The Fateful Moment
The moment the ship collided with an iceberg, Hartley and his fellow musicians were instructed to play music as a way of calming down frightened passengers. Despite realizing that they couldn’t escape their fate, the band continued playing until the end. Cameron’s portrayal of this aspect in Titanic was accurate; however, there have been questions about whether “Nearer, My God, to Thee” was indeed played during their final moments or if it was another piece chosen by Hartley himself.
