World's Peace Jubilee, 1872
Scope and Contents
Collection documenting the life and music career of the nineteenth-century Irish-American band leader, conductor, and cornetist P.S. Gilmore. It also highlights the activities of the Patrick S. Gilmore Society, founded by Michael Cummings in Boston in 1968 or 1969. Materials assembled by Michael Cummings include correspondence, concert programs, Gilmore's cornet, photographs, lithographs, audio and visual recordings, and newspaper and magazine articles. Much of the material pertains to two large-scale musical events arranged by Gilmore—the National Peace Jubilee of 1869 and the World's Peace Jubilee of 1872—both held in Boston, Massachusetts. Materials on Gilmore and the Peace Jubilees are a mixture of original nineteenth-century items and reproductions created during Cummings's research.
Dates
- Creation: 1872
Creator
- From the Collection: Patrick S. Gilmore Society (Organization)
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Historical Note
For this eighteen-day festival celebrating the end of the Franco-Prussian War, P.S. Gilmore gathered 20,000 choral performers, 2,000 instrumentalists, and invited international music groups including Johann Strauss and his orchestra from Austria, the Grenadier Guards Band of England, the Garde Republicaine of France, and the Prussian band of Kaiser Franz Grenadiers. Once again, a coliseum was designed and built especially for the event. Unfortunately, the coliseum collapsed during construction, and a larger version of the 1869 coliseum was hurriedly erected in its place (“The Great Coliseum”). Despite this setback, the Jubilee opened as scheduled in Boston on June 17, 1872 and took place through July 4, 1872.
Full Extent
5.25 Linear Feet (4 containers)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861
burns@bc.libanswers.com