The Rest of the Herbert/Ziegfeld Story
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News From VHSource, LLC Vol 3 March 2015 The Rest of the Herbert/Ziegfeld Story new Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street An Enduring Partnership between Broadway and 8th Avenue) on November 12th (a mere seven days after Miss 1917 opened). o continue our exploration of the relationship between Victor Herbert and Florenz Ziegfeld, let’s There now falls a rare lull in the composing life of Treview a bit in case you may be coming at this Victor Herbert. There would be no Victor Herbert newsletter for the first time. You can of course read the operetta or musical comedy on Broadway during the full discussion of both The Century Girl (1916) and Miss year 1918. While there was a Follies of 1918, there 1917 in Vol 2 February 2015. As we stated last month, was no participation by Herbert. The entire world was Ziegfeld was so taken with Herbert’s big production engaged in one way or another in The Great War (aka number capabilities that he had the composer write a World War I). Gone was all Irish rhetoric from 1914 major finale, “Can't you hear your country calling?” for to 1916 in favor of Germany overcoming England. In the Follies of 1917 which opened June 12, 1917. By the April of 1917 Irish American Herbert who had been so way, you might be interested to know that by 1917 vocal in support of Germany, now lead the way in Ziegfeld had a complete roster of star comics: Bert totally supporting “our American boys” as American Williams, Fanny Brice, Leon Errol, W. C. Fields, Will troops rushed into the war to aid the Allied side. Rogers and Eddie Cantor. NOTE: Ziegfeld set out to create a “melting pot” of American points of view. Errol was Australian It would not be until the 11th hour (am) on the 11th (immigrant) and Fields was from Philadelphia (old school native day of the 11th month of 1918 that the “War to End son). Williams contributed the black ghetto perspective, Rogers All Wars” would finally come to an end. Europe had was the western cowboy, and Brice and Cantor represented the been engulfed since July 28, 1914 so America was not Jewish viewpoint. only late in joining the Allies We also reported that during 1917, just to add a little but also not perspective to all of this, Herbert had opened his Irish involved on her Opera (his term) Eileen on March 19, 1917 in the Shubert own continent in Theatre. In addition and rather incredibly, somehow, any way. All the between composing for the Follies of 1917 and Miss 1917, troops were in mid-July and August, after a three week gig at Willow “Over There” to Grove with his Victor Herbert Orchestra, Herbert managed quote George M. to compose his 38th operetta. Cohan. That left plenty of time for Her Regiment had its birth in the wilds of Lake Placid in A m e r i c a n the Adirondack Mountains at Herbert’s summer retreat, citizens to decide Camp Joyland. Its first ever production was on October 22, that all those 1917 in the Court Square Theatre, Springfield, among them who Massachusetts. Its Broadway opening was at the brand were immigrants 2 News From VHSource, LLC Vol 3 March 2015 from the wrong side were the enemy and needed to be actually interned in the middle of the orchestra’s rounded up and sent home. 1917-1918 season and eventually deported. The CSO season had to be completed This idea translated into a lot of anti-German sentiment with guest conductors around the country. German nationals were automatically including Victor Herbert. It classified as "enemy aliens" unless they had become is a testimony to Herbert’s naturalized citizens. According to Wikipedia: standing in America that even after all his very loud President Woodrow Wilson issued two sets of regulations political proclamations in on April 6, 1917, and November 16, 1917, imposing favor of Ireland against restrictions on German-born male residents of the United Britain from 1914 through States over the age of 14. The rules were written to 1917, and his own extensive include natives of Germany who had become citizens of years studying and playing countries other than the U.S.; all were classified as aliens. cello professionally in Some 250,000 people in that category were required to Maestro Kunwald register at their local post office, to carry their registration Vienna, that there appears to card at all times, and to report any change of address or have been no call to deport him. This was most likely employment. The same regulations and registration due to the composer having become a naturalized requirements were imposed on females on April 18, 1918. citizen in 1902. Neither of the two gentlemen Some 6,300 such aliens were arrested. Thousands were mentioned above had ever taken such a step. interrogated and investigated. A total of 2,048 were incarcerated for the remainder of the war in two camps, Herbert actually was more than happy to fill in with Fort Douglas, Utah, for those west of the Mississippi, and the Cincinnati Symphony. While his Victor Herbert Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, for those east of the Orchestra was hugely popular and rewarding for him, Mississippi. Herbert thoroughly enjoyed standing in front of a traditional classical orchestra and programming for Unfortunately, this line of thought such an ensemble. He conducted three sets of concerts directly affected two major in Cincinnati: January 11 and 12, January 25 and 26 American orchestra conductors. The and February 8 and 9, 1918. The orchestra presented first was Karl Muck (1859-1940), Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Sibelius, and Wagner (German conductor of the Boston Symphony, – a very brave choice) in the first set. The second whose controversial use of a concert brought Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Édouard particular version of the “Star Lalo (French) and Coleridge-Taylor, while the last Spangled Banner” led to such series featured Goldmark (Hungarian), Saint-Saëns audience ire and anti-German and (finally) Herbert. feelings that it altered BSO His sole selection of his Maestro Muck programming and seemed to own work was his suite accelerate the eventual deportation of Muck simply for orchestra, Woodland because he was German. The conductor did try to replace that suspect version of our national anthem but to his Fancies, Opus 34. This credit, he also never pointed out that it was, in fact, the work had been Victor Herbert arrangement which was extracted from the composed in 1901 for last movement of the composer’s American Fantasia the Pittsburgh Orchestra written in 1898 for the Pittsburgh Orchestra. The and would not be offending version was replaced with one arranged by the published until 4 years Boston concertmaster (1st chair violin), Anton Witek, who after his death in 1924. also happened to be German, eventually was himself Here was the serious suspected of enemy sympathies, and also deported. classically trained conductor at his best for Maestro Herbert those who may never have thought to rank Herbert Another affected conductor, Ernst Kunwald (1868-1939), among our very best classical musicians. In looking the Viennese conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony was 3 News From VHSource, LLC Vol 3 March 2015 over the array of composers Herbert chose to offer the their old band conductor Victor Herbert to come back citizens of Cincinnati, his early champion and boss, to service and restore the band to musical superiority. conductor Theodore Thomas (1835-1905), himself no A patriotic minded 59 year old Herbert actually said stranger to the Cincinnati populace, would have been very yes. He was commissioned a Lieutenant and ordered proud of how his young solo cellist had matured. not only to rehearse the band but to give band instruction to promising recruits two times a week in Back in New York, Herbert and the Victor Herbert the evening. It’s a bit tough to envision the premier Orchestra participated in various events raising money for American composer at the peak of a long career the war effort. He also wrote an operetta which holding “band class.” It would not be surprising if unfortunately has never seen the light of day, although all Herbert had had a few second thoughts about his its scores and orchestra parts are intact in the Library of patriotic gesture. Fortunately this was 1918, the war Congress. This work, The House That Jack Built was to would be over by November and the band lessons have been produced in the Fall of 1918 and have a libretto never really materialized. However, he did take the by Edward Childs Carpenter (1872–1950), author of a time to write a new march “The Defendam March” for total of 14 Broadway plays (comedies for the most part) the organization, dedicating it to his commanding between 1909 and 1944. Unfortunately, the production officer, Colonel H.H. Treadwell. was shelved for some reason despite Herbert finishing an entire score and having had parts prepared. Carpenter Thus, Herbert and Ziegfeld were not involved at all would go on to create a musical libretto for Melody in during 1918. However, the theatrical producer would 1933 with music composed by Sigmund Romberg (1887- once again call upon Herbert for the Follies of 1919. 1951). However, in 1918 it would appear that he never In case you might be wondering where these Follies created the Herbert libretto. were taking place, Ziegfeld had begun The Follies in 1907 at the Jardin des Paris, the roof top theatre Herbert also spent significant time during the spring and seating 900+ in the summer months of 1918 working on several patriotic New York Theatre.