February 1, 1859:
Victor August Herbert is born in Dublin, United Kingdom, the only child of Edward Herbert, a barrister, and Fanny Lover, the daughter of Samuel Lover, poet, painter, novelist, and composer. Fanny Herbert will have another child by a subsequent marriage.
October 25, 1881:
Cellist Victor Herbert (22) is given a solo opportunity with the Court Orchestra of Stuttgart when the scheduled pianist becomes ill. He plays the a minor concerto of Georg Eduard Goltermann. The audience is appreciative.
July 12, 1882:
Victor Herbert (23) meets Franz Liszt (70) at the Allgemeinen Deutschen Musik-Verein in Zürich. Later, Liszt and Camille Saint-Saëns (46) perform Liszt’s four-hand arrangement of his Mephisto Waltz. Herbert will remember, “You should have heard that playing. We were afraid every moment the piano would go to smash under Liszt’s gigantic hands that came down like very sledge hammers.” (Waters, 18)
October 23, 1883:
Victor Herbert (24) performs as soloist in his Suite for cello and orchestra op.3 in Stuttgart. The audience asks that one movement be repeated.
December 8, 1884:
Concerto for cello and orchestra no.1 op.8 by Victor Herbert (25) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
October 15, 1885:
The Neue Stuttgarter Musikschule opens its doors. Among its faculty is a cello teacher named Victor Herbert (26).
August 14, 1886:
Victor Herbert (27) marries the singer Therese Förster in Vienna. They have been hired by Frank Damrosch for the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. Damrosch recruited Förster but she asked that her fiancé Herbert be hired as a cellist so that they might marry.
October 13, 1886:
Victor Herbert (27) and his new wife Therese depart Bremen aboard the Saale making for New York.
November 8, 1886:
The Metropolitan Opera of New York begins its season with Die Königin von Saba by Karl Goldmark. The title role is taken by Therese Herbert-Förster while her husband, Victor Herbert (27) plays in the cello section.
January 8, 1887:
Victor Herbert (27) appears as soloist in his Suite for cello and orchestra op.3 with the Symphony Society of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, conducted by Walter Damrosch.
December 8, 1887:
The New York String Quartet opens its season in Steinway Hall. The cellist is Victor Herbert (28).
December 1, 1888:
Serenade for string orchestra op.12 by Victor Herbert (29) is performed for the first time, in Steinway Hall, New York conducted by the composer.
December 13, 1888:
The Metropolitan Trio Club gives its first concert in Steinway Hall, New York. The Piano Trio was organized by its cellist, Victor Herbert (29).
January 5, 1889:
The Double Concerto of Johannes Brahms (55) is given its American premiere in Chickering Hall, New York. The soloists are Max Bendix and Victor Herbert (29).
May 18, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) travels from Washington to Philadelphia where he makes his last appearance in the United States. He conducts his Piano Concerto no.1 with Adèle Aus der Ohe as soloist. One of the instrumental soloists is the cellist Victor Herbert (32). After the concert, Tchaikovsky departs for New York.
September 24, 1891:
Der Gefangene, a dramatic cantata for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Victor Herbert (32) to words of Baumbach, is performed for the first time, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
November 26, 1893:
A newly reconstituted Pat Gilmore Band gives its first performance under its new director, Victor Herbert (34) at the Broadway Theatre in New York.
December 16, 1893:
Symphony no.9 “from the New World” by Antonín Dvorák (52) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York. “The success of the symphony was tremendous; the papers write that no composer has ever had such success. I was in a box; the hall was filled with the best New York audience, the people clapped so much that I had to thank them from the box like a king!? alla Mascagni in Vienna (don’t laugh!...).” At the insistence of the composer, the cello section is led by Victor Herbert (34).
February 24, 1894:
The first performance of the American Symphony Orchestra takes place in Chickering Hall, New York. Made up of native-born musicians, it is a reaction to the domination of the New York musical scene by foreigners. Victor Herbert (35) is the soloist in the premiere of his Légende for cello, harp, and strings.
March 9, 1894:
Concerto for cello and orchestra no.2 op.30 by Victor Herbert (35) is performed for the first time, in New York, the composer as soloist. Critics are mixed.
May 27, 1894:
Eldorado, a march for band by Victor Herbert (35), is performed for the first time, in New York, directed by the composer.
November 20, 1894:
Prince Ananias, an operetta by Victor Herbert (35) to words of Neilson, is performed for the first time, at the Broadway Theatre, New York.
September 26, 1895:
The Wizard of the Nile, an operetta by Victor Herbert (36) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, at the Grand Opera House in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. See 4 November 1895.
November 4, 1895:
The Wizard of the Nile, an operetta by Victor Herbert (36) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Casino, conducted by the composer. It is his first great success. See 26 November 1895.
September 21, 1896:
The Gold Bug, a “musical blend” by Victor Herbert (37) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, at the Casino, New York. It will not last one week.
February 17, 1897:
The Serenade, an operetta by Victor Herbert (38) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, in Cleveland. See 16 March 1897.
March 4, 1897:
William McKinley replaces Grover Cleveland as President of the United States. The 55th Congress of the United States convenes in Washington. Despite many losses in the House of Representatives, Republicans retain control of both houses. Victor Herbert’s (38) band plays at the Pension Building in Washington for festivities surrounding the inauguration. They will play six performances in three days.
March 16, 1897:
The Serenade, an operetta by Victor Herbert (38) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 17 February 1897.
September 20, 1897:
The Idol’s Eye, an operetta by Victor Herbert (38) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, in Rand’s Opera House, Troy, New York. See 25 October 1897.
October 25, 1897:
The Idol’s Eye, an operetta by Victor Herbert (38) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Broadway Theatre. Critics are widely mixed.
February 10, 1898:
Victor Herbert (39) is named conductor of the Pittsburgh Orchestra. He will be informed tomorrow.
May 1, 1898:
While crossing cable car tracks at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, New York, Victor Herbert (39) is thrown from his bicycle and suffers a broken nose.
September 14, 1898:
The Fortune Teller, an operetta by Victor Herbert (39) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, in the Grand Opera House, Toronto. See 26 September 1898.
September 26, 1898:
The Fortune Teller, an operetta by Victor Herbert (39) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time in New York, at Wallack’s Theatre. It is wildly successful. See 14 September 1898.
November 3, 1898:
Victor Herbert (39) gives his first concert as conductor of the Pittsburgh Orchestra. He is welcomed warmly by the public and the press.
September 11, 1899:
Cyrano de Bergerac, an operetta by Victor Herbert (40) to words of Smith and Reed after Rostand, is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music, Montreal. See 18 September 1899.
September 18, 1899:
Cyrano de Bergerac, an operetta by Victor Herbert (40) to words of Smith and Reed after Rostand, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 11 September 1899.
October 2, 1899:
The Singing Girl, an operetta by Victor Herbert (40) to words of Smith and Strange, is performed for the first time, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Montreal. See 23 October 1899.
October 9, 1899:
The Ameer, an extravaganza by Victor Herbert (40) to words of La Shelle and Ranken, is performed for the first time, at the Lyceum Theatre, Scranton, Pennsylvania. See 4 December 1899.
October 23, 1899:
The Singing Girl, an operetta by Victor Herbert (40) to words of Smith and Strange, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Casino. See 2 October 1899.
December 4, 1899:
The Ameer, an extravaganza by Victor Herbert (40) to words of La Shelle and Ranken, is performed for the first time in New York, at Wallack’s Theatre.
February 12, 1900:
The Viceroy, an operetta by Victor Herbert (41) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, at the Columbia Theatre, San Francisco. See 9 April 1900.
April 9, 1900:
The Viceroy, an operetta by Victor Herbert (41) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre, directed by the composer.
January 18, 1901:
Hero and Leander, a symphonic poem by Victor Herbert (41), is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh, conducted by the composer.
February 2, 1901:
Episodes amoureuses op.31 for orchestra by Victor Herbert (42) is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh, conducted by the composer.
July 17, 1901:
The Musical Courier prints an article by its editor, Marc A. Blumenberg, attacking Victor Herbert (42), claiming he is laughably unqualified to be conductor of the Pittsburgh Orchestra, calling him a plagiarist, and speculating on a break between Herbert and the orchestra’s manager, George H. Wilson. Herbert will sue for libel. See 22 October 1902 and 28 October 1902.
December 6, 1901:
Woodland Fancies op.34, a suite for orchestra by Victor Herbert (42), is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh.
December 9, 1901:
Academic Festival March by Victor Herbert (42) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
October 14, 1902:
Victor Herbert (43) takes the oath to become a citizen of the United States, at the US District Court in Pittsburgh.
October 22, 1902:
The trial of Victor Herbert’s (43) libel suit against Marc Blumenberg and the Musical Courier opens in New York. See 28 October 1902.
October 28, 1902:
A jury in a New York court awards $15,000 in damages to Victor Herbert (43) in his libel suit against the Musical Courier and its editor, Marc A. Blumenberg. Herbert asked for $50,000. See 17 July 1901.
January 2, 1903:
Victor Herbert’s (43) symphonic suite Columbus op.35 is performed for the first time, in Pittsburgh, the composer conducting.
June 17, 1903:
Babes in Toyland, an extravaganza by Victor Herbert (44) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, in the Grand Opera House, Chicago. See 13 October 1903.
July 7, 1903:
The Appellate Court of the State of New York denies an appeal to the verdict of 28 October 1902 in Victor Herbert's (44) libel suit against the Musical Courier, although the damages are reduced to $5,158.40.
October 13, 1903:
Babes in Toyland, an extravaganza by Victor Herbert (44) to words of MacDonough, opens in New York, at the Majestic Theatre. Press and public are ecstatic. See 17 June 1903.
November 9, 1903:
Babette, a romantic comic opera by Victor Herbert (44) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, in the New National Theatre, Washington. Present are President Roosevelt, members of the Supreme Court and Congress. See 16 November 1903.
November 16, 1903:
Babette, a romantic comic opera by Victor Herbert (44) to words of Smith, opens in New York, at the Broadway Theatre. See 9 November 1903.
November 26, 1903:
Victor Herbert (44) writes to James I. Buchanan, chair of the Orchestra Committee of the Art Society of Pittsburgh, asking that his contract as conductor of the Pittsburgh Orchestra not be renewed when it runs out in March. He has demanded a doubling of his salary to $10,000 and is drawn to New York by his stage successes.
January 29, 1904:
Victor Herbert (44) makes the first of two guest conducting appearances with the New York Philharmonic Society.
April 3, 1904:
Christ is Risen, an anthem for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra by Victor Herbert (45), is performed for the first time, in St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo.
October 9, 1904:
The Victor Herbert (45) Orchestra gives its first performance in New York, at the Majestic Theatre.
November 21, 1904:
It Happened in Nordland, a musical extravaganza by Victor Herbert (45) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, in the New Lyceum Theatre, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. See 5 December 1904.
December 5, 1904:
It Happened in Nordland, a musical extravaganza by Victor Herbert (45) to words of MacDonough, opens in New York, in the new Lew Fields Theatre. See 21 November 1904.
August 30, 1905:
Miss Dolly Dollars, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (46) to words of Smith, is performed for the first time, in the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester, New York. See 4 September 1905.
September 4, 1905:
Miss Dolly Dollars, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (46) to words of Smith, opens in New York, in the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 30 August 1905.
September 14, 1905:
Wonderland, a musical extravaganza by Victor Herbert (46) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, in the Star Theatre, Buffalo. See 24 October 1905.
October 7, 1905:
Mlle Modiste, a comic opera by Victor Herbert (46) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, at the Taylor Opera House in Trenton, New Jersey. See 25 December 1905.
October 24, 1905:
The Eight Princesses, a revision of Wonderland, a musical extravaganza by Victor Herbert (46) to words of MacDonough, opens in New York, at the Majestic Theatre. See 14 September 1905.
December 25, 1905:
Mlle Modiste, a comic opera by Victor Herbert (46) to words of Blossom, opens in New York. See 7 October 1905.
June 6, 1906:
John Philip Sousa (51) and Victor Herbert (47) testify before a congressional committee at the Library of Congress in Washington about a bill giving composers sole control over any music they have published and copyrighted.
September 3, 1906:
The Red Mill, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (47) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, at the Star Theatre in Buffalo. See 24 September 1906.
September 24, 1906:
The Red Mill, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (47) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time in New York, in the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 3 September 1906.
February 11, 1907:
The Tattooed Man, an operetta by Victor Herbert (48) to words of HB Smith and Fowler, is performed for the first time, in Baltimore. See 18 February 1907.
February 18, 1907:
The Tattooed Man, an operetta by Victor Herbert (48) to words of HB Smith and Fowler, opens in New York, at the Criterion Theatre. See 11 February 1907. It will run less than eight weeks.
October 21, 1907:
The Supreme Court of the state of New York grants a restraining order to Victor Herbert (48) to halt a touring production of Dream City. After the successful first run of Dream City, producer Joe Weber cut Herbert’s music and had a new score written, claiming he had separate contracts with Herbert and lyricist Edgar Smith. Justice Seabury finds for Herbert and Weber will settle out of court.
February 24, 1908:
In the case of White-Smith Publishing Company v. Apollo Company, the Supreme Court of the United States holds that a piano roll manufacturer may record any music it wishes, regardless of the wishes of the copyright holder. Victor Herbert (49) filed a brief in support of White-Smith. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, in a separate, concurring opinion, writes, “A musical composition is a rational collocation of sounds apart from concepts, reduced to a tangible expression from which the collocation can be reproduced either with or without continuous human intervention.” (Waters, 342)
August 24, 1908:
Algeria, a musical play by Victor Herbert (49) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City. See 31 August 1908.
August 31, 1908:
Algeria, a musical play by Victor Herbert (49) to words of MacDonough, opens in New York, at the Broadway Theatre. See 24 August 1908.
September 28, 1908:
Billed as “the largest musical production ever attempted in this country”, Little Nemo, a musical play by Victor Herbert (49) to words of Smith after McKay, is performed for the first time, at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. See 20 October 1908.
October 5, 1908:
The Prima Donna, an operetta by Victor Herbert (49) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago. See 30 November 1908.
October 20, 1908:
Billed as “the largest musical production ever attempted in this country”, Little Nemo, a musical play by Victor Herbert (49) to words of Smith after McKay, opens in New York, at the New Amsterdam Theatre. See 28 September 1908.
November 30, 1908:
The Prima Donna, an operetta by Victor Herbert (49) to words of Blossom, opens in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 5 October 1908.
July 1, 1909:
The United States Copyright Law comes into effect. It grants “exclusive rights to composers and/or publishers to print, publish, copy, vend, arrange, record by means of a gramophone or any other mechanical device, and perform publicly for profit original musical compositions, and affording protection against infringement for a period of 28 years and a renewal period of the same length. The act was championed by John Philip Sousa (54) and Victor Herbert (50).
September 11, 1909:
The Rose of Algeria, a reworking of Algeria, a musical play by Victor Herbert (50) to words of MacDonough, is performed for the first time, at the Grand Opera House, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. See 24 August 1908 and 20 September 1909.
September 20, 1909:
The Rose of Algeria, a reworking of Algeria, a musical play by Victor Herbert (50) to words of MacDonough, opens in New York, in the Herald Square Theatre. See 11 September 1909.
November 6, 1909:
Old Dutch, a musical farce by Victor Herbert (50) to words of Smith and Hobart, is performed for the first time, at the Grand Opera House, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. See 22 November 1909.
November 22, 1909:
Old Dutch, a musical farce by Victor Herbert (50) to words of Smith and Hobart, opens in New York, at the Herald Square Theatre. See 6 November 1909.
October 24, 1910:
Naughty Marietta, an opera by Victor Herbert (51) to words of Young, is performed for the first time, at the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse, New York.
November 7, 1910:
Naughty Marietta, an opera by Victor Herbert (51) to words of Young, opens in New York, in the New York Theatre.
December 5, 1910:
When Sweet Sixteen, a song play by Victor Herbert (51) to words of Hobart, is performed for the first time, at the Court Square Theatre in Springfield, Massachusetts. See 14 September 1911.
February 25, 1911:
Natoma, an opera by Victor Herbert (52) to words of Redding, is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Opera House.
February 28, 1911:
Natoma, an opera by Victor Herbert (52) to words of Redding, opens in New York, at the Metropolitan Opera House.
March 27, 1911:
Mlle Rosita, an operetta by Victor Herbert (52) to words of Smith and Joseph Herbert, is performed for the first time, in the Shubert Theatre, Boston. See 16 October 1911.
September 14, 1911:
When Sweet Sixteen, a song play by Victor Herbert (52) to words of Hobart, opens in New York, at Daly’s Theatre. See 5 December 1910.
October 9, 1911:
The Enchantress, an operetta by Victor Herbert (52) to words of HB Smith and de Gresac, is performed for the first time, in the National Theatre, Washington. See 19 October 1911.
October 16, 1911:
After considerable revision and much travel, The Duchess (formerly Mlle Rosita), an operetta by Victor Herbert (52) to words of Smith and Joseph Herbert, opens in New York, at the Lyric Theatre. It will receive 24 performances. See 27 March 1911.
October 19, 1911:
The Enchantress, an operetta by Victor Herbert (52) to words of HB Smith and de Gresac, opens in New York. See 9 October 1911.
October 8, 1912:
The Lady of the Slipper, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (53) to words of O’Dea, Caldwell, and McCarty, is performed for the first time, at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. See 28 October 1912.
October 28, 1912:
The Lady of the Slipper, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (53) to words of O’Dea, Caldwell, and McCarty, opens in New York, at the Globe Theatre. It is wildly successful and its first run will last until May. See 8 October 1912.
March 24, 1913:
Sweethearts, an opera by Victor Herbert (54) to words of RB Smith, HB Smith, and De Gresac, is performed for the first time, at the Academy of Music in Baltimore, conducted by the composer. See 8 September 1913.
September 8, 1913:
Sweethearts, an opera by Victor Herbert (54) to words of RB Smith, HB Smith, and De Gresac, opens in New York, at the New Amsterdam Theatre. It will see 136 performances. See 24 March 1913.
October 13, 1913:
The Madcap Dutchess, an operetta by Victor Herbert (54) to words of Stevens after McCarthy, is performed for the first time, in the Lyceum Theatre, Rochester, New York. See 11 November 1913.
November 11, 1913:
The Madcap Dutchess, an operetta by Victor Herbert (54) to words of Stevens after McCarthy, opens in New York, at the Globe Theatre. See 13 October 1913.
January 24, 1914:
Madeleine, a lyric opera by Victor Herbert (54) to words of Stewart after Decourcelle and Thibaut, is performed for the first time, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
February 6, 1914:
At the suggestion of Victor Herbert (55), nine men, composers, authors, and publishers, meet at the Lambs Club in New York to discuss the loose copyright laws in the United States. After two hours, they move to Lüchow’s Restaurant for dinner and more conversation. See 13 February 1914.
February 13, 1914:
At a meeting in the Hotel Claridge in New York, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers is formally organized by over 100 attenders. Victor Herbert (55) is named president.
April 13, 1914:
Accompanied by his wife and daughter, Victor Herbert (55) arrives in England aboard the Mauretania from New York. They go straight to London, which he has not seen since his childhood.
April 22, 1914:
While visiting Buckingham Palace, Victor Herbert (55) is stricken with appendicitis. He is taken to hospital.
April 25, 1914:
At a London hospital, the appendix of Victor Herbert (55) is removed.
June 25, 1914:
Victor Herbert (55), his wife and daughter arrive in New York from England aboard the Imperator.
September 21, 1914:
The Debutante, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (55) to words of HB Smith and RB Smith, is performed for the first time, at the New Nixon Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey. See 7 December 1914.
October 1, 1914:
The Only Girl, a “musical farcical comedy” by Victor Herbert (55) to words of Blossom after Fulda, is performed for the first time, in the New Nixon Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey. See 2 November 1914.
November 2, 1914:
The Only Girl, a “musical farcical comedy” by Victor Herbert (55) to words of Blossom after Fulda, opens in New York, at the 39th Street Theatre. It is one of Herbert’s greatest triumphs, with 240 performances over the next ten months. See 1 October 1914.
December 7, 1914:
The Debutante, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (55) to words of HB Smith and RB Smith, opens in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre. It will receive only 48 performances. See 21 September 1914.
May 1, 1915:
A New York district court rules against Victor Herbert (56) in the case of Herbert v. Shanley Co. Once Herbert published his music and offered it for public sale, he can have no control over its performance.
August 23, 1915:
The Princess Pat, an operetta by Victor Herbert (56) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. See 29 September 1915.
September 26, 1915:
The night before the New York opening of Victor Herbert’s (56) The Princess Pat, one of the female leads is shot and killed in a murder-suicide by her lover. The opening is postponed.
September 29, 1915:
The Princess Pat, an operetta by Victor Herbert (56) to words of Blossom, opens in New York, at the Cort Theatre. Despite the tragic event of three days ago, it is a hit. See 23 August 1915,
October 21, 1915:
Victor Herbert (56), his wife and daughter arrive in San Francisco where he will conduct at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition.
March 4, 1916:
With 2,000 delegates from across the United States, the Friends of Irish Freedom meet in the Astor Hotel, New York, to “encourage and assist any movement for the national independence of Ireland and to aid in any movement for the national independence of Ireland and to aid in the industrial development of the country as well as in the revival of the language, the literature, the music, and the customs of the Gaels.” (Waters, 480) One of the leaders is Victor Herbert (57). Tomorrow, Herbert will be elected president.
May 14, 1916:
Victor Herbert (57) presides over a mass meeting in Carnegie Hall to honor the martyrs of the Easter Rebellion.
June 6, 1916:
The Fall of a Nation, a film by Thomas Dixon with music by Victor Herbert (57), is shown for the first time, in the Liberty Theatre, New York.
January 1, 1917:
Hearts of Erin, a comic opera by Victor Herbert (57) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, in the Colonial Theatre, Cleveland, conducted by the composer. The name will be changed to Eileen. See 19 March 1917.
January 22, 1917:
The US Supreme Court rules in the case of Herbert v. Shanley Co. that composers shall be compensated for public performance of their works, even if there was no direct admission charge. They require that Shanley’s Restaurant in New York pay Victor Herbert (57) for performing one of his songs at a dinner.
March 19, 1917:
Eileen, a comic opera by Victor Herbert (58) to words of Blossom, opens in New York, at the Shubert Theatre. See 1 January 1917.
June 17, 1917:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1917 opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York with the finale to Act I written by Victor Herbert (58).
October 22, 1917:
Her Regiment, a musical play by Victor Herbert (58) to words of Le Baron, is performed for the first time, in Springfield, Massachusetts. See 12 November 1917.
November 12, 1917:
Her Regiment, a musical play by Victor Herbert (58) to words of Le Baron, opens in New York, at the Broadhurst Theatre. See 22 October 1917.
April 29, 1918:
Victor Herbert (59) appears before the New York State Health Commissioner as the leader of a delegation of citizens complaining about the stench wafting across the Hudson River from several chemical plants in New Jersey.
June 27, 1918:
The Call to Freedom, a patriotic ode by Victor Herbert (59) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, conducted by the composer.
December 23, 1918:
The Velvet Lady, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (59) to words of Blossom, is performed for the first time, at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. See 3 February 1919.
February 3, 1919:
The Velvet Lady, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (60) to words of Blossom, opens in New York, at the New Amsterdam Theatre. See 23 December 1918.
February 27, 1919:
Victor Herbert (60) signs a recording contract with the American Piano Company (Ampico) to make piano rolls of his own compositions.
June 8, 1919:
Angel Face, a musical play by Victor Herbert (60) to words of RB Smith and HB Smith, is performed for the first time, at the Colonial Theatre, Chicago. See 29 December 1919.
June 16, 1919:
Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 opens in the New Amsterdam Theatre, New York, with some music by Victor Herbert (60).
October 23, 1919:
Incidental music to Locke’s play The Dream Song by Victor Herbert (60) is performed for the first time, at the Central Music Hall, Chicago.
December 19, 1919:
My Golden Girl, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (60) to words of Kummer, is performed for the first time, in Stamford, Connecticut, the composer conducting. See 2 February 1920.
December 29, 1919:
Angel Face, a musical play by Victor Herbert (60) to words of RB Smith and HB Smith, opens in New York at the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 8 June 1919.
February 2, 1920:
My Golden Girl, a musical comedy by Victor Herbert (61) to words of Kummer, opens in New York, at the Nora Bayes Theatre, the composer conducting. See 19 December 1919.
March 22, 1920:
Oui Madame, a musical play by Victor Herbert (61) to words of RB Smith and Wright, is performed for the first time, at the Philadelphia Theatre. It will play elsewhere and be rewritten, but it will never make it to New York.
June 22, 1920:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1920 opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre with some music by Victor Herbert (61).
July 7, 1920:
The Girl in the Spotlight, a musical play by Victor Herbert (61) to words of Bruce, is performed for the first time, in Stamford, Connecticut. See 12 July 1920.
July 12, 1920:
The Girl in the Spotlight, a musical play by Victor Herbert (61) to words of Bruce, opens in New York, at the Knickerbocker Theatre. See 7 July 1920.
June 21, 1921:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1921 opens at the Globe Theatre with some music by Victor Herbert (62).
June 5, 1922:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1922 opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre with some music by Victor Herbert (63).
September 4, 1922:
Orange Blossoms, a comedy with music by Victor Herbert (63) to words of de Sylva and De Gresac, is performed for the first time, at the Garrick Theatre in Philadelphia. See 19 September 1922.
September 19, 1922:
Orange Blossoms, a comedy with music by Victor Herbert (63) to words of de Sylva and De Gresac, opens in New York, at the Fulton Theatre. See 4 September 1922.
March 12, 1923:
Victor Herbert (64) writes a contractual letter to William Randolph Hearst in New York, outlining his proposed engagement as conductor at the Cosmopolitan Theatre at Columbus Circle, New York. It is a film house. Hearst will agree.
May 1, 1923:
Victor Herbert (64) enters into duties as conductor at the Cosmopolitan Theatre in New York. It is a movie theatre.
October 20, 1923:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1923 opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre with some music by Victor Herbert (64).
February 12, 1924:
“An experiment in modern music” takes place in Aeolian Hall, New York when Rhapsody in Blue for piano and jazz band by George Gershwin (25) is performed for the first time, the composer at the piano. Among the overflow audience is Ernest Bloch (43), Sergey Rakhmaninov (50), John Philip Sousa (69), Walter Damrosch, Willem Mengelberg, Leopold Stokowski, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Mary Garden, John McCormack, and Leopold Godowsky. Critics are strongly divided, but the Whiteman band (who plays today) will perform the Rhapsody 84 times in 1924 alone. Also on the program is the premiere of Suite of Serenades for orchestra by Victor Herbert (65). This is the last appearance of Herbert as composer.
April 17, 1924:
A delegation from ASCAP, including Victor Herbert (65), John Philip Sousa (69), and Irving Berlin, testify before a congressional committee considering a bill to allow radio broadcasters to use copyrighted music without paying the composers. Sousa remarks, “The Radio Corporation of America gets money, doesn’t it? If they get money out of my tunes, I want some of it, that’s all.” (Waters, 547)
April 22, 1924:
The Dream Girl, a musical play by Victor Herbert (65) to words of Atteridge and Young, is performed for the first time, at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven. See 20 August 1924.
May 26, 1924:
Feeling ill after lunch, Victor Herbert goes to his doctor’s office at 57 East 77th Street in New York. While waiting for the doctor to return, Herbert decides to take a short walk. On the way down the stairs, he collapses and dies before he reaches the bottom. He suffered a heart condition known only to his doctor and himself. Victor August Herbert is aged 65 years, three months, and 25 days.
May 28, 1924:
A funeral procession in memory of Victor Herbert proceeds from the ASCAP offices at 56 West 45th Street, New York, down Fifth Avenue to St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church for an elaborate service. The body is then transported to Woodlawn Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers include John Philip Sousa (69), George Gershwin (25), and Jerome Kern.
June 10, 1924:
The earthly remains of Victor Herbert are placed in a mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
June 24, 1924:
Ziegfeld’s Follies of 1924 opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre with some music by Victor Herbert (†0).
August 20, 1924:
The Dream Girl, a musical play by Victor Herbert (†0) to words of Atteridge and Young, opens in New York, at the Ambassador Theatre. See 22 April 1924.
February 1, 1927:
ASCAP presents a statue of Victor Herbert (†2) to the city of New York in Central Park, on the 68th anniversary of his birth. Several Broadway notables are present as is Mayor Jimmy Walker.
May 13, 1940:
A commemorative United States postage stamp commemorating Victor Herbert (†15) goes on sale. As 1,500 people gather at the General Post Office in New York to buy the stamps, they are entertained by the Post Office band playing selections of Herbert’s music.