow,
a flutist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and a friend
of Mr. Barone's. "The embouchure holes (where the lips are
placed) are so small - everything on a piccolo is small, and
it's a difficult instrument to master."
Mr. Barone of Grosse Pointe Park eventually warmed up to the
instrument, and had a long career as the piccoloist for the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra. And he played as a session
musician on several Motown recordings.
Mr. Barone died of cancer at home Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004.
He was 77.
He was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 7, 1921. He studied
music under his father, then spent two years studying at the
prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
After two years at Curtis, Mr. Barone was offered a job with
the Houston Symphony. He took the job, and played in Houston
for a few years.
Mr. Barone in 1958 bought a ticket to see the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra, which was on tour. After the
performance, he struck up a conversation with one of the DSO
musicians, who informed him that the DSO's piccolo player
had been diagnosed with leukemia and would need to be
replaced.
So Mr. Barone went to the Austin hotel where the DSO's music
director and manager were staying. He auditioned for them in
the hotel's dining room and got the job.
Mr. Barone performed with the DSO until he retired in 1991.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he would often leave the DSO
after a performance to record in Motown's Hitsville, U.S.A.
studio on Grand Boulevard.
"He would sometimes be out until 3 in the morning recording
with Motown," said his wife, Margaret. "A lot of the DSO
guys would do sessions with Motown. That's why those songs
sounded so good: they were using the best musicians on their
recordings."
Mr. Barone taught music for several years, too. He taught
for 16 years at the University of Michigan Music School and
for 37 years in Wayne State University's Music Department.
He gave private lessons as well. Several of his students
went on to play for symphonies, including Jeff Zook, who
became the DSO's piccoloist after Mr. Barone retired.
Another one of Mr. Barone's students was renowned jazz and
classical flutist Hubert Laws.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a son, Clement; and
two grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 1-9 p.m. today in the Charles
Verheyden Funeral Home, 16300 Mack, Grosse Pointe Park.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral
home with burial in Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton Township.