By Jesse Cataldo

When Professor David Lalama of the Music Department visits universities around the region and says he is from the University, the professors from the regional universities ask, “How’s Herb?”

“Herb is the face and soul of this department, even in retirement. He’s known for the music department as Speedy Claxton and Wayne Chrebet are with sports and Frank Coppola is with the drama department,” Lalama said.

From the young age of three, when he would pick out simple melodies on his parents’ piano, Herbert Deutsch knew what would be his calling in life.

“I always knew that I would be a musician,” Deutsch said from his second floor office in Emily Lowe Hall. “Either that or a race car driver.”

Deutsch went on to have a long and varied career as a teacher, composer, musician and most notably, co-inventor of what was probably the most important musical invention of the twentieth century: the synthesizer.

Deutsch’s career at the University began in 1952, when he entered as a freshman. In 1956, as a junior, Deutsch was first introduced to a very early version of electronic music by music professor Albert Tepper. This experience was a turning point for Deutsch, opening a whole new world, and completely changing the way he thought about music. Deutsch went on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the University in 1956, receiving his masters from Manhattan School of Music before returning to the University as a professor in 1963.

Lalama said that Detusch is a professor who is different than other teachers at the University.

“He’s probably the most sincere and compassionate teacher that they have had,” Lalama said.

Deutsch’s position led him to a New York State Student Music Awards, or NYSSMA event in 1963, where he met and conversed with Robert Moog, who was interested in creating an affordable instrument that would expand upon the idea of the Theremin. Deutsch and Moog met again in January of 1964 when Moog recorded a concert of experimental music performed by Deutsch in New York City.

Deutsch said that after the concert, he and Moog sat down in a little Italian restaurant in Greenwich Villiage, and talked about building an instrument.

In the summer of 1964, armed with a $200 research grant from the University’s music department, Deutsch headed to a camp in Trumansburg, NY for the summer, where he and Moog began work on what would be the first synthesizer. The two spent a couple of weeks discussing ideas and toying with circuitry, and the first prototype was developed soon after, in September 1964.

Deutsch remained a professor at the University during the early 70s, becoming chairman of the music department while working part-time training salesmen on how to operate the synthesizer for synthesizer manufacturer Roland. After receiving a job offer from Moog Music, the company, which distributed the original model Moog synthesizers, Deutsch took a leave of absence from teaching. Deutsch took a position as the director of marketing and sales, leaving three years later as the company fell into a sharp decline. Moog closed down his business in 1983.

Soon after his departure from the business world, Deutsch took on another important project, acting as a consultant for a series of music instruction videos featuring the Muppets that would be on television. Deutsch spent three years with the project, but in the end, the development cost was too high.

Despite the negative result, Deutsch still found the experience to be overwhelmingly positive. He described Muppets creator Jim Henson as being “one of the most amazing people in the world, he had a brilliant imagination, and had an incredibly free idea of what a business could be.”

Despite his leave of absence, Deutsch remained on staff at the University and was music chairman until he retired from teaching full-time in 2001.

“At his retirement party, it was packed. There was music, liveliness, and many generations of Long Island music. There were kids there to the alumnus who are 10 years younger than him,” Lalama said.

Since his retirement, Deutsch has remained at the University, teaching in a smaller capacity. Currently, he teaches a class in music history in the fall and a class in electronic music history in the spring.

The experience and personality that Deutsch possesses impacts the students he teaches.

“When he teaches, I don’t feel like he is talking to me, or even if its being regurgitated back to me. He talks more like telling a story of all the events he has emerged himself in throughout the years,” Matt Barry, a senior audio/radio major, said. “He is a very outgoing, laid back guy who knows a good laugh.”

Even after 40 years of teaching and a lifetime of invaluable experiences, Deutsch still maintains that “the one thing I have enjoyed more than any of the others is being a jazz trumpeter.” Nevertheless, he realizes the effect the Moog has had on the world, and feels that being a part of it from the beginning was an incredible experience.

“And to top it all off, he’s eclectic,” Lalama said. “He’s a jazz trumpet player who composes electronic music. There’s nothing he can’t talk about.”