The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-08-25
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The Boston Musical Festival.
BosroS, June slst. 1869,

] cuOlINc ANNnes NNAt W ~
Boston, to attend the great Musical Peace
Festival. After weeks of preparation, the
mammoth building-ihe Coliseum-And all
the accessories needed for giving the i've
grand concerts, were ready, and on the 18th
Of June, Mr.. P. 5. Gilmore, the protector OF
the Festival. commenced the series, with q
chorus of IL, S64 singers, an orchestra of ], ,oai
instruments, grand organ, and the accom-
/ psniment of 100 anyils n cannon, and all
the fire alarm bells in the city.
Such a rendering of music was a grand
| conception. Ii was an experiment, especially
/ as the programme embraced some of the
most difficult orzforieal choruses and over
tures OF the best musical composers, and
there was multitude Of prophets who dis
believed that the music could be given
successfully. 1t was au experiment too,
financially, for after an expense of $50, 900,
it was matter of some importance that q
fitting audience should be in attendance, not
only TO listen to. aud appreciate the grand
music, bEi TO reimburse the managers for
their great expense. The result has proved
satisfactory TO the critics, the managers, the
public, and the newspapers: that is, the
whole world. The Musical Festival, as a
Bostonian observed, "is in the past tense;
its record is a proud one for u.s.
The Coliseum is a wooden structure, on
ST. James's Park, within easy distance from
the central portions Of the city. Its immense
size does not, from distance, impress the
beholder, but near st hand, or when, inside
the building, one moves about, the space in
closed becomes apparent Ii is 500 feet long
and 500 feet broad, and the ridge Of the cen
tral roof is 100 feet from the ground. The
galleries, with seats arranged in Smphitheatre
fashion, extend along the four sides Of the
building; the parquette, or main floor Q50
by 800 feet, has the seats on a common level,
and the orchestra platform is 100 by us feet
A view Of the benches, unOceupied, readily
eonvinces one of the fact that 5000 persons
can be seated comfortably, while the nu-
merous spacious sisles and passages afford
standing room for 1000 more. The broad
spaces, also, under the side galleries, are
open spaces, for standing or walking A
passage extends along the whole building,
back Of the upper seat Of the gallery, giving
an uninterrupted promenade of COO feet, or
little over quarter Of mile. This walk
proves to the pedestrian that he looks upon
an auditorium larger than has ever before
been built Tor single assembly.
The interior is decorated with flags of all
nations; hangings of red, white and blue;
the arms of the various States; emblematic
paintings of Peace and Of Music, and with
other artistic designs that cover and relieve
the unfinished interior structure. The ex-
terror is dressed with pennsnts aud the ma
tional flag, while the booths and shanties of
itinerant traders Snd vendors of refreshments,
that ill the vacant ground, and the moving
swsying, restless throngs that move on the
exterior platform, block up the adjacent
streets, and crowd onward through all the
avenues from the city, give evidence of the
magnitude of the occasion, and the attractive
nature OF the spectacle that has gathered such
multitude together.
Five concerts were given, the irst on Tues
day, the last, BY the school children, on Sat
urday. From the first, the attendance was
immense. II increased the second day, and
eliminated on the third, when the rush was
so great that the sale of tickets, even for
standing places, was stopped In the early
part of the day, and hundreds were turned
away disappointed More than 20, 600 people
that day were collected within the Coliseum,
and still they pressed in. The managers,
soon after the commencement of the concert,
ordered the doors closed, and shut out, in
exorably, even those who, having tickets,
were late in arriving. 1t was fearful to
imagine such an assembly in panic-startled
by q false alarm, or by any accident, the
result Of over-crowding; the police in at
tendance declared themselves unwilling TO
become responsiblefor the management Of a
larger crowd than that already on their
hands. At the ticket-offiee, alone, at the
building, on that day, the cash receipts
reached 81, 900. 1t has since been faeetiously
called "bushel-basket day." for, on counting
the "greenbacks, no handler eontainer be-
ing convenient, they were packed in a corn
basket. 1t was flled-heaped up-running
over-good measure, beyond all eayil
1t was the second day of the Jubilee that
we found ourselves comfortably seated,
about midway down the p4rqnette seats,
ready to be overwhelmed, annihilated, or de-
molished, by grand emotions, just as the
musical Bostonians pleased. 1t is an hour
yet to the commencement, but the Chorus
are filing up their section, Cit embraces two
fftbs of the building), and the players on
stringed instruments are settling down into
their chairs, or arranging their music stands
and scores, while the audience is thronging
in by the twenty or more doors, in crowds
that would I'LL large hall in few minutes.
They have come from the city; its suburbs;
the surrounding towns, far and near; by the
steam trains; the horse cars; the steamboats,;
private carriages; and even on foot, some
spending their " bottom dollar 70 get within
the edifce The crowd that surround the
Coliseum who do not expect to get in, but
have been drawn thither by the excitement,
seems larger than the crowd within 1t is
sufficient for PopuiatiDg large city. The
steam trains, alone, have brought into the
city, this day, $1,000 passengers The re-
ports OF the officials Of the various railroads
indicate the flow and ebb of the humsn tide
during the Festival. These reports state
that over 4Oo,o 600 passengers were transport
ed, in the five days, over the roads.
The tramp of feet. the hum of the moving