Herbert Dillea
Otho Herbert Dilley, better known by his stage and pen name Herbert Dillea, (December 19, 1870, in Guernsey County, Ohio – April 1, 1909, in Senecaville, Ohio) was an American composer, songwriter, and conductor. He composed the music to three Broadway musicals: The Floor Walkers (1900), The Head Waiters (1902), and My Wife Won't Let Me (1906). As a songwriter, Dilley was best known as the composer to the popular standard "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (published in 1900; written for The Floor Walkers); a work which was recorded multiple times by singer Harry Macdonough and cornetist Jules Levy for records made for the Victor Talking Machine Company and Columbia Records from 1902 through 1905, and later was recorded by Wayne King in 1947. He was also the composer of the ragtime piece Rag time society which was recorded several times by the Metropolitan Orchestra for Victor in 1901 and 1902. Dilley served as music director for the Broadway productions of his stage works. He was also active as a theatre conductor in Chicago, and was notably working as the resident director of the Iroquois Theatre's orchestra at the time of the famous 1903 fire at that venue. He died from tuberculosis on April 1, 1909, in Senecaville, Ohio. |
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]872 | 7-in. | 6/13/1901 | Rag-time society | Metropolitan Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]872 | 10-in. | 11/22/1901 | Rag-time society | Metropolitan Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]907 | 7-in. | 7/11/1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]907 | 10-in. | 5/17/1902 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1052 | 7-in. | 10/24/1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Jules Levy | Cornet solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1052 | 10-in. | 10/24/1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Jules Levy | Cornet solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1545 | 7-in. | 8/8/1902 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Walter B. Rogers | Cornet solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1545 | 10-in. | 8/8/1902 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Walter B. Rogers | Cornet solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3413 | 10-in. | 5/29/1901 | Perhaps love's dream will last forever | Herbert L. Clarke | Cornet solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3414 | 10-in. | 5/29/1901 | Mah moonlight Lou | Herbert L. Clarke | Cornet solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3418 | 10-in. | 6/1/1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Walter B. Rogers | Cornet solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3473 | 10-in. | 6/13/1901 | Rag time society | Metropolitan Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3507 | 10-in. | 7/11/1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | A-764 | 7-in. | 12/1/1903 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-1102 | 10-in. | 3/10/1904 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Walter B. Rogers | Cornet solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-2245 | 10-in. | 2/14/1905 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-0777 | 10-in. | 8/7/1947 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Wayne King ; A. Kenneth Stevens ; Wayne King Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Columbia | 221 | 7-in. | approximately 1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Artists vary | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 221 | 10-in. | approximately 1901 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Artists vary | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 345 | 7-in. | approximately 1901 | Ma moonlight Lou | Artists vary | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 345 | 10-in. | between 1901 and September 1902 | Ma moonlight Lou | Artists vary | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 407 | 7-in. | between 1901 and September 1902 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 407 | 10-in. | between 1901 and September 1902 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Edison | 6495 | 10-in. | between 12/2/1918 and 12/11/1918 | Absence makes the heart grow fonder | Charles Hart | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Dillea, Herbert," accessed January 4, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112407.
Dillea, Herbert. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112407.
"Dillea, Herbert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 4 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Discogs: Herbert Dillea
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Dillea, Herbert - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2004049777
Wikidata: Herbert Dillea - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q77659015
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