CANCELLED – Sacred Concert

     “There will be an orchestra of thirty-five performers, a double glee club (whatever that may mean,) and a male quartette.”

     “On Sunday night the Fifth Avenue Opera House was crowded in consequence of advertisements and bills stating that a grand sacred concert, with distinguished musicians, single and double glee clubs, grand orchestra of thirty-five solo artists, all [illeg.] was to come off under the direction of W. Florence, Jr. When the appointed hour arrived Mr. Florence could not be found, nor were the musicians paid. Accordingly, there was no performance, and the audience was astonished to see violins, violoncellos and double basses disappearing down the stairs of the Opera House instead of being on the stage.  Considerable commotion, approaching almost to a row, was the consequence.  Thinking themselves victims to a “sell,” many irate persons congregated around the ticket office and vented their indignation on an unlucky individual they found there. Threats were used against the alleged defaulter, Florence, and the money paid at the ticket office was demanded back in no very gentle terms. The aforesaid individual occupied for some time the unenviable position of being a centre of attraction or rather a target for the entire assemblage. He protested in vain that he knew nothing of Mr. Florence’s financial matters, but he was pinned up in a corner by a few irascible Teutons, who in the sonorous language of the fatherland, intimated to him the possibility of their instituting a Lynch tribunal on the affair. As this was not on the stated programme for the evening, he vociferously objected to any such trial and assured them he had no part in the alleged swindle. After some time the excitement quieted down and the audience departed without hearing any of the single or double clubs, thirty solo artists, or other musical attractions.”

      “On Sunday night the Fifth Avenue Opera House was crowded in consequence of advertisements and bills stating that a grand sacred concert, with distinguished musicians, single and double glee clubs, grand orchestra of thirty-five solo artists, all [illeg.] was to come off under the direction of W. Florence, Jr. When the appointed hour arrived Mr. Florence could not be found, nor were the musicians paid. Accordingly, there was no performance, and the audience was astonished to see violins, violoncellos and double basses disappearing down the stairs of the Opera House instead of being on the stage.  Considerable commotion, approaching almost to a row, was the consequence.  Thinking themselves victims to a “sell,” many irate persons congregated around the ticket office and vented their indignation on an unlucky individual they found there. Threats were used against the alleged defaulter, Florence, and the money paid at the ticket office was demanded back in no very gentle terms. The aforesaid individual occupied for some time the unenviable position of being a centre of attraction or rather a target for the entire assemblage. He protested in vain that he knew nothing of Mr. Florence’s financial matters, but he was pinned up in a corner by a few irascible Teutons, who in the sonorous language of the fatherland, intimated to him the possibility of their instituting a Lynch tribunal on the affair. As this was not on the stated programme for the evening, he vociferously objected to any such trial and assured them he had no part in the alleged swindle. After some time the excitement quieted down and the audience departed without hearing any of the single or double clubs, thirty solo artists, or other musical attractions.”