The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-07-31
ENC Great Pcnce .Iubuec.


Boston, the originator of notions and novelties
has had n grand sensation, in the musical festival
which opened on the 18th Of June and closed on
the 22d. From its beginning to its ending it wa:
n perfect success, and deserves more than n pass
ing notice, as an illustration of the way in which
great festivals are planned and executed in
these days, and the scale on which they arc done.
Perhaps nowhere else than in Boston would the
idea have been conceived, of erecting a building
to cost one hundred thousand dollars, for the
avowed purpose of holding in it only a jubilee
festival Of one rreek's duration and for nothing else.
This building, called the Coliseum, was erected
in St. James Park, and it's size may be imagined
when its length and breadth are given-500 feet
long and $50 wide. 1t was an immense wooden
structure, capable of accommodating an audience
of so 900, which number was supposed to be in
attendance ON the opening day. In addition to
this the stage was 50 constructed as to aecomnio-
date 1o, 1000 vocal and instrumental musicians,
rising gradually so as to bring them all in full
view Of the audience. The opening anthem of
ss Glory to God in the Highest in which the full
choir of ten thousand performers, including one
thousand Instruments, took up the strain and
Joined in the loud chorus, must have been q per-
formance we'll worth hearing.
"The Star Spangled Banner, - says one CORE
spondent, 'swas rendered in a manner it never was
before, the thunders of artillery coming in most
appropriately and in perfect tune and time. And
the Anvil Chorus!' Imagine it. if you can, rolled
out by a powerful organ, reared out, warbled out,
shrieke1 out by five hundred violins, ratified out
by a full drum corps. rang out on q hundred an
wis, sung out by ten thousand voices, and thun-
dered out by a park of artillery-and you have
that famous piece of music as it was given each
afternoon at the Coliseum. The applause which
followed its rendition was startling-a sensation of
iIsclf-and was never lulled until the performers
yielded to the storm and repeated the piece"
Among other novelties, got up expressly for the
occasion, was a monster base drum, said to be the
largest in the world. The heads measured eight
feet each in diameter, and were made from the
hides OF two mammoth oxen, which were exhibit
ed through the country during several years past.
On each head was the motto - Let us have Peace,
The drum was three feet through from head to
head, and the rim was painted red, white and
blue. 1t was pronounced perfect in all respects,
and the manufacturer state that no larger drum
could be made 50 unless the hides Of elephants arc
used"
But we must allow the correspondents to tell
the story of the opening exercises in their own
language:
The performance opened a little affer 3 o'clock.
Long before that hour the singers had taken their
seats. and DIR. J. ii. Wilcox sat patiently ut the organ.
The view Of the stage rs you entered was highly i'm
posing. There was q grandeur in that compact mass
Of more than 10000 human beings rising, rank
above rank, in solid order, with the great organ
pipes towering above them i'm the background, aud
the monster drum, eight feet in diameter. and color