Today we are going to explore a relatively unknown American composer, Victor Herbert (1859–1924). When I say American, he is American as I am American – he was born in Dublin.
His father passed away when he was two. His mother remarried and moved to Germany. Victor was a very talented cellist and became a successful cello soloist in Germany.
In 1886, his future wife, talented, well-known soprano Teresa Forster, was invited to perform by the Metropolitan Opera. She agreed on the condition that they would hire her future husband, Victor. The couple thereupon married and embarked for NYC.
Though Victor Herbert is relatively unknown today, he was very famous during his lifetime. In 1927, three years after his death, a monument was erected to him in Central Park. His contribution to American musicals is immeasurable, as he wrote music for 40 operettas (a hybrid between an opera and a play, where performers both talk and sing). He also wrote the first symphonic full score for a silent movie.
In addition to writing music for theater and silent movies, Herbert wrote two cello concertos. I want to share one of them with you today.
