“Creatore’s
band arrived in the city this morning for the big week’s festival of music
which opens at the old armory tonight under the auspices of the Daughters of
the Empire in aid of the relief fund.”
Hamilton Spectator. September 25,
1914.
It was a big undertaking – a week long
series of musical entertainments to be held in the big hall of the old Drill
Hall on James Street North. As a new armory building had been built beside it a
few years earlier, the old Drill plus the new building become known as the
Armories, while the older building was referred to as the old armory.
Twice during the previous week, Bruce
Carey, the Hamilton musical director for the concert series, had implored the
editors of the local newspapers to write articles requesting that all singers
who had agreed to participate in the mass choir attend rehearsals. A mass choir
it was to be – 1000 voices.
Carey had the voices ready to perform
when the internationally-famous orchestra leader, Creatore and his musicians
arrived in Hamilton. As the orchestra could expertly read and perform from the
musical scores, there was no need to rehearse the choir with the orchestra
before the opening night’s performance.
The Spectator, in anticipation of the first
concert, published the following in the hopes of encouraging widespread
interest in the musical presentations:
“The ladies met with great success on
Saturday, and judging by the advanced sale, packed houses will be the order of
the week.
“The big 1,000 voice held its final rehearsal
on Saturday night, and Bruce Carey, the director, has arranged a very
appropriate program of patriotic and other music for the week.
“The program for tonight follows:
O Canada, words by Hon. Judge Routhier;
music by Lavellee
March – Royal Purple ……………….. Creatore
Spring Song …………………………….Mendelssohn
Suite :
L’Arlesienne
– (a) Pastorale (b) Intermezzo (c) Minuet (d) Farandole……Bizet
Land
of Hope and Glory; words by Arthur C. Benson; music by Edward Elgar.
Culler
Herran; words by Lady Nairne; music by Neil Gow
Hallelujah
(Messiah) ………….Handel
Waltz – Blue Danube ……………… Strauss
Quartet from Rigoletto ………………Verdi3
Hamilton Spectator. September 20,
1914.
Among those in attendance at one of
the concerts at the old armoury was Richard Butler, whose column Saturday
Musings was a popular weekly feature in the Hamilton Spectator.
Following is the account shared by
Richard Butler, aka the Old Muser :
Hamilton has been
enjoying a grand musical treat during this week, the Creatore band and the
local choir of half a thousand or more furnishing the programme. It will be a
pleasant memory for the long winter nights, but we fear that the Patriotic fund
is not going to be enriched by the hoped-for surplus. Thursday evening was
especially enjoyable, for there was a larger audience than on any of the
preceding nights, and both singers and musicians caught the spirit of it. When
the first part of the programme had ended, Lieut. Robinson was escorted on the
stage and Prof. Creatore ceremoniously handed him the baton. It was a
compliment from the younger to the veteran bandmaster. The audience cheered and
the choir waved a handkerchief salute. Then with his usual modesty, the veteran
lieutenant waved the baton, the band played O Canada, and the music of Canada’s
national song never sounded better. At the close of the piece, Prof. Creatore
threw his arms around the neck of the veteran bandmaster, and with his most graceful
bow handed him off the stage. The new marching song of the British army, It’s a
Long Way to Tipperary, was sung by Roy McIntosh, and Mrs. McCoy-Hamilton roused
the audience with Rule Britannia. As the new song is hummed and whistled by
everybody, we give herewith the words that they may learn to sing it.
IT’S A LONG WAY TO
TIPPERARY
Up to mighty London
came an Irishman one day,
As the streets are
paved with gold, sure ev’ryone was gay;
Singing songs of
Piccadilly, Strand and Leicester Square.
Till Paddy got
excited, then he shouted to them there
Chorus :
It’s a long way to
Tipperary,
It’s a long way to
go;
It’s a long way to
Tipperary,
To the sweetest girl
I know;
Goodbye Piccadilly;
Farewell Leicester
Square.
It’s a long way to
Tipperary,
But my heart’s right
there.
Paddy wrote a letter
to his Irish Molly O,
Saying, “Should you
not receive it, write and let me know;
If I make mistakes in
spelling, Molly dear,” said he,
It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye, Piccadilly,
Farewell, Leicester Square!
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there.
“Remember it’s the
pen that’s bad, don’t lay the blame on me.”
Molly wrote a neat
reply to Irish Paddy O,
Saying “Mike Maloney
wants to marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and
Piccadilly, or you’ll be to blame
For love has fairly
drove me silly
Hoping you’re the
same.
It's a long way to
Tipperary,
No comments:
Post a Comment