Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-10-07
WEEKLY TRINITY JOURNAL.
The Dresden Musical Festival-A Great
fftf Musical Event.

walls. | allude to the first Sanperbundfest which
has just come to close after a duration of three
days, from the 22d to the 25th of July. Germans
from an parts have hocked to it ; in fact, every
place that boasts of some singing club Lei
uertafe, as 1t Is called, be it ever so small has
deputcd members to attend the assembly of sing
ers IN the capital of Saxony. So enthusiastically
mas the proposal for confederate singing festival
been accepted. that no less than 10000 singers
have met together here, not only from every town
of Germany, but from different parts of England,
France, Russia, America and even from Austria
liza, China and New Zealand. Ii is fact difficult
to account for people leaving their homes and
families for no other reason than TO spend few
days in strange city, sing songs, and then re-
1nrn to theirrespectiye countries, without having
gained even the slightest advantage by their long
excursion, and venture to say similar case
would not be found out of Germany. The ex-
PLANTATION lies partly, believe, in the idealism
of the Germans. Some people invest it with
more Importance than il to deserve they
iook upon it as a political demonstration us a
means to bring the different nationalites of Ger
many together and produce more friendly feel
ing between them. Whether this be the right
view of the case, or only the phantasmagoria of
patriotic Teutonc mind, signing for German
unity, will not pretend to decide.
Since the 2lst the visitors have been pouring
into the town from all the different railway sta
tions, in large bands, preceded by standard
bearers and musicians playing patriotic airs.
The houses were gaily decorated with flags rep
resenting the different colors Of the German
States, and numerous buildings hung out the
gold, yellow and black flag of the Confederation
"A fact which reactionary minds try to interpret
as a proof of popular movement like that of
l84Ss since when the Confederate colors have till
within very lately come into bad odor with Ger
man kings and serene highnesses. The site cho-
sen for the building in which the musical per-
tormances have taken place, is large expanse
of fiat land on the right bank of the Elbe, at the
foot of the lovely range of hills forming the So
called Ebe valley. The building itself is of vast
dimensions, being able to contain 40, 900 people,
and is exceedingly elegant in appearance, half
Gothic and half Renaissance in its structure :;
four towers rise at the four angles the roof is
of peculiar structure, being built on the sus-
pension bridge principle, and is supported by
wires of immense thickness and strengthen
fact like canopy hanging over the edfce. All
around this monster music hall are strewn an
immense number of refreshment tents, station
houses for hre-engines porters, and even doctors,
for the Germans are an essentially cautious ma
ton, and the committee for experimenting the
arrangements of this festival has accordingly
appointed a staff OF doctors to be in constant
attendance at the place of resort, in Of acci-
dents happening-a thing not unlikely on an area
.
with the thermometer at 100 degrees Fahrenheit
in the shade rs it was on Sunday and Monday.
The first concert took place Sunday, the
23d at o'clock in the afternoon after rehearsal
ut in the morning the programme consisted
of national ballads, set to music for the most
part by some of the first contemporary compos-
ers of Germany. Several of the pieces executed
are By Herr Krebs the director of the royal ope-
ratio orchestra here The King and Queen with
the other members of the royal family, and the
chief officers of state attended Both the cho-
ruses and solos were executed admirably.
On Monday, the 2lth, the colors of the different
STngerbundc were carried in procession from
the Mansion house to the music hall there were
no less than 700 Of these standards and flags, Of
all possible colors, bearing different devices and
notices in gold and silver embroidery. One can
best estimate the great length of the procession
by stating that it took upwards of two and a
half hours to pass any point from which one sur
yeyed it. The crowd tremendous, and the
cheering perfectly deafening. The people COM
posing this army of singers OF every poSSi-
bile class noblemen. private gentlemen, COM
posers, actors, students. teachers, lawyers,
doctors, farmers, respectable merchants of all
sorts. carpenters, butchers, shoemakers, tailors
and bakers.
The last lay of the festival, Tuesday the 25th.
was devoted by the singers to visiting the neigh
den. Concerts and fetes of all kinds were given
in honor of the guests. who certainly ought to
he pleased with their reception, for, besides the
public demonstration of JOY at their coming, the
inhabitants of Dresden undertook to give the
whole number of 20. 900 men free board and
lodging during their five days stay hcre-a plan
by no means easy to put into execution, consid-
cring that Dresden is itself n comparatively small
town, but which was. nevertheless, accomplished
most satisfactorily. The King himself furnished
room for 800 singers in his palace and all
the other prominent personages of the town like
wise bore their respective share in the business
of providing lodgings for the visitors. The pub
lic school buildings were even turned into quar-
tiers for the Saengerbruder-in short, most people
not very much reduced in their means were will
ing to accommodate one or more in their houses,
so that the committee appointed to furnish quar-
ters able acquit itself of its task with less
trouble than ut first expected
\ correspondent Of the Boston Transcript de-
scribing the same event, says:
cannot refrain here from giving you an incl
dent that saw with my own eyes whilst part
of the procession was passing one of the side
streets to unite with the mass in front. \ young
American girl at the hotel had had small Uni
ted States flag presented to her on leaving her
home, which she promised to wave in every place
whittier her travels might take her. On this oc-
country A.: but appreciatng the feeling of the
Germans for larger independence she tied to
her flag the colorS of Germany-black, red and
yellow From a back window in retired posi-
ton she held out the stars and stripes thus dec
Grated No sooner was her flag recognized than
ii received from the Prussian body a reyerential
raising of the hat-and when this was acknowl-
edged by wave of the flag, they broke out in q
general waving of hats, and viva viva The
AuStrians did the same, and the men OF Frauk
fort and Leipsic-each recognized at distance
4 small silken banner not half yard long which
bore their own national streamerS. L could moi
help connecting this little flag with freshly con
secrated patriotism, for it had been gift to the
young bearer from Il grandchld of a venerable
and venerated Bostonian who has endeavored Il
make England accurate on questions of interna
tional law and who had written and spoken no
bly, during the crisis in defense of our country
rights. ought 10 have said that there was IL
the procession a small delegation bearing the
standard . Amerik, and having representative:
from Boston, Buffalo, Cairo, Milwaukee and Prai
rie-du-Chien-a small band of brothers whom
the strange chances and changes of life had prob
ably induced from their homes to follow fate and
seek fortune elsewhere. They hailed our little
excelsior banner with an ecstacy of delight, and