Musical and Literary Entertainment in Aid of the Ladies’ Home for Sick and Wounded Soldiers

Event Information

Venue(s):
Academy of Music

Conductor(s):
Claudio Solomon Grafulla

Price: $1

Event Type:
Band, Choral

Performance Forces:
Instrumental, Vocal

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
8 October 2016

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

15 Dec 1863, 7:30 PM

Program Details

Muzio and Abella served as accompanists.

Performers and/or Works Performed

1)
LIST OF PERFORMER(S)/ORGANIZATION(S)
Participants:  Arion Männergesangverein;  Seventh Regiment Band;  Frank Gilder;  Heinrich Steinecke;  Theodore Habelmann;  Lucy Simons;  Jennie Kempton;  Emanuele Muzio;  Amalia Patti Strakosch;  Sophie Mozart;  Pedro de Abella;  Sebastian Bach Mills;  Virginia Lorini Whiting;  Eugénie de Lussan
2)
Ernani, "Ernani, Ernani, involami"
Composer(s): Verdi
Participants:  Virginia Lorini Whiting
3)
Puritani, I, "Son vergin vezzosa"
aka "Bridal Song"; Polacca
Composer(s): Bellini
Participants:  Virginia Lorini Whiting
4)
"Rataplan," unidentified
Participants:  Amalia Patti Strakosch
5)
Foreign and patriotic arias, unidentified
Participants:  Lucy Simons;  Sophie Mozart;  Jennie Kempton;  Eugénie de Lussan
6)
"Wanderer, Der," op. 13
Composer(s): Fesca
Participants:  Theodore Habelmann
7)
German ballad, unidentified
Participants:  Heinrich Steinecke
8)
Mazurka, unidentified
Composer(s): Unknown composer
Participants:  Sebastian Bach Mills;  Frank Gilder
9)
Galop, unidentified
Participants:  Sebastian Bach Mills;  Frank Gilder
10)
Tarantella
Composer(s): Unidentified
Participants:  Sebastian Bach Mills;  Frank Gilder
11)
"Cavalier’s song, The"
Composer(s): Liszt
Participants:  Arion Männergesangverein
12)
Guillaume Tell, overture
aka Guglielmo Tell; William Tell; Introduction
Composer(s): Rossini
Participants:  Seventh Regiment Band
13)
Pardon de Ploërmel, Le, polka redowa
Composer(s): Meyerbeer
Participants:  Seventh Regiment Band

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 09 December 1863.
“Grand musical and literary soiree for the benefit of the relief fund of the Ladies’ home for sick and wounded soldiers.”  De Cordova’s poem is entitled “The Soldier” and was expressedly composed for the occasion.  All performers “have generously volunteered their services.”

2)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 09 December 1863, 7.
“Grand musical and literary soiree for the benefit of the relief fund of the Ladies’ home for sick and wounded soldiers.  Corner Lexington-Av. and 51st-St.”


3)
Announcement: New York Herald, 11 December 1863.
List of performers.
4)
Announcement: New York Post, 14 December 1863, 2.
 “The programme includes a concert . . . a new poem by Mr. De Cordova . . . with orchestral music by Grafulla’s Seventh Regiment Band.”
5)
Announcement: New York Herald, 15 December 1863.
 “[I]n aid of the Ladies’ Home for sick and wounded soldiers.”

6)
Announcement: New York Post, 15 December 1863, 2.
The “patriotic entertainment . . . will not be forgotten by the friends of the Sanitary Commission and our soldiers.”

7)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 15 December 1863, 7.


8)
Review: New York Herald, 16 December 1863, 6.
“When the ladies undertake anything in earnest they generally succeed. This fact was [illeg.] last night, upon the occasion of the concert gotten up to procure funds in aid of the ‘Ladies Home for Sick and Wounded Soldiers.’ The Academy of Music was jammed from parquet to dome. We have seldom seen the house present a more brilliant appearance. We were not astonished to see the crowds. We expected a jam. The ladies sold the tickets. Added to the fact that the entertainment was of a charitable nature, there were immense additional attractions. A great number of popular artists had volunteered their services for this occasion, and, as the only return they could expect was the [illeg.] of the audience, we take pleasure in stating that one and all were warmly and deservedly applauded.
 
Mme. Virginia Lorini sang the cavatina from ‘Ernani,’ ‘Ernani Involami,’ and the aria, ‘Son Virgine vezzosa,’ from ‘Il Puritani,’ [sic] with immense success. We have seldom heard this artiste to greater advantage. She was in excellent voice, and executed her morceaux [?] admirably. Storms of applause greeted her efforts. We must say that we envy the Habaneras, who have engaged this favorite prima donna for the season. Mme. Lorini will undoubtedly add, during her engagement at the [illeg.], the prestige gained by American talent abroad.
 
Mme. Strakosch sang very successfully the ‘Rataplan.’ She received much applause. Mme. De Lussan, Miss Lucy Simons, Mrs. Jenny Kempton and Mrs. Mozart sang arias, foreign and patriotic, and received warm tokens of the approval of the public.
 
Herr Habelmann, the favorite tenor of Mr. Anschutz’s troupe of German artists, sang very sweetly a ballad, ‘Der Wanderer,’ by Feska [sic]. Herr Steinecke also sang a German ballad. Both artists were loudly applauded.
 
Messrs. S.B. Mills and Frank Gilder executed upon the piano mazurkas, galop [sic] and tarantella with their well known skill.
 
The Arion Vocal Society sang with admirable ensemble and effect ‘The Cavaliers’ Song,’ by Liszt. This effort was greatly applauded. We must not omit a word of praise as regards the orchestra, which executed so successfully the overture from Rossini’s ‘Guillaume Tell,’ and the brilliant polka redowa from Meyerbeer’s ‘Pardon de Ploermel.’
 
During the first and second parts of the concert Mr. de Cordova recited in his most happy style a new poem, written expressly for the occasion, entitled ‘The Soldier.’ This was certainly one of the most interesting portions of the entertainment. Mr. de Cordova was much applauded.
 
Much praise is due to Messrs. Abella and Muzio for their efficient accompaniment of the artists, as well as to Mr. Grafulla, who conducted the Seventh regiment Band [sic].”
9)
Review: New-York Times, 21 December 1863, 4.

No mention of music. “The grand musical and literary entertainment in aid of the Relief Fund of the Ladies’ Home for Sick and Wounded Soldiers, which took place on Tuesday last, at the Academy of music, was, in every respect, a great success. One of the principal attractions of the occasion was a new poem by Mr. de Cordova, entitled the ‘Soldier,’ a graphic and affecting narrative of patriotic life, which touched all hearts, and elicited unbounded applause.”

10)
Review: Dwight's Journal of Music, 26 December 1863, 158.

Brief mention about New Yorkers' generosity as part of opera announcement.

“New York, with all its sins of extravagance and excess, never was more liberal than at the present time in its contributions to objects of mercy and charity. The Academy on the occasion of a patriotic entertainment for the benefit of the Soldier’s Home, on Tuesday evening last, was crowded to excess at an admittance fee of one dollar, and an innumerable number of similar entertainments have received the same generous patronage from the public.”

11)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 01 January 1864, 7.
Statement of Finances for the concert. The tickets brought in $3,907.50, expenses were $1,291.21, leaving $2,616.29 for the benefit.