The National Peace Jubilee was a celebration that commemorated the end of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, organized by
Patrick Gilmore
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (December 25, 1829 – September 24, 1892) was an Irish-born American composer and bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. While serving in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, Gilmor ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
from June 15-19, 1869. It featured an orchestra and a chorus, as well as numerous soloists. More than 11,000 performers participated, including the famous violinist
Ole Bull as the orchestra's
concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
,
[Hansen, pg. 229] and
Carl Zerrahn
Carl Zerrahn (28 July 1826 Malchow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin – 29 December 1909 Milton, Massachusetts) was a German-born American flautist and conductor. His widespread activity in the region made him an influential figure in New England and Boston ...
as director of the choral forces.
The Jubilee became the "high-water mark in the influence of the band in American life". Along with the
World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival in 1872, it made Gilmore a famous composer and bandmaster. For the Jubilee, a newly commissioned "Hymn of Peace" was written by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, set to the music from "American Hymn" by Matthias Keller (1813-1875) and performed on the opening day.
[Hall, pg. 14-16]
Participants included:
*100 choral groups with a total of 10,926 singers
*525 musicians with the orchestra
*486 musicians with the wind band
See also
*
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving suc ...
References
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Notes
Further reading
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William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...
. Jubilee Days
Atlantic Monthly Aug. 1869.
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Patrick Sarsfield GilmoreHistory of the National Peace Jubilee and Great Musical Festival: Held in the City of Boston 1869 Illustrated with Steel Engravings. Published 1871 by the Author and for Sale by Lee, Shepard, and Dillingham, New York
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External links
Announcement and Programme of the FestivalProgramme of the Second day June 16, 1869 and Third day June 17, 1869List of Officers and Committees of the National Peace Jubilee AssociationList of distinguished persons invited to the Jubilee– page 344-46
Official Programme for the five Days of the Festivalpage 432 ff
1869 in Massachusetts
19th century in Boston
Back Bay, Boston
Cultural history of Boston
Events in Boston
June 1869 events
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