<<  -- 5 --  Jennifer Paull    A man of vision

Although he is best remembered for having composed over forty operettas, Victor Herbert's oeuvre includes the opera, Natoma (staged in 1911), many concert works, more than twenty chamber works, thirty solo piano pieces, eighty songs, and several choral compositions. These include Liedern eines fahrenden Gesellen for male voices composed in 1890, six years before the première of Mahler's song cycle of the same name.

In his last years, Herbert concentrated on commissions for overtures to feature films. The first, The Fall of a Nation, was his unique score for a complete film accompaniment. It was believed lost, but rediscovered in the film-music collection of the Library of Congress and recorded in 1987.

By the end of the First World War, musical style in the popular theatre had changed considerably. This was due in not inconsiderable measure to Victor Herbert, who, even though keeping his preference for operetta, had written several musical comedies with simpler songs and orchestration. Much of this was the very essence of early twentieth century style in light music. Had he lived a little later in the 20th Century, Herbert would surely have become a master of the art of writing cinema music.

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