Nixon's Fete Champetre: James M. Nixon benefit

“The liberality with which Mr. Nixon has conducted his summer entertainments, and the excellent capacity he has shown in the direction of his establishment, have prompted a number of his friends to offer him a Complimentary Benefit. This is a case where such an attention may be most properly bestowed. The manager who provides a course of public amusement so continuously satisfactory, is the right one to receive a direct recognition of this kind. … All the resources of the Garden, the Music Hall, and the Circus, are to be invoked to give it additional importance. Of Mr. Nixon’s prospective opera season we are able to say but little in addition to that which is already known. Something depends upon the aspect of national affairs. There is every probability that it will open at the close of this, or early next, month; that two of the operas will be ‘The Puritans’ and ‘Martha;’ and that the choral, orchestral, and choreographic effects will surpass any that have before been seen at the Academy. It is whispered that an entirely new opera, by a composer whose name is not unknown to the New-York public, may be produced during the season. Ameteurs [sic] must not, however, be over sanguine. Army disasters, should any such occur, might nip the undertaking in the bud.”

“Kopp’s Grand Military Brass Band. Grand Promenade through the Garden. This band will be strengthened by the addition of several excellent performers, who will, during the evening, promenade through the gardens, marching through its different avenues, discoursing most eloquent music; thus making every part of the establishment attractive to all, particularly to those who prefer to while away a few hours beneath the branches of the overhanging trees, or sit quaffing their Havana beside the Gushing Fountains.”

“So long as the weather remains warm enough, Mr. Nixon will continue his present scheme of entertainment at Cremorne Garden. . . . [After the concert] adjournment takes place for out-door promenade, ice cream, sherbet, cigars and more delicious music from Signor Muzio and band, after a sufficient interval of which, comes the circus and a seasonable hour for going home. . . . [Cubas] has recovered from her late indisposition and is as dazzling and bewildering as ever.”

Times, prices, performers, etc. “[C]omposed expressly for this occasion, new Waltz and a Grand Galop by Muzio.”

“The Garden and the Music Hall are to be lavishly decorated, and an exceedingly full and varied order of entertainment has been arranged for the occasion.”

Times, prices, performers, etc. “[C]omposed expressly for this occasion a new Waltz and a Grand Galop by Muzio.”

“In consequence of the great crowd at the garden on Monday evening, the same bill will be repeated THIS (Tuesday) EVENING, and the Chinese Lantern Fete will be repeated EVERY EVENING during the week.”

“What is the matter with the Italian artists? Hardly a concert nowadays--not to speak of operas, when they are in season--but abounds in those minor deviations which the general public, half unconscious and wholly indifferent, takes no note of, but which to the musician are an endless trial and vexation. The performance of last Monday evening at Nixon’s Palace of Music, which, considering the occasion, ought to have been specially free from blemish, was conspicuous for its offenses against artistic accuracy and taste--offenses unimpartant, possibly, in detail, but which, when repeated so often as to become the rule instead of the exception of an evening, should not be overlooked. The overture, ‘Masaniello,’ was only saved from chaos, at the opening of the allegro, by the inattention of the musicians to the conductor’s stick. Had they followed his movements for the first few bars, there would have been a musical emente [?] rivaling the political mess of the Neapolitan fisherman. Mr. Susini, both in the air from ‘Lucretia’ and that from ‘The Somnambulist,’ made flagrant mistakes of time.  He led the orchestra by half a measure in two instances, a fault which under less lucky circumstances might have caused great confusion, since thirty musicians in an orchestra cannot possibly accommodate themselves to the accidents of a single singer. Mr. Muzio’s piano-forte accompaniment to one of Madame Strakosch’s ballads was so bad that it was a relief when he got entangled with the pages, and could not play at all.  We will not mention how often some of the artists sang out of tune, since that is a misfortune sometimes beyond the control of the singer, although scrupulous care might always modify it. We should remark that on the occasion in question, Miss Patti was eminent for the grace and precision of her performance.  If not one of her faultless nights – such as sometimes astonish even her admirers – it was at least one in which she approached nearly enough to her own standard of excellence to make the shortcomings of which we have spoken doubly prominent.”