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Herman Finck

Herman Finck (4 November 1872 – 21 April 1939) was a British composer and conductor of Dutch extraction.

Born Hermann Van Der Vinck in London, he began his studies training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and established a career as the musical director at the Palace Theatre in London (from 1900 until 1920), with whose orchestra he made many virtuoso recordings. During these decades, he was also a principal conductor at the Queen's Theatre, at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and at Southport. Finck was a prolific composer throughout the 1910s and 1920s. He composed around thirty theatre shows of most types - operettas (such as Decameron Nights), ballets (like My Lady Dragon Fly), incidental music, revues (annual revues Round the Map and The Passing Show were especially popular), plus songs, "mood music" for the silent cinema and many light orchestral pieces - suites such as Vive La Danse and Marie Antoinette, marches such as Pageant March, Guards Parade March, Splendour and Victory and the individual genre movements Dancing Daffodils, Dignity and Impudence, Land of Roses, Penguin Parade and Queen of the Flowers.

Finck also conducted the first record album ever made (in 1909) of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

The Palace Theatre was famous not only for its orchestra, but also for the beautiful Palace Girls, who had many dances composed by Finck in their honour. In 1911 the Palace Girls performed a song and dance number, which was originally called "Tonight", but became hugely popular as a romantic instrumental piece "In The Shadows". This is the most enduring composition of Finck, largely because "In The Shadows" was one of the last numbers played on the Titanic and has thus made its way into several Titanic-collections.

Another popular song, during the World War I was "Gilbert the Filbert" (also called "The K-Nuts"). It was performed in The Passing Show of 1914 by the popular Basil Hallam, who became Captain B. H. Radford and was killed in 1916 when he fell to his death because his parachute failed to open.

Finck also conducted the first London stage production of Show Boat, in 1928. This was the first production of Show Boat to include Paul Robeson in its cast.

His illustrated autobiography, "My melodious memories" was published in 1937.

The Divine Art Recordings Group (UK and USA) released on its Diversions label, in February 2012, the first CD album dedicated to the music of Herman Finck, performed by the orchestra and principals of the Bel-Etage Theatre from Estonia, conducted by Mart Sander. In addition to Finck's most popular tunes "Gilbert the Filbert" and "In The Shadows" (vocal version), this CD also includes several popular dances, patriotic World War I songs and hits from the revues and musicals, as well as two full orchestral suites - My Lady Dragonfly and the magnificently symphonic Decameron Nights, which had not had a revival since 1923.

In 2012, Divine Music CD label released The Finck Album, the first modern recording of Finck's music, performed by the principals and orchestra of the Bel-Etage Theatre in Tallinn, Estonia, conducted by Mart Sander.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 22, 1875 (London), Died April 21, 1939

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1926

Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, composer, arranger

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 90 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-10992 10-in. 9/20/1911 In the shadows Victor Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor B-11112 10-in. 10/17/1911 In the shadows Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-11136 10-in. 10/25/1911 In the shadows Helen Clark ; Walter Van Brunt Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-11505 10-in. 1/24/1912 Pirouette Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-11663 10-in. 2/29/1912 Moonlight dance Arthur Pryor's Band Band composer  
Victor B-15379 10-in. 11/11/1914 The flag that never comes down Edward Hamilton [i.e., Reinald Werrenrath] Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-17095 12-in. 2/2/1916 Around the map Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-17134 10-in. 2/9/1916 Here comes Tootsi Alice Green Female vocal solo, with male vocal chorus and orchestra composer  
Victor B-17215 10-in. 2/25/1916 When the right girl comes along Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with vocal chorus and orchestra composer  
Victor C-18073 12-in. 7/7/1916 Melodious memories Conway's Band Band arranger  
Victor B-18853 10-in. 12/15/1916 Pirouette McKee's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-37196 10-in. 12/30/1926 Pirouette Victor Salon Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 19753 10-in. 2/7/1912 In the shadows M. Melville Ellis Piano solo composer  
Columbia 38483 10-in. 12/5/1912 In the shadows James Reed Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 80153 10-in. 1/20/1922 Pirouette Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 30807 12-in. ca. Jan.-Oct. 1911 In the shadows Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 48539 12-in. 1/6/1916 Here comes Tootsie Prince's Band Band composer  
Columbia 6379 12-in. approximately 1913 Miniature overture Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6380 12-in. approximately 1913 Marche Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6381 12-in. approximately 1913 Danse Russe; Danse Chinoise Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6382 12-in. approximately 1913 Danse Arabe Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6383 12-in. approximately 1913 Danse des Mirlitons Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6392 12-in. approximately 1914 Valse des fleurs Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6393 12-in. approximately 1914 Danse de la fee dragee Herman Finck ; Palace Theatre Orchestra Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6476 12-in. approximately 1915 God bless England Gertrude Lang ; Frank Norris Vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
(Results 1-25 of 90 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Finck, Herman," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109503.

Finck, Herman. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109503.

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

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109503

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