Victor Herbert

Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I. He was also prominent among the Tin Pan Alley composers and was later a founder of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). A prolific composer, Herbert produced two operas, a cantata, 43 operettas, incidental music to 10 plays, 31 compositions for orchestra, nine band compositions, nine cello compositions, five violin compositions with piano or orchestra, 22 piano compositions and numerous songs, choral compositions and orchestrations of works by other composers, among other music.

In the early 1880s, Herbert began a career as a cellist in Vienna and Stuttgart, during which he began to compose orchestral music. Herbert and his opera singer wife, Therese Förster, moved to the U.S. in 1886 when both were engaged by the Metropolitan Opera. In the U.S., Herbert continued his performing career, while also teaching at the National Conservatory of Music, conducting and composing. His most notable instrumental compositions were his Cello Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 30 (1894), which entered the standard repertoire, and his Auditorium Festival March (1901). He conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony from 1898 to 1904 and then founded the Victor Herbert Orchestra, which he conducted throughout the rest of his life.

Herbert began to compose operettas in 1894, producing several successes, including The Serenade (1897) and The Fortune Teller (1898). Some of the operettas that he wrote after the turn of the 20th century were even more successful: Babes in Toyland (1903), Mlle. Modiste (1905), The Red Mill (1906), Naughty Marietta (1910), Sweethearts (1913) and Eileen (1917). After World War I, with the change of popular musical tastes, Herbert began to compose musicals and contributed music to other composers' shows. While some of these were well-received, he never again achieved the level of success that he had enjoyed with his most popular operettas.

Birth and Death Data: Born February 1, 1859 (Dublin), Died May 24, 1924 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1896 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, conductor, arranger, cello, orchestrator

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

Recordings (Results 276-300 of 863 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-12618 10-in. 11/18/1912 A little girl at home Marguerite Dunlap ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-12619 10-in. 11/18/1912 Bagdad Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-12772 12-in. 1/7/1913 Gems from The lady of the slipper Victor Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-13177 10-in. 4/22/1913 The cricket on the hearth Christie MacDonald ; Reinald Werrenrath Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-13178 10-in. 4/22/1913 Sweethearts Christie MacDonald Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-13199 10-in. 4/25/1913 Jeannette and her wooden shoes Marguerite Dunlap Female vocal solo, with male vocal chorus and orchestra composer  
Victor B-13200 10-in. 4/25/1913 Sweethearts Christie MacDonald Female vocal solo and chorus, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-13201 12-in. 4/25/1913 Angelus Christie MacDonald ; Reinald Werrenrath Female-male vocal duet, with male vocal chorus and orchestra composer  
Victor B-13202 10-in. 4/25/1913 Mother Goose Christie MacDonald Female vocal solo, with female vocal trio and orchestra composer  
Victor B-13215 10-in. 4/30/1913 Every lover must meet his fate Reed Miller Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-13335 12-in. 5/19/1913 Angel's serenade Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13336 12-in. 5/20/1913 Sweethearts selection Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra composer, conductor  
Victor C-13337 12-in. 5/20/1913 Lady of the slipper selection Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor, composer  
Victor B-13338 10-in. 5/20/1913 Danse Arabe Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor B-13339 10-in. 5/20/1913 Danse Chinoise Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13340 12-in. 5/21/1913 Träume Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13341 12-in. 5/21/1913 Wedding day at Troldhaugen Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13342 12-in. 5/21/1913 Danse des Bacchantes Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13343 12-in. 5/21/1913 Faust prelude Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13345 12-in. 5/21/1913 Sous les tilleuls Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13346 12-in. 5/23/1913 Unfinished symphony: Allegro moderato Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13347 12-in. 5/23/1913 Unfinished symphony: Andante con moto Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Victor C-13348 12-in. 5/23/1913 Natoma selection Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra composer, conductor  
Victor C-13354 12-in. 5/27/1913 Gems from Sweethearts Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-13355 12-in. 5/24/1913 Largo Victor Herbert's Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
(Results 276-300 of 863 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Herbert, Victor," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102518.

Herbert, Victor. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102518.

"Herbert, Victor." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102518

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