Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1859, Feb. 1 | Born, Dublin, Ireland. Herbert’s mother, Fanny Lover, was the daughter of Irish novelist, poet and composer, Samuel Lover (1797-1868) |
| 1862 | Herbert's father, Edward Herbert, a Dublin barrister, died in Paris |
| circa 1866 | Herbert’s mother married German physician Wilhelm Schmidt Family moved to Stuttgart Herbert received general education as well as training in music, learning to play the piano, flute and piccolo |
| 1874-1876 | Studied cello in Baden-Baden, with Bernhard Cossmann, one of the great cellists of the nineteenth century |
| 1876-1880 | Toured in orchestras and as a soloist |
| 1879-circa 1880 | Played in the orchestra of Baron Paul von Derwies, who also had an opera company |
| 1880-1881 | Played in Eduard Strauss' orchestra, in Vienna Performed as cello soloist |
| 1881 | Returned to Stuttgart and lived with his mother Accepted a position in the court orchestra Entered Stuttgart conservatory, where he studied composition with composer, conductor, and violinist Max Seifriz |
| 1881, Oct. 25 | First appearance (on short notice) as soloist with symphonic orchestra in Goltermann's Concerto in A minor |
| 1882, July 8-12 | Played in the orchestra of Tonkünstler-Versammlung des Allgemeinen Deutschen Musik-Verein in Zürich; performances by Liszt were for Herbert the highlights of the festival; the entire experience influenced Herbert greatly |
| 1883, Oct. 23 | Soloist in first performance of his Suite for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 3 , with Stuttgart Orchestra; this is Herbert's earliest known work (earlier opus numbers have not been accounted for) |
| 1885 Fall | Joined the faculty of the Neue Stuttgarter Musikschule Retained position in court orchestra Met Therese Förster (1861-1927), a Viennese soprano in the court opera |
| 1885, Dec. 8 | Soloist in first performance of his Cello Concerto No. 1, in D major, Op. 8 |
| 1886, Aug. 14 | Married Therese Förster in Vienna |
| 1886, Oct. 24 | Arrived in New York City Therese Herbert-Förster hired as leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera Herbert hired as cellist in orchestra |
| 1886, Nov. 8 | Therese Herbert-Förster opened the Metropolitan Opera’s season in the title role of Carl Goldmark’s Die Königin von Saba |
| 1886, Nov. 12 | Therese Herbert-Förster sang the title role in the first Met performance of Verdi’s Aïda (in German) |
| 1886-1887 | Therese Herbert-Förster made twelve appearances at the Met singing Wagnerian roles: Elsa in Lohengrin , Irene in Rienzi , and Elizabeth in Tannhäuser |
| 1887, Jan. 8 | Herbert's first appearance in New York as cello soloist in three movements of his Suite, Op. 3 , with the New York Symphony Society, Walter Damrosch, conducting |
| 1887, Dec. 8 | First New York performance as a chamber musician, with the New York String Quartet; the quartet gave three concerts during the 1887-1888 season |
| 1887, Dec. 10 | Soloist in his Cello Concerto No. 1 at Theodore Thomas’ matinee concert for young people; that evening, Herbert and Thomas played the concerto again, on short notice, with the New York Philharmonic Society |
| 1887 | Formed Majestic Orchestre Internationale, 40-piece orchestra which played light music in New York and Boston |
| 1888 Feb. | Therese Herbert-Förster made a single (and final) appearance at the Met; her early departure remains unexplained, although she continued to sing successfully elsewhere for several years |
| 1889 Fall | Herbert joined faculty of National Conservatory of Music, New York |
| 1889-1891 | Served as associate conductor of Worcester (County Music) Festival |
| 1891, Sept. 24 | First performance of his dramatic cantata The Captive, Op. 5 , at the Worcester Festival |
| 1893 | Became leader of 22nd Regiment Band of the New York National Guard (also known as the “Gilmore Band”), following Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore and then D. W. Reeves as conductor |
| 1893-1900 | Toured with the 22nd Regiment Band of the New York National Guard |
| 1894, Mar. 9-10 | Soloist in first performances of his Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 30 , with New York Philharmonic Society, Anton Seidl, conducting |
| 1894, Nov. 20 | First performance of Prince Ananias , at the Broadway Theatre in New York (the first of Herbert’s 45 operettas and operas) |
| 1895, Sept. 26 | First performance of The Wizard of the Nile , at the Grand Opera House in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
| 1898-1904 | Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra where he presented some of his own works |
| 1901-1902 | Sued the Musical Courier for libel and won (relating to Marc A. Blumenberg's article of July 17, 1901 accusing Herbert of plagiarism and disparaging his skill as a conductor) |
| 1902, June 16 | First performance by the Victor Herbert Orchestra, at Willow Grove Park |
| 1902, Oct. 14 | Became a United States citizen |
| 1903, Jan. 2 | First performance of his orchestral suite, Columbus, Op. 35 (Herbert’s last symphonic work) |
| 1903, Oct. 13 | First performance of Babes in Toyland , at the Majestic Theatre in New York |
| 1904, Oct. 7 | First performance of Mlle. Modiste , at the Taylor Opera House in Trenton, New Jersey |
| 1904 | Organized the Victor Herbert Orchestra in New York, specializing in well-played light music |
| 1906 | Testified on behalf of composers during the first Congressional hearings on the copyright revision bill of 1906 |
| 1907, May 3 | Herbert’s orchestra performed his composition, The Friars , for a banquet held by The Friars’ Club (it became the official “hymn” of the Monastery, the Friars’ clubhouse) |
| 1907-1908 | Testified on behalf of composers during Congressional hearings on the copyright revision bill of 1906 |
| 1909 | Victor Herbert Orchestra contracted to record exclusively for the National Phonograph Company Victor Herbert Orchestra released their first recording (selections from Mlle. Modiste ) in July Herbert advised on artistic and technical matters for the National Phonograph Company Copyright revision bill passed |
| 1910, Oct. 24 | First performance of Naughty Marietta , at the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse, N.Y. |
| 1911, Feb. 25 | First performance of the opera Natoma , by the Philadelphia-Chicago Opera Co., starring Mary Garden and John McCormack |
| 1911, Sept. 14 | First performance of When Sweet Sixteen , in New York |
| 1911, Oct. 9 | First performance of The Enchantress , at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. |
| 1911, Oct. 16 | First performance of The Duchess on Broadway, the second of three Herbert operettas to open on Broadway within thirty-five days |
| 1911, Oct. 19 | First New York performance of The Enchantress |
| 1914, Jan. 24 | First performance of his opera Madeleine , by the Metropolitan Opera, starring Frances Alda and Paul Althouse |
| 1914 | Herbert was one of nine founders of ASCAP; he served as vice president until his death |
| 1916, June 6 | Silent film The Fall of a Nation first shown in New York (Herbert’s score is possibly the earliest through-composed score to accompany a feature film) |
| 1920, Feb. 20 | First performance of My Golden Girl , at the Nora Bayes Theatre |
| 1921, July-Aug. | Conducted symphony concerts at the Lewisohn Stadium in New York for three weeks |
| 1922, Sept. 22 | First performance of Orange Blossoms , in Philadelphia at the Garrick Theatre |
| 1923, May 1 | Conductor at the Cosmopolitan Theatre |
| 1924, Feb. 12 | First performance of Suite of Serenades , conducted by Paul Whiteman, at New York’s Aeolian Hall, on the same program with the first performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue |
| 1924, Apr. 22 | First performance of The Dream Girl , Herbert’s last operetta, at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut (first New York performance on August 20 at the Ambassador Theatre) |
| 1924, May 26 | Died in New York of cardiac arrest |