Image Source: Wikipedia

Harry B. Smith

Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composers Victor Herbert and Reginald De Koven. He also wrote the book or lyrics for several versions of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Smith was born in Buffalo, New York to Josiah Bailey Smith (born 1837) and Elizabeth Bach (born 1838). According to his autobiography First Nights and First Editions (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), Smith's actual name at birth was Henry Bach Smith. He married twice. His first wife was Lena Reed (born August 21, 1868), whom he married on October 12, 1887 in Chicago, Illinois. They had a son named Sydney Reed Smith (born July 15, 1892). Smith's second wife was the actress Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940). They married on November 23, 1906 in Boston, Massachusetts, after she had been divorced on June 12, 1906 by her first husband James Thomas Sothoron, Jr. (1867–1913). Bentley retired from the stage in 1910 and died at Allenhurst, New Jersey. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. While on a brief holiday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on New Year's Day in 1936, Smith died of a heart attack in his room at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel.

Smith worked on many of the famous musical theatre productions of his time. His younger brother Robert Bache Smith (June 4, 1875 – November 6, 1951) was also a successful lyricist.

Harry Smith's archive is largely held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 28, 1860 (Buffalo), Died January 1, 1936 (Atlantic City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, arranger, songwriter, author

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-100 of 278 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor C-10245 12-in. 5/1/1911 Gems from The fortune teller Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-10392 12-in. 6/5/1911 Gems from The wizard of the Nile Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-10401 10-in. 5/15/1911 Gypsy love song Reinald Werrenrath Male vocal solo, with violin, harp, and orchestra lyricist  
Victor BVE-10401 10-in. 11/24/1926 Gypsy love song Reinald Werrenrath Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-10600 12-in. 6/27/1911 Gems from The spring maid Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-10959 12-in. 9/14/1911 Gems from Rob Roy Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-10977 12-in. 9/18/1911 Hm! She is the one girl Raymond Dixon Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-11069 10-in. 10/10/1911 The melody of love Lucy Isabelle Marsh Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-11139 12-in. 10/26/1911 To the land of my own romance Lucy Isabelle Marsh Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-11139 10-in. 11/14/1911 To the land of my own romance Lucy Isabelle Marsh Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-11228 10-in. 11/10/1911 Wallflower sweet Harry Anthony ; Inez Barbour Female-male vocal duet lyricist  
Victor B-11229 10-in. 11/10/1911 Music caressing of violins Inez Barbour ; John Young Female-male vocal duet lyricist  
Victor C-12109 12-in. 6/12/1912 Gems from Robin Hood Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor CVE-12109 12-in. 8/24/1926 Gems from Robin Hood Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-12746 10-in. 12/24/1912 The armorer's song Wilfred Glenn Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13450 10-in. 6/18/1913 Song of the brown October ale Earl Cartwright Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra and chorus lyricist  
Victor C-13605 12-in. 7/17/1913 Who can tell me where she dwells Frank Pollock ; Henrietta Wakefield Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13741 10-in. 9/9/1913 If we were on our honeymoon Elsie Baker ; Frederick J. Wheeler Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13777 10-in. 9/15/1913 Come on over here Helen Clark ; Billy Murray Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-13857 12-in. 9/25/1913 Gems from The doll girl Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-14270 12-in. 1/6/1914 Gems from Oh I say Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-14475 10-in. 2/17/1914 You're here and I'm here Olive Kline ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-14567 12-in. 3/12/1914 Gems from The laughing husband Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-15183 12-in. 9/11/1914 Gems from The girl from Utah Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-15309 10-in. 10/28/1914 The sparkling Moselle Lyric Quartet Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist  
(Results 76-100 of 278 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Harry B.," accessed May 3, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.

Smith, Harry B.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 3, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.

"Smith, Harry B.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.