Homer R. Mensch, one of the 20th century's greatest bass players and teachers of that instrument, died of natural causes at his Manhattan home on December 9, 2005. He was 91.

Mensch joined the faculty of both Juilliard's College and Pre-College Divisions in 1970, and was chairman of the double bass department since 2002. He also taught at the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Yale University, Rutgers University, the Dalcroze School, Queens College, and Catholic University.

Homer Mensch

"With great dignity and artistry, Homer embodied the very best attributes of the modern musician as an active soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player," said Joseph W. Polisi, president of The Juilliard School. "He also was one of the most important teachers of the double bass to generations of instrumentalists. His warm, engaging personality and presence will be missed by us all."

Homer Mensch was born on November 30, 1914, in Sussex, N.J. He studied bass privately with the French-Canadian bassist, Anselme Fortier, and to pay for his lessons, played in the Dick Messner Big Band at New York's Hotel McAlpin. He attended the Dalcroze and Manhattan Schools of Music, and had orchestral training with the National Orchestral Association under Leon Barzin.

During the 1937-38 season, Mensch was the assistant principal bassist of the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner, and the following season joined the New York Philharmonic under Sir John Barbirolli. He took a leave of absence from the orchestra in 1943 to serve in the Army in Ft. Worth, Tex., where he played in a concert band. Returning to New York, he left the Philharmonic to pursue a freelance career. During this time he played with the NBC Symphony under Toscanini, and was on the staff at CBS where he was a regular for numerous popular radio and television shows. In addition, he performed on the shows of Eileen Farrell, Ernie Kovacs, Jack Paar, and Ed Sullivan.

At the urging of Leonard Bernstein, Mensch rejoined the New York Philharmonic in 1966 and remained through the years of Pierre Boulez. After leaving the orchestra in 1975 he continued performing in the concert world as principal double bass with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony, New York Choral Society, Little Orchestra Society, and the New York Pops with the late Skitch Henderson, a colleague and friend of more than 60 years.

Mensch appeared on numerous recordings, with Isaac Stern, Nathan Milstein, the Bach Aria Group, Casals Festival Orchestra, and Columbia Symphony, and was first call on virtually every commercial recording made in New York City, from movie soundtracks, TV shows, and advertising jingles to pop recordings with performers such as Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, and Barbra Streisand.

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His dedication to further the art of bass playing was enormous. Often he taught up to 45 students each week, a broad spectrum made up of young beginners and conservatory students as well as professionals from both the classical and jazz fields. His former students continue to fill positions in the finest orchestras, teach at major conservatories and universities, and record and perform in the commercial and jazz fields internationally. He continued to teach until a week before his death.

A tall, handsome man with a quiet and modest demeanor, who was always impeccably dressed, Mr. Mensch represented the epitome of professionalism. His "Portrait" appeared in the December/January issue of The Juilliard Journal. In it, when asked what career he might be in if he weren't working as a musician, he answered: "Playing tennis. I was a very good tennis player back in high school, and I won some tournaments in New Jersey. But tennis players didn't make the money then that they do now, so I decided to do something safer and play the bass."

His wife, the late Constance Mensch, a violinist and teacher, died in 2000. There are no immediate survivors.