David Walter (foreground), with President Polisi, spoke at the faculty meeting in May 2002 on the occasion of his retirement. (Photo by Lisa Yelon)

David Walter, one of America's leading double bass teachers and a Juilliard faculty member from 1969 until his retirement in May 2002, died on July 1 in New York at age 90.

After violin studies begun as a child of 6 (culminating with a recital under Sol Hurok's management when he was 12), David Walter turned to the bass and studied at Juilliard with Fred Zimmerman. A year after his graduation in 1938, he joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (led by Fritz Reiner) as principal bass. Shortly afterward, he was invited to join the NBC Symphony and spent the next 15 years playing under Toscanini's baton. When the NBC Symphony was disbanded, he took a leading role in organizing the Symphony of the Air, serving as both its principal bass and board chairman. Walter's decade-long career as a jazz bassist continued through this period, including a two-year stint on NBC's Tonight Show. In 1956 he became a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, where he was to remain for more than 30 years. He also played at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico for every summer under Casals' tenure.

In addition to his position at Juilliard, Walter also taught at the Manhattan School of Music and received frequent honors, including the Artist-Teacher of the Year Award from the American String Teachers Association and the Distinguished Service Award from the International Society of Bassists.

Read a tribute to David Walter by Ron Wasserman, a former student.

Walter was dedicated to expanding the double bass literature. He performed with groups such as the Bennington Composers Conference and the Columbia Group for Contemporary Music, and presented many premieres at Composers Forum in New York. His recital programs featured double bass literature from three centuries, including many works written for the instrument in the late 18th century that had only recently come to light. A widely published author of many articles on double bass performance and education, Walter also edited works that included Sperger's Sonata No. 1 and Pichl's Concerto. His volume of solos titled The Melodious Bass is widely used by students and teachers. In 1997 he donated the David Walter Double Bass Archive of 2,500 scores and 200 books to Juilliard's Lila Acheson Wallace Library, along with very generous funding for the preservation and expansion of this collection.

Walter is survived by his wife Claudia, as well as a son, daughter, stepson, and several grandchildren.