Victor Herbert Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dublin, Ireland

Victor Herbert was born into an Irish Protestant family in Dublin in 1859. His father passed away in 1861. He and his mother moved to London, where his maternal grandparents fostered his interest in music. His mother later married a German physician, and brought young Victor to Stuttgart.

His stepfather could not pay the cost of medical school, so instead Victor Herbert attended the Stuttgart Conservatory. After a successful performance career in Europe, he married opera soprano Therese Förster.

The couple emigrated to the United States when both hired by the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York - he as the principal cellist and she as a singer. But for this series of events, Victor Herbert might well have become an Anglo-German physician and amateur musician.

Answer: The Fortune Teller

"The Fortune Teller" (1898) was written for Broadway star Alice Nielson, who had formed her own production company. The title character is Musette, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Irma, an heiress and (conveniently) ballet student. Irma's twin brother Fedor is an Hungarian hussar. Miss Nielson played all three roles, a tradition followed in later revivals. Leading songs from "The Fortune Teller" include "Gypsy Love Song (Slumber On, My Little Gypsy Sweetheart)" and "Romany Life".

The Hungarian setting seemed exotic to American audiences, but was familiar to Herbert from his performance career in central Europe before emigrating to the United States.

Answer: He was conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Victor Herbert attempted to balance composing with a career as a performer and conductor. He spent 11 seasons with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as a solo cellist, guest conductor and assistant conductor. In 1898, he was appointed principal conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony, serving until 1904.

The orchestra gained national standing under his baton, but he had little time to compose. In 1904, he left to found the Victor Herbert Orchestra. This allowed him to coordinate his composing with summer tours and concerts. Beginning in 1909, his orchestra - and Herbert himself as a solo cellist - made numerous recordings for the Edison and Victor companies.

Answer: Babes in Toyland

The songs "Toyland" and "March of the Toys" - the real title; not "Wooden Soldiers" - remain holiday staples over a century later. The original plot of "Babes in Toyland" wasn't kid-friendly: a plan to murder a pair of orphan children; a Master Toymaker who designs killing machines; the deaths of two characters on stage. Subsequent revivals altered the plot while retaining the principal musical numbers. "Babes in Toyland" was inspired by the success of a stage-musical version of "The Wizard of Oz". (The 1939 movie "Oz" had an original score - nothing from the 1903 musical.) The 1903 "Oz" faded quickly, while "Babes" lives on.

Answer: Kiss Me Again

The kiss was innocent, but this was 1903! Herbert was familiar with the Metropolitan Opera from his - and his wife's - careers there, and appreciated Miss Scheff's talent and popularity. "Mlle. Modiste" (1905) was their most successful collaboration.

In particular, the lilting strains of "Kiss Me Again" became Miss Scheff's trademark song during her long career in light opera, vaudeville, and into the era of sound movies and early television.

Answer: Mlle. Modiste

"Mlle. Modiste" (1905) tells the story of Fifi, an aspiring opera singer who rises from shopgirl to star. It was written as a vehicle for Herbert's favorite performer of the time, Fritzi Scheff. In addition to the animal-oriented songs and the classic "Kiss Me Again", the show features "The Keokuck Culture Club", a song satirizing pretentious Midwestern folk - who nevertheless flocked to the show's national tour.

Answer: The Red Mill

"The Red Mill" (1906) followed immediately after Herbert's major success with "Babes in Toyland". As the title suggests, it is set in Holland - but includes touring American vaudevillians named Kid Connor and Con Kidder. Late in Act II, the pair sing and dance their way through "The Streets of New York" for no plot-related reason, and the entire cast reprises the song at the end of the show. "The Red Mill" was revived in Broadway in 1945-47, playing more performances than at its debut nearly forty years earlier.

The revival featured the redoubtable Eddie Foy Jr. as Kid Connor.

Answer: ASCAP - The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers

Victor Herbert lobbied Congress to pass the Copyright Act of 1909, which provided composers with royalties on the sale of sound recordings. ASCAP, a not-for-profit organization, collects fees for the public performance or broadcast of copyrighted music composed by its members.

As of 2013, ASCAP distributed approximately $800 million per year to over 450,000 composers. In 1927, ASCAP dedicated a statue of Victor Herbert in New York's Central Park to commemorate his contribution to the financial welfare of his fellow composers.

Answer: Naughty Marietta

"Naughty Marietta" (1910) was Victor Herbert's last major Broadway success. The convoluted plot unfolds in 18th century New Orleans: pirates, American backwoodsmen Tramp Tramp Tramping, prospective brides (not tramps) imported from France, kidnapping, disguises, and a happy ending.

The 1935 movie version marked the first screen pairing of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald - the music was Herbert's, but the plot and some of the lyrics were changed.

Answer: Miss 1917

The sets were auctioned off to help pay the bills - and bought by J.J. Shubert. The best songs in the revue were borrowed from other sources: "In the Good Old Summertime" and Herbert's recycled "Kiss Me Again".