Walgreen’s may put up garland and tinsel the day after Halloween, but that and all the other premature signs of Christmas are a flop. Christmas doesn’t reign in my heart until I hear a sanctuary filled with the sound of 130 tubas.It’s TUBACHRISTMAS, a time when people with big brass instruments converge to toot out deliriously delightful renditions of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and solemn and touching versions of “Silent Night.” The assembled spectators sing along. It’s like “Mitch Miller Meets John Philip Sousa.”
TUBACHRISTMAS for me is in Nashville, adding another layer to the city’s well-earned nickname of Music City U.S.A.
The first TUBACHRISTMAS was in New York in 1974, and Nashville’s began in 1986. It echoed through several acoustically challenged venues before settling at First Baptist Church, where the sound is fine, and the pews are comfortable.
After the first New York gig, a movement began, and you now can hear TUBACHRISTMAS performances across the nation. You’ll find a list at, you guessed it, http://www.tubachristmas.com/ <http://www.tubachristmas.com/> .
A spot check of states for 2009 shows four in West Virginia, nine in Indiana, 10 in California and 12 in New York. There are even enough tuba players in North Dakota for three TUBACHRISTMAS events. All of these performances are a tribute to a William Bell, born on Christmas Day 1902 and acknowledged as America’s premier tuba player and teacher of the 20th Century. He played for John Philip Sousa and Toscanini. The idea is to honor “all great artists/teachers whose legacy has given us high performance standards,” says the TUBACHRISTMAS Web site.
While anything but a church service, the Nashville TUBACHRISTMAS has an appropriate touch. The Baptists allow a collection after the performance to support a weekly meal for the homeless just down the street at Downtown Presbyterian Church, a venue where TUBACHRISTMAS once played.
If my own Christmas spirit wanes, I know I easily can tune it up again. There is another TUBACHRISTMAS this Saturday just up the road in Paducah, Ky. It may be my last chance to hear "Santa Wants a Tuba for Christmas" this season.
