Music and Dancing at the "Queen of Resorts"

On this tour, explore the role of music and social dancing during Newport's rebirth and ascent to becoming a premier summer resort destination in the mid-19th-century. Known as Newport's "hotel period," the era between 1840 and 1865 captures Newport's revitalizing economic boom, spurred on by the emergence of luxurious public hotels, before the age of private mansions. Music and dancing were not just routine pastimes, but main attractions of the Newport summer experience as it rose to the first-rate status of the "Queen of Resorts."

During the "hotel period" boom years of the 1850s, an extraordinary group of musicians called the Germania Musical Society were instrumental to Newport's rebirth as a flourishing resort town. The Germania Musical Society was an ensemble of twenty-three elite musicians (plus conductor) from Berlin, Germany, who immigrated to the United States during the Revolutions of 1848.

During their height, the Germania were arguably the best and busiest performing musicians in Newport and throughout America. They were a consistent feature at all of Newport's major hotels, and made appearances at Chateau-sur-Mer (the precursor to the Gilded Age mansions), and Fort Adams. Dix's guidebook, "A Hand-Book of Newport and Rhode Island," details how the group was hired by the three major hotels (Bellevue, Atlantic, and Ocean House), with costs and personnel divided between them. The musicians played in smaller units during the day for listening and again at night for dancing. The Germania also periodically gave full concerts with the complete ensemble that were open to the public.

Known to thoroughly enjoy their time in the "City by the Sea," the Germania's viola player turned clarinetist, Henry Albrecht, recalled in his memoir that the members of the group were so beloved by the resort guests, "especially of the fair sex," that they came back to Newport for two more summers after being officially disbanded. The Germania's impact on American music performance reached far beyond their influence in Newport and extended long after they were actively performing together.