As reported in an 1854 Harper's Monthly piece, the Germania Musical Society was likely the "band" who played at Fort Adams one afternoon when the Fort was "turned into a Hyde Park" with "Horsemen and chariots" parading to the music. The scene depicted by Harper's was idyllic: "The lovely ladies…smile and bow. The ribbons flutter, the gloves glisten. The air is soft, the band plays pleasantly; over all shines the summer sun."

Undoubtedly, music and dancing were main attractions in Newport as it emerged throughout the 19th century to become a world-class resort destination. This impactful feature of the summer experience extended from Bellevue Avenue all the way to the tip of the island at Fort Adams. Opened in 1799 to function as a coastal defense site, Fort Adams also became a place where people gathered to celebrate the natural beauty of their surroundings, oftentimes with music.

An article from the Newport Mercury on July 25, 1857 mentions a reunion of the Germania under the direction of William Schultze, including a performance at Fort Adams which commenced their season. Later that summer, the Mercury added, "On Monday closed the drives to the Fort…the fashion of driving to the Fort on stated days to hear the music of the Germanians is at an end." By 1857, both Newport's "hotel period," and with it the era of Germania Musical Society performances, was coming to a close.

The boom and decline of Newport's "hotel period" and the Germania's heyday took place 100 years prior to the more contemporary summer celebrations that Fort Adams is now famous for. As if the Newport Mercury foretold this story, the paper stated in 1857: "…the crowds thronged there on pleasant days out-numbered the gathering at any other point on the island. The distance from town is about the right one for such a drive, the parade ground is admirably adapted to the purpose, and the music in itself was an attractive feature."

With the rise of Newport's renowned music festivals and cultural events during the 20th century (many of which take place at Fort Adams), the legacy of the Germania Musical Society and the central role of music in Newport's summer experience continues today.

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In the summer of 1857, preceding the trend-setting Astors and Belmonts, and epitomizing the transition to a more private and exclusive Newport, William Wetmore (former China-trade magnate) threw a big party for his good friend, the financier, George Peabody. Over 2,500 people attended the afternoon "Fête Champêtre" (garden party) at Chateau-sur-Mer. Attendees ate, danced, and drank hundreds of magnums of champagne. The Newport Mercury reported, "it was unquestionably the event of the summer." It could be argued that this event also helped set the tone for the extravagant Gilded Age entertainments to come. As notable Newport resident and Pulitzer-prize winning author Maud Howe Elliott (daughter of Julia Ward Howe, author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic) once remarked, "Some of these gorgeous fetes have cost a sum that would support and educate a professor's family for a lifetime."

A curious offshoot of the Germania Musical Society, who were actually broken up by this time, provided the music. A program card with the order of dances coupled with a New York Times article verify that the music was indeed "furnished" and conducted by a former Germania member, William Schultze. Schultze was the Germania's first violinist, but was probably never an officially elected conductor, although he may have served in a leading role in the interim before Carl Bergmann. At the event, the Germania's former manager F.B. Helmsmuller served as Master of Ceremonies.

The Times reported that a "pavillion" was built by a carpenter from Boston using over 30,000 feet of lumber, "for the purpose of a dancing saloon in the rear of the house." The reporter added with effect: "This superb pavillion was a hundred feet square; it was covered with canvas, and the floor was admirably laid for dancing." The article mistakenly referred to the ensemble as the (official) Germania Musical Society, but at the very least, several former members were most likely involved.

Compositions included many by the famous Strauss and former Germania members, including "Annie Polka Redowa" by Schultze himself, and some of Bergmann's dance tunes. It was reported that the party went past schedule as, "dancing was kept up with great glee until nearly eight o'clock, when the gay and festive scene was deserted, and the dash of the waves at the base of the rocky cliff succeeded the music of the fete."

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In 1828, the Bellevue House on Catherine Street made a splash as the first genuine resort hotel in Newport, helping to shape a burgeoning culture that would soon propel a new economic boom for the city.

During the magical summers of the late 1840s and 1850s, newspapers described the music scene in Newport in glowing terms, with the Germania Musical Society situated clearly at the center of the experience. On July 30th 1853, during the height of the "hotel period," the Germania gave a full ensemble concert at the Bellevue House that required the cancellation of music at both the Ocean and Atlantic House Hotels for the evening. The advertisement in the Newport Daily News referred to it as, "A Grand Instrumental Concert to be rendered in the form of a Symphony Soiree." It was anticipated to be, "one of the most brilliant gatherings of the season." The concert included Mozart's Grand Symphony in G, Mendelssohn's Nocturne for A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Wagner's finale to the opera Tannhauser.

The same year, the New York Daily Times reported that the Germania and acclaimed pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk (who was visiting Newport) performed at a benefit concert for New Orleans at the Bellevue House. At the time, New Orleans was in the midst of a yellow fever epidemic. The reporter praised the Germania for volunteering their efforts and forgoing their customary, "grand concert, from which they derive the principal portion of their Summer revenue." The owner of the Ocean House, John G. Weaver, donated his share of the ensemble for the sake of the benefit.

Although Gottschalk and the Germania both performed throughout the evening, it is unclear if they actually performed together. Nevertheless, one can very well imagine such a treat, especially on the dance tunes, with Gottschalk rounding out the Germania's already exceptional ensemble sound with his piano talents. Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream was highlighted that night as well as an excerpt of a Beethoven symphony. A follow-up piece in the Newport Daily News deemed the event a "brilliant affair," as "Gottschalk and the Germanians never performed better…their efforts called forth thunders of applause."

The same article mentions that the event was so crowded with "beautiful ladies" and "men of distinction" that "many were unable to obtain admission."

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In his memoir, the Germania Musical Society's Henry Albrecht painted an interesting picture of the ensemble's relationship to Newport during the "hotel period," stating: "the magical effect of the sounds of the orchestra aroused not very solemn thoughts in the breasts of art-loving ladies, affections more than on the level of Platonic friendship." He added that their concerts "brought to the fore the reality of the words that 'Music is the language of the heart.'" Such memories included pleasurable and cozy evenings at the Ocean House.

When the original Ocean House opened on Bellevue and East Bowery in 1844, it instantly rivaled the most luxurious European hotels. The Ocean House offered summer visitors topnotch accommodations, fine-dining, and a variety of attractions. A Newport Mercury article in 1884 reminisced about "Old Time Newport" highlighting the new Ocean House and the hundreds of people assembling daily and nightly to the music of the "celebrated Germania Band."

Although the original Ocean House burned down one year after its opening, a larger and grander replacement was ready for the summer season of 1846 to host masquerade balls, cotillions, and Saturday night dances known as "hops." At the time, fashionable dances like the polka, redowa, and cotillion were all the rage: "morning noon and night the whirl went on."

In 1850, following their very successful first summer in Newport, the Germania helped close out the season with a "Fancy Ball" at the Ocean House. The Germania opened the ball with a late-evening march, dinner was served at midnight, and dancing continued through sunrise the next morning. Germania conductor Carl Bergmann's composition "Fancy Ball Polka Redowa" was published the following year. The mazurka-like redowa, featuring a Czech dance rhythm, was new to the States at that time.

To be sure, the scene at the Ocean House on dance nights was effervescent as mellifluous music drifted through the hotel's alcoves and corridors while guests promenaded around the grounds with glee. Despite a number of other hotels opening in Newport over the following two decades, the highest praise was usually reserved for John G. Weaver's Ocean House. Summer visitors considered it the embodiment of the elegance, beauty, and style of American summer society.

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The Newport Mercury announced a "Grand Instrumental Concert" to be given by the full Germania Musical Society ensemble on July 16, 1849 at the grand hall of the Atlantic House. Tickets were fifty cents. Doors opened at 7:30pm. The concert began at 8:30pm. In his newspaper abstracts, Newport Historian Lloyd Robson described this Newport Mercury article as the first public notice of the German musicians on the island. As with the other major hotels in Newport, the Germania soon became central to the Atlantic House experience.

The Atlantic House opened in 1845 on Bellevue Avenue and Pelham Street and was instrumental to Newport's economic boom during the period. The Atlantic featured Greek Revival design elements, including a glistening white veranda that wrapped around three of its sides. The hotel stood four stories high and could accommodate 250 summer guests. The Atlantic House was known for its topnotch amusements and featured dances and balls on a regular basis. Harper's New Monthly Magazine, the authority on American culture and society at the time, published a piece in 1854 outlining the historical context for the burgeoning tourist-based economy in Newport. Harper's stated, "From about the year 1840, and the erection of the 'Ocean House' and the 'Atlantic House,' may be dated the renaissance of Newport. There is an immortal excellence in the air and the island which will not suffer it to fall into forgetfulness or complete decay."

The Germania were known for innovative musical programming in Newport during this "renaissance" and gave a "Soiree Dansante, Preceded by a Grand Instrumental Concert" at the Atlantic House in 1853. An ad in the Newport Daily News previewed the program which included a classical concert, considered "part 1," and a set of dance tunes, "part 2," mostly composed by Strauss and the Germania's own Bergmann. In that same issue, it was suggested in commentary that it would probably be, "the only entertainment of the kind," that summer, and "lovers of excellent music and those who are fond of dancing, should not fail to attend." The full band also performed for this particular engagement, whereas at many of the other hotel "hops" (or, dances) only a portion of the Germania played, as they would be divided throughout Newport performing in smaller ensembles at the major hotels.

A few years later, on July 21, 1855 the Newport Mercury declared for the record: "The arrival of the Germanians this week, proclaims the commencement of the season, and the genial face of the leader, as he reappeared on the piazza of the Atlantic (House), was a harbinger of musical delight to young and old." The Germania were a core facet to the Atlantic House and Newport's summer identity.

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It is said that every Rhode Islander visits the Biltmore Hotel at least once. Opened in June of 1922, the Biltmore immediately became a significant hub for social activity in downtown Providence, a legacy that continues today. Its elegant halls have hosted whist clubs, holiday parties, and debutante balls. In its early days the Biltmore also sought creative ways to bring fresh produce and dairy to its tables in the middle of a bustling city. A rooftop garden where fresh flowers and vegetables were grown was just the trick! Wanting more, the first manager of the Biltmore, L.D. Wallick, took it further and demanded fauna as well. Pens for chickens and ducks were constructed on the roof. Distraught, the ducks flew south in 1927 and never returned.

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