Jane Little (; February 2, 1929 – May 15, 2016) was an American classical

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

player, known for her exceptionally long tenure with the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

Early life

Jane Findley was a native of

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Her mother was a

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individu ...

pianist, and one of her aunts ran a dancing school. As a young girl, Jane dreamed of becoming a

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

, but was told that her feet "weren't right". Instead, she taught herself to play the piano (on a neighbor's piano, as her family did not own one). Although small in stature, Findley took up the

, a instrument and the largest of the

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

s, while attending Girls High School in Atlanta. She joined the local

youth orchestra A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of Youth, young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of Music school, conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchest ...

after studying the instrument for two years. After high school, she attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Career

At age 16, Findley became a charter member of the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, making her debut on February 4, 1945. Two years later, after opening its ranks to adult musicians, the ensemble became the

(ASO). Findley went on to serve as the ASO's Assistant Principal Bass, performing with the orchestra for a total of more than 71 years. For many years Findley was the only woman in the orchestra. She married Warren Little, the ASO's principal flute player, in September 1953. Mrs. Little, who stood in height, said that she was glad to have her husband, who was tall, carry her double bass around for her, while she carried his flute. According to

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, Little holds the world record for longest tenure with a single orchestra. She set the record during a performance on February 1, 2016. The previous record holder was Frances Darger, who played violin for the

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

for 70 years, until her retirement in 2012. Little collapsed on stage while performing on May 15, 2016, as the orchestra played an arrangement of "

There's No Business Like Show Business "There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show b ...

"; she died later that day. She was undergoing treatment for

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

at the time. Her husband had preceded her in death in 2002, and she had no surviving immediate family members.

References

External links

"Dedication And Destiny Build a Symphony" by Ralph McGill publisher Atlanta Constitution – now Atlanta Journal Constitution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Jane 1929 births 2016 deaths American classical double-bassists Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths from multiple myeloma Musicians from Atlanta Musicians who died on stage University of Georgia alumni Women double-bassists 20th-century classical musicians 21st-century classical musicians 20th-century double-bassists 21st-century double-bassists 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women musicians World record holders