TubeNet

Finally did it. Went to our first Tuba Christmas.
Meant to go last year but neck surgery for me and Chemo for my wife kinda "adjusted" our plans.

Took Michael and his girlfriend. She plays tuba with Mike at school. She switched this year from clarinet, seems to enjoy it. According to her the best part was not getting splinters in her lips. But they had a lot of fun, as did my wife, daughter, and I.

Specifics:
Frederick Towne Mall - Federick Maryland
25 November 2006

60+ musicians.
Youngest Player: 11 year old euphonium player
Most tuba christmas appearances: 27 (missed the name)
Oldest tuba: 1894 (missed the make)
2nd oldest: 1914 King (US Army Quartermaster)
Furthest distance traveled: From Columbia South Carolina
# of double bell euphs: 2
# of Sousaphones: 2
Was the crowd happy? You betcha!!

Some pictures...

Frederick Md Tuba Christmas



My son



Twins playing double bell euphs



Youngest player



tubists can't read (this is the 1914 King)



Tubas, and Sousas, and Euphs...Oh my!



Big finish (with son on far right)

Congratulations -- glad you could go this year! May this be the first of many for you.

(nice pics, too -- thanks for posting them!)

Wow!

As a native Fred-neck, I'm thrilled to see a Tuba Christmas event in the old home town! Wish I could've been there!!

Best,
Dave

The ladies looking worried on the 2nd last photo probably have very fine musical ears.

And no, I have played at not even a single Tuba Christmas. They were carried out in Copenhagen for a period, but that was before I descended into the low conicals.

The old saying among British nose-up-classical-musicians was, that the British brass band movement was not a musical, but a social movement (very specifically within the lower middle class).

I remember being extremely disappointed by a recording from a Tuba Christmas. The founder overpowered the low conicals by singing through a microphone. What could be heard out of the brass funnels was neither clear, nor attractive.

I have discussed the 8’/16’ matter in a current thread. Taking the inner voices of a four part setting an octave down equals inviting disasters.

My main motto with my daughters and with my students was: Please do not invite disasters. They will happen anyway.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

imperialbari wrote:My main motto with my daughters and with my students was: Please do no not invite disasters. They will happen anyway.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

I'm stealing that motto!
As a jarhead and a Logistics Officer it is priceless!

One Tuba Christmas was more than enough for me...

_________________
An old Euph deserves another Tuba Christmas

windshieldbug wrote:_________________
An old Euph deserves another Tuba Christmas

Another might be my first as a player. Provided it takes place in 2007. My euphonium playing (learning) is waaaaaaay behind. But Mike helps when I do sit down to practice.

imperialbari wrote:The ladies looking worried on the 2nd last photo probably have very fine musical ears. . . . .

They must have heard me reaching for--but not quite nailing--a middle C in one of the tuba 1 parts.

You and your son have two more opprtunities Brassdad !! One on sunday the 26th in Newportnews and one on friday in Richmond . I know the NewportNews one would be real hike for you but Richmond is only 45 minutes away from you .
I hope to be at both this year . Hope the both of you can make it out to either one .

quinterbourne wrote:One Tuba Christmas was more than enough for me...

C'mon guy, it's a jam session. Tubas don't get to jam that often. It's all about fellowship, tubas and beer.
One can sound flawless on another occasion. This is about tuba lovers and everybody getting a chance to play together and jawbone about tubas. If you aren't having fun, either you're not drinking enough or have missed out on the spirit of the occasion. This is one time the beginners get the same respect as the pros and the players are having as much or more fun than the audience.

I am actually new to this whole "TubaChristmas" Scene and just heard about it this year, assuming there was none in Canada. Turns out there is, and registration is next week. Anyone wanna tell me what its all about? What do you do anyway..............how does the music accomodate people just learnign and advanced players.............it seems all very vague to me.

My wife has promised me that after we retire we can start on the left coast and TubaChristmas our way east... playing all the ones we can get to. I am really looking forward to it. I have only played 23 so far. (That's at one a year.)

XtremeEuph wrote:I am actually new to this whole "TubaChristmas" Scene and just heard about it this year, assuming there was none in Canada. Turns out there is, and registration is next week. Anyone wanna tell me what its all about? What do you do anyway..............how does the music accomodate people just learnign and advanced players.............it seems all very vague to me.

Not to be a wise guy on my own thread...but here is the link to Tuba Christmas.

http://www.tubachristmas.com/selectloc.php

TUBACHRISTMAS was conceived, by Harvey Phillips, in 1974 as a tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. The music is in 4 parts. 2 for euphonium and tow for tuba. As there was an 11 year old playing at the one in "FRED-NECK" this weekend I'd say it is user friendly. There were also a couple of "seasoned" players having a grand time.
Saw some great instruments. Mostly BBb and CC, but a few F tubas as well. Bell front and bell up. 3, 4, and 5 vlaves. Some pristine brass and a couple that looked like they were found in grandmas' attic (and tossed down the stairs). But the music was great.
There are about 30 or more songs in the book (they were available at the Frederick Tuba Christmas - but got my son's by ordering in advance). You can call the coordinator and see if there are any to be sold there. I did see a couple of people sharing music as copies aren't allowed.
Going has redoubled my desire to lear and play at one.
BBb - here I come!

I have no problems with Tuba Christmas, it's really good for some people. It just ain't my cup of tea...

For many orchestral tubists, its the only time of the year to see and talk with other actual tubists (unless you play Berlioz... )

Congratulations on your first TubaChristmas, sounds like a good experience. I am probably like many on this board who have been going for years. The most I ever attended was 5 in one year. When I lived in NJ I used to go to the NYC event every year, and for the first few years Harvey Phillips conducted. In the later years (I haven't been there for about 4) Harvey couldn't conduct, but he still showed up.

There's nothing quite like 5-600 tuba, euphonium, serpent, ophicleide, sousaphone, helicon players playing together, especially on the Rockefeller Center skating rink. If you ever have a chance it's worth doing at least once in your life.

The NYC Tubachristmas is an EVENT , not a musical performance. You should try it ONCE in your life. Although I've done it many times, once was enough for my wife. We now spend a much more musical afternoon at the Rockland County (NY) TC where ALL players rehearse the music and pay attention to the conductor during the performance. 20-30 properly-prepared players are still more than enough to make a magnificent noise!

Brassdad wrote:

imperialbari wrote:My main motto with my daughters and with my students was: Please do no not invite disasters. They will happen anyway.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

I'm stealing that motto!
As a jarhead and a Logistics Officer it is priceless!

Only one favourable thing can be said about aging: It is better than the alternative.

I have decided to hang on in international debates despite my bad eyesight, my dyslexia, and my aphasia. As long as my eyes were up to par, I could control the dyslexia, which I handled by converting spelling to a math problem, where I am reasonably strong. But the aphasia is hard to control, as it is worst about omitting the words concerning negatives: no and not. This happens also with their Danish equivalents.

This time I doubled the negatives. The quote above here is correct, but I went furious, when I detected my own error, and then I corrected the original posting. In the longer run I have a relaxed relation with my acquired shortcomings, but I sense the bad eyes as a threatening.

Are you a naval officer? I have worked with two naval logistic officers in matters of music and cultural management. Monday a retired operative commander will come here with his wife. She organised our latest gymnasium-reunion and works at the museum of my boyhood hometown. They will fetch the locally related artwork given to me by my father. He accepts, that I donate it while I am still in some control of the situation.

This thread is about Tuba Christmas in an Anglophile country. In a more modest, but very applicable, fashion I have made a versatile edition of Danish hymns and carols. 10 or 11 are relating to Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. It can be played by brass 4- or 5-tet, 4 euphs or by a normal tuba quartet. The modular scoring allows for formations up to full orchestra or full band. My idea about modular scoring is part of my pro teaching experiences, but the actual editions are inspired by my learning about the entity of the American church orchestra, which calls for a lot of flexibility in instrumentation options.

The music may be had for free via the upper link in my signature. Please read the informational texts.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

I never want to miss a post from Klaus. I have been at this a long time and I am older than dirt but Klaus' wonderful experience and kind and patient explanations for us is so inspiring.
Thank you, sir.