Don't get me wrong, I think one of the enjoyments of Tuba Christmas is seeing and hearing unusual horns. I got the impression from the organizers of our Tuba Christmas that there was a limit to the "unusual" definition. Alphorns never quite seemed to fit, but who knows..... (Hey, one guy brought a marching Euphonium.) I applaud your out of the box thinking to make Tuba Christmas more fun.
opus37 wrote:Don't get me wrong, I think one of the enjoyments of Tuba Christmas is seeing and hearing unusual horns. I got the impression from the organizers of our Tuba Christmas that there was a limit to the "unusual" definition. Alphorns never quite seemed to fit, but who knows..... (Hey, one guy brought a marching Euphonium.) I applaud your out of the box thinking to make Tuba Christmas more fun.
I agree with you guys that an Alphorn as most folks know it would definitely be out of place at TubaChristmas. However... a chromatic one such as the one I have DID add something to talk about and was a real crowd pleaser. It was introduced as an unrolled F tuba and we also explained the differences in the length of Eb, F, CC, & BBb tubas. We try to insert informative 'jabber' in between tunes.
Dan Schultz
"The Village Tinker" http://www.thevillagetinker.com" target="_blank
Current 'stable'... Rudolf Meinl 5/4, Marzan (by Willson) euph, King 2341, Alphorn, and other strange stuff.
Interesting thoughts. We are not a Tuba Christmas (c) group. That said, we encourage vintage horns, and all members of the tuba family, which, here in Eugene, would welcome a chromatic alp horn. I did have to turn down a request for an alto horn to come and play. We've never had a marching baritone or euphonium come to play. We've missed out on sousaphones lately, too. Never had a serpant of an ophicleide either. Or a cimbasso.
TubaTinker wrote:I REALLY don't think Harvey would have minded!
He wanted high quality performances...
Ah yes, few performances surpass the quality of several dozen weekend warriors struggling through four-part harmony in sub-freezing temperatures. TubaChristmas offers fun, novelty, camaraderie, and many other pleasant side effects. But anyone who goes to a TubaChristmas for a high quality performance needs to get out more.
Fun, novelty and camaraderie sound like reasonable goals for the context.
Along with the hibernal outdoor venue and the motley band ... when I looked at a video to see someone's lefted handed baritone, what they were playing sounded like some Christmas ditty spliced together with the trio to National Emblem, the repeated Ab below the staff part. While such things are of course always matters of taste, I wouldn't guess that whoever put that together thought he was getting anywhere close to the apex of serious Western music.
Curmudgeon wrote:He wanted high quality performances...
True, but I haven't been to a TubaChristmas® in years when ANYONE mentioned Bill Bell's birthday, so it's an event that has taken on a life of it's own... just keep an eye on those villagers with torches and pitchforks chasing us!
(And everyone please, if you haven't already, take the time to send bloke a link to why there are no TrumpetChristmasses... )
Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
I just recieved my PT-10P! I am very pleased. It just might be the best F I have ever played...
Michael Ebie PhD Music Theory (ABD) — University of Cincinnati CCM
MM Music Theory — Michigan State University
MM Tuba Performance — Michigan State University
BM Brass Performance — University of Akron
Curmudgeon wrote:He wanted high quality performances...
True, but I haven't been to a TubaChristmas® in years when ANYONE mentioned Bill Bell's birthday, so it's an event that has taken on a life of it's own...
Do you go to a lot of these? It's always been mentioned at the Chicago one - by Harvey himself until he passed away and at the Naperville one as well. I know these TubaXmas vary wildly in quality, but it seems to me Harv spent his entire life trying to expose the public to the idea that the tuba was an instrument that could do more than just go oompah, but he also wasn't afraid to also have the instrument be seen in a less serious way. I don't think however he would have liked the idea of the instrument being presented as a novelty or joke. When I think of Harvey & TubaXmas I think Cyndi Lauper sums it up well - Tuba players just wanna have fun!
Last edited by tofu on Fri Dec 19, 2014 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
sousaphone68 wrote:While listening to a Radiolab pod cast I heard a great quote that was attributed to Frank Zappa
"Jazz ain't dead it just smells funny"
We'll have to confirm that it was actually him..... someone call "Dinah-Moe Humm", she'd know.
Principal tuba, Bel Air Community Band
Old (early 1900s?) Alexander BBb proto-163
1976 Sonora (B&S 101) 4-rotor BBb
1964 Conn 20J/21J BBb (one body, both bells)
~1904 York 3P BBb Helicon
Old Alex Comp.F, in shop
windshieldbug wrote:(And everyone please, if you haven't already, take the time to send bloke a link to why there are no TrumpetChristmasses... )
Principal tuba, Bel Air Community Band
Old (early 1900s?) Alexander BBb proto-163
1976 Sonora (B&S 101) 4-rotor BBb
1964 Conn 20J/21J BBb (one body, both bells)
~1904 York 3P BBb Helicon
Old Alex Comp.F, in shop