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When Keawe came to himself a little, he was aware it was the night when the band played at the hotel. Thither he went, because he feared to be alone; and there, among happy faces, walked to and fro, and heard the tunes go up and down, and saw Berger beat the measure, and all the while he heard the flames crackle, and saw the red fire burning in the bottomless pit.

It's from "Bottle Imp" by R.L. Stevenson.

I guess the meaning would be "conduct an orchestra" or something. Is it correct and still in use?

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  • It's not clear what Berger is doing. I think it means that he was keeping time with the band, maybe tapping on the table, or, if he was in the band, playing the drums.
    – ewormuth
    Commented Aug 1, 2015 at 1:40

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Heinrich Berger was the leader of the Royal Hawaiian Band in the 1870s, when Hawaii was an independent kingdom. A measure (or bar) is a measure of musical time, each with a number of beats (i.e., notes) specific to the piece being performed. The conductor's downward stroke indicates to the musicians when to play the first beat in each measure. The conductor decides the tempo of the piece by setting the interval at which he gives a downbeat. So Keawe is watching the Berger conduct the band.

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