Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/15/2014 You may have heard of the famous band leader known as the Great Gilmore. This title’s closing author’s note provides the full scoop: Patrick Gilmore wrote When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again and instituted Boston’s annual Fourth of July concert. But readers of this lengthy, satisfying picture book will experience Gilmore’s greatness more gradually. Potter centers her book on Gilmore’s mission to have a four-day jubilee concert at the end of the Civil War encompassing 10,000 singers, 1,000 musicians, 12 cannons, 40 church bells, and the world’s largest pipe organ, all held in the largest public building yet erected in the U.S.: the Temple of Peace. Potter maintains suspense throughout—no concert this large had ever been attempted, and critics were vehement that it could only produce cacophony. Tavares’ watercolor-and-gouache paintings magnificently capture crowds, street scenes, and individual expressions, while the typeface makes the individual instrumental and street sounds leap from the page. It’s just as Potter writes at the book’s end: So very, very LOUD! And so very, very beautiful. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2014 He may not have had the staying power of John Philip Sousa, but Irish immigrant and band director Patrick S. Gilmore definitely commanded public attention in the mid to late 1800s for his large-scale public productions with a literal “cast of thousands.” Potter focuses here on an 1869 Boston concert, billed as the National Peace Jubilee, which involved the construction of an enormous, short-lived concert hall and five days worth of varied musical presentations. It’s a satisfyingly humongous do, but the timeline of events is unfortunately often vague, and many of the pertinent details of pulling off so huge an event are relegated to lengthy end matter or overlooked altogether. Tavares faces a challenge in translating the aural blowout into a visual medium, and his most effective spreads are those that convey the immensity of the hall, the custom-made organ, and the crowd; some of the figures, however, are a bit stiff, failing to convey the movement of the music. Still, the audacious scope of the jubilee, precursor and, no doubt, rival to thunderous arena rock, is a natural hook for young listeners, who will be surprised to learn that their staid ancestors also appreciated musical excess. A bibliography is appended. EB - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2014 Gr 2–4—After experiencing the horrors of the Civil War firsthand, one man was determined to celebrate the beauty of life through music. A native Irishman, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore came to America in search of a better life. His deep love and appreciation of music led him to such an influential career as a bandmaster, composer, and musical arranger that he is credited as "Father of the American Band." At the war's end, Gilmore returned to Boston, welcoming the troops home with concerts, but none seemed grand enough—hence, his idea to organize a five-day music festival, the National Peace Jubilee of 1867, commemorating the end of the war and celebrating the power of music to unite people. Though most thought it overly ambitious, Gilmore felt too strongly about his idea to give up, proving how a little determination and hard work can make a seeming impossibility a reality. While Gilmore is not well-known among today's audiences, Potter offers a refreshing and episodic view of his life and contributions to American culture. An extensive author's note provides more depth to the legacy left by such an influential figure, whose musical contributions have unfortunately been overshadowed by the accomplishments of his contemporaries. Tavares's bright and cheerful artwork illustrates Gilmore's inspiration from everyday sounds while evoking the lighthearted ebullience of the power of music. This is both a tribute to one man's talent and an insightful look at a different period of history.—Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.