“Dear Sister, ... Pray (as old Polonious says) when you ‘was young and in love,’ did you approve of serenading? It is extremely in vogue here now. The manner is as follows: We, with four or five young officers of the regiment in barracks, drink as hard as we can, to keep out the cold, and about midnight sally forth, attended by the _band_, which consists of ten musicians, horns, clarinets, hautboys, and bassoons, march through the streets, and play under the window of any lady you choose to distinguish; which they esteem a high compliment. In about an hour all the blackguards who sleep upon the bulks, with gentlemen of a certain profession who sweeten the streets at night, are collected round, drawn by that charm which soothes a savage breast, and altogether make it extremely agreeable in a fine frosty morning.”[171] In this letter are mentioned clarinets and bassoons, instruments possibly not common in Philadelphia. The band probably belonged to the regiment of which the writer was a member, and was very small compared to the regimental bands of to-day. That there could not have been many professional musicians in Philadelphia is shown by a notice concerning the Southwark Theatre in 1769: “The Orchestra on Opera Nights, will be assisted by some musical Persons, who as they have no View, but to contribute to the Entertainment of the Public, certainly claim a Protection from any Manner of Insult.”[172] Evidently at this early period people were beginning to be critical, and, as the orchestra did not come up to their expectations, they did not hesitate to show their resentment. It has been said that no concerts are to be traced in Philadelphia in 1766 and 1767.[173] In 1767 however, Mr. Garner, a teacher of psalmody advertises four charity concerts,[174] upon which a little light is thrown by the following notices given by Mr. Garner concerning one of these concerts: “The vocal parts by Mr. Wools, Miss Wainwright, and Miss Hallam. The greatest care shall be taken to render the entertainment pleasing and satisfactory.”[175] The program not being in existence, we cannot say with a surety what character it assumed. It may have been partly of a sacred character, but it is also likely, since the three singers mentioned belonged to the theatre, that the program had at least a semi-worldly tinge. In 1767 arrived in Philadelphia an Italian, John Gualdo, who exercised, for a few years, a great influence upon the musical taste of the people. His choice of music was not limited to compositions of Italian masters, nor to his own compositions, since one of his advertisements states, that the instrumental music is “by Messieurs Geminiani, Barbella, Campioni, Zanetti, Pellegrino, Abel, Bach, Gualdo, the Earl of Kelley, and others.”[176] Sonneck dates Gualdo’s first concert Nov. 16, 1769,[177] but according to the following advertisement it would seem to have taken place a month earlier: “TO THE PUBLIC: