3-043-883 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Musical Festival at Boston [Massachusetts]: band of the Grenadier Guards playing "The Star-Spangled Banner", 1872. Festival '...held in a very large temporary building, styled the Coliseum, which cost £50,000 in construction, extending over five acres of ground. The building was put up in six weeks. There was room for an audience of 70,000 persons, with a chorus of 20,000 singers, an orchestra of 1000 players, and 1000 more in the military bands...The close of the third act of "Martha" was sung by 150 operatic singers, aided by the 20,000 and the musicians. The impression produced by these performances can only be described as overpowering...Great Britain was represented by the fine band of the Grenadier Guards, under its able conductor, Mr. Daniel Godfrey...this band won the enthusiastic applause of the audience. Our National Anthem was performed, Madame Rudersdorff singing the third verse, with a full chorus; the military band then playing the air, followed by the whole orchestra, with all its bell and cannon accompaniments. Mr. Godfrey took the conductor's baton for a repetition of this performance. The Grenadier Guards' band next struck up "The Star-spangled Banner," which greatly delighted the audience'. From "Illustrated London News", 1872.