Victor Herbert, Sketch of Antonin Dvorak (Library of Congress, 1922).

Dear Dr. [Schnoor],
Mr. Carl Engel (Chief of the Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.) has asked me to give you some details as to my recollections of my association with Dr. Antonin Dvorak.

I was head of the Cello-Class of Mrs. Thurber's National Conservatory when this enthusiastic lady managed to persuade Dr. Dvorak to accept the directorship of this Conservatory. It was my pleasure to see the doctor practice every time I gave lessons at the Conservatory. He took great interest in my pupils as he was most anxious to have them join the orchestra class, which he directed, although it was, to my mind, the "enfant terrible" [spoiled child] of the institution. With the exception of some excellent violin pupils of that master, Leopold Lichtenberg, few of the players were advanced enough, to play in the orchestra--and what they "didn't do" to Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Overture" (the Dr. might have chosen a simpler piece) is beyond description. However, Dr. Dvorak seemed to enjoy these orchestral orgies.

One of my pupils, a very charming girl and rather advanced player, acting as Solo-Celliste, often had fainting spells when the Dr. got very excited.

Dr. Dvorak, when he was not teaching Composition, was always busy composing and often I heard him playing, even singing, in the front room of the conservatory. I had the pleasure of playing the cello part of his beautiful Trio "Dumbka," which he had just completed, with him, Michael Banner taking the violin part. Dr. Dvorak was not a great pianist, but his playing was intensely musical, of course. We liked the composition immensely and I asked him what "Dumbka" meant in bohemian--He thought for a while-- shook his head and said, to our surprise: It means nothing-- What does it mean?

Dr. Dvorak was most kind and unaffected, took great interest in his pupils, one of which, the very talented Harry Burleigh, had the privilege of giving the Dr. some of the thematic material for his Symphony--"From the New World." I have seen this denied, but it is true. Naturally I knew a good deal about this Symphony--as I saw the Dr. two or three times a week--and knew he was at work on it.

The first orchestral rehearsal of it took place under the great Anton Seidl, then Conductor of the Philh. Society of N.Y. in the Chamber-music hall in Carnegie Hall, and I was Solo-Cellist.

A few years afterwards, after I had played my (2d) Cello-Concerto in one of the Philh. Concerts--Dr. Dvorak came back to the "Stimm-Zimmer"--threw his arms around me, saying before many members of the orchestra: famos! famos!--ganz famos! [fabulous! fabulous!--entirely fabulous!]

We all loved him, for he was so kind and affable--his old great big beautiful eyes radiated warmth--and of such childlike simplicity and naturalness--and when he left us, we lost not only a master-musician whose presence had a marked influence on musical activities in N.Y. but a most admirable, lovable friend.

V. H.

P.S.
Dear Dr.
As Mr. Harry Burleigh (one of Dr. Dvorak's best pupils in composition) probably knows much about him, I have asked him to send you a "resume" of his recollections. Burleigh (a Negro) was thought much of by Dr. Dvorak and has written many beautiful songs, etc., etc.--showing the Dr.'s judgment was right. Wishing you success
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V. H.This enthusiastic and candid recollection was provided by Dvorák’s favorite cellist, Victor Herbert. As both a member of the New York Philharmonic and a faculty* member of the National Conservatory, he had the privilege of participating in the first performance of Dvorák’s New World Symphony.