Evening star., 1926-12-16
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

call letters and the combinations OF
these signs which the English speak
ing world has agreed to call words.
His musical idiom was at once SO
fanciful, yet so solid--so grace1ui. yet
so meaty---so endowed wNh orlgnt-
ness, yet so satisfying to the learned
that it is extremely difficult not TO pe
led into the temptation OF using words
that really mean nothing in talking
about his music.
This leads up to q letter which we
received recently, as follows:
Oar Sir: l have noiced that you
speak of the music of Victor Herbert
in your column. Could you tell me
how to go about becoming acquainted
with 1t, as my earlier life was filled
with work OF a nature which allowed
me no time or inclination to investl-
gate his or any other persons music,
and / do not know where to begin {!
If you could give me a list or some OF
his songs that are the best he wrote.
it would help me a lot. Yours truly.
"E. R."
There may be a Victor Herbert al
bum-there probably iS-but since we
have never seen one, we cannot tell
you about it. The difficulty in becom-
ing acquainted with Herbert at one
jump Is the magnitude of his writing,
spread over a score and more years
and over as many and more light
operas. and including many occasional
pieces. mostly Of an orchestral nature.
Perhaps as good a starting point as
any would be his 'Gvnrv Love Song
from "The Fortune Teller"
This will appeal to lovers OF Her
bert as the masters greatest single
composition from the standpoint of
pure melody. He wrote many more
elaborate ones before and after It's
composition. but in none of them did
he quite reach the heights of the i'm
FASHIONED plea of the lover to his little
gypsy sweetheart.
Now, gypsy sweethearts in life are
one thing, If we may judge from the
ones we have seen, and on the light
opera stage something else again. 1t
was about this latter lady that Her
bert wrote SO tunefully. The orches-
tration of this song Is beyond criti-
cism. The whole thing Is perfect.
There is no composer who ever lived
who would not have been proud to
have thought it out. That is the way
real music comes into being)
Another master melody of Herbert's
which every one must know Is kiss
Me Again" This, in Herbert's favor
ite form, the waltz, is one Of the most
graceful and interesting melodies ever
constructed.
You see, e. R.. that we are not
bit afraid of tune. Melody was Vic
tor Herbert's great gift, with which
he combined sound technical abilities
and much theory; but it was always
the tune" that interested him. He
had thousands of note combinations
in him, and most of them came out,
we believe, If one may judge from
some Of the lesser works just before
his death.
''Badinage." an instrumental num-
Der, is another unforgettable melody
showing Herbert in one of his unique
phases. This was one of the melodic
gems which he carved out as me.
mortal to himself unto eternity. A
man need leave no fortune behind
him, nor any statue, when, he writes
such living melody as this.
Just three numbers? Yes. for q
beginning was what was asked for,
and we know of no composer that can
give one a more tuneful and interest
ing beginning than ''The Gypsy Love
song." kiss Me Again" and "Badi-
nage."