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 251-275 of 278 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edison | 3409 | 10-in. | 11/5/1914 | Brown October ale | Thomas Chalmers | Male vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 3425 | 10-in. | Nov. 1914 | Armorer's song | Frederic Martin | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 3473 | 10-in. | Dec. 1914 | Dolores | Grace Hoffman | Soprano vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 3504 | 10-in. | 1/8/1915 | Who cares? | Helen Clark ; Joseph A. Phillips | Vocal duet (contralto and baritone), with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 3604 | 10-in. | 2/25/1915 | Same sort of girl | Elizabeth Spencer ; Walter Van Brunt | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor) and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 3832 | 10-in. | 5/28/1915 | Where's the girl for me | Frederick J. Wheeler | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 5338 | 10-in. | 2/2/1917 | We'll see | George Wilton Ballard ; Bettina Bergere | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 5358 | 10-in. | 2/9/1917 | I wonder why | Gladys Rice | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 5445 | 10-in. | 3/13/1917 | I wonder why | Bettina Bergere | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6477 | 10-in. | between 11/12/1918 and 11/27/1918 | Gypsy love song | Charles F. Robinson | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7210 | 10-in. | 3/11/1920 | Always do as people say you should | Leeta Corder | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7215 | 10-in. | 3/12/1920 | Armorer's song | Emerson Williams | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7349 | 10-in. | 5/13/1920 | Keep the love lamp burning | Gladys Rice | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7399 | 10-in. | 6/1/1920 | I'd like to take you away | Helen Clark ; Joseph A. Phillips | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7756 | 10-in. | 1/25/1921 | Bright eyes | George Wilton Ballard | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 8145 | 10-in. | 7/26/1921 | I wonder if you still care for me | Walter Scanlan | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 8389 | 10-in. | 3/22/1922 | By the Sapphire Sea | Herbert C. Tilley Jr. | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 8404 | 10-in. | 4/3/1922 | By the Sapphire Sea | Betsy Lane Shepherd ; Herbert C. Tilley Jr. | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 9573 | 10-in. | 6/19/1924 | Robin Hood airs no. 1 | New York Light Opera Co. | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 9576 | 10-in. | 6/20/1924 | Robin Hood airs no. 2 | New York Light Opera Co. | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 9911 | 10-in. | 12/18/1924 | The fortune teller airs no. 1 | New York Light Opera Co. | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 9912 | 10-in. | 12/19/1924 | The fortune teller airs no. 2 | New York Light Opera Co. | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 10783 | 10-in. | 1/20/1926 | I dare not love you | Frank Cornwell ; Irving Aaronson Crusaders | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Edison | 11737 | 10-in. | 6/14/1927 | Dear eyes that haunt me | Ernie Golden ; Hotel McAlpin Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Edison | 11866 | 10-in. | 9/1/1927 | Song of the turnkey | J. Lester Haberkorn | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Harry B.," accessed October 29, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
Smith, Harry B.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
"Smith, Harry B.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 29 October 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
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.