Home of Ludwig Hebestreit

German immigrant Ludwig Hebestreit was the head of musical instruction at all-white Classen High School in the 1920s and a founding member of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra. He gave Ralph Ellison private advanced lessons in trumpet in exchange for Ralph mowing his lawn, 1930-31. Ralph received much more instruction than trumpet as Hebestreit taught him to deconstruct musical scores and often invited him to tag a long to symphony performances where he was often the only person of color in attendance.

Already interested in music of all kinds and ambitious to produce it, Ralph Ellison took a bold step across Oklahoma City’s racial divide in 1928, introducing himself to Ludwig W. Hebestreit, a German born musician with a doctorate in music who had come to Oklahoma City to lead the music program at award-winning, white, Classen High School. He later founded another award-winning entity, the Oklahoma City Junior Symphony Orchestra. Hebestreit agreed to give Ralph music lessons, and Ralph rode the street car to McKinley Avenue on the west side of town to learn everything that the maestro had to offer. Never that attentive to the rigors of the schoolroom, as a Douglass High School student, Ellison began to apply his experience of jazz and blues to the classical techniques of his musical mentor. By 1929, Ellison had funneled his broad exposure to musical genres, instruments, and styles and decided on a career composing and conducting in “the statelier image of Breaux and Hebestreit.” While at Tuskegee, Ralph continued to be encouraged by letters from his German music teacher. Years later Ellison would explain his relationship to Hebestreit: “It was my special privilege to attend concerts at [Classen High School] as the personal guest of Dr. Ludwig Hebestreit, the director of the Little Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Hebersteit, who was the supervisor of public school music, also taught at Classen High and he gave me lessons on the trumpet in exchange for cutting his lawn.” The simplicity of the exchange was more monetary. In fact, Ralph paid Hebestreit $2 a week for trumpet lessons. “But the contact,” he concluded, “is worth ten times as much to me.”

Callahan, John F.. Conner, Marc C.. The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison. New York City, New York. Random House, 2019.

Rampersad, Arnold. Ralph Ellison A Biography. New York City, New York. Vintage, 2007.