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Local amateur musicians
The resident amateurs, about whom "Philharmonic" was so full of praise, generally performed in combination with a professional artist — although there were exceptions. Thus, there was the amateur concert in aid of the Lancashire Relief Fund, mentioned earlier, on April 17, 1863, at which among others Beethoven's "Egmont" and Weber's "Freischütz" overtures were played on the pianoforte; furthermore, glees and songs were sung by a small choir of gentlemen. In November 1864, another charity concert was given, this time in aid of the repairs fund of the "Hongque Free Episcopal Church", organised by the "Shanghai Vocal Quartette Club".
But it was far more usual that a professional artist sought the assistance of some local amateurs in order to diversify the evening somewhat. Otherwise the chance was great that the public would be bored — despite the alleged love of Shanghailanders for music witness the remark in the Herald of October 1, 1864: "people here hardly care to sit for two hours to listen to a performance on the violin, however well the instrument is handled; some variety is required". So the instrumental recitals were alternated with vocal exertions by the amateurs, as e.g. on February 22, 1859, when the critic was dissatisfied with the main interpreter, Prof. Shonbrun, but on which occasion the amateur tenor solos were thought to be given "with taste and feeling". At a following performance of the same pianist he was again surrounded by singers one of whom even ventured to tackle the great tenor aria from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
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The Germans, despite their small number (about 200 in 1865), were generally active in the cultural field. Even before they had their own Club, a Singverein "Germania" had been established as early as before 1859 although the regularity of the organisation may be doubted for, at one time, there was not even a conductor, resulting in an "evident want of confidence and decision by which the general effect was much impaired". Little was heard of it in subsequent years, but it may have been the fore-runners of the German "Liedertafel" which existed in the early seventies and which was then led by Mr. Hogquist.65
Garrison music
The concerts that were given by the bands of the several military forces