New-York tribune., 1872-06-21
WHAT THE JUBILEE HAS DONE.

THE TEMPER OF BosTON-THE MUSICAL RESULTS
OF THE FESTIVAL.
FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRiBuSEI
BosroN, June 2O.-The popular Judgment of
the Jubilee of 1872 is something very different from the
fierce and furious enthusiasm which ragged during Nj.
Gmores first great festival IN 1863. Then every
Boston, with the exception OF John $. Dwight, who for
his heresy was declared Infamous and nearly banished
the city firmly believed that the Coliseum concentrated
more music, beauty, grandeur and more en-
terprise than tile world had before since the
beginning OF time The maguideence Of solomOns Tenn
pie to be forgotten new era vas 70 dawn IN art
and America was to be benceorth the eh ef amos the
nations not only in the manufacture OF reaping ma
Chimes printing presses and soda water but the cult
walton Of harmony and the construction Of bass drums
How the faithful Of Boston an those days fell upon the
skeptical and tore them tooth and na What diabolica
dances OF mad delight they danced imagination upon
PROSTATE NewYork, which had no Jubilee, Gilmore,
no big organ no Eben Tourjee, Its anvil
chorus, no bells for It's Hail Columbia. What howls
OF hopeless envy they fancied they could hear
issuing from the shores OF the East River
and the Hudson when the noise OF the great
festival penetrated, they IL would pene-
trate TO the Empire CITY, But all this is changed now
I have met many six or seven Boston people, OF
respectable position In society who have not been TO
the new Jubilee at all and do not mean 10 IL il
longer a disgrace not to have the Coliseum. There
ia no longer danger in criticisng the performance
Many Boston critics have actually questioned print
the artistic value OF the huge exercises and have wed
with NewYok correspondents in pointing ont the faults
Of the chorus aud the bunGering OF the Coliseum
organ This is encouraging. When the lives OF few
more NewYOTk critics have been sacrificed TO appease
the wrath OF The EUening Tea C0dd even Boston per
haps will learn to rate Jubees at their true value and
permit a stranger TO tell the truth about them
moested.
That they have great, and in respects. good
ttlar euIftv uofun
TRIBUNE has always declared The gathering together
of seventeen thousand singers from the most remote
parts Of the United states is great fact
which presupposes extraordinary musical
thusiasm and long musical study. More than
twothirds Of the societies represented here to-day
are the outgrOwth OF the Jubilee OF 1892 ana that they
have worked diligently since their organization is
proved by their being able slug at ali under such
tiitions as here surround them. Nothing hut the
pectation OF a great festival like this would have
inspired them with such industry, and taking 10 for
granted that the art which they have thus acquired 10
be used hereafter ia legitimate ways. NAV
freely confess that Mr. Gilmore has done great work.
But let Us not make the mistake of overvalung the
Jubilee for itself alone II has produced no music that
ia really the best of ts Kind except the playing OF the
foreign military bands IT, orchestra embracing thou
sand and performers is far inferior to the band OF
sixty which plays az the Central Park Garden n New
York or TO the orchestras OF Harvard symphony
certs and the New York Philharmonic IT, slsIn-bang
music, with and bell ringing only serves To okle
the of the gToundngs. iis chorus OF seventeen
thousand Is absurdy ineffective In comparison with it.
size. u Is the greatest mistake 10 -uppose that the
grandeur OF chorus increases With It's numbers.
There limit beyond which the multiplication
OF voices cannot gc without injury 70 the general
result. We that tlfee years We see II siill
clearly now. The hrst sensation OF stranger H
hearing this chorus Is a-tonshment that IL makes
little noise. IL is hard believe that people
are really singing Most ~ the sound 90 b. dr..
fused through the spaces ~ the Coliseum aud prac
tcay lost some enthusiastic listeners profess 10 dad
IN the mngling OF 20 many voices peculiarly massive
effect which ia much more impressive than mere lOms.
not been able L. perceive II,
the grand and awful beauty which some have noticed
particularly IN the softer passages uttered by this
mighty multitude. To when the chorus sings softly
10 only as II majority OF the singers had closed
their mouths altogether Richer grander. massive
imposing, and OF beautiful Effects can
De produced by thousand voices In appropriate halt
than by twenty thousand In shed quarter Of mile IN
circumference and Boston IS beginning 10 admit
this important ruth. u. q Il