If you’re part of an orchestra, here’s a line you probably don’t hear often:
“The melody with this one starts in the lowest tuba part.”
But those are the words Ben Herrick uttered during a one-hour rehearsal last Sunday, as the Heidelberg University director of bands led an ensemble of tubas, baritones and euphoniums through a rumbling rendition of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
This is only the second time Herrick has co-conducted Heidelberg's Tiffin TubaChristmas, but the concert is a longstanding tradition in the northern Ohio city, where tubists have been gathering to play Christmas carols for three decades.
A TubaChristmas history
The origins of TubaChristmas date back to 1974, when tuba player extraordinaire Harvey Phillips first gathered around 300 tuba-family instrumentalists to play Christmas carols at the ice rink at New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
Phillips organized the concert in honor of his tuba teacher, Bill Bell, who was born on Christmas day and had died a few years prior.
“So it's just a tribute to some of the great teachers in tuba education,” said Dan Corfman, the other co-conductor of Tiffin TubaChristmas.
The tradition has grown over the decades. Today, around 300 communities around the world host their own TubaChristmas concerts, including 19 in Ohio. They’re everywhere from Cincinnati and Cleveland to Defiance and Gallipolis.
Tiffin’s tubists
At First Lutheran Church in Tiffin, the 40-plus musicians are from all ages and experience levels.
“I've been playing baritone for about two months maybe,” said 13-year-old Caleb Norman.
Two rows back, 79-year-old Bill Overmyer has been making music for much longer.
“My father knew somebody that was in the Ohio State marching band that dotted the ‘i’. And the only way you can dot the ‘i’ is to be a tuba player. And that's how I got my start,” he said, referring to a tradition at Ohio State football games, when marching band members spell out the word ‘Ohio’ in cursive on the field.
A lone, wide-brimmed sousaphone gets to ‘dot the i.’ It’s a big honor — and Overmyer’s done it three times.
Julie Stumphauzer said she picked up a euphonium after studying music education in college.
“The lower you go in the brass department, the crazier you get,” she said. “The tubas are of course the craziest of all, but euphonium is second best.”
A chorus of tubas
The chorus of low brass admittedly sounds a little different than a traditional orchestra.
“It probably sounds like a herd of elephants,” Overmyer said.
“Warm and marshmallowy,” Stumphauzer said.
“Oftentimes my mother described the tuba as playing fart noises, quite frankly. It is easily described as the lowest sounding instrument you're going to hear. So anytime you hear a low, almost rumbling sound from time to time, that could be the tuba playing its parts,” said Dennis Williams.
For him, TubaChristmas is special because it’s the rare chance for the back-of-the-band instrument to take center stage with the melody.
“Being in a group full of tuba players, it's very endearing knowing that we all get our moment to shine for the first time ever since we played the instrument,” he said.
At Heidelberg's Tiffin TubaChristmas, the sound is so low, the church pews vibrate with each note, as the musicians wish everyone in the audience a Merry Christmas from the bottom of their horns.
Find a TubaChristmas near you here.
