By: Carla Eilo

Amid the many yuletide festivities that take place, there are any number of concerts, plays and gatherings filled with holiday music and performances.

Whether you find yourself at one of these events or hear music being piped in through shop speakers, there are several seasonal standards that we have all come to expect to hear at least once, if not many times.

Perhaps without realizing it, there are a couple of songs we hear this time of year that have made it into holiday compilations and were composed by one of Lake Placid’s summer residents.

“Toyland” and “March of the Toys” were co11.811mposed by Victor Herbert in 1903 for the operetta, “Babes in Toyland.”

With the success of the stage musical, “The Wizard of Oz” in 1903, producer Fred R. Hamlin and director Julian P. Mitchell wanted to create another stage hit for families. The creators had planned to make this an extravagant production with large sets, well-known actors, and lots of excitement. Herbert and librettist Glen MacDonough were given the task to create the music.

The story introduces characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes and follows two main characters, Alan and Jane, who are brother and sister. The siblings are forced to live with their mean Uncle Barnaby, who is plotting to steal the children’s inheritance. The uncle tries to have the children shipwrecked, but they are saved and introduced to the Mother Goose characters.

Their journey leads them to a different world called Toyland, and the holiday theme is introduced. The Toymaker of the land and the children’s Uncle Barnaby create toys that come to life and try to hurt people. The dolls turn on the Toymaker and kill him; however, the boy Alan is falsely accused of the act. At the last minute, he is found innocent.

Their Uncle Barnaby continues to try to harm the children, and his next plot is to try to poison them. In a turn of events, he ends up poisoning himself. Both children are able to return home and live without fear of their uncle and live happily ever after.

The original production of “Babes in Toyland” opened at the Chicago Grand Opera House on June 17, 1903. Alan was played by William Norris and Jane was played by Mabel Barrison. The New York City production opened Oct. 13, 1903 and ran 192 times until the closing date of March 19, 1904. In 1905, it returned to New York City for three weeks, then moved on to other nearby cities on a tour. Because of the wide success of this operetta, other plays and musicals with fairy-tale themes were written and performed throughout the country.

Adaptations of the operetta were created for the movie theaters and the first film version was released in 1934. It starred Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who played the part of the Toymaker’s assistants.

The second film version was released in Technicolor in 1961 by the Disney studios. It was loosely based on the original operetta and although it contained original songs, the tempos were changed and reworked for the film. This version was Disney’s first live-action feature-length film and included early versions of special effects that would be used for their blockbuster “Mary Poppins” in 1964. This version starred Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ed Wynn.

When you are out and about this season, keep an ear out for these Victor Herbert tunes. You will have the added knowledge of knowing one of Lake Placid’s former residents contributed to the holiday season.