Tuba Christmas by auntietk
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Description
If you've never heard of a Tuba Christmas, you're missing out! I know it probably sounds like a weird thing, but honestly ... all those tubas playing together in harmony sound rich and lovely.
Tuba Christmas was started in the 1970s in New York City, and it's grown! The Tuba Christmas here in what's known as the RGV (the Rio Grande Valley) had more than 450 participants this year. A new record! Every instrument in the band is either a sousaphone, a tuba, or a euphonium. They perform every year, and the musicians come from every part of the region. The youngest this year was 11 years old, and the oldest was a man in his 70s. There are beginners, PhD music professors, and everything in between.
If you'd like to listen to a bit of a Tuba Christmas in Chicago, Click Here Unfortunately, I couldn't find any recordings on line of the RGV tuba group, so Chicago will have to do.
The recording isn't very good, and in person it's much better, but at least you can get enough of an idea to see what it's like.
The photograph is no great shakes, either. I took it with my phone while sitting in the audience, and it's a triumph of content over quality! (I stole that line from Andrea ... it's a perfect description!)
I left it big, if you want to zoom. Like I said ... the quality isn't there, but you can get a feel for what it's like to be in the room with all those tubas!
Comments (14)
wysiwig
Holy cow! I had no idea there were that many tubas in the entire world! That Chicago orchestra sounded like a baritone human chorus. I swear I could hear the words.
beachzz
Omigosh,,,,there was a tuba Christmas concert last weekend up here. I missed this one, but saw it a couple of years ago and loved it. Not nearly as big as this one, but fun and wonderful to hear!!
kgb224
Superb capture Tara. God bless.
ArtistKimberly
Exceptionally Fantastic...
Juliette.Gribnau
I can only imagine the sound ! must be fascinating and wonderful
durleybeachbum
How I should love to be at one of these! very exciting indeed, and a gorgeous sound.
Faemike55
my guess is that it takes a lot of brass to play in a tuba Christmas orchestra. Great capture
dochtersions
Goose bumps from the first tone of the Christmas carol, Tara! It is very impressive, what an awesome experience must be something to be with this i.r.l.. I find the picture very well, especially the thumbnail is brilliant, in terms of detail. btw My grandfather was composer / conductor, and also conducted a brass band, and I love this music. Thank you so much for sharing, dear friend.
Krittermom
I so love this! I was imagining the sound and wondering where I could find a recording. Thank you for including the link. A beautiful and mellow way to bring my day to a close.
RodS
Good Lord, that's a LOT of tubas! What a great shot of this assemblage, Tara! I can't even imagine what that many tubas sounds like, so I'll have to give it a listen!
This HAS to be seen full size!
junge1
Wow, interesting gathering!
bmac62
Thank goodness for an IPhone in a situation like this! Great result. The pure size of this band makes this a one-of-a-kind event. And they sounded great! I'll bet the number 450 doesn't get topped anytime soon.
I might have tried the same thing but I had a big bald head in front of me:)
jocko500
bet it was wonderful to hear this
anahata.c
I'm sorry I never got back to you on this, but I did see the link you sent, and a few others. (Tara, I was sick nearly the whole time since we last spoke; and some other things happened that threw me on my keester for several days. I'm just now beginning to come back...) But I heard the ensemble, and it's impressive indeed! I'm amazed at the clarity, given the low, low timbre of these big freakin' horns. And your pic isn't a throwaway, Tara, it's a big panoramic shot of a most unusual sight. It's well centered, and we really get the "sea" feeling of the shot. You'll see some of the bigger horns in back (you don't want one of those breathing down your neck...). It's a big sweeping shot, and I'm amazed at the clarity you got from a cellphone. And the seats in the background, all folded up, make quite a pastiche for the shot. Love the shot, I really do. And I loved the sound of the ensemble.
("Tuba" comes from the same root as "trumpet"; and the root can also mean the act of blasting oneself into others' attentions. ((Ie, to 'trump' oneself.)) Fits our president-elect, doesn't it? In the Requiem, the words say "Tuba, mirum..." which means the trumpets will sound with amazing sounds, in the tombs..." Lovely thought. ((End of days stuff.)) Anyway, there aren't too many Tuba concertos as you probably figured; but I've seen them in Dixieland. They carry the bottom brilliantly.)