The

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

has been played since the mid-19th century, in the midst of the

Romantic period Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

Western Classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. Along with classical music, the instrument appears in a variety of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

styles as well

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

circus music Circus music (also known as carnival music) is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus, and also music written that emulates its general style. Popular music would also often get arranged for the circus band, as well as waltzes, fox ...

. Most professional tubists are tied to ensembles such as symphony orchestras and bands—including

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

and

Jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

s—or academic institutions. A smaller minority spend their careers as solo or chamber musicians. Among the instrument's notable classical performers are William Bell, John Fletcher,

Arnold Jacobs Arnold Maurice Jacobs (June 11, 1915 – October 7, 1998) was an American tubist who spent most of his career with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He held that position from 1944 until his retirement in 1988. Jacobs was considered one of the f ...

and

Harvey Phillips Harvey Gene Phillips, Sr. (December 2, 1929 – October 20, 2010) was an American tuba player. He served as the Distinguished Professor of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington (from 1971 to 1994) and was dedicated advoc ...

. Noted Jazz players include

Don Butterfield Don Kiethly Butterfield (April 1, 1923 – November 27, 2006) was an American jazz and classical tuba player. Biography Butterfield began to play the tuba in high school. He wanted to play trumpet, but the band director assigned him to tuba inst ...

, Howard Johnson and

Michel Godard Michel Godard (born October 3, 1960, Héricourt, France) is a French avant-garde jazz and classical musician. He plays tuba and the predecessor of the tuba, a brass instrument known as the serpent. Career At 18, Godard was a member of the Phi ...

. Accomplished soloist and chamber musicians include

James Gourlay James Gourlay (born 1956) is a Scottish conductor and tubist. Biography Gourlay was born in Scotland and began to play in his local brass band at an early age. He took part in numerous solo competitions at that time and soon became Scottish C ...

Øystein Baadsvik Øystein Baadsvik (born 14 August 1966) is a Norwegian tuba soloist and chamber musician. Born in Trondheim, Norway, he began playing the tuba at the age of fifteen at his school in Trondheim, Norway, and won first prize at eighteen in a Norwe ...

Velvet Brown Velvet Brown is a distinguished American tubist and euphonium player, currently serving as the David P. Stoner Endowed Professor Tuba and Euphonium at Pennsylvania State University as well as the Associate Director of the School of Music for Equ ...

and

August Schieldrop August Schieldrop (born 1999) is a Norwegian classical tubist who performs as a soloist with the Oslo Philharmonic and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. He has received several of Norway's main music prizes. Career Schieldrop was born in Oslo. He a ...

. Tubists who played primarily for film scores are John Van Houten, Tommy Johnson and

Jim Self James Martin Self (born August 20, 1943) is an American tuba, tubist and composer from Los Angeles. Self has performed extensively in Los Angeles and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral tubist, and, most notably, as a stud ...

Tubists

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Lifetime Achievement
honorees from the ITEA {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuba Players, List Of Lists of musicians by instrument