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Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 9:54 am
by Billy M.
Silly question, but I'm the curious type:
How was famous tuba player Fred Geib's last name pronounced?
The German "Y" sound for ei like "Gyb"?
Or as I've heard multiple of our UK brethren with the long E sound of "Geeb"?
And for the record, we're not going to go into the whole soft/hard G sound... this isn't a .gif argument.
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 9:58 am
by arpthark
Rhymes with "eye" with a B.
Do not imbibe with your Geib, or take a bribe for your Geib. Does that jibe?
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 11:34 am
by edfirth
This is just a maybe interesting sideline. While I was in the West Point band I was lucky enough to take from Herb Wekselblatt who was with the New York Met at the time and he made references to Mr Geib who he referred to as Fritz Geib. The thing that stands out in my memory Geib never used alternate fingerings. Mr Wekselblatt refered to him as a "dumb dutchman" in that regard but otherwise spoke very highly of him. He let me play his Sander tuba one day and I couldn't believe how out of tune it was for me but when he played it there was no problem. Other than the Fritz observation he Never talked about alternate fingerings which leads me to believe that he just lipped everything to where it needed to be. And he always made a beautiful sound on that Sander. He also had an Olds 99? that he pulled out when the conductor requested "the F tuba" for particular tunes. I will always be grateful for his honest, no BS way of conducting himself and the terrific amount I learned from him. Best to all, Ed
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 12:40 pm
by bloke
cool...
I have ONE surviving 1st cousin of my Mom (she would have been 108, were she still alive...so not).
He's extremely thin/frail, YET still gets around and lives on his own in his house with his collectable cars, lawn, and all that jazz.
He was
NOT the youngest of those cousins. My guess is that he's in his mid/upper-90's.
POINT OF THIS: He is "Frederick"...a FEW (of the older family members) still call him "Fritz" (and yes, a legacy "German" community).
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2024 10:34 pm
by bort2.0
10-second German lesson... pronounce only the second vowel:
ie --> e
ei --> i
(And there are probably exceptions)
I was taught to remember it by the phrase:
Eisenhower's niece
Which is ridiculous, because "niece" isn't a German word.
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:15 am
by MiBrassFS
@bort2.0 for the win! Very good.
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 5:55 am
by the elephant
I pronounce it "Geib"…
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 6:26 am
by bloke
On this Fourth of October - in the Year of our Lord, Two Thousand Twenty-Four - I, the bloke of blokedom, pronounce the this Day - here and forever after - will be known as Geib Pronunciation Day.
bloke "Being that it's only 7:25 A.M., that's all the gibe that I can come up with for now."
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 6:51 am
by iiipopes
"Geib" being of German derivation, I agree with the vowel pronunciation points listed above. But how about the final consonant: isn't a final "b" in German pronounced more like a "p"?
Then again, the final authority is the man himself. Is there anybody out there who knows/remembers/anecdotes about how the man himself preferred to have his name pronounced? I say this because even though the guitar making family Rickenbacker prefer to have their name pronounced with the "a" as in "cat," there are those who insist on pronouncing the "a" as in "father," even to the point of insulting them for the pronounciation on the (now defunct) Rickenbacker guitars factory forum!
Keeping this in mind, many years ago I represented a young man in a court case where a special prosecutor was appointed. When I met the prosecutor, whose name was spelled "Fuchs," I didn't mince words. The first thing I said was, "Glad to meet you. How do you want me to pronounce your last name." He appreciated the opportunity to clarify, and said, " Please pronounce it 'Fox.'" After this we hit it off great, and had the case settled the next morning.
So, how did Fred prefer to be called?
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:23 am
by arpthark
Don't even get me started on that Karl Ziess guy!
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 9:19 am
by bloke
arpthark wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:23 am
Don't even get me started on that Karl Ziess guy!
...Wasn't he from France?
Did I hear that he formed his tuba bells without having to use mandrels?
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 9:31 am
by arpthark
Here's a pair(!) of vintage Karl Ziess for only $280!
https://abe-sara.com/products/vintage-karl-ziess-9926
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 9:40 am
by kingrob76
It's pronounced "Jybe", like "Jive" but replace the b with a v sound. People will know you are smart once they hear you say it correctly this way.
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 11:35 am
by MiBrassFS
Geib, ho!
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 11:55 am
by bort2.0
arpthark wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:23 am
Don't even get me started on that Karl Ziess guy!
I saw a video once, that compared Americans trying to pronounce something with an umlaut to Germans trying to say the word squirrel. It was pretty funny
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 12:05 pm
by bloke
It's already after 1:00, and I haven't had anything to eat, today.
Do any of y'all have any non-expired national-chain Cap'n D's coupons you could scan and email?
(completely free food only, pls...you know: the coupons you get when you send in complaints)
thnx.
Also,
Mr. Geib was born in Germany in the early 1870's, so why did he play a C tuba...Was he handicapped or something?
Finally,
Why don't we use shotgun bore sizes when referencing the bore sizes of tubas?
10 gauge - 186/188/M-W 25/etc.
12 gauge - Yamaha/Dynasty/Eastman sousaphones
20 gauge - large bore euphonium
28 gauge - marching baritone
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 12:18 pm
by iiipopes
bloke wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 12:05 pm
Mr. Geib was born in Germany in the early 1870's, so why did he play a C tuba...Was he handicapped or something?
Could it have something to do with his years with Philly & the New York Phil & Radio City Music Hall?
Re: Pronouncing Geib's name
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 12:23 pm
by bloke
yeah...Harv' was only "New York Phil" until 1971, though...
...Was he reallly one of those who helped fake those moon landings?
Speaking of which, USPS tracking tells me that my King tuning bit just departed the Jackson, MS sorting center towards the Memphis sorting center.