Posted by Steve Marcus on October 01, 2002 at 12:47:09:
In Reply to: Tuba playing in church posted by Chris on September 30, 2002 at 22:04:16:
Unitarian churches seem to allow a wide berth when it comes to choices of service music. The Unitarian congregations that I've visited value music highly, and they stay in their seats for the postlude!
Early in my tuba playing "career," I played all three movements of the Haddad Suite for a service in a Unitarian church. The first movement was the prelude, the second movement was the offertory, and the third movement was the postlude. Although the congregation was asked in the printed service program to refrain from applause, there was a warm response at the end of the postlude. Many congregants admitted that they had never heard a tuba solo before.
Last Sunday, the music director at the Unitarian church where I am tenor soloist (vocal) played "A Touch of Bass" by Valerie Capers as a piano solo for the postlude in the first service. Between services, I mentioned to him that I had my tuba in the car. We played together for the second service, and the congregation was delighted. I'm not sure how they'd react if they had tuba solos every week, so it's used with discretion. :-)