What accounts for this continuing fascination? First and foremost, it is due to Mengelberg’s imaginative vision of the score, and the technical grasp with which he was able to realize it. It was, after all, to Mengelberg that Strauss dedicated the work and the conductor returned the compliment by programming it often, both in Amsterdam and in New York. By the time the present recording was made, Mengelberg had nearly three decades’ worth of Heldenlebens under his belt, and he knew exactly how he wanted each detail to sound. The other perennial attraction of this recording is the remarkable New York ensemble. Mengelberg had been music director of the Philharmonic since 1922, and made his recording debut with them that year. The 1928–29 season was the first after the orchestra’s amalgamation with Walter Damrosch’s New York Symphony (hence the name ‘Philharmonic-Symphony’, which the organization continued to use for the next three decades). The resulting ensemble combined the best players from both ensembles. ThePhilharmonic’s membership list from that time reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of great American orchestral instrumentalists [4].

Fred Geib (circa 1900)

These notes point out the superbly high level of conductor, ensemble, and individual instrumentalists. Mr. Geib was in good company!

Summary of Geib’s Yearly Schedule of During His Years With the NYPO
During Geib’s years with the NYPO, his yearly schedule is as follows. This information was gleaned from the Shanet and Erskine books on NYSO history (see bibliography), as well as information provided byGeib’s granddaughter—Teri Geib Nielsen. Mr. Geib worked an 8-month concert season with the orchestra. In addition to the regular season, during summer months the orchestra played stadium concerts. The symphony also went on tour several times during the year. The reasons for these “additional” activities were as follows:  (1) to develop a wider audience;  (2) provide additional work (income) for the musicians; and (3) keep the orchestra playing in order to avoid a “lull” due to an off season.

Mr. Geib’s tenure with the orchestra ended in 1928 soon after Arturo Toscanini became the conductor. Herb Wekselblatt, Geib’s last student at Juilliard, relayed the following information to me about the situation:

“Mr. Geib told me about how it came about that [he] left the New York Philharmonic. When Toscanini was in charge of the orchestra Geib noticed that sitting in the box with Mrs. Toscanini was a tuba player, Vincenzo Vanni. Vanni was a superb cook and he always, when available, cooked up a storm in the Toscanini home. He was very good friends with the Toscanini family. So, Geib told me that as he keptlooking up at the Toscanini Box during the rehearsals and performances, and saw Vanni, he knew his days at the Philharmonic would be coming to an end, and it did.”

When there was a change in the musical directorship of the Music Hall, Vanni’s name again came up, and he eventually took Geib’s position. Geib and I had a good laugh when he said with dramatic seriousness, waving his cane, ‘Well, I’ll tell you one thing, that’s the last job that Vanni will ever take away from me!’ He was quite old and he knew that his future as a tuba player was over. He led the laughter and when a colleague came into the lesson room, he repeated it and we laughed again. Vannilater played with the Dallas Symphony [5].

In any event, it seems that Mr. Geib had plenty of playing and teaching work, even without the New York Philharmonic Orchestra position.

Fred Geib (Willow Grove Pari, 1912)

Band Mr. Geib also performed in professional bands. He played under many of the great bandmasters of the era, including John Philip Sousa, Arthur Pryor, Edwin Franko Goldman, and Victor Herbert. Radio City Music Hall Orchestra Mr. Geib was perhaps best known as a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. The Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932 and employed the largest theater orchestra in the world. There were generally six shows per day. The pay was generally better than it was for “classical” orchestra work. According to Mr. Geib’s obituary, he played in the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra from its inception (in 1932) until three years before his death (This would mean he played in the orchestra until sometime in 1947) [6].   The conductors during those years were Charles Previn and Erno Rapee. Radio Concerts Sometime during the early 1930s, Teri Nielsen (Geib’s granddaughter) remembers sitting around the radio with her family as her grandfather played a tuba solo—The Happy Farmer over the radio, which was broadcast worldwide [7]. It is interesting to note that Bill Bell also performed this piece—accompanied by band and orchestra. Mr. Bell also published an arrangement of the solo with piano accompaniment through Carl Fischer Music, Inc.

Reminiscences of Teri Nielsen
Mr. Geib’s granddaughter, Teri Nielsen remembers hearing her grandfather in a number of performance settings:

“I do remember going quite frequently to NBC studios when Toscanini broadcasted quite regularly, and my grandfather always was there. I am sure he was on recordings with Toscanini.

I also went to the summer concerts in Central Park when Edwin Franko Goldman conducted in the band shell there. We always had preferred seating for those performances. I have Goldman’s signature in my autograph book [8]."

It is interesting to ponder the fact that this great tuba player performed under many of the greatest conductors and composer/conductors of the first half of the 20th century. Imagine playing Ein Heldenleben with Strauss conducting—or a Sousa march with Sousa himself conducting! Furthermore, it should be noted that Mr. Geib performed alongside many of the greatest musicians of the era.

Recordings
It is unfortunate that the recording industry was in its infancy during most of Mr. Geib’s playing career and that high quality recorded examples of his work are few. However, there are a number of recordings that includes Mr. Geib’s playing. Perhaps the most prominent are 78-rpm recordings of the NYPO performing Ein Heldenleben with Wilhelm Mengelberg conducting now available on compact disc. I am aware of one from 1922, as well as several of the same work from 1928 (See Appendix B for listing).

Even though one cannot always hear Mr. Geib’s playing clearly, the listener can formulate qualitative impressions based on a sense of the music—overall, as well as the high level musicianship of the ensemble. Orchestra recordings with the New York Philharmonic that include Geib would presumably include those conducted by Mengelberg, Stransky, and early Toscanini (pre-Vanni era). As of this writing, I know of no recordings that would provide examples of solo playing by Mr. Geib.

An interesting aside: between pages 386 and 387 of Shanet’s book about the history of the NYPO appear a number of illustrations. Illustration number 39 is a picture of members of the Philharmonic making recordings by the old acoustic process, about 1925, for Ginn and Company’s music appreciation course. The conductor is Henry Hadley. Interestingly, Mr. Geib appears in the picture playing a bell front tuba [9].

Geib Tuba Mouthpieces
Mr. Geib designed several tuba mouthpieces. The most interesting is a mouthpiece advertised as “five mouthpieces out of one.” It was manufactured by Gratz and included the mouthpiece plus a set of four volume modifiers that could be inserted inside the mouthpiece [10]. List price was $6.00. The complete set of modifiers was an additional $1.00. The following text appears on the brochure:

“Developed by Fred Geib, outstanding player with the Radio City Music Hall orchestra; also member of the faculty of the Institute of Musical Art, Juilliard School of Music.

Herb Wekselblatt relayed the following information to me regarding the Geib mouthpiece by Gratz:

“His ‘mouthpiece modifier’ included four-inch copper ‘straws’ that fit into the mouthpiece. They were of different thickness and size, and as he told me, it would enable any player to play very softly while still blowing into the mouthpiece with good volume. You’d blow as if the notes were forte, but the sound that would come out of the tuba would be piano, or softer. There would be a lot of backpressure. He gave me a set, but it’s been gone for at least a half century [11].

In general, the mouthpieces designed by Geib tended to be more rounded (bowl-shaped cups) and less funnel-shaped than the Helleberg type mouthpieces. A line of Geib mouthpieces was also manufactured and marketed by C.G. Conn. In more recent times, “Geib” mouthpieces have also been marketed by Schilke and Dillon. 

Mr. Geib’s Tubas
Mr. Geib played Conn and King CC tubas, as well as Sander tubas [12]. Two of the Conn Geib tubas are now owned by Mike Lynch of Boise, Idaho, including one that Lynch purchased from Warren Deck, former tubist with the NYPO. Mr. Wekselblatt relayed the following information to me regarding the Sander tubas:

“While I was studying with Mr. Geib (and I stress, I’m only talking about while I was studying with him) the only tubas that I was aware of (although he may have played the Conn and the King) that he used and sold were from his personal collection, and they were the Sander tuba. I bought my Sander BB-flat tuba (the only BB-flat tuba that he had) from him. He sold another Sander CC tuba (five-valve) to a fellow student in the Juilliard School of Music… and, if I’m not mistaken, he also sold a Sander CC (copper tuba) to Sam Green. He also had two or three additional CC tubas that were available for sale. Note:  The fourth valve of my BB-flat is equal to the 2nd and 3rd valve, which seems to be consistent with how the Sander was made [13].

Author Carl Fischer Music, Inc. published the Geib Method for Tuba in 1941. The book is similar in appearance, format, and substance to Bill Bell’s Foundation to Tuba and Sousaphone Playing (1931), also published by Carl Fischer. The book contains a small amount of biographical information about Mr. Geib. The following information appears on page 3 under the title “The Author:”

“Fred Geib has achieved much distinction as a tuba player with leading orchestras under such conductors as Damrosch, Herbert, Stokowski, Weingartner, Steinbach, Strauss, Colone, Sibelius, Walter, Reiner, Mengleberg, Stransky, Toscanini, Bodansky, Ormandy, Rodzinsky, Coates, Iturbi, Monteux, Furtwangler, Stock, and Gabrilovitch. Band conductors under whom he has played include Sousa, Pryor, and Goldman. He is now a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, New York, having previously been with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra for more than a quarter of a century. He is also a teacher at the Juilliard School of Music, New York [14].

The book has five main sections. The first section is 17 pages in length. It includes introductory information, a full-page portrait of Mr. Geib, as well as several photographs of Geib holding the tuba and sousaphone.

Part One (section two) is comprised of 24 lessons. The emphasis is on scales, pattern exercises, note values, etc., and also includes folk melodies. Also included are some original exercises.

Part Two (section three) includes 30 lessons involving major and minor scale materials, interval exercises, etc.

Part Three (section four) is comprised of 14 exercises that make practical application of previously covered basics. Each lesson seems to have a particular lesson or challenge.

The final section (section five) is a number of orchestral excerpts. The method concludes with a chart explaining the fourth and fifth valve. The book is currently out-of-print.

Pedagogue
Mr. Geib taught at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, in New York City beginning sometime in the 1930s and continuing until the time of his death in 1950. His students included among others Herbert Wekselblatt, Abe Torchinsky, and Sam Green [15].  

Regarding Mr. Geib’s teaching techniques, it seems that he mainly provided practical pedagogical information and advice to his students. In his own words teaching tuba is “just common sense applied to one’s instrument.”  Mr. Geib’s last applied tuba student at Juilliard was Herbert Wekselblatt, who provided the author with some insightful information about his study with Geib: 

“I started studying with him when I was 16 years old and was always in awe of him. He was a tall man although I saw him as an “old man.” I was aware of his ability to play things on the tuba that I had never heard from myself or any other player. So, I was a willing student and knew that I was in the presence of a person who would be a teacher.

I took lessons in the Radio City Music Hall and saw him interact with his colleagues. There was no doubt about it—he was highly respected.

When he had to have a leg removed because of diabetes, he told me that I would be taking 10 lessons with Mr. Bill Bell. When I protested (even though I was thrilled) he told me that I could, if permission was granted, take lessons at the hospital, but I would lose one week of lessons, and it would be better for me not to miss any lessons. That was his way of being humorous. Well, after the 10 lessons with Mr. Bell, I continued study at his home and then at the Music Hall [16].    

Wekselblatt noted that Mr. Geib’s main teaching technique was listening to what and how he (Wekselblatt) played. “Was the sound good?” “Did I move any part of my face as I played?” Wekselblatt noted that when Geib was satisfied, they would move on. Lesson materials included the Geib Method forTuba, some of his loose exercise books, and some of his solo pieces [17]. In an email message to the author, Mr. Wekselblatt summed up his study with Mr. Geib:

“I liked the man very much and owe whatever success I’ve had to his patience and interest in making me more than I was before studying with him. After all, he was a ‘teacher [18].'"

Composer
Fred Geib was the most prolific of composers of early original tuba solos—both in number and in terms of craftsmanship. Although I do not know for certain, I believe he was probably largely self-taught. Geib composed quite a few tuba solos, as well as a number of etudes—simply entitled “Exercise.”

Geib’s solos were forward looking in that they throw off the cumbersome and trite image typical of so many tuba solos of the era. His solos require melodic playing, as well as agility, flexibility, and technical facility.

Mr. Geib’s solos and etudes may be divided into three groups: solos that were published between 1939 and 1946, solos and etudes that appear in the book Tuba Studies and Solos, and previously-unpublished solos that have recently surfaced and obtained by this author and editor. These works seem to be from the same era as his previously published solos.

Mr. Geib’s Evolution as a Composer of Solos and Other Pieces for Tuba
I have been able to identify three periods—or phases—in Mr. Geib’s activities as a composer. They are as follows:

Period I (1934–1935)

Period I involves transcriptions of Fritz Kreisler, Frederick Chopin, and Felix Mendelssohn. Several of these unaccompanied melodies were obtained by the author from Mr. Geib’s granddaughter Teri Nielsen.

Period II (1936–1937)

Period II involves unaccompanied solos and numerous pieces (etudes) simply titled “Exercise.”  The majority of these works appear in a collection published by Tuba-Euphonium Press.

Period III (1939­–1946)

Period III includes Mr. Geib’s original tuba solos and method book. The tuba solos published during this era were published by three publishers: Carl Fischer Music, Inc., Mills Music, Inc., and George F. Breigel, Inc. There was also a group of additional solos that were never published. The Geib Method for Tubawas also published during this period.

Published Solos

Mr. Geib published 10 tuba solos between 1939 and 1946. All of these solos were published by Belwin Mills, Carl Fischer Music, or George F. Briegel, Inc. (All of Geib’s published works are listed in Appendix A). The following information appears as an advertisement on some of the Mills Music pieces:

“Brilliant, original melodic selections giving the Tuba student an excellent opportunity to demonstrate his instrument most effectively, fully within the instrument’s range and enabling him to phrase, slur anddevelop his finger technique [19]."

On the advertisement Mr. Geib is billed as “Renowned Tuba Artist with The Radio City Music Hall Symphony Orchestra.”

Previously Unpublished Solos
Teri Nielsen graciously made a number of previously unpublished tuba solos by Mr. Geib available to me. They are all in the composer’s handwritten manuscript notation. The titles of these solos are Spanish Caprice, Op. 5, Reverie, Op. 19, In Solemn Mood, Op. 21, Rustic Polka, Op. 22, Valse (no opus number), Exercise (no opus number), and No. 26 (not sure if “26” is intended to be an opus number or not). All of the pieces were without piano accompaniment except one. The Jolly Sailor, Op 12 had already been arranged by R. Forst. Forst was the arranger of several of Geib’s published solos.

Fortunately, Mr. Geib assigned opus numbers to most of his solos. He also dated a number of his pieces. I do not know why some of his solos are without opus numbers. The reader should note that the list of Mr. Geib’s solos that appears in Appendix A is incomplete. Individuals who may know of additional pieces are encouraged to contact me. Note: as I was putting the final touches on this article, I received the following email message from Herb Wekselblatt regarding an additional piece.

“I have some of Mr. Geib’s solos here in Florida and some, I believe, in New Jersey. I certainly will look when I get back to New Jersey. Meanwhile, I did find a manuscript of something of Mr. Geib’s, written for solo tuba with percussion accompaniment. I vaguely remember rehearsing it with some fellow students from a percussion class at the Juilliard [20].

It is my hope that additional Geib pieces will surface due to the publication of this article.

I have commissioned Dr. Steven Harlos to arrange piano accompaniment parts for five of the previouslyunpublished solos noted above (As stated earlier, The Jolly Sailor had already been arranged—and Exercise and No. 26 will remain unaccompanied). The solos are currently being edited by the author and will soon be published. I believe these pieces have considerable artistic merit and pedagogical value, as well as historical significance. Interested parties should contact me directly regarding price and availability.

I am presently working through the proper channels to obtain permission to re-issue Geib’s tuba solos that are currently out-of-print. This would bring them “into the fold” and make them available—along with the previously unpublished solos. In addition, I have compiled an annotated guide that includes information about all of Mr. Geib’s solos—those published between 1939 and 1946, as well as the “previously unpublished” solos (see bibliography). Finally, I am producing a compact disc recording of Mr. Geib’s tuba solos. Interested parties are invited to contact me regarding details.

Quality of the Geib Solos
Several professional tubists/colleagues of mine have asked about the quality of Mr. Geib’s solos. I have two related thoughts in response to this question.

First, music historians generally advise caution about making qualitative comparisons between pieces of music from different eras, genres, etc. Therefore, comparing these early original tuba solos with “newer” works—especially those recognized as masterworks of the tuba solo literature—is not an easy task. For example, the Concerto for Bass Tuba by Ralph Vaughan Williams offers something very different to the tuba player than Geib’s solos (as well as other original solos from this earlier era).

Second, it is important to understand that Geib’s tuba solos (as well as similar pieces by other composers) were written primarily as pedagogical pieces. That is—the primary purpose of the solos is to provide the tubist opportunities in developing certain playing skills and mastery of certain performance objectives. These objectives might primarily involve technical skill development—such as tongue-finger coordination, range expansion, etc., or melodic skill development—such as playing in a legato-tongued style, phrasing, general musicality, etc. To summarize, it is not easy (or entirely fair) to compare the Geib pieces (and other similar pieces) with works that are more recent. Taking these issues into consideration, it is my position that the Geib solos do have significant pedagogical value and artistic merit, even though they are “different” and certainly not considered to be masterworks of the solo tuba literature. In addition, I feel that these pieces have considerable historical significance. Since the purpose of these solos is different, so is the nature of their value to the tuba player.

Book of Solos and Etudes
Mr. Geib composed a number of etudes simply titled “Exercise.”  As stated earlier, a number of these pieces appear in the book Tuba Studies and Solos, published by Tuba-Euphonium Press [21]. Also included in the collection are several short tuba solo pieces without piano accompaniment. Many of these works (etudes and solos) are dated and include the inscription “Radio City Music Hall.”  All are in the composer’s own handwritten notation on manuscript.

Fred Geib—The Person
The following unidentified article was included in the Geib Family Archives and appears to be from about 1945. The letter gives a portrayal of Fred Geib, the person. I felt it would be of interest to the reader. The article is reprinted here in its entirety [22].  

Musical Musings

A few weeks ago after an illness of several months, a man on crutches strode into the musicians’ club room at the Radio City Music Hall and announced quite simply, “Here I am. I’m ready for work,” and the next week he was back at work.

The man is Fred Geib, who still, at the age of seventy-four, remains one of our finest tuba players. The other Sunday, Fritz Geib, as his friends know him, paid Floral Park a visit; and out at the pool near the fireplace in our back yard we drew from him a most interesting story. We talked for the greater part of the morning; and only for other engagements we probably would have talked most of the afternoon. There was something fascinating about this elderly man telling his life’s history, and best of all, not knowing he was doing it.

Asked how he became a tuba player, something a fiddler never can understand of anyone. Mr. Geib went back in the time in 1888 when as a boy his father introduced him to August Helleberg, who was probably the greatest tuba player who ever lived. Young Geib and his father had just come from Germany to make their home here, and Helleberg advised the youth to study string bass and tuba. And bass and tuba he did study with Helleberg until he became so proficient at tuba playing that when his teacher went to Chicago to play with Theodore Thomas, young Geib took his teacher’s place in the Philharmonic Orchestra of New York, where Mr. Geib remained until he was pensioned several years ago, a procedure which often made musicians wonder whether it was Geib’s age or the conductor’s desire to have a friend of his become the Philharmonic’s tuba player that caused the pensioning.

My first meeting with Mr. Geib was at the Fox Theater in Brooklyn where Charles Previn, the newly appointed musical director of the Radio City Music Hall assembled one of the finest theater orchestras ever in existence. There we became friends and the association has continued[unintelligible] while the Fox went the way of all flesh, and it remained until the other Sunday for me to learn Mr. Geib’s story.

Geib Celebrations

Perhaps the most famous thing about Fred Geib among musicians is not his tuba playing. They accept him as one of the best; but whenever his name is mentioned musicians speak of the famous Geib parties.

In his St. Albans home Mr. Geib and his charming wife, whose untimely passing a year ago was a loss to us all, greats, near greats, and all the rest of us were often entertained royalty. Wilhelm Mengleberg, Fritz Reiner, Dr. Frederick Stock, Edwin Franko Goldman, Van Hoogstraten, Henry Hadley, Fredric Frankin, Charles Previn, and Josef Stransky were some of the outstanding conductors who often came to St. Albans to not only enjoy a pleasant after concert gabfest, but also to inspect the Geib’s buffet and liquor cabinet, a thing of rare beauty indeed.

We asked Mr. Geib about orchestras in which he had played. “Very few,” was the surprising answer. “I played in the Philharmonic in the winter, and in more recent years with Goldman in the summer. I’ve played with almost all the great conductors when they were guests of the Philharmonic, but I have really played with few orchestras,” he said. “My stay at the Music Hall has also been a long one,” he continued, inferring that he always remained long in one place.

Hobbies

We asked him whether he still was as fond of being an amateur carpenter as he was fifteen years ago, and found out that it was still his favorite hobby, though pinochle ran a close second. “I have a much nicer hobby lately, though,” he smilingly admitted. “There are all my grandchildren, you know,” and his face beamed. We recalled that he had invented a tuba mouthpiece which actually makes five mouthpieces out of one, and fortunately he found one in his pocket which he demonstrated, though without the tuba. It was a most practical gadget.

 

Since the invention has been patented Mr. Geib has had a tuba method published by one of our leading music houses. He also has had a dozen or more solo pieces for tuba published, and a few dozen more are ready to go to press.

It would seem then that this man manages to keep quite busy.

The question of teaching arose. A lengthy discussion ensued about modern teaching methods. “Teaching is just common sense applied to one’s instrument,” said Mr. Geib, and then, “At the Juilliard School I have been most successful.”  We had forgotten that he taught at Juilliard.

Musings

Our guest took leave. We saw him to his car, and came back to sit on the porch. For a few minutes nothing was said and then our junior missmused aloud: “Daddy, he’s a remarkable man, isn’t he?  He plays, composes, and teaches at the JuilliardSchool. How old did he say he was?”  When she learned his age, she spoke for us all as she walked off, and exclaimed, “He’s a wonder.”  There was nothing else to be said.

Conclusions
It has been my honor to compile this article about this prominent early 20th-century tuba artist. Individuals with additional information about Mr. Geib not included in this article are encouraged to contact me.

Endnotes

1 Harvey Phillips, letter to Teri Geib Nielsen, 22 December 1980, Geib Family Archives.
2 Mr. Geib’s obituary indicates that he was seventeen when he immigrated to the United States.
3 See Kohlenberg and Thomas in Bibliography.
4Mengelberg Conducts Strauss, liner notes (Pearl, 1998).
5 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 11 December 2003.
6Fred Geib Obituary, English translation from German by Petra Almanza, Ennis, Tex., Geib Family Archives.
7Teri Geib Nielsen, letter to Harvey Phillips, 8 December 1984, Geib Family Archives.
8 Teri Geib Nielsen, email to Stephen Shoop, 29 September 2003.
9 Tubas with a forward-facing bell were needed in order to focus the sound to the microphones on these early recordings.
10 Gratz mouthpiece brochure, Geib Family Archives.
11 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 11 December 2003.
12“Sander” (singular) rather than “Sanders.”
13 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 27 April 2004.
14 Fred Geib, Geib Method for Tuba (New York: Carl Fischer, 1941), p. 3.
15 Although Harvey Phillips did not study with Mr. Geib (he came to Juilliard to study with William Bell), Mr. Geib was on Phillips’s audition panel.
16 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 11 December 2003.
17 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 30 November 2003.
18 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 11 December 2003.
19 Fred Geib, Caprice, Op. 4 (Mills Music, Inc., 1941), inside cover
20 Herb Wekselblatt, email to Stephen Shoop, 29 April 2004. As of this date, I do not have additional information about the quality of the piece, difficulty level, opus number, date, etc.
21 This collection was published by Encore Music Publishers from 1994–2003.
22The article is dated 30 August 1945 (handwritten). Another inscription of the publication’s name, Floral Park Gateway, also appears handwritten.
23 Information about Geib’s previously published solos was primarily obtained from The Tuba Source Book, Encyclopedia of Literature for the Tuba, and Tuba Music Guide (See Bibliography).

Bibliography

Books and Articles

Bell, William and R. Winston Morris. Encyclopedia of Literature for the Tuba. New York: Charles Colin, 1967.

Erskine, John. Symphony Society of New York: Its First Hundred Years. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1943.

Keathley, Sandy. Review of Melody, Op. 9 in “New Materials: Tuba, Junior and Senior High.” T.U.B.A. Journal 9:3 (Winter 1982), pp. 25–6.

Kohlenberg, Randy, and Robert Thomas. “Orchestral Showcase: The New York Philharmonic Orchestra.”  ITA Journal. Volume 11:2 (April 1983).

Morris, R. Winston and John Taylor (ed.). The Tuba Source Book. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1996.

Morris, R. Winston. The Tuba Music Guide. Evanston, Il.: The Instrumentalist Co., 1973.

Shanet, Howard. Philharmonic: A History of New York’s Orchestra. Garden City, N.Y.:Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1975.

Shoop, Stephen. The Tuba Solos of Fred Geib (1871–1950): An Annotated Guide. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004.

Geib Family Archives

Fred Geib Obituary. English translation from German by Petra Almanza. Geib Family Archives.

Gratz Mouthpiece Brochure. Geib Family Archives.

Musical Musings. Geib Family Archives, (circa 1945).

Nielsen, Teri Geib. Letter to Harvey Phillips. 8 December 1984. Geib Family Archives.

Phillips, Harvey. Letter to Teri Geib Nielsen. 22 December 1980. Geib Family Archives.

Phillips, Harvey. Letter to Teri Geib Nielsen. 14 October 1984. Geib Family Archives.

Upright Basses and Sousaphones brochure (C.G. Conn, 1934). Geib Family Archives.

Weigl, George. Letter. Geib Family Archives.

Correspondence

Nielsen, Teri Geib. Email to Stephen Shoop. 29 September 2003.

Wekselblatt, Herb. Email to Stephen Shoop. 30 November 2003.

Wekselblatt, Herb. Email to Stephen Shoop. 11 December 2003.

Wekselblatt, Herb. Email to Stephen Shoop.  27 April 2004.

Wekselblatt, Herb. Email to Stephen Shoop. 29 April 2004.

Appendix A:  The Publications of Fred Geib

Method Book and Studies

Geib Method for Tuba. New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print).

Tuba Studies and Solos. Annandale, Va.: Tuba-Euphonium Press, 1994.

Tuba Solos

Song Without Words.* New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1939 (out-of-print).

Caprice, Op. 4. Mills Music, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print).

Spanish Caprice, Op. 5. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Piano accompaniment by Steven Harlos.

Cavatina, Op. 6. R. Mills Music, Inc., 1940 (out of print). Arranged by R. Forst.

Nocturne, Op. 7. Mills Music, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print). Arranged by R. Forst.

Melody, Op. 9. New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1940. Arranged by Frank Morse.  Reviewed in the T.U.B.A. Journal 9:3, p. 25.

Serenade, Op. 10. Mills Music, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print). Arranged by R. Forst.

A Joyous Dialogue, Op. 11. (1941). Mills Music, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print). Also can be performed as a duet.

The Jolly Sailor, Op. 12. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Arranged by R. Forst.

Reverie, Op. 19. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Piano accompaniment by Steven Harlos.

In the Deep Forest, Op. 20. George F. Briegel, Inc., 1941 (out-of-print).

In Solemn Mood, Op. 21. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Piano accompaniment by Steven Harlos.

Rustic Polka, Op. 22. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Piano accompaniment by Stephen Harlos.

A Heroic Tale, Op. 25. New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1942 (out of print). Arranged by R. Forst.

Introduction and Polka Piquante, Op. 27. Mills Music, Inc., 1946 (out of print).

Valse.* Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Piano accompaniment by Steven Harlos.

Exercise. Ennis, Tex.: Stephen Shoop, 2004. Unaccompanied.

No. 26. Ennis, Tex.:Stephen Shoop, 2004. Unaccompanied.

Note:  Currently, the only previously-published solo still in print is Melody, Op. 9.

Appendix B: List of Available Recordings

L’Heritage de Willem Mengelberg. New York Philharmonic Orchestra. LYS (LYS 240), 1997. Selections include Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Movements 3 and 4).

Mengelberg Conducts Strauss. New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Pearl, 1998. Selections include Ein Heldenleben. Recorded 12–13 Novemeber 1928 in Carnegie Hall, New York.

Mengelberg: The Complete 1922–25 Recordings. New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Biddulph Recordings, 1994. Selections nclude an alternate recording of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben.

Note:  Individual orchestra members were generally not listed on recordings. Even though we might presume that the tuba playing on a given recording is that of Mr. Geib since he was the principal tuba player with the orchestra during that time, it is impossible to be absolutely certain. The most important NYPO recordings during Mr. Geib’s tenure were those with Stransky and Mengelberg as conductors. Itmight be worthwhile to investigate the existence of prominent recordings under the various guest conductors during the same time period.

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Stephen Shoop has taught instrumental music in the Texas public schools for 20 years. After graduating from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree (1978), he earned a Master of Music Education degree at Indiana University (1984), where he studied with the world-renowned tubist Harvey Phillips. He completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in music education at the University of NorthTexas (2000), where he studied tuba and arranging with Donald Little.

Dr. Shoop has over 30 published works for tuba and euphonium to his credit. Many of these works appear on contest/festival music lists throughout the United States. He has presented clinics at the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Baylor University, University of Texas at Arlington, Valdosta State University, and for the Texas Music Educators Association. Steve has contributed numerous articles to the ITEA Journal. In 2002 he authored a book of tuba etudes entitled Twenty Melodic Etudes for Tuba. Dr. Shoop is currently editing eight previously unpublished tuba solos by FredGeib, as well as a monograph entitled The Tuba Solos of Fred Geib (1871–1950): An Annotated Guide.

Dr. Shoop (tuba@hyperusa.com) may be contacted at 507 S.W. Main Street, Ennis, Tex. 75119 or by telephone at (972) 875-9754. tuba@hyperusa.com.

Note of Thanks

The author would like to acknowledge the following individuals and thank them for contributing information for this article: (1) Herbert Wekselblatt—Mr. Geib’s last tuba student at Juilliard; (2) Mike Lynch—Geib devotee and current owner of two of Mr. Geib’s tubas; (3) Harvey Phillips for his continuedvision, assistance, and support; and (4) Matt Good—current principal tubist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for drawing to my attention the existence of the Ein Heldenleben recordings.

Special Note of Thanks

The author would like to thank and acknowledge Teri Geib Nielsen, granddaughter of Mr. Geib, for assistance and encouragement in the preparation of this article, and also for entrusting in me the 8 previously unpublished Geib tuba solos.

Addendum

Another Fred Geib solo has been discovered! At the end of April 2004, I sent Mr. Wekselblatt a copy of the upcoming ITEA Journal article and this monograph for proofing. He compared the listing of Geib solos with his files and found a manuscript of The Children’s Carnival And The Elephant for tuba, timpani, and percussion by Fred Geib and Leon Ziporlin (Mr. Ziporlin was a tuba and string bass performer who played in Vincent Lopes and His Casa Loma Orchestra). Mr. Wekselblatt mentioned that he vaguely remembers rehearsing it with some fellow students from a percussion class at Juilliard. As of this writing, plans involving the publication of this piece are not finalized. Feel free to contact me regarding availability

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