Concert in La Alameda

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Literature · Subcategory: Literary fragments · Year: 1883 · Authors: Olivia M. Stone

The British traveller of Irish origin Olivia Mary Stone undertook a journey through the Islands between September 1883 and February 1884. From this stay arose the book Tenerife y sus seis satélites , published in England in 1887. It is a work that occupies an exceptional place in the extensive travel literature about the Archipelago due to its engaging narrative, its incessant curiosity, and the review it contains of various aspects of the culture and social reality of the Canary Islands at the end of the 19th century.

One of these cultural aspects reflected in her book is a musical performance held on the afternoon of Thursday 6 September 1883 in La Alameda by the Sociedad Filarmónica Santa Cecilia. The author describes not only the musical evening, which she greatly enjoyed, but also a curious raffle with its prizes, the attire of the attendees, and even the summer habits of the Santa Cruz upper class; and she narrates all this as follows: 

“The Santa Cruz Philharmonic Society gave a concert that night in La Alameda, opposite the hotel. The musicians, with string instruments, performed some Strauss waltzes and the Cantos Canarios by Teobaldo Power, a local composer, as well as other pieces, extraordinarily well. Although these gardens are public and belong to the Town Hall, they charge three pence for entry, which includes a number for a raffle. The atmosphere inside the park was very attractive. A straight avenue forming a promenade was very well lit by oil lamps hanging on both sides. Under the trees there were seats and, at the end of the promenade, a roofed kiosk, brilliantly lit and full of labelled and numbered objects. A small rolled piece of paper is given to you on entry and, when placed in water, it unrolls showing the number. It is almost always blank! However, if it has a number the prize can consist of a mirror, a small bottle of beer, cheap vases, glass sweets or porcelain ornaments. 

The strollers were boys and girls, mostly middle class. They wore dresses in white, blue or bright pink and the showy and modern hats replaced the elegant mantilla , which some who wore black displayed…”

And she adds:

“I have been told that before the hot season begins the audience attending these concerts is of a better class. However, at present the wealthier citizens do not reside in Santa Cruz as they have moved to their country houses in La Laguna and other places.”

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