Published Scores and Librettos

Published scores and librettos constitute a major portion of the Music Division's general collections. This page describes how to search for published Herbert scores, as well as librettos significant to Herbert's theatrical collaborations.

Published Scores

The Music Division holds millions of published scores ranging from first editions to modern editions and published facsimiles. Researchers can search and browse the Library of Congress Online Catalog to find bibliographic information about printed scores in the collections.

Also note that the Library of Congress Online Catalog does not reflect complete holdings for the Music Division. Contact a reference librarian via Ask A Librarian to ask about a specific score you cannot locate, or to learn about what scores may not be represented (or easily found) in our online catalog or digitized holdings.

TIP: To limit your search results to scores and/or literature in the Music Division's collections, be sure to "Add Limits" beneath your search terms in the Advanced Search mode. Under "Location in the Library," select "Performing Arts" from the drop-down menu. This action will limit your search results to material in the custody of the Music Division. For a composer as prolific as Herbert, eliminating sound recordings from your search may prove essential.

Digitized Sheet Music

The Library of Congress makes a portion of its millions of sheet music titles available for download on its website. The following Digital Collections feature published music by Victor Herbert:

Sheet Music of the Musical Theater
Sheet Music of the Musical Theater is a collection of more than 16,000 pieces of sheet music published between 1880 and 1922. These songs, specified as “M1508” items in the Library’s classification system, were taken from musicals, revues and operettas primarily of the American and British stage. They are arranged for piano and voice, sometimes simultaneously in arrangements for lower and higher voice. The Digital Collection includes over 450 titles by Victor Herbert.
American Choral Music
American Choral Music is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and the Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In 2007, the ACDA and the Library of Congress began a collaborative effort to create this digital collection devoted to choral music that would present music in the public.domain. The presentation includes a music manuscript and published sheet music for Victor Herbert's "Christ is Risen: An Easter Anthem."
World War I Sheet Music
From 1914 through 1920 the Library of Congress acquired over 14,000 pieces of sheet music relating to what ultimately became known as the First World War, with the greatest number coming from the years of the United States' active involvement (1917-1918) and the immediate postwar period. The sheet music collection represents the intersection of this rich output of popular song and the consciousness of a nation at war that was itself emerging, as a major world power. The Digital Collection includes three Victor Herbert titles: "Can't You Hear Your Country Calling," "When the Sixty-Ninth Comes Back," and "All Hail to You, Marines!"
The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America
The Songs of America presentation allows you to explore American history as documented in the work of some of our country's greatest composers, poets, scholars, and performers. From popular and traditional songs, to poetic art songs and sacred music, the relationship of song to historical events from the nation's founding to the present is highlighted through more than 80,000 online items. The digital collection holds 66 titles, including dozens of piano-vocal scores for Victor Herbert's operettas and operas, gifted to the Library by his daughter Ella Herbert Bartlett in 1974.

Published Librettos

Though Herbert did not write the books for his operettas and operas, consulting librettos alongside his music may prove valuable to your research. The Music Division holds 23 published librettos for Herbert shows in its general collections under the call number ML50.H535. These librettos are discoverable in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Results for ML50.H535 Call Number Search
Link to Library of Congress Online Catalog results for a search of librettos for Victor Herbert shows under the call number ML50.H535

Keep in mind that libretto drafts and additional published librettos are found in the Victor Herbert Collection. Read further on the Victor Herbert Collection page of this guide.

Victor Herbert: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress

Ask a Librarian: Music Division

Performing Arts: Ask a Librarian

Published Scores and Librettos