When Patrick Gilmore (1829–1892) came to New York City in 1873, he was an internationally recognized bandmaster, in no small part because of the great musical jubilees he presented in Boston in 1869 and 1872 (see plate 9.1). Ironically, it was perhaps the 1872 World Peace Jubilee that eventually brought him to New York City. Some of the best European bands were invited to perform at the second Boston festival, including the Grenadier Guards Band of England, the Garde Republicaine Band from France, and the Prussian Band of the Kaiser Franz Grenadiers. These bands were repeatedly praised in the press as superior to those of the United States. The fact that each was subsidized by its home country did not go unnoticed by Gilmore, who subsequently went to Washington, D.C., in an attempt to convince authorities of the need for government support to develop a first-rate national band. He was not successful, but during the summer of 1873, he received a lucrative offer to become bandmaster of the Twenty-second Regiment of New York. The regiment agreed to fund a band of sixty-five musicians of Gilmore's choosing and, aside from a stipulated number of services, left the group free to take other engagements or to tour as it wished. It was not quite the federal support he had wanted but was nevertheless a very handsome arrangement.

Gilmore took up residency at 61 West Twelfth Street, in a palatial brownstone within easy walking distance of the Twenty-second Regiment Armory on Fourteenth Street near Sixth Avenue. He immersed himself in the details of organizing and rehearsing a new band, which included some of the finest musicians in the city plus saxophone soloist Edward Lefebre (1835–?), who came from Philadelphia, and Mathew Arbuckle (1828–1883), cornetist, who Gilmore brought from Boston. In a characteristic move, Gilmore welcomed himself to New York by hosting an elegant reception at his home—inviting officers of the regiment, prominent local musicians, business and civic leaders, newspaper writers, and other notables. Members of the new band provided periodic musical selections, and Gilmore performed a cornet duet with Arbuckle. A sumptuous supper was served, and many cordial speeches were given.