Serenade to Anton Rubinstein

"Last night the Philharmonicals serenaded the illustrious Rubinstein who arrived by the Cuba, Wednesday. We met at eleven at a very beery & smoky lager shop in E. 14^th St. & proceeded thence to the Clarendon. Was introduced to the great man—a long-haired Kalmuck, who looked as if he belonged to the Conservatoire of Pobolsk or Nizhni-Novgorod. But his expression & manner are kindly. He has a good brow. He speaks English quite well. I made him a remarkably brief allocution of welcome (as president), which was graciously received, & answered simply & cordially. There were also some ladies, who are to assist at his concerts I believe, & to whom I was presented. But their English was badly broken, & my German in a state of perfectly comminuted fracture, so the impressions left by our colloquy were vague. Our orchestra was quite full, & did a brazen overture of Wagner’s—Meyerbeer’s Fackeltanz, and the Andante of the C minor symphony. A great crowd gathered in 4^th Ave.—dodged an invitation to supper with the maestro, & got home very late indeed. Heaven be praised for that Andante!"

A compliment previously conferred only on Jenny Lind.