Music and manners; personal reminiscences and sketches of character

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

350-353

text excerpt

Amongst the musical audiences of Berlin is one which I believe to be, of its kind, unique in Europe, probably in the world. It is exclusively composed of Prussian officers, and frequents the concerts given during the winter season by a full orchestra of guardsmen, every member of which bears his Prussian Majesty's commission. Shortly after the conclusion of the Franco-German war I attended one of these entertainments at the Guard Artillery Barracks, which are situated in a melancholy district, unpenetrated by any of the frequented thorough-fares that are household words to an habitué of the Northern Kaiserstadt — a sort of debateable land, called "Am Kupfergraben," or "By the Copper Ditch,"...The particular festivity to which I had the honour of being invited was held in celebration of the twenty-first anniversary of the society's birthday, and was characterised by the utmost jollity and good-fellowship. The first part of the entertainment was altogether musical, and consisted of orchestral and solo performances by members of the Union. The programme opened with an "occasional" overture by Kalliwoda, correctly and spiritedly rendered; another of the '' numbers " was Mendelssohn's Grand Concerto (pianoforte and orchestra) in G minor; and a third was the slow movement of a quaint old concerto by Haydn, redolent of pulvilio, and suggesting, at every bar, bag-wigs, clouded canes, knee-breeches and silk stockings. A Saxon artillerist sang the great tenor song out of Freischütz and a Blue hussar — who figured very creditably in the orchestra amongst the first violins — warbled a sentimental ditty, with cello obbligato by the regimental doctor, to everybody's unbounded gratification.

excerpt from 'Music and manners; personal reminiscences and sketches of character' pp. 350-353 (267 words)

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