Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-07-27
"The Fourth - in London.

M. d. Conway in recent letter from Lon
don writes of an International English and
American Festival Concert given at the
Royal Albert hall on the evening Of the
Fourth. Parts were taken by Sir Julius
Benedict, Mr.. Barnett, Antoinette Sterling,
Mrs. Osgood, Henrietta Beebe of New York,
Madame Lemmens Sherington and other
fine singers. Mr.. William Carter's admira-
BILE choir sang the choruses. Her majesty's
Grenadier Guards band assisted in the mill
tary airs, other accomplishments being on
the organ and piano. The stage was deco
rated with plants and flowers. The English
and American elements were apparently
about equal in the audience. The perform
ance Of the Star-spangled Banner is thus
described; "The Royal Grenadiers' band
performed selections of English and Amer
lean melodies. Home, Sweet Home" and
Yankee Doodle" waltzed together. The
English faces appeared to me puzzled and
serious while Yankee Doodle was going
on. And now came the piece of the even
ing. "The Star-spangled Banner" The
copyist had left out the second verse, no
doubt only for brevity, and one or two
changes had been made in the other verses.
The word dire !" had been substituted for
foul" in the line " Their blood has washed
out their foul footsteps polution;" and for
{" For our cause it is just" was written
"When our cause is just" The latter
change looked like a sacrifice of meter to
English susceptibilities. 1t must be adj
mitted that it was rather delicate matter
to invite her Majestys Grenadiers' band to
accompany triumphal melodies about the
band, that so vauntingly swore," and about
"the hireling and slave" that "no refuge
could save" and some small softenings of
the two phrases may be pardoned under the
circumstances. But these mitigations oc-
CURED only in the printed book of the con-
cert. Mrs. Osgood ignored them. That
American lady who in her petite, almost
childlike form, carries enough love of her
country to supply several eagles did not
once look at the book She sang the great
hymn as it was written on her heart, and she
sang it like seraph. 1t may be in part the
estimate of an ear long starving for just
that song, but not altogether that, when l
say that Mrs. Osgood's singing of that piece
was miracle of art. 1t was as if She too,
like some of the rest of us, had been long
ing for an opportunity. 1t does not happen
to an American artist every day-perhaps it
never happened to one before-to sing our
national hymn in Great Britain in its grand
est hall. She scared up on " the land of the
free AWAY up, as it were, in the blue
and held on up there as if she would never
come down again. The audience was fairly
stirred. Some rose up in the STALLS and one
man lifted his wide-awake high up on his
cane. This was signal for tremendous
encore. The singer came out and sang the
last verse again-better than before. II was
not the Americans only who were delighted.
Numbers of English people present were ev-
identity charmed by the performance of this
piece. 1t was, of course, the gem of the
evening, though Antoinette Sterling sang
twice with her usual felicity, one of her
songs being "The Old Folks at Home"
Miss Mary Cummings also sang " Hail, Co
lumbia," assisted by the military band and
choir, the effect in the vast hall being fine
and even impressive. The unique concert
closed with "God Save the Queen" though
many turned it mentally into a prayer for
the president But it sounded heavy after
the wild melody of the Star-spangled Ban
ner," and after the pathetic lines of Key,
how ridiculous such lines as:
o Lord our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies (mise),
And make them fall.
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On thee our hope we fix, etc.
1t is like something from Punch. If any
American wishes to appreciate his own ma
tional anthem, let him lose no opportunity
of hearing it in foreign land, and if posi-
BILE along with that of England.