“I told them to wait and see,” said Gilmore, “and when I stood before
that orchestra and that vast chorus, on my twenty-foot elevated stand,
with my ten-foot baton in my hand, and began the opening overture with
one grand harmony over the great coliseum, my triumph was complete.
Major Pond, I would not have exchanged places with the greatest monarch
living.” What a triumph!
THE WORLD’S PEACE JUBILEE IN BOSTON IN 1872.
P. S. GILMORE, Director.
Chorus: 10,000. Orchestra: 1,000.
Orchestra leaders: Carl Zarrhan, Johann Strauss, and Dr.
Tourjie.
Pianist: Dr. Von Buelow.
Soloists: Mme. Peschka Leutiner, Mme. Rudersdorff, and Miss
Adelaide Phillips.
National bands: English, German, French, Italian, Russian,
Irish, and American (the Marine Band, of
Washington, D. C.).
In 1873 Mr. Gilmore went to New York with his band, which became the
Twenty-second Regiment Band of that city. He remained its leader up to
the time of his death and made annual concert tours all over the
country. It was my privilege to conduct several of these tours; in fact,
I was his sole agent for booking his concerts until I was outbid by Mr.
Blakely, who toured the band the four last years they were on the road.
Gilmore’s Band, always one hundred strong, was at the head of all great
public parades. Its appearance along the line of march was the signal
for great outbursts of applause. Gilmore conceived the greatest and most
popular schemes for hitting the music-loving as well as the patriotic
masses. He was not a business man in the sense of loving to acquire
money. In fact, he cared very little for money, but much for the fame of
his band. He was a hard worker, and never left a rehearsal until
everything was right. His musicians loved him and everybody respected
him.
Once he and I were walking together down Broadway and were speaking of
Parnell, who was then in New York and booked to speak in the Academy of
Music in Brooklyn that evening. Mr. Beecher was to speak there also.
Gilmore said to me:
“Major, do you know Mr. Beecher real well; I mean well enough to ask a
favor? I want to get a seat on the stage to-night to hear him and
Parnell, and it’s too late to think of securing a ticket.”
“Do I _know_ him?” I said.
Just then I saw Mr. Beecher coming up Broadway toward us. Our eyes met,
but each pretended not to see the other, and we came together co-chunk!
We squared off at each other, and so stood a few seconds, to the
surprise of passers-by. Then came Mr. Beecher’s laugh of recognition,
and I said:
“Mr. Beecher, to my surprise, _this man_, P. S. Gilmore, says he never
met you and asks if I know you well enough to introduce him to you.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account