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Tubachristmas is a music concert in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, teach
Music education

Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. More than merely teaching notes and rhythms, music education seeks to develop the whole person....
, and compose
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
 music for instruments in the tuba family. Instruments in the tuba family that often appear are the tuba
Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped Mouthpiece ....
, sousaphone
Sousaphone

The sousaphone is a wearable tuba descended from the h?licon, and designed in an ergonomically efficient way such that it fits around the body of the wearer, and so it can be easily played while being worn....
, baritone
Baritone horn

The baritone horn, or simply baritone, is a member of the brass family of instruments. Like others of the family, the tuba, euphonium, alto horn, flugelhorn and bugle the instrument has a conical bore....
, and euphonium
Euphonium

The euphonium Bore , tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek language word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ....
, though some participants bring rarer members of the family such as the hélicon
Helicon

Mount Helicon is a mountain in the region of Thespiae in Boeotia, Greece, with an elevation of 1,749 meters . It is located just off the Gulf of Corinth....
, contrabass bugle
Contrabass Bugle

The contrabass bugle, is the lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline. It is essentially the drum corps' counterpart to the marching band's sousaphone: the lowest-pitched member of the hornline, and a replacement for the concert tuba on the marching field....
, ophicleide
Ophicleide

The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed bugle s....
 and serpent
Serpent (instrument)

A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind instrument....
.

The first Tubachristmas was founded by Harvey G. Phillips and was held December 22, 1974 in New York City's Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue ....
 in recognition of the achievements of William J. Bell
William Bell (tuba player)

William Bell was the premier tuba player and teacher of tuba in America during the first half of the 20th century. From 1924 to 1937, William Bell served as Principal Tuba with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra....
 who was born on Christmas Day, 1902.






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Tubachristmas is a music concert in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, teach
Music education

Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. More than merely teaching notes and rhythms, music education seeks to develop the whole person....
, and compose
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
 music for instruments in the tuba family. Instruments in the tuba family that often appear are the tuba
Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped Mouthpiece ....
, sousaphone
Sousaphone

The sousaphone is a wearable tuba descended from the h?licon, and designed in an ergonomically efficient way such that it fits around the body of the wearer, and so it can be easily played while being worn....
, baritone
Baritone horn

The baritone horn, or simply baritone, is a member of the brass family of instruments. Like others of the family, the tuba, euphonium, alto horn, flugelhorn and bugle the instrument has a conical bore....
, and euphonium
Euphonium

The euphonium Bore , tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek language word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ....
, though some participants bring rarer members of the family such as the hélicon
Helicon

Mount Helicon is a mountain in the region of Thespiae in Boeotia, Greece, with an elevation of 1,749 meters . It is located just off the Gulf of Corinth....
, contrabass bugle
Contrabass Bugle

The contrabass bugle, is the lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline. It is essentially the drum corps' counterpart to the marching band's sousaphone: the lowest-pitched member of the hornline, and a replacement for the concert tuba on the marching field....
, ophicleide
Ophicleide

The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed bugle s....
 and serpent
Serpent (instrument)

A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind instrument....
.

The first Tubachristmas was founded by Harvey G. Phillips and was held December 22, 1974 in New York City's Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue ....
 in recognition of the achievements of William J. Bell
William Bell (tuba player)

William Bell was the premier tuba player and teacher of tuba in America during the first half of the 20th century. From 1924 to 1937, William Bell served as Principal Tuba with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra....
 who was born on Christmas Day, 1902. Over 300 musicians played that day and started an ongoing phenomenon that continues to this day. The arrangements of the Christmas carols were written by Alec Wilder
Alec Wilder

Alec Wilder was an United States composer.His family was prominent in Rochester; a downtown building bears the family's name. As a young boy, he travelled to New York City with his mother and stayed at the Algonquin Hotel....
, who ironically died on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ ....
, 1980.

It was not easy to convince Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue ....
 to let hundreds of tubas play on the ice rink. Phillips had to provide the unlisted telephone numbers of some of his friends: Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski

Leopold Stokowski was a famous orchestral conducting, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted....
, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
, Andre Kostelanetz
Andre Kostelanetz

Andr? Kostelanetz was a popular orchestral music conducting and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music....
, and Morton Gould
Morton Gould

Morton Gould was an United States pianist, composer, conductor, and arranger.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and music composition....
. After checking his references he was given free rein.

Tubachristmases vary in size from a minimum of four instruments (two euphoniums and two tubas), to several hundred at the biggest events. Any musician can play in a Tubachristmas as long as he or she plays an instrument in the tuba family. Musicians who attend usually range in age from 8 years old to over 80. There is a $5 participation and the booklet of music costs $15 for a small version or $20 for a large version. The booklet comes in bass and treble clef. Attending the concert is free.

The Tubachristmas arrangement of "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells

"Jingle Bells" is one of the best known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Pierpont and copyrighted under the title 'One Horse Open Sleigh' on September 16 1857....
" incorporates the trio section of the "National Emblem" march before returning to the holiday melody.

External links

  • official website
  • Includes archived performances from 1999–2007.