Victor Herbert

A detailed Summary of Victor Herbert

Victor Herbert had always felt music in his blood. He knew he was to be a musician from an early age. Even his grandfather, Samuel Lover, was a musician of sorts. He wrote songs and for part of his life was a traveling performer. When Victor was three his father died. When his mother remarried shortly after, Victor's mother took a great interest in her son's musical future. She enrolled him where he studied the cello, which would later become his principle instrument. Victor studied the cello his whole life and when he was an adult, he became a cellist at the Stuttgart Opera in Stuttgart, Germany. While there, he met the leading soprano of the opera, Miss Theresa Foerster. They quickly fell in love and were married. Soon after, she was asked to move to America to become the leading soprano for The Metropolitan. Theresa wanted to go, but said she would only comply if her husband, Victor Herbert, be asked to become the first cellist at The Metropolitan also. He was readily accepted and they made their move to New York.

During their time there they had five children, but sadly, only two survived. The eldest was a girl named Ella Victoria who later became the executive over her father's business a

By October of 1899 Herbert had written three new comic operas. They were The Ameer, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Singing Girl. His next huge success started with the nursery tale by Glen MacDonough that included many characters from old Mother Goose rhymes. The children's operetta was called Babes in Toyland. The grand extravaganza-like show included characters such as Contrary Mary, The Widow Piper, Little Bo-Peep and The Master Toymaker, who designs the toys of the world.

In 1898 Herbert accepted a position as conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He conducted with this orchestra for six years. There is an excerpt from an article that was written a few years after Herbert left the orchestra. It reads, "Let no one imagine that the composer of Babes in Toyland, It Happened in Nordland and a score of other comic operas does not know the classics. He knows every line of them. He is a thoroughgoing musician, a man of deep musical learning who mastered all the symphonies before he himself developed into the master of comic opera..."(Purdy) Herbert was a wonderfully talented man who's presence commanded respect. During his years with the Symphony Orchestra he wrote The Fortune Teller. It premiered on September 26th, 1898 at Wallack's Theater.

In 1894 Herbert's first operetta was produced. It was entitled Prince Ananias and the book was written by librettist, Francis Neilson. They paired up together and signed a contract to create a new comic opera. They received $500 before hand and royalties of no less than 5%. The show was produced by the Bostonians, which was the most celebrated comic opera troupe of that time. They were the same group which produced Robin Hood, The Serenade and Don Quixote. Prince Ananias was produced at Broadway Theater in New York on November 20, 1894. The story is set in 16th century France. A band of players are ordered to appear before the king and to entertain him or else they would suffer the consequences. The band was lead by a character named La Fontaine. The band of players fail to entertain the king, but are saved by a traveling poet who amuses the king. The poet's name is Louis Biron, but the player

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1468
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music