Central Park Band Concert

“Mr. Dodworth’s Saturday concerts in the Park are fast drawing to a close, and in a few weeks more the Temple of Music, from which spoke the oracles of the French, German and Italian schools will be silent and deserted. In these concerts, Mr. Dodworth has accomplished much good and benefited art considerably. While his programmes have always contained pieces suitable for the miscellaneous audiences that crowd to the Park on a Saturday afternoon—light, pleasing, salon pieces, still he managed from time to time to introduce a fragment of a symphony, or other classical work, thereby preparing his hearers for the concert hall and symphony soiree in the winter season. Of course those classical selections were never intended by him to be given with all the coloring and power that the composer demands, for in an open air concert, and with a band alone, this would be an impossibility; still if he succeeds in even giving an idea of those mighty works, and inspiring his hearers with a desire to hear them rendered in the symphony soiree, he has accomplished a great deal. Suppose in those concerts, amid the mass of waltzes, polkas, marches and national potpourris, he occasionally interlards a movement from a symphony, there may be a few more disciples won over to the classical school, and as pieces often become popular by being constantly brought before the public, Beethoven, Mozart, and Meyerbeer may thus become the favorites of the masses as well as they are of all musicians. Without such an explanation, the attempt to give a classical piece with a military band of thirty-eight performers would be preposterous. No other band in New York but Mr. Dodworth’s could succeed as well in those works. Next summer the concerts will be got up in a more extensive manner, and the number of musicians will probably be doubled. Then there can be more color and warmth infused into selections from the great masters, and music will gain thereby thousands of votaries. The summer of 1867 will inaugurate a new era in music. Besides the Park concerts, Theodore Thomas will revive the Terrace Garden entertainments on a grander scale than before. The garden will be splendidly fitted up by Mr. John Koch, who will make a trip to Paris next spring with Mr. Thomas to arrange for the garden concerts. On the banks of the North river, near the proposed grand entrance to the Park, there will be grand orchestral concerts given in the new Garden of Art, which, when completed, will be one of the chief attractions of the metropolis. Thus the people who stay in the city during the summer can have a choice of three different sources of recreation, enjoyment and amusement, at any of which they may be assured of hearing good music.”

Includes the program. “The Park Commissioners announce that if the weather is fine there will be music on the Mall at the Park to-day, commencing at three o’clock P.M., by the Park Band, under the leadership of H.B. Dodworth.”

Lists program.