February is the month of Saint Brigid, but it is also the month in which Victor Herbert was born. The grandson of Irish composer, painter, and novelist Samuel Lover, he first saw the light of a Dublin day on February 1, 1859. Young Victor spent much of his childhood at the home of his famous grandfather who influenced him greatly. After his father died, Lover suggested that his widowed daughter send her son to Germany for an education. His musical education began as a piccolo player, but he soon took up the cello in which he made rapid progress, playing in orchestras conducted by Liszt, … [Read more...] about Victor Herbert