Next come the German Bands. I had the following statement from a
young flaxen-haired and fresh-coloured German, who spoke English very
fairly:--
“I am German, and have been six year in zis country. I was nearly
fourteen when I come. I come from Oberfeld, eighteen miles from
Hanover. I come because I would like to see how it was here. I heard
zat London was a goot place for foreign music. London is as goot a
place as I expect to find him. There was other six come over with me,
boys and men. We come to Hull, and play in ze country about half a
year; we do middling. And zen we come to London. I didn’t make money
at first when I come, I had much to learn; but ze band, oh! it did
well. We was seven. I play ze clarionet, and so did two others; two
play French horns, one ze trambone, and one ze saxhorn. Sometime we
make 7_s._ or 8_s._ a-piece in a-day now, but the business is not so
goot. I reckon 6_s._ a-day is goot now. We never play at fairs, nor
for caravans. We play at private parties or public ball-rooms, and are
paid so much a dance--sixpence a dance for ze seven of us. If zare is
many dances, it is goot; if not, it is bad. We play sheaper zan ze
English, and we don’t spent so much. Ze English players insult us, but
we don’t care about that. Zey abuse us for playing sheap. I don’t know
what zair terms for dances are. I have saved money in zis country, but
very little of it. I want to save enough to take me back to Hanover.
We all live togeder, ze seven of us. We have three rooms to sleep
in, and one to eat in. We are all single men, but one; and his wife,
a German woman, lives wis us, and cooks for us. She and her husband
have a bedroom to themselves. Anysing does for us to eat. We all join
in housekeeping and lodging, and pay alike. Our lodging costs 2_s._
a-week each, our board costs us about 15_s._ a-week each; sometime
rather less. But zat include beer; and ze London beer is very goot, and
sometime we drink a goot deal of it. We drink very little gin, but we
live very well, and have goot meals every day. We play in ze streets,
and I zink most places are alike to us. Ladies and gentlemen are our
best friends; ze working people give us very little. We play opera
tunes chiefly. We don’t associate with any Englishmen. Zare are three
public-houses kept by Germans, where we Germans meet. Sugar-bakers and
other trades are of ze number. There are now five German brass-bands,
with thirty-seven performers in zem, reckoning our own, in London.
Our band lives near Whitechapel. I sink zare is one or two more German
bands in ze country. I sink my countrymen, some of them, save money;
but I have not saved much yet.”