York City, on which occasion Giuletta Perrini, Italian soprano,
made her American debut supported by Patti, Forti, Giubelei and
Beneventano.

1849. Dec. 16. Donizetti's opera "Il Poliuto" performed as an
oratorio (The Martyrs) by the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston.

1849. Saengerfest held in Cincinnati, O.

1849. Musikverein founded in Milwaukee, Wis.

1849. The Artists' Union Opera Company formed in New York City,
including Bosio, De Vries, Bettini, Lorini, Badiali, and
Coletti. They gave what they claimed was the first performance
in America of Meyerbeer's opera "Roberto il Diavolo." (See April
7, 1834).

1849-1874. Sacred Harmonic Society, New York City.

CHAPTER V

1850-1875

During this period musical events moved forward quite rapidly, and
though there was a pause during the years of the Civil War--from 1861 to
1865--after that time increasing energy was in evidence.

Possibly one of the most significant events was the establishment of
"Dwight's Journal of Music," in Boston, the first journal in America
devoted entirely to musical matters. It was published every two weeks,
and while the greater part of the space was devoted to musical affairs
in Europe, yet there were letters and reports from various centres in
this country, which make the Journal something of a history in itself.
Moreover, John S. Dwight helped very materially in bringing to the
American people something in the way of musical criticism, which was
sadly needed. Indeed, anyone who takes the trouble to look over the
reports of concerts and operas in the daily papers of these times will
be surprised at the absurdity of the comments on the performances of the
noted musicians. Ritter, for instance, quotes a criticism of a
pianoforte recital where the critic was much pleased by a "double run on
the chromatic scale, in which the semitones were distinctly heard."
With singers the chief point was whether the singer of this season could
sing louder than the singer of last season. John S. Dwight was the
pioneer of musical criticism in America,--an intellectual man, one of
the noted band of idealists who were in the "Brook Farm" movement.
"Dwight's Journal of Music" went out of existence in 1881. Musical
criticism has since become a specialized art.

Musical societies were multiplying,--Cincinnati and Milwaukee had them,
and in Chicago the "Philharmonic Society" was organized. In 1850 also
the Worc