Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fielder's legacy is strongly engrained in this space. He is remembered for his dedication to bringing classical music to the people of Boston. The Esplanade features a statue and a footbridge memorialising him, and the Hatch itself is lined with names of the composers whose music he conducted here over the decades. It seems particularly fitting that his name is embossed on the footbridge connecting the residential neighbourhood to the concert arena, arching over pedestrian-hostile Storrow Drive, giving people easier access to the music arena.
Classical Music for All
The Hatch Memorial Shell gave Arthur Fiedler a venue that fully embodied his vision of making classical music more palatable to the general public. Arthur Fiedler was the conductor of Boston Pops for decades, first conducting the orchestra in a performance at the temporary bandshell in 1929. The Boston Pops performs mostly pop music and light classical music familiar to most households. This open-air venue where audience members can casually watch from the grass is the antithesis to the Boston Pops’ other main performance location: Symphony Hall with its gilded stage and fixed seating. Though Fiedler was criticised by many for his radical approach to popularising classical music even at expense of the music’s integrity, he is now memorialised for welcoming the average Bostoner to the world of classical music.
Between 1929 and 1934, a wooden concert shell was dismantled and reassembled annually. Then, a temporary steel structure was built, but proved too hot for performers. Finally, in 1940, Boston architect Richard Shaw designed a permanent granite structure and it was constructed the subsequent year. The shape of the shell helps to amplify the performance and direct the music towards the audience. The granite is so hard that it absorbs little sound, making it acoustically very beneficial for open-air performances. This venue combined with Fiedler’s choice of repertoire were essential in eliminating the divide in which social classes could access classical music.
Birth of a Boston Trademark
In 1976, Fiedler and Boston businessman David Mugar decided to take advantage of the Hatch’s unique location to perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with magnificent effects. On July Fourth, the Boston Pops' performance of the 1812 was accompanied by canons and fireworks over the harbour, as well as church bells in the nearby St. John the Evangelist Cathedral. Mugar financed the performance, and continued to do so for the next 25 years. The 1812 has been included in the July Fourth programme every year since.
Composers' names line the exterior of the Hatch, memorialising the various pieces which Fiedler conducted the Pops in performing at this location. Both the names of European classical composers - Tchaikovsky, Schumann, for example - as well as American modern composers - Paine, Foster, etc -- reminding us of another way that the Hatch breaks down boundaries in the appreciation of music.
Sharing Music Today
Today, on a sunny fall day in 2016, I sat on the grass listening to a jazz trio improvise at one end of the oval. Upon their departure, I heard piano music, and noticed a decrepit piano that had been left outside for public enjoyment. Several black keys were missing and the keys in tact were mostly out of tune. Yet, people stopped to play every few minutes or so. When I took a turn, I realised it was impossible to feel self-conscious playing on this piano -- somehow the piano's brokenness made it welcoming: the lack of an option to play any accidentals limited everybody to simple music. Its dissonant tuning excused and hid the players' mechanical mistakes. To this day, the Hatch Shell and its oval create an accessible space for people to make music and share it.