April 1878: Caledonian Railway Musical Society – First Public Concert in the Trades’ Hall, Glassford Street
An article on page four of The Glasgow Herald, on Thursday the 11th of April, 1878, reads:
“CALEDONIAN RAILWAY MUSICAL SOCIETY. —
The members of the Caledonian Railway Musical Society
gave their first public concert in the Trades’ Hall last night.
There was a large attendance of friends, all of whom must
have been very well pleased with the evening’s result. The
programme embraced a variety of pieces of light calibre,
which, on the whole, were well suited to the capabilities of
the vocalists, and were rendered in a manner that did them
some credit. This remark applies more particularly to the
choruses, though even in them there was a slight
unsteadiness observable more than once, a fault which will
be overcome, no doubt, with practice and experience. The
quartettes went fairly well, the amusing ‘Three Chafers’ and
the well-known ‘Down in a Flowery Vale’ specially so. The
solos, however, did not go off so happily, which was due
entirely to the circumstance that the gentlemen were too
heavily-weighted with the airs they selected – a no uncommon
misfortune with amateurs. These slight exceptions apart, the
concert was a most enjoyable one, and warrants the anticipation
that when next the members of the society come before their
patrons they will distinguish themselves greatly. Mr Anderson
presided with much acceptance at the pianoforte, as did Mr
Turnbull at the harmonium, while Mr Schob conducted
satisfactorily and well.”
George Fairfull-Smith, July 2022.