Happy Birthday Surprise

An orchestra tradition

A few times a season, a couple minutes before we begin rehearsal, a whisper ripples excitedly through the orchestra. We’re playing happy birthday for ____!! Everyone knows what to do, and even if they weren’t privy to this game of telephone, it only takes half a second to figure out what’s going on.

The clock hits the hour and everyone quiets down for tuning. The oboe sounds the A, but immediately segues into the opening line of the Happy Birthday Song. No one has music, but it’s simple enough we can make it up on the spot; the simple melody flourishes in a bloom of harmony, filigree and jubilee as each instrument adds in their own extemporaneous line. You can always count on the trumpet to hit a blazing high note to finish us off.

Whoever is the lucky recipient of the birthday wishes is usually red with embarrassment, but as you can image, touched by this once in a lifetime (or at least once in a year) musical telegram. Sometimes I have to stop and realize how much I take this for granted; it’s a perk of the job that most people in the world wouldn’t dream of receiving.

There’s some great videos on YouTube of far more ambitious Happy Birthday performances. These orchestras must have special arrangements (and a lot more guts) because they find ways to mix happy birthday in with a symphony and do it in a live concert! Maybe our orchestra should consider doing this for their Principal Bassist…