Evening journal., 1912-08-02
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Band Concerts That
Weakened Civil War
AnimOSitieS
By Holland

Patrick Sarsfeld Gilmore, who
gained national reputation at the
time of the civil war. not only by his
martial music, but also by the bril-
liant manner in which he made band
music an accessory of military dis
cipline and maneuvering, greatly in
creased his fame by his organization
Of the gigantic peace jubilee. That
was musical entertainment, the
greatest the world had ever seen Or
heard. It was held in Boston in June
1869. The chorus Was numbered by
the thousands The orchestra was
more than a thousand in number.
There we're many military bands
combined and great diapason was
sounded by the discharge of a hun
dred cannon by electricity during
some OF the chorus performances.
There are very few persons who
know to what the inception of the
peace jubilee plan was really due" )"
said the great bandmaster to me in
the summer Of 1883 when he was
conducting band concerts at one Of
the fashionable hotels on Coney Is
land. "At the time it was commonly
though that the suggestion had been
made to me by patriotic citizens Of
Boston that I work up a sort of
monster concert I'm celebration of the
return of peace and that, after / had
been assured that money enough
would be provided TO meet expenses,
/ went on developing the idea until
at last ! had perfected the plans for
the great jubilee
II never took the trouble TO deny
this report I was, in fact, to busy.
But the truth is. the idea occurred
to me seven years earlier. when / was
at New Orleans with my band, which
served under the command of Gener-
al n. p. Banks.
"The great war governor OF Mas
sachusetts, John A. Andrew, commits
stoned me to organize band to be
attached to the Massachusetts troops
which served under General Banks in
Louisiana After our arrival in New
CLEANS / began to give band concerts
whenever the military conditions per
mitted that 10 be done. And do you
first thing that served to bring the
citizens OF New Orleans into a more
happy condition of mind than they
had been in since General Butler had
occupied the city My first inkling of
this was when l noticed a great many
children at the concert and was told
that they were children of Confeder-
ate families they were very happy.
They seemed to enjoy the music.
"One afternoon just after the daily
concert was finished the idea occur
red TO me that it would be good
plan to organize a great musical fes-
tival I thought it would serve
good social purpose; that It would
tend to alleviate some of the friction
which the capture OF New Orleans
and its occupancy by Union troops
had caused.
Il had no sooner suggested the idea
than it was cordially welcomed
got word to various families in New
Orleans that I would be very glad to
train the children in choral singing.
To my delight, the idea was we'll re-
ceived. did train those children
several. thousands of them. I also
drilled some OF the good singers who
were in the Union army.
AT last I had as fine collection
of young singers as was ever brought
together. They sang from their
hearts. and it didn't seem TO make
much difference what they sang.
taught them to sing Union songs and
some Of the Confederate songs.
1.-The result was that I had real
iubilee--thousand OF persons came TO
the concert. which was given IN a
very large and convenient building
and they listened enraptured to the
songs and the music Of the combined
military bands and the booming ol
the cannon that emphasized more
strongly the musical rhythm. II was
a memorable festival, and almost i'm.
mediately the effect Of it was notice.
able. II served to weaken animos
tiles II tended to show that after
all we were. North and South, com
mon people.
After the war was ended I wen
back to Boston, my home at that time
with the germ of the idea of the grea
/ peace jubilee in my mind a germ
which was wholly due TO the success
Of the Jubilee in New Orleans in 1854
After 7 had my plans fairly wei
worked out I laid the mater before I
few leading citizens of Boston. Th'
result was that we had the grea
peace jubilee Of 1859"
Copyright. 1912, by f. ]. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell q
THE Republican Orator Who Had
] Copfadprafc Cuard of Hono-n