, and never did the familiar melodies sound so grandly
beautiful.
The influence of music to quiet disorder and to allay fear is quite
as potent as its power to excite and to stir enthusiasm. A case in
point happened at the St. Louis Exposition, where my band was
giving a series of concerts. There was an enormous audience in the
music hall when, in the middle of the programme, every electric
light suddenly went out, leaving the house in complete darkness.
A succession of sharp cries from women, the hasty shuffling of feet,
and the nervous tension manifest in every one, gave proof that a
panic was probably imminent. I called softly to the band, "Yankee
Doodle!" and the men quickly responded by playing the good old tune
from memory in the darkness, quickly following it with "Dixie" on
my orders. The audience began to quiet down, and some scattering
applause gave assurance that the excitement was abating.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" still further restored confidence, and
when we played "Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?" and "Wait Till
The Clouds Roll By," every one was laughing and making the best of
the gloom. In a short time the gas was turned on, and the concert
proceeded with adequate lighting.
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