By BARLI NUGENT

Juilius Baker

I had been nervous in auditions before: dry mouth, sweaty hands, and shaky fingers. But this time my knees were also shaking and my lips caught several times on the metal braces straightening my teeth. When I finally finished playing, I turned to the famous gentleman next to me with a heart full of despair. But there was a kind smile on his face as he told me to pack up. I was 14 years old and had just been accepted as a flute student of Julius Baker.

In the months and years that followed, I joined the countless flutists whose workday began with the High Tone Study, Taffanel-Gaubert exercises, scales, arpeggios, and selected excerpts, before proceeding to ètudes, sonatas and concerti. The lessons were rigorous and Mr. Baker expected a lot. We were privileged to be his students, to be part of the future of American flute playing.

Allan Kozinn wrote recently in the New York Times, "As a performer and a teacher, he was an institution among flutists." Born in 1915, Mr. Baker graduated from the Curtis Institute and was a member of the Bach Aria Group and the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, CBS, and Chicago symphonies before joining the New York Philharmonic in 1965. A faculty member at Curtis for 22 years and at Juilliard for almost 50 years, Mr. Baker influenced innumerable young musicians.

But he also possessed a whimsy and humbleness that stood in stark contrast to his fame. Unexpected things happened. Living in Brewster, N.Y. with his wife Ruth and their three children, Muffy, Jonathan, and Jenny, Mr. Baker raised sheep on his ample property. Students arriving at the house for lessons were often greeted by the sight of Mr. Baker working in the fields atop his tractor. Once he took several of us fishing. Another day he sent several of us to pick wild blackberries after our lessons; when we returned with full pails, his mother-in-law taught us how to make preserves. It wasn't unusual for lessons to be interrupted by a call from a famous conductor or well-known flutist; afterwards he seemed genuinely delighted by the attention.

He loved to tell the story of driving home one day from the city, and hearing a familiar piece of chamber music piece on the radio. "That's a terrific flutist. I wonder who it is," he thought. When the announcer came on the air, he discovered that the mysterious virtuoso was . . . himself!

To celebrate his 75th birthday, he played a recital of chamber music at a small church in Connecticut. An admirer came up after the concert saying, "Wow, Mr. Baker, you sounded really incredible!" With a twinkle in his eye, he responded, "Oh yeah? Well, you should have heard me when I was 70!"

Walking through Juilliard, Mr. Baker would often be surrounded by his class of predominantly female students. He would occasionally stop, look at each of us, and announce, beaming, "I love my work!" And indeed he did. These Juilliard halls will never be the same again without him.

Back to Julius Baker's obituary.

Barli Nugent, assistant dean and director of chamber music, received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from Juilliard as a flute student of Julius Baker.