The Music of the Grand Hotels of Newport
The Season in Newport, composed by Carl Bergmann in 1856 for the Germania Musical Society.
Pre-Civil War Newport was a popular destination. Four of the grand hotels of the time were memorialized in this set of songs.
The Atlantic House
The Atlantic House Hotel, drawing from the 1856 Newport City Directory.
The Atlantic House was located on Bellevue Avenue (or in 1845, the corner of Pelham and South Touro Streets.). Today, the property is the home of the Elks Lodge. During the Civil War, the Atlantic House was home to the United States Naval Academy.
The Ocean House
The Ocean House Hotel, from the 1856 Newport City Directory
The Ocean House, located on the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Bowery Street, was opened in June of 1844. It burned down within a year and a new Ocean House opened in 1846. The second hotel burned down in 1898 and wasn’t replaced.
The Bellevue House
The Bellevue House, photo from the 1852 Newport City Directory.
The Bellevue House opened in 1828. It was located on Catherine Street.
The Fillmore House Polka
The Fillmore House Hotel, P8819, Collection of the Newport Historical Society
The Fillmore House was built between 1855 and 1857 on Catherine Street.
Other Music Written for the Grand Hotels
Guests enjoying the Grand Veranda at the Ocean House, undated photo from the Providence Public Library Digital Archives
The Ocean House Polka Redowa
Carl Bergmann composed this Polka most likely in the 1850s. It contains no copyright year on the cover. It is the 11th piece of his “Choice Collection of Waltzes and Polkas as performed by the Germania Musical Society.”
Haute Volee Polka
William H. Schultze composed this polka in 1854 and it was performed by the Germania Musical Society during their summer concerts in Newport.
Quadrilles from “Il Trouvatore” by Verdi
F.B. Helmsmuller composed this dance in 1856 and dedicated it to his friend Benjamin Weaver, the proprietor of the Ocean House.
Ocean House Schottisch
F.B. Helmsmuller composed this dance in 1850 for the Germania Musical Society for their performances in Newport.