| On Sunday, February 1, we celebrate the 150th | | | | another American musician who excelled in as many |
| birthday of one of America's most amazing | | | | different aspects of the world known as "popular |
| composers. Bernstein? Copeland? Berlin? No, Victor | | | | music." |
| Herbert. Who on earth was Victor Herbert? | | | | Even more importantly, Victor Herbert is as much a |
| Premier cellist; classical composer of string and | | | | part of American Heritage as apple pie. For decades, if |
| orchestral music; conductor of 22nd Regiment Band | | | | you had a piano in your home, you had Mr. Herbert's |
| (Gilmore's Band); composer of 43 Broadway | | | | sheet music on it, and if you didn't, you did your best to |
| operettas; 3rd conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony | | | | rush to catch his fine band on parade or his orchestra |
| Orchestra for 6 years, including their first concerts at | | | | on tour. |
| NYC's Carnegie Hall; composer of the 1911 American | | | | There are Herbert melodies galore that you would |
| Opera (Natoma); one of seven founders of ASCAP; | | | | recognize instantly including "Ah, Sweet Mystery of |
| composer of the first original American film score (Fall | | | | Life," "March of the Toys," "I'm Falling In Love With |
| of A Nation, 1916); lead lobbyist and champion of the | | | | Someone," "Toyland," "Italian Street Song," "Gypsy |
| 1909 Copyright law; extraordinary orchestrator; | | | | Love Song," "Just A Kiss In The Dark," "Kiss Me |
| composer of popular song; composer of scared music | | | | Again," and "Indian Summer" - to name but a few. |
| for voice, chorus and orchestra; conductor of Victor | | | | A master of melody and orchestration (he did all his |
| Herbert Orchestra; first conductor to record for Edison | | | | own - an almost unheard of skill in recent decades) |
| and then The Victor Recording Company; composer | | | | Herbert contributed to, if not laid, the very foundation of |
| for every Ziegfeld Follies from 1917 to 1924; a | | | | American popular song. Cohen, Kern, Berlin, Rodgers - |
| household name in America from 1890s into 1950s; and | | | | all follow Herbert. After each of his Broadway |
| the first, and perhaps only, musician to win a libel suit | | | | operettas, audiences always left the theater humming. |
| against a NYC critic. | | | | In fact, that saying was probably first pronounced in |
| The far more pressing question is, "How could we | | | | reference to Herbert. |
| ever forget?" As late as 1955, Edward N.Waters, | | | | By the time his career was cut short by his |
| Herbert biographer, assured his readers that, " . . . | | | | unexpected passing in May of 1924, he had amassed |
| America could never, would never forget." So what | | | | 43 Broadway operettas; 3 operas; several film scores; |
| happened? | | | | massive orchestral and choral works, conducted both |
| Although born an Irishman and raised and educated in | | | | the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Victor Herbert |
| Germany and Austria, America took Victor Herbert to | | | | Orchestra, become the first major orchestral recording |
| their hearts and claimed him for their own within six | | | | artist, championed the rights of the composer and |
| months of his arrival on our shores to play cello in the | | | | established himself as a household name across the |
| Metropolitan Opera Company's orchestra. | | | | nation. |
| His young wife, Therese Förester, had been hired | | | | So what happened to this American wonder? Why |
| as one of the 1886-87 season's soprano leads and, | | | | don't we still perform these marvelous operettas if |
| quite simply, refused to sign her contract without a | | | | they were so good? The answer lies in America's |
| spot in the orchestra pit for her newly acquired | | | | penchant for weak librettos. Victor Herbert never |
| husband. He quickly became one of America's premier | | | | found his John Gilbert (British librettist of Gilbert & |
| cellists from 1887 through 1905 when he gave up | | | | Sullivan fame), but neither did the rest of America's |
| performing regularly. | | | | composers until Oscar Hammerstein, II teamed with |
| Herbert began composing long before he left Europe | | | | composer Jerome Kern and both burst onto the |
| and continued to create works for the cello, string | | | | scene with Show Boat in 1927. |
| quartets and orchestras soon after his arrival, | | | | Fortunately, there is a growing revival and appreciation |
| performing his own composition with the Symphony | | | | of Mr. Herbert's music all across the country as more |
| Society of New York, Walter Damrosch conducting, in | | | | and more ensembles re-discover the most joyful |
| 1887. | | | | musical giant America has ever produced. A quick |
| He began his conducting career in 1888 with his own | | | | internet search will connect one with all sorts of new |
| orchestra, composed and premiered a major Concerto | | | | materials, research and performances of this |
| for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 30 (the hearing of which | | | | thoroughly American artist. |
| greatly influenced Dvorák's own famous cello | | | | You can add to this revival if you have an orchestra in |
| concerto) in March of 1893, became conductor of | | | | your community. Simply ask them to program at least |
| Gilmore's Band in November of 1893, wrote his first | | | | one Herbert song this year in honor of this 150th year |
| operetta in November of 1894, and he'd only just | | | | milestone! Should you find yourself in the audience, you |
| begun. | | | | will find it difficult not to smile, hum, and tap your foot. |
| Everything Victor ever turned his hand to was a | | | | America in 2009 is truly in great need of joyful, |
| masterful success. One would be hard pressed to find | | | | beautiful music! Happy Birthday, Mr. Herbert! |