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There are a multitude of journal articles about Victor Herbert, from biographical and news pieces published in music enthusiast journals during his lifetime to contemporary academic articles analyzing his works and impact. This page presents a bibliography of Herbert-focused articles drawn from the Music Division's Periodical Index in the Performing Arts Reading Room and highlights subscription databases that will allow you to search for a range of articles.
The Performing Arts Reading Room, where the collections of the Music Division are served to researchers, offers a variety of print catalogs and indexes. Among the various indexes included in the Music Division's card catalog is a Periodicals Index. During roughly the first half of the 20th century, music librarians recorded noteworthy articles about people and topics in music history and indexed this catalog by subject. Many of the titles referenced in the Periodicals Index draw from popular 20th-century music journals like The Etude, Musical Courier, Musical Leader, and others. These journals are not always fully discoverable or accessible in online databases like those listed below; for your reference, however, the following bibliography shares entries from the Music Division's historical Periodicals Index for articles listed under the subject heading "Herbert, Victor."
On July 17, 1901, the Musical Courier published an article by Marc A. Blumenberg that accused Herbert of plagiarism and attacked his skill as a conductor. In reaction, Herbert sued the journal for libel and won. The following listing includes citations for articles that discuss the libel suit.
"Dinner to Victor Herbert by 'Friends of Music' Congratulatory and complimentary. See report under "Victor Herbert Feted and his Detractor Denounced" in Concert-Goer (Nov 15, 1902): 3-4.
"Dinner to Victor Herbert." See report in Music Trades (Nov 15, 1902): 31.
Freund, John C. "The uprising of the musical profession," in Music Trades (Nov 15, 1902): 5.
Goodrich, A.J. "En parte evidence," in Musical Courier (Nov 19, 1902): 282.
Mathews, W.S.B. "Mr. Victor Herbert and the Musical Courier," in Music 22 (1902): 283-285.
Spanuth, August. "Musikalisches und Gerichtliches aus New-York (Mascagni's American fiasco and Victor Herbert versus Musical Courier)," in Signale (Nov 12, 1902): 104-105.
"Victor Herbert is awarded $15,000 damages in his libel suit against the Musical Courier," in Concert-Goer (Nov 1, 1902): 1-3.
The following listing includes citations for articles authored by Victor Herbert.
Herbert, Victor. "A composer's views of opera," in Musical Leader 28, no. 18 (1914): 499.
Herbert, Victor. "Light music must be good," in The Musical Leader and Concert Goer, 9, no. 2 (1905): 22.
Herbert, Victor. "The President's March: The special purpose of this march," in Ladies' Home Journal 15, iss. 8 (Jul 1898): 12-13.
The following listing includes citations for articles centered around Victor Herbert's biography, identity, and influence on music.
Casey, Marion R. "Was Victor Herbert Irish?" in History Ireland 25, no. 1 (Jan-Feb 2017): 20-23.
Eames, Abbott. "Victor Herbert [with portrait]," in Metronome (Mar 1910): 32-33.
Emmett, Warren. "The unknown Victor Herbert..." in The Etude 57, no. 3 (Mar 1939): 161-162.
Hoffrek, Ada Mae. "Victor Herbert," in Musical Courier 94, no. 9 (Mar 3, 1927): 6.
Klemm, Gustav. "More Herbertiana," in Musical Courier 86, no. 1 (Jan 4, 1923):8.
Klemm, Gustav. "My memories of Victor Herbert," in Singing and Playing 3, no. 11 (Dec 1928): 23, 34.
Klemm, Gustav. "The real Herbert," in The Musical Record 1, no. 3 (Aug 1933): 85-89.
Klemm, Gustav. "Victor Herbert as I knew him; memories of the man and his music..." in The Etude 57, no. 3 (Mar 1939): 151-152.
Klemm, Gustav. "Victor Herbert as I knew him; memories of the man and his music..[with portrait, group portrait, and music]." in The Etude 57, no. 5 (May 1939): 296, 350, 353.
Pepper, Herbert F. "Victor Herbert's place in American music," in Musical America 18, no. 23 (1913): 4.
Romberg, Sigmund. "Victor Herbert -- a tribute," in Songwriters' Protective Association Bulletin 1, no. 3 (Apr 1934): 16.
Schaaf, Edward. "Victor Herbert," in Musical Advance 7, no. 6 (Dec 1929): 3-4.
Shore, Viola Brothers. "Some incidents in the career of Victor Herbert, Dean of light opera composers," in Musical Observer 22, no. 8 (Aug 1923): 11, 51.
Waters, Edward N. "American Musical History--And Victor Herbert," in Notes 13, no. 1 (Dec 1955): 33-40.
Wilcox, Standish. "The Boston Victor Herbert Festival: A tribute to the life and character of the great composer," in Phonograph Monthly Review4, no. 4 (Jan 1930): 112-113.
The following listing includes citations for obituaries.
"America loses greatest light opera composer by death of Victor Herbert," in Musical America 40, no. 6 (1924): 2.
Charlesworth, Hector. "Tragic Death of Victor Hebert," in Musical Canada 5, no. 8 (1924): 10.
"Victor Herbert, 1859-1924," in The Metronome -- Orchestra Monthly 40, no. 7 (Jul 1924): 22.
"Victor Herbert dead," in Musical Courier 88, no. 22 (1924): 1.
The following listing includes citations for articles that announce, review, or otherwise discuss a specific work or performance of Herbert's.
Aldrich, Richard. "Madeleine, First performance, January 24, 1914," in New Music Review 7, no. 13 (1914): 180-181.
Halperson, Maurice. "Herbert's new opera [Madeleine]," in Opera Magazine (Feb 1914): 16-17.
Mackall, Lawton. "Victor Herbert: Madeleine," in The Opera 1, no. 9 (1913): 12-14.
Van Brokhoven, J. "Two American operatic premieres: Gustave Charpentier's Julien and Victor Herbert's Madeleine," in Musical Observer 9, no. 3 (1914): 217-220.
"Herbert's Madeleine has its Metropolitan premiere [January 24, 1914]," in Musical America 19, no. 13 (1914): 5.
"American opera and Natoma," in Musical Courier 52, no. 9 (1911): 30-31.
Blumenberg, Marc A. "American opera [veiled diatribe against Victor Herbert's opera Natoma]," in Musical Courier 62, no. 10 (1911): 22-24.
Van Broekhoven, J. "Successful production of Victor Herbert's American opera Natoma," in Musical Observer 5, no. 3 (1911) 6-10.
Halperson, M."Amerikanische Opern [principally on V. Herbert's Natoma," in Allgemeine Musik Zeitung 38 (1911): 396.
Kahle-Käser, J. "Viktor Herbert's Natoma Amerikanische Oper," in Neue Musik Zeitung 7, no. 32 (1911): 337-338.
Martens, F.H. "Natoma...opera by Victor Herbert," in Monthly Musical Record 41 (1911): 89-90.
"Natoma newest of American operas," in Washington Post (Jan 22, 1911): ??
"Natoma," in Signale7, no. 69 (1911): 466-467.
Spanuth, August. "Natoma in Klavier auszuge," in Signale 7, no. 69 (1911): 1060-1062.
Tubbs, Arthur L. "Natoma," in Musical America 13, no. 17 (1911): 3-4.
"Victor Herbert's Natoma," in Dominant 18, no. 9 (1910): 14-17.
"Victor Herbert's new opera Natoma," in Musical Courier 21, no. 9 (1911): 8-9.
Herbert, Victor. "The President's March: The special purpose of this march," in Ladies' Home Journal 15, iss. 8 (Jul 1898): 12-13.
Mathews, W.S.B. "[Discussion of Herbert conducting Pittsburg Orchestra in program featuring Herbert's "Auditorium Festival March" and "Suite--Woodland Fancies" in] Editorial Bric-A-Brac," in Music: A Monthly Magazine 21, no. 3 (Feb 1902): 244-249.
Shirley, Wayne D. "A Bugle Call to Arms for National Defense!: Victor Herbert and His Score for The Fall of a Nation," in The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress 40, no. 1 (Winter 1983), 26-47.
"Unpublished MS of Victor Herbert Discovered ["Someone I Love"]," in Metronome 51, no. 5 (May 1935): 46.
"Naughty Marietta by Victor Herbert, first performed at New York in 1910," in Musical America 13, no. 1 (1910): 29.
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