Central Park Band Concert

Program.

Weather permitting.

“The concert was a grand success, and, as usual, elicited the hearty applause of the immense audience.”

“Music at the Park.  There was the customary large attendance at the open air concert on Saturday, perhaps more persons on foot being present than at any previous similar occasion this Summer. The programme was very judiciously selected, and was performed with much spirit, and but very few blemishes. The fine overture to ‘Semiramide,’ by Rossini, very rarely attempted by military bands in this country, was taken up with great accuracy, and played throughout in a very skillful and satisfactory manner. The only other overture on the programme was Donizetti’s ‘Fille du Regiment,’ also given with much taste. We cannot dismiss our reference to the weekly gathering at the Park without a word of allusion to the man with the family umbrella, who is a regular attendant, getting as close to the musicians’ stand as the ropes will allow, and then hoisting his rain apparatus—no matter whether he happens to be in the shade or the sun—literally spreading himself for the whole concert, totally regardless of the rights of those behind him, of whom probably one hundred or more are weekly deprived of a sight at the performers (many of whom are good looking men), as well as being in imminent danger of having their eyes, ears or other organs dangerously interfered with by the projections around the rim of the aforementioned ‘umbrill.’ The gentlemen (!) who get into the crowd and indulge in cigars, were also out in tolerable force on Saturday; but to some persons this  infringement of good manners is not unwelcome, in view of the manifold other odors which are apt to be met with in large and miscellaneous gatherings. The Saturday open-air concerts will be continued weekly for the present, and probably during the coming month the attendance will show a large augmentation over that of all former days.”