International Tuba Day

International Tuba Day is a worldwide holiday dedicated to the tuba. It is a very large but very important wind instrument for the symphony orchestra. It is one of the latest additions to the standard orchestral set of instruments. The date of the holiday is floating – it is celebrated on the first Friday in May.

History

The history of International Tuba Day began in 1979 in Philadelphia. A man named Joel Day was instrumental in creating it. He played the tuba in the local school and later university orchestra and decided to establish a separate day, which would be dedicated to all players of this instrument and the tuba itself. After about 5 years the popularity of the holiday increased significantly and spread around the world.

The tuba is a large wind instrument. A special mouthpiece is used to produce the sound. The air released through the vibrating lips produces a unique low-pitched sound with good bassiness. It is for this feature of the instrument that it is in demand today in orchestral groups.

Interesting facts

• The tuba has been around for almost two centuries. It was invented by the military conductor W. Wiprecht, supported by the inventor I. Moritz in Germany. It was patented in 1835.
• The tuba has the highest power of all wind instruments, and the reproducible pitch frequencies are minimal.
• The tuba first appeared in the symphony orchestra in January 1843 at the premiere of The Flying Dutchman.

How to celebrate

Watch the opera The Flying Dutchman with the symphony orchestra. Learn the peculiarities of playing the tuba. Maybe you’d like to enroll in a training course.

Tell about the holiday on social networks. Ask users if they like the sound of the tuba. Have they ever had to handle the instrument?

When is International Tuba Day celebrated in 2024?

International Tuba Day is observed on the first Friday in May each year.

Observations