Mr. Tuba
280 pages
English

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280 pages
English

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Description

The autobiography of a titan of the tuba


Read an excerpt from the book about the origin of Octubafest Listen to a podcast about Harvey Phillips on WFIU Artworks


With warmth and humor, tuba virtuoso Harvey Phillips tells the story of his amazing life and career from his Missouri childhood through his days as a performer with the King Brothers and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses, his training at the Juilliard School, a stint with the US Army Field Band, and his freelance days with the New York City Opera and Ballet. A founder of the New York Brass Quintet, Phillips served as vice president of the New England Conservatory of Music and became Distinguished Professor of Music at Indiana University. The creator of an industry of TubaChristmases, Octubafests, and TubaSantas, he crusaded for recognition of the tuba as a serious musical instrument, commissioning more than 200 works. Enhanced by an extensive gallery of photographs, Mr. Tuba conveys Phillips's playful zest for life while documenting his important musical legacy.


Foreword by David N. Baker
Acknowledgments

1. Growing Up in Missouri
2. King Bros. Circus Band
3. Traveling with the Greatest Show on Earth
4. Juilliard, Studying with William J. Bell
5. Freelancing 101
6. Carol
7. Chamber Music, New York Brass Quintet
8. A New York Professional
9. On Tour with the New York Brass Quintet
10. Family, Friends, and Summer Activities
11. New England Conservatory of Music
12. The Search for TubaRanch
13. Institute for Advanced Musical Studies
14. Bassed in Bloomington
15. Carnegie Hall Recitals
16. Indiana University Retirement
17. Renaissance of the Tuba: A Summary
18. On Being a Teacher
19. Performance Tips
20. Coda

Friends and Colleagues
Appendix
Index

Sujets

Informations

Publié par
Date de parution 03 octobre 2012
Nombre de lectures 6
EAN13 9780253007315
Langue English
Poids de l'ouvrage 1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

M R . TUBA
M R . TUBA
HARVEY PHILLIPS
Foreword by DAVID N. BAKER
This book is a publication of
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931
2012 by Carol Phillips
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Publication of Mr. Tuba was aided by the generous support of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Phillips, Harvey, 1929-2010, author.
Mr. Tuba / Harvey Phillips ; foreword by David N. Baker.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-253-00724-7 (cloth : alkaline paper) - ISBN 978-0-253-00731-5 (e-book) 1. Phillips, Harvey, 1929-2010. 2. Tubists-United States-Biography. I. Title.
ML 419. P 49 A 3 2012
788.9 9092-dc23
[B]
2012021225

1 2 3 4 5 17 16 15 14 13 12
To Carol
This autobiography is affectionately shared with and dedicated to Carol, my beautiful, loving wife of fifty-five wonderful years. I owe every success to her inspiration, understanding, patience, and encouragement.
To family and colleagues,
past-present-future, for their love, concern, and support through all the years of my life. My cherished life in music was not the result of any planning or ambition; it evolved from a series of unpredictable events and incredibly generous teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends, and family. Their example, support, and guidance inspired every effort to represent the personal and professional integrity so important to developing and preserving our precious, and too often fragile, art of music. May God bless each of you.
HARVEY PHILLIPS
CONTENTS
Foreword by David N. Baker Acknowledgments
1 Growing Up in Missouri
2 King Bros. Circus Band
3 Traveling with the Greatest Show on Earth
4 Juilliard, Studying with William J. Bell
5 Freelancing 101
6 Carol
7 Chamber Music, New York Brass Quintet
8 A New York Professional
9 On Tour with the New York Brass Quintet
10 Family, Friends, and Summer Activities
11 New England Conservatory of Music
12 The Search for TubaRanch
13 Institute for Advanced Musical Studies
14 Bassed in Bloomington
15 Carnegie Hall Recitals
16 Indiana University Retirement
17 Renaissance of the Tuba: A Summary
18 On Being a Teacher
19 Performance Tips
20 Coda
Friends and Colleagues Appendix Index
FOREWORD
HARVEY PHILLIPS AND I got to be really good friends after our first meeting in 1959 on an LP recording of The Golden Striker: The Music of John Lewis . Harvey asked me to write a piece for him. In 1967 Gunther Schuller was appointed president of the New England Conservatory of Music and named Harvey his vice president for financial affairs. Harvey and I met in Chicago at a National Association of Jazz Educators reception. Harvey had commissioned me to write a piece for the tuba and asked, How is that piece coming along?
I hadn t started it, but I replied, It s coming along okay.
Harvey asked, What is it for?
Well, there was a poster of a string quartet on the wall, so I said, Tuba and string quartet. So, it became a piece for tuba and string quartet, and Harvey premiered it at Carnegie Hall in a recital series and recorded it for Golden Crest Records. I went with him to the recording session and remarked at his unbelievable stamina. They started recording at nine in the morning and went till seven or eight that evening. The string players were worn out-their fingers were ready to bleed-but Harvey got strong at every take. And when you listen to the recording, it s breathtaking. The piece has had a great life of its own. I think just about every tuba player attending Indiana University has studied or played it under Harvey s tutelage.
I wrote a Concerto to End All Concertos for Harvey to perform at IU. We only did it once because of the complex accompaniment, requiring a large jazz band, ballet dancers, a chorus and speech choir, fifteen prerecorded orchestral tuba excerpts, and 33 mm slides of Harvey and me in various artistic poses (imitating Roman and Greek statues and everything in between) projected onto a big screen. The fifteen tapes were scattered throughout the audience to fifteen privileged music students who had been given tape recorders and told to watch for specific cues from the conductor to play their recordings. The piece is a good illustration of the excesses of which both Harvey and I are guilty; it was a spectacular happening.
Without Harvey, I never would have written as much for the tuba. I had not recognized its potential as a solo instrument and collaborator until I heard him play. His sound was very distinct, clean, and clear, which I recognize immediately on any recording he has done. Harvey took away the fear that any composer might have of writing for the tuba. Because of Harvey, there are no limits.
David N. Baker, Director,
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra;
Distinguished Professor and Jazz Department Chair,
Indiana University
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I THANK Mary Campbell, Rob Teehan, and John Visel for their assistance in editing my manuscript, and Bobbie Ford, Emily Hutchinson, and Marcus Wiggins for their editorial review.
I wish to express my gratitude to:
John W. Ryan, for urging me to write this book. Dr. Ryan became president of Indiana University the same day I became professor of tuba at IU. We first met at the induction ceremonies and our paths crossed at several receptions appropriate to the occasion. It was always pleasant and reassuring to know that the administrative chief office of our university was in the hands, mind, and heart of such a leader. His interest in my activities was always genuine, flattering, and appreciated. It is rare that a person in such a position would take the time and interest to call the professor of tuba on the telephone and ask to take some lessons to learn more about the instrument. I doubt if there are many tuba professors who can list the president of their university as one of their promising students. It is amazing that one with such awesome responsibilities has equal interest in and concern for every member of his university family.
Dean Wilfred C. Bain, who hired me to join the IU faculty. My first year was his twenty-fifth and last year as dean. He demonstrated his magnanimous nature by allowing me to schedule, structure, and host the First International Tuba Symposium Workshop, the first formal event held in the new Musical Arts Center, a major achievement of his administration.
Dean Charles H. Webb, whose magnanimity was shown by his encouragement and support of his faculty and students. He consented to open the First International Tuba Symposium Workshop by performing with me Paul Hindemith s Sonata for Tuba and Piano . He often accompanied faculty artists in recital and other solo and chamber music performances. Throughout my tenure he performed with me in a series of solo tuba recitals at New York City s Carnegie Recital Hall.
M R . TUBA
CHAPTER ONE
Growing Up in Missouri
NEWS SPREAD QUICKLY in our small town of Marionville, Missouri. In mid-June 1947, when the preacher of my church heard that I would be running away with the circus, he drove to our house and asked to speak with my mother and me. As always, Mom greeted the preacher cordially and invited him into our parlor, a room kept prim and proper for the visits of preachers and insurance salesmen, every doily in place and everything clean and orderly. Reverend Gilbert was assigned the most comfortable chair while Mom sat on the front edge of another chair holding a handkerchief in her lap. I sat on the piano bench, in front of our old upright piano.
After friendly exchanges about the weather, vegetable gardens, and everyone s health, Reverend Gilbert took a big breath and extolled lavishly about what a fine young man I was, what a great job I was doing as junior superintendent of the church and as president of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. I enjoyed that part of his visit. But suddenly his manner changed; his voice became dark and ominous and he stated, From what I hear, this young man is going into a life of sin! He then continued to express, through combined lecture and sermon, his opinions and what he had heard about the decadent morals of show business people, circus people especially, and how, as an innocent seventeen-year-old youth, I could easily be corrupted by association and temptations.
I was mesmerized by his tirade, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Mom slowly stand and inch crab-like toward the door, so as not to turn her back on the preacher. Then, just as she reached the door and the preacher took another deep breath to continue, Mom suddenly turned, and with a voice and conviction I have heard neither before nor since, said, Reverend Gilbert, you don t seem to have much faith in Harvey, but I do, and I d like you to leave now! I was dumbfounded, as was the preacher, who said no more and left.
Wow, I thought, Mom just threw the preacher out of our house! I didn t know what to say, so I said nothing. I was admiringly respectful of Mom, for although she was obviously deeply hurt by the preacher s words and attitude, she handled the matter beautifully and firmly. I never spoke to her about it, but, throughout my life, I have often thought about my mother s faith in me, expressed that day, and it has give

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