Harry B. Smith
Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composers Victor Herbert and Reginald De Koven. He also wrote the book or lyrics for several versions of the Ziegfeld Follies. Smith was born in Buffalo, New York to Josiah Bailey Smith (born 1837) and Elizabeth Bach (born 1838). According to his autobiography First Nights and First Editions (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), Smith's actual name at birth was Henry Bach Smith. He married twice. His first wife was Lena Reed (born August 21, 1868), whom he married on October 12, 1887 in Chicago, Illinois. They had a son named Sydney Reed Smith (born July 15, 1892). Smith's second wife was the actress Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940). They married on November 23, 1906 in Boston, Massachusetts, after she had been divorced on June 12, 1906 by her first husband James Thomas Sothoron, Jr. (1867–1913). Bentley retired from the stage in 1910 and died at Allenhurst, New Jersey. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. While on a brief holiday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on New Year's Day in 1936, Smith died of a heart attack in his room at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel. Smith worked on many of the famous musical theatre productions of his time. His younger brother Robert Bache Smith (June 4, 1875 – November 6, 1951) was also a successful lyricist. Harry Smith's archive is largely held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. |
Birth and Death Data: Born December 28, 1860 (Buffalo), Died January 1, 1936 (Atlantic City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, arranger, songwriter, author
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 278 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berliner | 01259 | 7-in. | Apr. 1900 | Armorer's song | George Broderick | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]76 | 7-in. | 6/9/1900 | The turnkey's song | George Broderick | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]141 | 7-in. | 5/1/1900 | The armorer's song | George Broderick | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]168 | 7-in. | 7/21/1900 | Say you love me, Sue | Arthur Collins ; Metropolitan Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]572 | 7-in. | 12/6/1900 | The armorer's song | J. J. Fisher | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]690 | 10-in. | 4/28/1902 | Brown October ale | J. W. Myers | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]690 | 7-in. | 2/20/1901 | Brown October ale | J. W. Myers | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]772 | 10-in. | 5/3/1901 | Just for today | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]772 | 7-in. | 5/3/1901 | Just for today | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]951 | 7-in. | 9/10/1901 | The wedding of the Reuben and the maid | Harry Macdonough | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1067[a] | 10-in. | 11/13/1901 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | Haydn Quartet | Male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1067 | 10-in. | 10/26/1901 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1067[a] | 7-in. | 11/13/1901 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | Haydn Quartet | Male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1067 | 7-in. | 10/26/1901 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1206 | 10-in. | 1/11/1902 | The wedding of the Reuben and the maid | J. W. Myers | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix C-]1246 | 12-in. | 6/11/1902 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1246 | 10-in. | 2/8/1902 | The wedding of the Reuben and the maid | S. H. Dudley ; Harry Macdonough | Male vocal duet | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1246 | 7-in. | 2/8/1902 | The wedding of Reuben and the maid | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1272 | 10-in. | 2/20/1902 | Banjo serenade | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1272 | 7-in. | 2/20/1902 | Banjo serenade | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1274 | 10-in. | 2/20/1902 | An English coon song | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1274 | 7-in. | 2/20/1901 | An English coon song | S. H. Dudley | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1331 | 10-in. | 3/18/1902 | The wedding of the Reuben and the maid | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1331 | 7-in. | 3/18/1902 | The wedding of the Reuben and the maid | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1667 | 10-in. | 10/8/1902 | Gypsy love song | Herbert Goddard | Baritone vocal solo | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Harry B.," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
Smith, Harry B.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
"Smith, Harry B.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Harry B. Smith
Discogs: Harry B. Smith
Allmusic: Harry B. Smith
Grove: Harry B. Smith
IMSLP: Harry B. Smith
RISM: Harry B. Smith
IMDb: Harry B. Smith
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Harry B. (Harry Bache), 1860-1936 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82051119
Wikidata: Harry B. Smith - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5667065
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/42023885
MusicBrainz: Harry B. Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e23e321-6877-4a04-ba63-dd449f8cd89b
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