The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-09-04
[FRox OUR OWN coRREsPoSDEST.l
Few YORK, July Sd, ]

Few YoRK. July Sd, 1869.
have spoken in previous letters Of the winter
musical season of this city. The summer musical
season is an entirely different thing. There are
no more philharmonic classical concerts; no
oratorios operas are to be heard during the
hot weather. The tendencies of seasons are as
well marked as those of climates. and the higher
arts rs well rs industries languish during the
summer Of New York as surely as in the torrid
heats of equatorial countries.
One OF the most pleasing features of the sum-
mer season is the series of orchestral concerts
given nightly by Theodore Thomas at the Central
- -k Garden. This is n large building, occupy
the corner Of Seventh Avenue and Fifty
ninth street, and combining under roof n
hotel, n restaurant, n large concert-room, and an
unwaIIed auditorium in the open air, where the
listeners can catch the breeze from the adjacent
Park There is room for an audience of more
than two thousand. Of this number you will
observe large proportion seated at small tables
which occupy the floors Of three connected music
haIls-tables that will each accommodate party
of four or five. Nearly all the listeners have
lager bier, lemonade, iee-cream, coffee, or some
other refreshment, before them. This is the
popularity OF the place,-that it combines music
with the restaurant. This is the only ' respect
able - audience in New York that enjoys SYM
phonies and lager bier ut the same instant. This
combination is a German idea,-an importation
Of the same composite recreation which is 20
popular, indeed, in almost every part Of Europe,
the combination OF music with social enjoy
nent and the mild stimulus Of the malt The
audience is like one at the Heidelberg Castel
Garten, or ut the 80 Bruhlschen Terrasse" in
Dresden,-a social company, plentifully sprinkled
with the fashionable element but not 50 atten-
tive rs in Germany to the music. It is n new
thing for the solid citizens OF New York to find
themselves ut home in 80 bier-garten. Per-
haps they may find the German system Of moder-
ate potations preferable to our national habit Of
taking fiery liquors Mt bar, and without even
the redemption Of n musical accompaniment
The music of these entertainments is good.
Theodore Thomas conducts the orchestra, which
numbers about fifty. Alntzka, Of the Phil
harmonic Society, leads the violins. Bergner,
the popular violincellist, is also member Of this
orchestra. Leitsch is the " star" trombonist.
He evolves from this brass instrument tone
20 pure and vibrant that you think Of Dean
Swift's process for "a extracting sunbeams from
cueumbers-" Levy, the cornet player, performs
brilliant tours de force upon his instrument.
Each Friday night the programme Of the concert
embraces compositions Of a superior order to the
general average Of Strauss, Verdi, and Ofenbach,
the composers that find most favor with the
American public On these nights one can hear
movement from Beethoven, a concerto by Men
deissonn or Schumama, song by Schubert, all
exeeiiently rendered. Last season the " classical
nights were a more distinct feature of these en-
tertainments than they have been this summer.
it ~ to be feared that waltzes and QaLops will
reign supreme another year
Between the three parts Of the concert the
stage Is cleared, and the musicians, nearly all of
whom are German, may be observed wend;ro
their way to the adjacent restaurant. where ,bsv
refresh their artistic energies with potatiops Of
lager bier. This drink. am sorry to sav. ba.
degenerated Of late years. In GERMANY IL il
hardly considered to be an Intoxicating beveraoe
and contains only two or three per cent. of
alcohol; but here the appetite for fiery potasions
has run the alcoholic percentage up to six ucr
cent Some enthusiastic brewers are said 20 ada
strychnine, tobacco, and other cheerful films 10
the brew However this may be, il is undoubted
that the lager bier at present in use in New York
produces decidedly stimulant effects after the
fourth glass is reached.