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.