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With these simple means has Herr Ibach built an organ which produced the effect already described. An instrument which, for the time, surpassed all expectations, and rendered everybody twice as anxious as he previously was to see it, at some future period, rendered complete by the addition of the stops of a second and third manual, and of a sixteen-foot principal in the pedal.

Composers and professional musicians were more numerous among the audience than had ever previously been the case. Among others present on all three days were, Moscheles, Reinecke and Bernuth, from Leipsic; Blumner, from Berlin; Pasdeloup and Gouvy, from Paris; Kufferath, from Brussels; Soubre, from Lüttich; Kufferath, senr., from Utrecht; Verhülst, from Rotterdam; Richard Hol and Van Bree, from Amsterdam; Dietrich, from Oldenburg; Scholz, from Hanover; Von Perfall, from Munich; Boch, from Heidelberg; Gernsheim, from Saarbrücken; Schindelmeisser, from Darmstadt; Müller, from Frankfort; Brahms, from Hamburg; Auger, from Lüneburg; Wolf, from Crefeld; Schornstein, from Elberfeld; Engels, from Mülheim-on-theRuhr; Zur Nieden, from Duisburg; Tausch, from Düsseldorf; Wüllner, from Aix-la-Chapelle; Otto Jahn and Heimsoeth, from Bonn; 0. Grimm and Michâlek, from Münster; Petsch, from Siegen; Lenz and Kugler, from Coblentz; Helfer, from Essen; Breidenstein, from Dortmund; Weinbrenner, from Lüdenscheid; Brambach, from Bonn; Engel, from Bremen; Fiedler, from Cleve; Kalliwoda, from Carlsruhe; Lenz, from Mitau, in Russia; Wetrens, from Leyden, &c., &c. In truth, a stately congress of musicians!

(To be continued.)

MUSIC IN VIENNA.*

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"WE must consider the management of our Grand Opera' in a double light; we must, namely, still maintain unconditionally our oft-reiterated belief in the possibility of an artistic direction of the Opera House, such as does not at present exist, without denying the value of what has really been done. We cannot help still believing in such a possibility, under a total change of system and individuals, in the executive and artistic branches of the management. What is required for the artistic regeneration of the Opera House is, a management invested with full and well-defined powers, which, however, shall not degenerate into mere arbitrary caprice; an æsthetically educated and practically-gifted stage-manager, or stage-managers; a corps of vocalists methodically trained up to their duties; a satisfactory ensemble, the result of thorough drilling; and, finally, a repertory based, not upon a few operas, but on all meritorious works from the pens of German, French, and Italian masters, and carefully renewed every year by the addition of novelties by native and respectable foreign composers. Furthermore, the discontinuance, as far as possible, of shouting operas,' the careful fostering of smaller operas, in one or two acts, combined with ballets; and, lastly, the rooting-out of various administrative abuses. From this point of view, we must condemn the present management as unconditionally as we condemned that of yesterday, and that of the day before. The requisite reform, of itself the most natural thing in the world, although, perhaps, difficult to be carried out, is evidently not the business of those who thought fit to appoint, and frequently disappoint, a Cornet, an Eckert, an Esser, or a Salvi, as Artistic Director. Herr Salvi, for his part, finds in himself, in his education, musical or otherwise, in the career he previously followed as a teacher of singing, and, lastly, in the individuals and circumstances which surround him at the Opera House, and which remain pretty much the same under every Artistic' successor to the managerial sceptre, no serious motive for thinking of performances at all out of the usual track. Everything remains stuck fast in the revolving circles marked out years and years ago, without a soul's feeling the necessity for a vigorous effort, or experiencing the impulse to leave the old well-worn path. "The more, however, we direct our just censure against the longexisting state of things, the more favourably can we mention any individual efforts which are relatively better. What is done is done; at present what we have to do is to pronounce judgement on the actual results of a single year-to pronounce judgement on them with a perfect knowledge of the state of things already described, on the one hand, and, on the other, with full allowance for the difficulty attending the position of a so-called 'Artistic Director,' under the circumstances, and

• From the Recensionen.

with due consideration for the previous wretched way in which the management was conducted.

"We cannot refrain from going back still further. In the time when the theatre was leased out, the fortunate speculator Barbaja (who held the reins of management when Rossini's operas were at the height of their popularity) was followed by the business-like ex-dancer, Duport, and the phlegmatically obstinate and prudent ex-theatrical tailor, Ballochino; after the theatre was again carried on directly by Government, we had the bureaucratically orderly Holbein, the coarsely energetic Cornet, the morbidly weak Eckert, the vacillating interregnum, with the strange triumvirate composed of Esser, Schober, and Stainhauser, and, lastly, a year and a half ago, Herr Salvi. It is impossible to avoid instituting comparisons; and we think that, after all, we may console ourselves with the conclusion that the great vocal machine does not grind its accustomed melodies worse under the direction of Herr Salvi than under that of his predecessors; nay, that even many a screw, which began to be very shaky, has been firmly nailed in; and this is something. If, on the one hand, Holbein, with a trifling subsidy, by his activity and order, great industry and economical measures, and Cornet, by his rough but healthily energetic action, and by a kind of instinctive intelligence, infused life and briskness into several branches of the establishment, the whole administrative and artistic machine was reduced, on the other hand, so low under the last two managers, and had sunk so much in public esteem, that Herr Salvi has no reason to dread a comparison with his immediate predecessors.

"In saying this, we do not intend to pay Herr Salvi any compliment, nor do we feel the slightest inclination to go into ecstacies for what he has done. But, when the non-fulfilment of higher artistic requirements has been once stated, and only the daily necessities of the technical direction taken into consideration, within the limits of power which the Government accords the Artistic Director, justly thinking persons will not hesitate excusing much that is bad, and acknowledging much that has been successful. It is an especial merit of Herr Salvi that, as an experienced singing-master, he is capable of properly understanding the vocal compass, and, consequently, the capabilities of his artists. whom he is thus enabled to employ generally in tasks suited to them, The composition of his company may be regarded in a particularly favourable light. Though the quasi engagement of Herr Stigelli implied a somewhat too great reliance on the good-nature of the public, since it can scarcely be supposed that no better tenor was to be found even at a pinch, it was, on the other hand, reserved for Herr Salvi's management to bring forward a lady endowed with a rare voice, and still rarer talent, in the person of Mlle. Battelheim, as well as two by no means ineffective, fresh, young singers, in the persons of Mlle. Destinn and Mlle. Fischer, and that, too, mostly in parts adapted to their powers.

"By a tolerably equal employment of all the members of the company, one of the greatest abuses which disfigured the management of Eckert and that of Esser has been abolished. The total number of operas and ballets represented under Herr Salvi is on a level with that under his predecessors. The performance of new and revived operas was also up to the old standard, though one year may have a novelty less, and another year novelt more. Of course, as we have often remarked, any especial improvement is, under existing circumstances, out of the question. In fact, it is highly praiseworthy that the management has produced valuable novelties at all, such as Gounod's Faust, and the operettas of Mendlessohn and Schubert. Instead of these, we might have had nothing but Verdi, and Heaven knows what besides, while, save from the fruitless complaints of independent critics, the manager would certainly not have been a whit the worse. The most scanty patronage of good music should, therefore, be accepted as the fruit of the magnanimity of the manager, and of the most gracious' complaisance of the Oberstkämmer er, the Government official, and the head of operatic matters.

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The great objection made by some critics to Herr Salvi, namely, that he is an Italian, amounts, in our opinion, to nothing. In the first place. it is, in all probability, no fault of Herr Salvi that his cradle did not stand on the banks of the Rhine or the Danau, of the Elbe or Iser; that he has not the good fortune to be a native of Hesse Cassel or Pomerania. In the second place, it cannot be said that he has to answer for more sins in his mode of doing business than the most German of his predecessors. We certainly admit, that, rightfully, the management of the Vienna Opera House ought to be entrusted to a German, of course with the understanding that the German should be capable of performing the duties of his position. In the particular case under consideration, a comparison of Eckert and Esser, on the one side, with

As a substitute for Herr Ander, who was ill. Your own Correspondent.

Salvi on the other, redounds almost to the advantage of the Italian, who, although in the old repertory evincing rather too great a partiality for Donizetti, has, in the way of novelties and revivals, given us a preponderating number of works by German masters (Schubert, Mendelssohn, Marschner), and French ones (Gounod and Maillart), while the introduction of the Germanised Trovatore and the Germanised, Rigoletta will ever remain, in the history of the above German musicians as an unforgotten monument of shame.

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Finally, we may mention a comic episode, which enlivened, in a very amusing manner, the commencement of the seasons just past. The Oberstkämmerer conceived the notion of presenting the new Artistic Director with a Board of Advisers.' This Board, consisting of Herren Hanslick and Sonnleithner, and the Capellmeisters, Herren Dessoff and Esser, were to favour the Director, protocollariter, with their advice, which, as a matter of course, the Director was not at all bound to accept. It may be imagined how comic the mise-en-scène was. The two first-named gentlemen indulged themselves, for a time, in entering upon the original idea, and offering their advice,' until, one fine day, they got rather tired of so doing, and withdrew from the duty confided to them. "Perhaps we shall, at some future period, have a theatrical Board of Advisers, with practical powers. If we do, will the system of responsibility' be proclaimed, at the Board, as well as elsewhere, and who will be most responsible for whatever offences may be committed? For the present, the question is rather pointed-though it does not require a sage to answer it."

"Such," adds our Viennese correspondent, "are the Recensionen remarks on the operatic season just concluded. They will enable you to convince yourself, supposing you not previously aware of the fact, that grumbling is no more confined to John Bull than fogs are a phenomenon found exclusively in our sea-girt isle, as foreign feuilletonistes of the Assolant, or insolent, class would make their readers believe. Next week I will forward the 'statistics.'

AMSTERDAM.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE third and last grand "Festival Concert," as it was termed, of the Society for the Promotion of Musical Art took place on the 7th of May. Foremost among the artists I may mention Mad. Offermanns von Hove, and Herr Carl Schneider from Wiesbaden. The programme was varied enough to suit the most fastidious taste. Besides two pieces by Netherlandish composers, namely, a cantata by Franz Coenen, and an overture by Richard Hol, it included the 137th Psalm by Vierling, the sacred "Evening Song" by Carl Reinecke, and the "Lorelei," by my especial favourite, Ferdinand Miller. The composition of this last-named worthy gentleman and accomplished musician certainly obtained the honours of the evening. Next came the "Evening Song," by Reinecke. Vierling's "Psalm," which has something of Schumann's style about it, without at all coming up to that composer's standard, was not so well understood; the public must hear it several times before they will be able to enter fully into its merits. By reserving their judgement, too, they may have a chance of being present when the work is played in something like a satisfactory manner, which was far from being the case on the occasion in question. With regard to the two compositions by Dutch musicians, they suffered considerably from their juxta-position to the other works I have mentioned. Coenen's cantata is conscientiously and correctly written, but that is not sufficient, now-a-days, to constitute a work of art. Mad. Offermanns was charming in "Lorelei," and greatly applauded. She is, indeed, a special pet of the public here. Nor had Herr Schneider any cause to complain of the reception accorded him. Having written thus much, I must put a drop of vinegar into my ink, or, in other words, dash my laudations with a little censure. The management of the Society is unsatisfactory; the band is not good, and the chorus capable of vast improvement. I hear, however, that the Society is about to be reorganised. I trust that those whom it concerns will seize the opportunity to introduce the reforms so much needed.

This

The last concert of Maynher von Bree was, like all his concerts, dedicated exclusively to the works of national composers. exaggerated patronage of, and reverence for, national composers has become somewhat of a nuisance lately, for you must recollect that Dutch musicians are not as good as Dutch painters, and, even if they were, such a continual forcing of their works down people's throats is far from pleasing. Good as Teniers is, I should be sorry to see nothing but Teniers' pictures all my life. The whole concert was, however, a farce, which could have been enacted only before so patriotically indulgent an audience. Thus, for instance, Herr Hol, when conducting, seemed

entirely oblivious of the fact that an audience was present. If he did recollect that anyone occupied the benches, he did not care much about it, for he actually made the band "try back" several times, just as though he had been at a rehearsal.

You must not fancy that music is thus scurvily treated everywhere in Holland, for you would make a great mistake if you did. For instance, nothing can be more satisfactory and, at the same time, more encouraging, than the results obtained by Verhülst at the Hague. He has brought the "Diligentia Concerts" to a high state of perfection. The great masters are treated as they ought to be treated, and the manner in which their works are given is excellent and deserving of all praise. But that classical music flourishes even in the still smaller Dutch towns is proved by the last concerts given in Middelburg and Dordrecht (under the direction of F. Böhme). In Middelburg, the programme included, among other things, the overture, "Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt," by Mendelssohn, and that to Leonore, by Beethoven. Herr Bergstein, of Aix-la-Chapelle, sang some airs by Mozart and Mendelssohn, while August Kömpel, the "lion" of the evening, played Beethoven's ViolinConcerto, Spohr's "Gesangscene," and "Variations" by Vieuxtemps. On concluding, he was enthusiastically applauded by the audience, and saluted by trumpet fanfares in the orchestra. I mention this, not so much to sound the praises of Herr August Kömpel, whatever may be his merit, as to impress upon you the pleasing fact that a taste for real, sound, classical music is gradually gaining a sure footing in this land of dykes and canals, "schnapps" and skating.

The programme of the last concert at Dordrecht comprised, Symphony, No. 2, in D, by Beethoven; an overture, No. 7, by F. Böhme; the 95th Psalm, by Mendelssohn; "Frühlingsbotschaft," by and a fantasia by Spohr, on motives from Jessonda. What do you Niels W. Gade; songs by C. M. von Weber, Gluck, and Hauptmann; say to that? Again was Herr August Kömpel especially honoured. president of the Concert Society made a speech highly flattering to After the fantasia, which was placed at the end of the programme, the Herr Kömpel. He then presented that gentleman with a costly case of Japanese workmanship, to hold two violins, and handed him, moreover his diploma as first honorary member of the Society.

MUSIC IN BRUSSELS.

(From an Occasional Correspondent.) SUNDAY, the 30th ult., was a great day, or rather a great evening, for those inhabitants of this capital who were themselves in the Passage St. Herbert at 11 o'clock P.M., or, if not, who saw and conversed with any persons who were. You must know there has been a great vocal match held at the theatre, Lille, and the Brussels society, entitled the "Réunion lyrique," conducted by M. Fischer, carried off the first prize in the upper division of part-singing A telegraphic despatch, announcing the gratifying news, reached the head quarters of the Society, in the Passage St. Herbert, at 11 o'clock P.M. The national flag was hoisted, and an extemporary illumination surrounded with its splendour a monster copy of the highly valued despatch. The Society returned to Brussels on Monday evening at half-past nine o'clock. It was received by the municipal authorities at the terminus of the Northern Railway. The cortége then made its entry, by torch-light, into the capital, the band of the Sapeurs-Pompiers and several musical societies joining it on the road. The rooms of the Society were again illuminated, but this time with more ceremony, and consequently with more éclat than on the previous evening On a transparency was an inscription to the effect that the Society had carried off the first prize and the prize of excellence - the large gold medal and the sum of 1,500 francs. It is, perhaps, superfluous to inform anyone who knows aught of human nature, and especially Belgian nature, that the inembers of the Society are, one and all, exceedingly cock-a-hoop at their victory, and claim to be considered equal to any choral bodies either at home or abroad. It is a good proverb which runs thus: "Nichts gewagt, Nichts gewonnen," but I think the principle embodied in it may be pushed a leetle too far, and that the laurels gained at Lille by the members of the "Réunion lyrique" might be rudely torn from their now triumphant brows, were they to venture on a contest with certain German "Vereine," or even certain English choirs I could mention. There were, also, grand festive doings at Ghent and Liege, the choral societies of which places had likewise carried off prizes at Lille. The following is an accurate account of all the prizes awarded: Superior Division. Jury: MM. Ambroise Thomas (Chairman), Hanssens, Denefve, Bezozzi, Foulon, Danel, Magnin.-Competing Socie ties: The Orphéonistes, of Arras (80 members); the Mélomanes, of Ghent (100); the Odéon, of Paris (51); the Réunion Lyrique, of Brussels (100); the Légia, of Liege (85); the Société Royale des Choeurs, of Ghent (120); the Orphéonistes, of Turcoing (42); and Les

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Enfants de Gayant, of Douai.-First Prize of Honour: A gold medal, worth 300 francs, and indemnity (for travelling expenses, &c.) of 1,500 francs, and the gold medal presented by the Emperor. Unanimously awarded to the Réunion Lyrique, of Brussels.-Second Prize: Unanimously awarded to the Société Royale des Choeurs, of Gand.-Third Prize: To the Légia, of Licge.--First Division.-Jury: MM. Bazin (Chairman), Samuel, Bosselet, Laurent de Rillé, Andries, Larçonneux, Boulanger, Delannoy, Lavaine, and Steinkuler. A gold medal given by the Emperor. Awarded to the Society of Orphéonistes, of Ixelles.Foreign Choral Societies.-Jury: MM. Laurent de Rillé (Chairman), Boulanger, Delannoy, Lavaine, and Steinkuler. First Prize: A gold medal, worth 200 francs, and an indemnity of 600 francs, awarded to the Orphéonistes, of Ixelles. Second Prize: Awarded to the Bardes de la Meuse, of Namur. Third Prize: Awarded to the Société d' Agrément, of Seraing. Second Division,-First Prize: Awarded to the Choral Society, "Vriendschap," of Oostacker-lez-Gand. Second Prize: Awarded to the Choral Society, "Eendragt," of Ledeberg-lez-Gand. Opera-goers are looking forward with impatience to the next season at the Théâtre de la Monnaie. Among other works to be produced arc La Chatte Métamorphosée, by Grisar; La Reine de Saba, by Gounod; Oberon, by Weber; Don Juan, by Mozart; and Rienzi, by Wagner. This last work-one of the first composed by the Prophet of the Future has been translated by M. Jules Guillaume, one of the most popular Belgian poets of the present day.

There has been scarcely anything doing in the way of concerts lately. Mad. Ugalde, however, gave one last Saturday, but the result will not tempt her, I should say, to repeat the experiment in a hurry. There were not more than a hundred persons present, and the empty benches seemed to have an unfavourable effect on the powers of the celebrated cantatrice. Her voice did not appear to be quite under control; but, despite of this, she was loudly applauded by the select and faithful few representing the public on the occasion.

M. Etienne Joseph Soubre is the new director of the Conservatory of Music at Liege. He was born on the 30th December, 1813, and is indebted for his musical education to M. Daussoigne-Méhul, whose successor he is. He was the "laureate" of the first grand "Concours de Rome" in Belgium (1840). A short time subsequently he received pecuniary assistance from the government, to enable him to proceed to foreign countries for the purpose of improvement in his art. It was thus he visited France, Italy, and Germany. On his return to Belgium, he settled at Bruxelles, where he was speedily appointed director of various musical societies, and where he composed several operas. For a cantata, written at the command of the government, he received the Leopold decoration. M. Soubre possesses great harmony, and has composed a great deal for choral associations. His chief merit consists, however, in his talent for sacred music. His Requiem is especially esteemed. It was performed under peculiar circumstances in 1861, when the Canon de Vroye, chief director of music for the diocese of Liege, selected it for the anniversary of the revelation of 1830. Another Belgian musician, M. Edmond Duval, has just received from the Pope, through the hands of the Cardinal of Malines, the order of St. Gregory the Great, whoever he may be, which, I frankly avow, I do not know. M. Duval is the only Belgian musician thus distinguished. He had previously received, some time ago, from his Holiness, a superb gold medal, for his plainchant intended for use in the diocese of Malines.

G.

JOHANN HERMANN KUFFERATH.* ACCORDING to information we have received, the Municipal Musical Director at Utrecht, Herr Johann Hermann Kufferath, has sent in his resignation to the municipal authorities, who have accepted it in a manner highly honourable to Herr Kufferath, thanking him warmly for his long years of service, and his successful exertions for the advancement of music in their university-town, they have granted him a pension for life. J. H. Kufferath, the son of a well-known musical family in Rhenish Prussia, is one of those veterans of German music who have done so much for their art in Holland, but who have lived to behold the present epoch of exaggerated musical patriotism, overestimating everything local, on the part of Young Holland, and are unfortunately witnesses of the ingratitude displayed by the young Netherlandish artists and puffed-up carping writers towards their teachers, the Germans. The more satisfactory, therefore, as a setoff to the exaggerations of the above party, is the proof afforded us that Kufferath's services are acknowledged, first by the order of the Oaken Crown, bestowed on him some years ago by His Majesty, the

From the Niederrheinische Musik-Zeitung.

King of Holland, and now by the gift of a pension and a vote of thanks from the city of Utrecht. For thirty-two years has Kufferath filled the position of a teacher, a conductor and a composer there; he founded and formed the orchestra; conducted the town concerts and the students' concerts; managed the Town Singing School, and the Vocal Association, which latter exccutes works, also, with a full band; and, in all his various and comprehensive duties, displayed a zealous activity as scientific as practically successful, invariably promoting a love of true art and the works of its classical masters, and destined to be ever thankfully remembered by all true lovers of art in Utrecht.

MEMORIAL

ADDRESSED TO

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE,
Chancellor of the Exchequer.

"The Humble Memorial of the Professors, Members, Associates, and Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music, "Sheweth, That the Royal Academy of Music was founded in the month of July, 1820, by the late Right Honourable the Earl of Westmorland, with the cooperation of many distinguished Noblemen and Gentlemen, with the assistance of the most eminent Musicians of the time, and with the approval of His Majesty King George the Fourth.

"That the object of the Founders was, to establish in this country a school for the training of professional Musicians, similar in its effect to those Conservatories on the Continent which have nursed the talents of many of the Artists whose names are most famous in the annals of modern Music. The world-wide renown of the creative and executive Musicians of this kingdom of the previous two and a half centuries, such as Tallis, Byrd, Morley, Dowland, Wilbye, Orlando Gibbons, John Bull, Henry Lawes, Purcell, Croft, Arne, Shield, Storace, Attwood, Bishop, Mrs. Cibber, Mrs. Árne, Mrs. Billington, Incledon, Braham, Crosdill, Lindley, and many others, sanctioned the belief that musical capacity was indigenous here; and the excellent results of the operations of the Royal Academy for the cultivation of a sister art proved that natural capacity might be developed into the highest talent by judicious education. Thus, the object of the Royal Academy of Music was justified to those whose national and artistic spirit prompted them to labour for its establishment.

"That having collected donations to the amount of from 7 to 8,0001. in furtherance of their aim, the Founders opened the Academy at the beginning of the year 1823, since which date, 1240 pupils have been admitted into the Institution, 110 of whom have been educated gratuitously, and 367 on terms below the regulated payment.

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That it was the original design of the Founders that the education should be, as it is in the Institutions for the same purpose on the Continent, gratuitous to natives of the country; and the first pupils were received on these free conditions. The precarious nature of private subscription early proved the impracticability of pursuing this design, and it became necessary, therefore, to exact an annual payment from the pupils, at first of 30 guineas, and, for the last eight years, of 33 guineas.

"That the sum of 2,250l. was allotted to the Academy from the profits of the Westminster Festival, in 1834, and this was added to the amount invested in the public funds from the original donations. Many of the original donors became annual subscribers to the Institution, and new subscribers have, from time to time, added their names to the list; but the number of these latter has by no means equalled that of those who, from death or other causes, have ceased to be supporters of the Academy. Thus, though some promoters of art, including the reigning Sovereign, have always assisted this Institution, the amount of such assistance is now reduced to 2067. per annum.

"That the yearly expenses of the Academy average 3,000l.,* and subscriptions, and interest on stock) by an average of 500.; thus, the these exceed the receipts (drawn from students' payments, annual accumulated capital of the Academy has been gradually decreased to its present total of 4200l., which will be further lessened by the deduction of 1000l. to defray the standing liabilities of the Institution. An easy calculation would prove from the above that the term of the Academy's existence is almost definitely limited, and your Memorialists beg of you to consider whether this Institution ought in a few years to be closed for the want of funds.

"That in urging upon your notice the pretensions of the Academy,

*The extreme smallness of this amount results from the liberal concession, in respect of terms, of all the Professors engaged in the Institution.

your Memorialists must beg you not to deem it self-sufficient that they state the following significant facts in the history of the Institution. At present, and for several years, many of the chief public positions in the musical profession are, and have been, honourably filled by disciples of the Academy; and your Memorialists confidently refer, for confirmation of this statement, to the general opinion of the country in respect of composers, solo performers, orchestral performers, and vocalists. Such a manifest truth, coming conspicuously as it does within the reach of universal observation, is of less valuable consequence in the spreading of a pure knowledge of art and the extending of its refining influence, than is the effect the Academy produces through the labours of its former pupils, who are now active as teachers in all parts of the country. These, having received a more general, more artistic, and more thorough education than could have been obtained in England prior to the foundation of the Academy, have raised the standard of musical instruction, not only by their own conscientious practice, but by the necessity to reach their level which this practice has forced upon other musicians. You will pardon your Memorialists for averring, also, that though external opinion has, unfortunately, sometimes been adverse to the Academy and its workings, at moments when this has been loudest in its expression, some of the best fruits of the Institution have been ripening within its walls.

"That your Memorialists, all musicians, have, some of them, been educated in the Academy, which they regard with such affection as they would a native home or a foster-mother; whereas the others have studied their art elsewhere in England, or on the Continent, and so have not the same ties to link them to the Institution and its interests; and you may therefore receive this Memorial as representing the unprejudiced, but not inexperienced, views of persons sincerely desirous for the general welfare of music.

"That the Academy is not now to be considered as an experiment; the forty years' experience of its operations, through all its vicissitudes of fortune and of management, is a sufficient test of its capabilities. These capabilities are restricted by the extent of its funds, and qualified by the necessary means of acquiring these funds. It is not always the most gifted individuals who have the best pecuniary resources, and it is therefore deeply to be regretted that the present large rate of annual payment should be required from the pupils. While, therefore, the grant by Government of a building for the carrying on of the operations of the establishment (a support enjoyed by all the scientific and artistic bodies in the metropolis) would greatly relieve the Academy of its apprehensions, the concession of yet more liberal assistance would give the power of diminishing the charges to students and increasing the number of free scholarships, and thus vastly enhance the benefits of the

Institution.

"That the good effect upon the million of the introduction of practical music into the course of national education must afford Her Majesty's Government perfect satisfaction with this important measure. As the public power of comprehending an art increases, to elevate the character of those whose duty is both to form the public taste and gratify it, becomes more and more indispensable. Music has made prodigious progress in England during the last forty years, and it now holds prominent importance in the intellectual developement of the country; coincident with this course of advancement have been the workings of the Royal Academy of Music, and the national advantages that might issue from such an institution would increase with the natural capacity to benefit by them. The revived importance of Church Music is a significant feature of this progress; and another is the improvement in the Music of the Army; in both of which departments it would surely be of value to the authorities that have the granting of appointmen's, could they refer to certificates as to the competency of candidates for such appointments from an institution like the Academy, which was dignified by the countenance of Her Majesty's Government. In the consideration of the desirability and the capabilities of the Academy, the immense importance of music as furnishing occupation to the industrial classes, must be taken into account, many thousands of the population being at present engaged in the facture of musical instruments, the engraving and printing of music, &c., and the extent of employment of this nature increases with the increase of the knowledge of the art throughout the country.

"Your Memorialists most respectfully and earnestly hope, therefore, that, with the liberal views which characterise the age, you will perceive rationality in the above propositions, and that you may deem it expedient to give your considerate attention to the subject on which they have ventured to trouble you. They trust that the day is not distant when music may stand upon the same footing in England which it holds in those countries where the government wholly maintains a school for the training of its professors; and believing that a tried institution will give better security to

such a footing than it could derive from any new undertaking, your Memorialists further trust that you will feel justified in recommending to Her Majesty's Government to assist in the permanent maintenance and support of so highly valuable a National Institution as the Royal Academy of Music.

"And your Memorialists will ever pray," &c.

C. Lucas (principal), F. Schira, Manfredo Maggioni, G. A. Osborne, Henry Leslie, Walter Macfarren, W. W. Cazalet, A.M., Ciro Pinsuti, Cipriani Potter, Frank R. Cox, William Dorrell, J. Douglas Thompson, Henry W. Goodban, Heny. C. Lunn, Alfd. Streather, John S. Bowley, H. R. Allen, Henry Regaldi, J. C. Beuthin, J. Balsir Chatterton, Alfred Mellon, John Cheshire, Fredk. Bowen Jewson, Manuel Garcia, Harold Thomas, T. A. Wallworth, S. J. Noble, C. J. Lyon, W. H. Aylward, Fred. Folkes, William Watson, Henry Charles Banister, John Bradbury Turner, Alfred Gilbert, John Radcliff, W. H. Holmes, Henry G. Blagrove, John Goss, Kellow J. Pye, Joseph Williams,,Charles Steggall, Mus. D., T. Harper, Frederick Westlake, Ernst Pauer, Henry Lazarus, Otto Goldschmidt, Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt, Arthur O'Leary, Rosetta O'Leary, George Mount, Prosper Sainton, Geo. Horton, Joseph Joachim, William Sterndale Bennett, Mus. Prof. Cantab, Mary Elizth. Ransford, Sophie Messent, Kate Thompson, Frances Harriet Noble, Eloise J. Gimson, Laura Baxter, James Howell, Giacinto Marras, Fanny Lablache, Charlotte Ann Birch, Fanny Rowland, Bessie Palmer, R. Sidney Pratten, Annie Banks, Chas. Harper, J. Sims Reeves, Mrs. Sims Reeves, Charlotte H. Sainton Dolby, Frank H. Bodda, A. Davison (Goddard), H. Lemmens-Sherrington, Lucy Anderson, Jules Benedict, Louisa Pyne, Adolfo Ferrari, Joanna Ferrari, Mary W. Séguin, Alfred Piatti, W. G. Cusins, John Thomas, Brinley Richards, Charlotte Josephine Vickery, Therese Tietiens, Bernhard Molique, George T. Smart, G. A. Macfarren, Robert Barnett.

The following gentlemen, being absent from London, wrote to express their concurrence with those who signed the Memorial:

:

Rev. R. K. Brewer, Leeds; J. W. Smith, Marlborough; A. Sapio, Chester; B. R. Isaac, Liverpool; W. C. Hay, Shrewsbury; G. Newson; J. Wrigley, Manchester; T. M. Mudie, Edinburgh W. T. Best, Liverpool; C. J. Toms, Liverpool; C. McKorkell, Northampton; C. A. Seymour, Manchester; W. Vincent Wallace.

LEEDS. (From a Correspondent.)-The following letter has been addressed to the local journals by Dr. Stewart :"SIR,-Being a lover of organs and organ music, I have come from a considerable distance for the purpose of hearing the grand organ in your Town Hall. Will you permit me, as a stranger, to express to you and the public how highly I have been gratified with the instrument, to which I listened for the first time on Tuesday during Dr. Spark's excellent performance. Having since examined the organ, played upon it, heard its stops, and all the varied effects capable of being produced points of the best native and foreign instruments, in addition to very from it, I have come to the conclusion that it possesses all the finest many specialities peculiar to itself. that it is, in short, a chef d'œuvre in the possession of which Leeds may well be proud. Of the value and importance of weekly performances upon so noble an instrument, and their tendency to diffuse a cultivated taste, there can scarcely be a second opinion entertained; but it is to be regretted that in the louder passages the excessive reverberation, inseparable from buildings of such dimensions as the Leeds Hall, should interfere with that distinctness which is desirable in organ performances. It occurs to me that if the floor were covered with some thick matting, not only would the immoderate echo be avoided, but the listening audience would no longer be disturbed, as they are at present, by the foot-falls of late comers. "Your faithful servant,

ROBT. P. STEWART, MUS. D. "Professor of Music in the University, and Organist of the Cathedrals of St. Patrick and Christ Church, Dublin." The organ in the parish Church has lately received some important additions and alterations from Messrs. Hill & Son, Mr. Schultze (the builder of the Doncaster large organ), and Mr. Holt, of Leeds. The greater part of the instrument was used at the annual commemoration services last Thursday week, and much pleased the members of the congregation, who are very loud in their praises of the organ.

ST. JAMES'S HALL.

MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

MONDAY, JULY 28.

LAST MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

The Musical World.

LONDON: SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1862.

AT the recent anniversary (the thirty-ninth) of the Musical

Festival of the Lower Rhine, Handel's oratorio of Solomon was the principal attraction. There were several motives for this choice, one of them being that the work appears so

IN consequence of the extraordinary demand for places rarely in concert-programmes in Germany as to be entirely

at the DIRECTOR'S BENEFIT CONCERT, on Monday evening last, and in order to accommodate those who were unable to obtain adınission, the Director begs to announce that he will give

TWO MORE CONCERTS,

new to the majority of the audience, while another and even more cogent one, was the satisfactory circumstance that the principal requisites for a long-cherished wish were assembled in Cologne. That wish was, to give at one of the festivals On MONDAY EVENING, July 28, the entire programme of last Monday's such a performance of an oratorio by Handel as should re

The 101st, 102d, and positively the last of the season, as follows:

Concert, selected from the works of all the great masters, which was received with such extraordinary enthusiasm, will be repeated.

On TUESDAY EVENING, July 29, there will be a Beethoven Night. The instrumentalists will include MM. CHARLES HALLE, JOACHIM, PIATTI, &c. Vocalists: The Sisters MARCHISIO, MISS BANKS, Mr. WEISS, Mr. SIMS REEVES, &c. Conductor: M. BENEDICT.

For full particulars see programme. Sofa Stalls, 5s.; Balcony, 3s.; Admission, Is.

semble as nearly as possible the original kind of performance under Handel himself, by means of large numbers of choristers and stringed instruments, as well as by the continuous cooperation of the organ. The attempt had already

Tickets, for which early application is requested, may be obtained of Messrs. Chappell been once made successfully at Cologne, on the first day in

& Co., 50 New Bond Street.

PROGRAMME OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST.

PART I Quartet, in E flat, Op. 44, for two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello, MM. JOACHIM, WIENER, SCHREURS, and PIATTI (Mendelssohn); Song, "A bird sat on an alder bough," Miss BANKS (Spohr); Song, "The Wanderer," Mr. WEISS (Schubert); Sonata, in A, for Violoncello solo, with Pianoforte Accompaniment, Sig. PIATTI (Boccherini); Song, "Dalla sua pace," Mr. SIMS REEVES (Mozart); Harpsichord Lessons, Mr. CHARLES HALLE (Scarlatti). PART II. Elégie, for Violin solo, with Pianoforte Accompaniment, Herr JOACHIM (Ernst); Songs, "The Savoyard," "The Kiss," Mr. SIMS REEVES (Beethoven); Canzonet, The Mermaid's song," Miss BANKS (Haydn); Sonata, in A major, dedicated to Kreutzer, for Pianoforte and Violin, Mr. CHARLES HALLE and Herr JOACHIM (Beethoven).

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TO CORRESPONDENTS.

JUSTITIA. It should have been as follows:-" We cannot conclude our notice without one word more' of acknowledgement to the body of gentlemen known as the 'Stewards' of the Sacred Harmonic Society, and without whose assistance such vast assemblages would be perfectly unmanageable. Whether those under the direction of Mr. Sims and Mr. Mitchell on the south side-whether those on the north, whose zeal was under the control of Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Cohen-all vied with each other in contributing to the comfort and convenience of the visitors, and were as unanimous in their attention at the end of the Festival as they were at the commencement. It is needless to say that to their assiduous care may be traced one of the elements," &c. A PIANIST.- Qual maggior dimostrazione posso io.darvene?

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Whitsun-week - namely, the 7th June, 1835. Felix Mendelssohn, the conductor on the occasion, had just completed an organ part for Solomon, and this organ part was performed by Franz Weber on a provisional organ, not complete, which stood in the old Gürzenichsaal. The contralto part (Solomon) was taken by Mad. von Bockrath, formerly Mlle. Wolf, of Crefeld, and the soprano parts by Mlle. Bockholtz (not then known as Falconi), and Mad. Eschborn; the tenor was the powerful Breiting, and the bass, the never-to-beforgotten Michael Du Mont, both now deceased, as also, only much earlier, the admirable master under whose direction they sang. The sensation produced by this performance, twenty-seven years ago, is still vividly remembered by many living, who were present at it; but the effect must have been much more powerful and impressive at the present festival, on account of the more favourable circumstances under which the latter took place, especially as far as room was concerned, the grand hall of the Gürzenich, lately rebuilt, being twice as high as the old one. These recollections and considerations, the possession of the score completed by Mendelssohn's organ part, and the possibility of having an organ erected by Messrs. Ibach and Sons, of Barmen, whose workshops are one of the glories of the Rhenish Provinces, and guaranteed, by the instruments already turned out, the successful production of a concert organ, induced the committee to select the oratorio of Solomon for the first day. Herr Ferdinand Hiller, actuated by reverence for Mendelssohn, and a proper feeling that any additions would detract from the unity of form which Mendelssohn's arrangement had imparted to it, produced the oratorio in strict conformity with that lamented master's score.

In the series of Handel's oratorios, Solomon is the fourteenth; after it came only three- Susanna, Theodora, and Jephtha. Handel wrote it between May 5 and June 19, 1748; and Susanna, between July 11 and August 24, the same year. He was then 63. He produced both oratorios during the following season of 1749, in London, Susanna being performed four times, and Solomon twice. In the first performance taking place on March 2, and opening year of his death, 1759, he gave Solomon twice again; the the season. On April 6, following, he conducted his Messiah for the last time. On the next Friday, April 13, he who had endowed the world with works which are immortal, gave up the ghost. With regard to the book of Solomon, it contains nothing like a dramatic plot, or any scenic connection of the latter, since the only dramatic scene-the appearance of the two

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