Smyrna times., 1869-06-23

Everybody, by this time, has heard of the
great Boston Peace Jubilee, now being held in |
that city, which is the greatest musical enter |
tainment ever given in this or any other coun-
try. 1t commenced last Wednesday and will |
continue for one week. A correspondent of |
the New York Tribune gives the following ac-
count of it:
The Peace Festival will probably have this |
good effect, if it have no other: it will teach
Boston the difference between highness and
greatness. Measured by the rule of arithmetic,
the performance to-day was stupendOus, but,
artistically, | have no hesitation in pronounc-
ing it failure. The festival, as all the world
knows by this time, originated with Mr.. Patrick
IL. Gilmore, we'll known Boston band leader,
who has been concerned in one or two musical
mOnstrOsities before, and being part Yankee,
part lrishman, is naturally fitted for carrying
out any daring enterprise to which he may lay
his hand. Local pride, musical enthusiasm,
and patriotic enthusiasm have combined to
enlist as his supporters most of the solid and
influential men of the New England metropO-
| lis. A fund guaranteed by these managers
and patrons secures the enterprise against Pc
cuniary embarrassment. The profits, if there
| be any, which is not yet certain, are to be de-
voted to charitable purposes Mr.. Gilmore
first proposed the festival to certain persons in
| New York. They discouraged him, and wise
| ly, for in New York it would have been an
| entire failure. But certain Boston gentlemen,
prominent in all such good works, took it up,
and made themselves responsible for the ex-
penses, and behold the result Every one of
the New England States, and several of the
more distant COmmonwealths of the Union,
send their representatives to the volunteer
chorus, and nearly all the United States has
delegates among the paid musicians of the or
chestra The chorus numbers, on paper, be-
tween 10000 and 0,200; probably 200 or 300
of these are absent at each performance 1.-THE
Star Spanged Banner" to day, was performed
by few less than 10000 singers and an or
chestra of $50 instruments, beside the organ.
That is the largest gathering of musicians thus
far obtained. Several brass bands are expect
ed in addition, but they have not yet come
Out of this grand archestra of $50 is picked
a " select orchestra" which accompanies the
oratarlO choruses, and plays all the more scien-
tifc music. 1t consists in reality Of about 450
musicians, and exhausts the best material of
the United States.
There is an immense space to be filled with
sound, and the carrying power of different in
, struments is unequal. In the TGnnhduSer
, overture for example, there was an apparent
deficiency of reeds, and in all the selections the
| bass outweighed the other parts so much SC
that at times the treble seemed to be little else
than distant hum of bees. TdnnhduSer, to
I be sure, was an unfortunate selection for such
place. because the relations of the different
I kinds of instruments strings, and brass
! toward each other, are so delicate and sc
3 much of the effect depends upon nice shading
The overture to WitIiGn Tell and the march
e from The Prophet were better, but l have
!. heard them many time at home when they
/ produced a much grander effect, and when Ger
a tainly they were more carefully played. In The
Y march all the 900 instruments were brough
J. together.
!. The fact is, the Jubilee does not make sucf
r an awful noise after all. The big drum has
noble aspect, but | could not hear its voice
: The artillery, to people inside the building
i seems to go off, not with roar, but a clap
d The Anvil Chorus, even with the aid of on
hundred members of the Fire Department,
a came to less than | expected. In that vast ha
n the ring of hundred anvis sounded like rat
,s tie of small hammers, especially as the gallan
" fireman did not strike all together. Some Q
T. the music, however, as remarked in my dis
+. patch last night, was admirably done, namely
10 the choral, the Hymn of Peace" and tn
" Infammatus" What a wonderful wOma
9. Parepa is! Her great voice scared above a
re- the hubbub and uproar, like the voice OF a
in angel She sang, besides the LrttGmmdt'H
a. the Ave Maria of Bach and Gounod, accompa
n. MED by the organ and 200 violins. 80 muc
ST for the artistic result of the first day. Wha
al ever we may think of it, there can be no dout
in that MIR. Gilmore has hit the popular fancy
of When he stands in the front OF the orchestl
e. directing his big pieces, calling out all the bras
~ and ,he drums, the cannon and the bells, throw
on inc his arms right and left, and up and dow
ne oesticulating with his legs, jumping straight U
liz into the air, the audience become as frantic
on the conductor. They shout, hurrah, wave ha