Statue of Historic Figure: Victor Herbert - Central Park, NY, NY

Victor Herbert

Central Park

NY, NY

N 40° 46.368 W 073° 58.328

Short Description: 

A bronze bust of Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor, Victor Herbert is located in the upper part of The Mall in Central Park, New York City.

Long Description:

A life size bronze bust of Victor Herbert is set on an 8.5' high by 4.75' by 4.25' rectangular granite base. The bust depicts the bare shoulders and upper chest of Herbert. He has short hair and a small mustache. He is looking towards his left. The monument was created by Edmond Thomas Quinn and dedicated November 29, 1927.

The base is decorated with a bronze wreath and is inscribed:

VICTOR 

HERBERT

1859-1924

Victor Herbert was born to Irish-Protestant parents in Dublin, Ireland on February 1, 1859. His received his musical training in Germany, where he studied cello and composition at the Stuttgart Conservatory. In 1886 he and his wife Therese moved to New York City, where she sang with the Metropolitan Opera Company and played as first cellist.

In the early 1890s, Herbert was the bandmaster of the 22nd Regiment Band of the New York National Guard. From 1898 to 1904, Herbert conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony, and was a guest conductor for the New York Philharmonic Society.

Herbert is most famous as a prolific composer of operettas and popular music. He wrote more than 40 operettas, the most famous ow which are Babes in Toyland (1903) and Naughty Marietta (1910). He also wrote two grand operas, and the first original symphonic score for a feature-length film, Fall of A Nation (1916) .

Due to Herbert’s classical training he composed songs greater musical complexity. He was an important champion of the cause of copyright protection and was instrumental in the founding of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1914. He died in New York City on May 26, 1924.