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SEE,

M. THALBERG'S

NEW COMPOSITIONS,

AS PERFORMED AT HIS CONCERTS IN LONDON.

THALBERG'S BALLADE,

AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR THE PIANO. PRICE 48.

THE CONQUERING HERO COMES, for Piano, could have written as quaint, as fascinating, and at the same time as
"An exquisite Romance, which no imitator, however ingenious,
Thalbergian as anything of the kind that has been produced for years."
The Times.

by G. F. WEST. ("Gems," 2nd Series. No. 12.) 3s. OZART'S LAUDATE DOMINUM, for Piano, by

MOZAR

G. F. WEST. ("Gems," 2nd Series. No. 16.) 3s.

ANDANTE, FROM MOZART'S FIFTH QUINTET,

for Piano, by G. F. WEST. ("Gems," 2nd Series. No. 18.) 3s.

ADAGIO, FROM MOZART'S SONATA in C Minor,

for Piano, by G. F. WEST. (" Gems," 2nd Series. No. 17.) 3s.

ANDANTE, FROM MOZART'S SYMPHONY in E

Flat, for Piano, by G. F. WEST. ("Gems," 2nd Series. No. 17.) 3s.

CLEMENTI'S SONATA, No. 1, Op. 24, for Piano,

by BRINLEY RICHARDS. (Student's Practice. No. 36.)

A RESIGNATION.-Poème, par THEODOR KULLAK.

2s. 6d,

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BLUMENTHAL'S "DAYS THAT ARE NO MORE," J

transcribed for Piano and played with such distinguished success by the composer at his Concert at the Marchioness of Downshire's residence, Belgrave Square, is published, price 3s., by DUNCAN DAVISON & Co., 244 Regent Street, W.; where the song (sung by Mad. SAINTON-DOLBY) may also be obtained, price 3s.

OSEPH GODDARD'S PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC
Price 78. 6d. (To Subscribers, 5s.)
BOOSEY & SONS, Holles Street.

BOOSEYS' SHILLING MESSIAH, complete Vocal

Score, with Accompaniment of Pianoforte cr Organ, demy 4to (size of "Musical Cabinet"). Price 18. BOOSEY & SONS have much pleasure in announ

J. FINCHAM, ORGAN-PIPE MAKER, VOICER, and TUNER, cing their new Edition of the Messiah," printed from a new type, on excellent

110 EUSTON ROAD, LONDON.

Amateurs and the Trade Supplied at the Lowest Terms.

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paper, and in a form equally adapted for or the Concert-room. The text revised by G. F. HARRIS, from the celebrated Edition of Dr. JOHN CLARK. As a specimen of cheap music, this book is quite unprecedented, and it is only in anticipation of the universal patronage it will command at the approaching Handel Festival the publishers are able to undertake it. Orders received by all Booksellers and Musicsellers. Post free, 1s. 4d. An edition in cloth boards, gill, 2s.

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"Joy, joy for ever!- my task is done

The Gates are pass'd, and Heav'n is won!"

VIENNA. The Männer-Gesang-Verein have received an invitation from the Emperor requesting them to take part in the proceedings at the uncovering of the Maria Theresa Monument, on the 31st August, at Wiener-Neustadt, just as they did at the uncovering of the monument to the Grand-Duke Carl. The members have accepted the invitation, and Herr Herbeck, their chorus-master, will compose a special hymn for the occasion. The Männer-Gesang-Verein will be assisted by the Liedertapeln of Neustadt and its neighbourhood.-The following is a statistical return of the performances at the Imperial Hofburgtheater, during the theatrical year 1861-1862. Of pieces by German authors, 31 were by Schiller; 26 by Mad. Birch-Pfeiffer; 21 by Benedix; 18 by Schlesinger; 15 by Laube; 12 by Bauernfeld; 14 by Hollpein; 11 by Göthe; 8 by Freytag; 8 by Lorm; 7 by Von Puttlitz; 6 by Lessing; 6 by Töpfer; 5 by Adolphi ; 4 by Lederer; 3 by Mosenthal; &c. There were 18 performances of 10 pieces by Shakespeare, and 2 performances of a piece by another English author. There were also 130 performances of 43 pieces from the French. At Berlin, during the same period, Schiller was played 36 times; Shakespeare, 31; Benedix, 28; Kaupach, 26; Von Puttlitz, 17; Hollpein, 17; Göthe, 13; Scribe, 13; Lessing, 12; Werner-Raupach, 12; Mad. Birch-Pfeiffer, 12; Cosmar, 10; Bauernfeld, 8; Von Kleist, 6 ; &c.

ROME. Franz Liszt is still here, and will, in all probability, not leave for some time.

EMS.-To-day, July 19, Meyerbeer proceeds, by way of Wiesbaden, to Schwalbach, to finish his course of water-drinking at the last-named place. According to a report current here, he was so delighted with the grand performances of sacred music at Exeter Hall, that he is engaged in the composition of an oratorio for England.

DRAMATIC COLLEGE FETE.

ON Saturday the Fancy Fair, which it is now the custom to hold annually in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, was opened by mock proclamation, and a crowd, which increased during the whole of the afternoon, assembled in the great transept and its vicinities, to witness an elaborate imitation of those solemnities which were once associated with Smithfield and Greenwich. Here stood a "Richardson's Show," complete in all its appointments, and under the government of Mr. Nelson Lee, the author of 1,000 pantomimes, and the veritable successor of the lamented Mr. Richardson. Hard by was a "Cirque Olympique," in which the families of Payne and Lauri were gathered, and next to this was Mr. J. L. Toole's photographic establishment. Modestly retiring into a less conspicuous court was Mr. Buckstone's "Aunt Sally;" and most conspicuous of all were the rows of stalls, at which many of the leading actresses presided over "wheels of fortune." The formalities of an ordinary fair of the old school were imitated correctly, and with very great spirit. Mr. R. Romer, who read the burlesque proclamation, was gorgeously attired as a herald, and afterwards appeared as a prominent object in the parade of Richardson's Show, where the usual means of enticing visitors were employed with the utmost vigour-proprietor, clown, and countryman shouting and bawling quite as zealously as if they had been soliciting sixpences for their own pockets rather than collecting shillings for the benefit of a charitable institution. Corresponding noises might be heard at the neighbouring establishments; and thus a competitive bustle was maintained, which might easily have induced an elderly person of lively imagination to fancy himself slipping back to the period of his boyhood, when a visit to Richardson's show was one of the necessary incidents of life. To some of the younger generation the copy of the old itinerant theatre, with its populous parade, must have seemed to refer to something as remote from their own time as if it had been the semblance of the Royal Bear Garden. Those failing to recognise in Mr. Byron's burlesque drama (written for the occasion) any trace of the author who has supplied the Strand Theatre with so many sparkling pieces might, moreover, be inclined to imagine that there was a shortcoming on the part of the justly popular dramatist. There was nothing of the sort. According to the ancient practice of Richardson's show, the performance inside, attainable on the payment of moneys, was always less diverting than the jokes of the outside parades, seen and heard for nothing. In the spirit of a true artist, the dramatist has toned down his wit to suit the requirements of tradition. The actors in the burlesque, which is called The Rosebud of Stinging-nettle Farm, were Messrs. W. H. Eburne, W. J. Clark (of the Strand), Garden, and Worboys, and, lasting little more than ten minutes, it embodies a parody of that rural style of drama in which every squire is wicked and every peasant virtuous. The dramatic performance was repeated at short intervals, one audience being turned out on the good old plan to make room for another, a tragedy of the more legitimate Richardson school, in which the principal characters were sustained by Messrs. Toole and Paul Bedford, being sometimes substituted for the burlesque drama.

Perhaps Mr. Toole's photographic establishment was even more attractive than the theatre. According to the statement outside, fifty portraits were to be taken in a minute, and the crowds who entered were edified by the sight of Mr. Toole as photographer and Mr. Paul Bedford as developer, while Mr. C. J. Smith appeared as a Russian Count, the inventor of the process. After several pompous preliminaries, the feat was honestly performed, and every patron of the establishment was presented with an indubitable likeness of himself-namely, a small but we forget; there was a sort of understanding that those who had their likenesses taken should keep the result of their visit a profound secret, and, as the fair will take place again to-day (Monday), we leave the curious to purchase their experience. However, there is no doubt that the ladies contributed most to the general effect of the scene. The series of stalls, all elegantly fitted up with light muslin drapery, and each inscribed with the name of the fair occupant, who sat behind her counter, attired in a smart morning dress, presented a very pretty sight. The ninth clause of the herald's proclamation had declared that, 66 according to the statutes made by the Master and Wardens in solemn Council assembled, it should be lawful as also the bounden duty of female vendors to arrest and detain for barter and merchandise all bachelors of kindly look and easy means, and there and then, in such restraint, to use all lawful arts and wiles to lure from them, the said bachelors, such superfluous coins of the realm as they may then and there possess ;" and there is no doubt that the privileged sirens fully availed themselves of the rights thus solemnly accorded. When we state that among the occupants of the stalls were Mrs. Stirling, Mrs. Alfred Mellon, Miss Marie Wilton, Miss Fanny Josephs, Mrs. Billington, Miss H. Simms, Miss Laidlaw, Miss Kate Kelly, Miss Amy Sedgwick, Mrs. E. Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Frank Matthews, Miss Elsworthy, Mrs. Howard Paul, Miss Herbert, Mrs. and Miss Conquest, Miss C.

Saunders, Miss Lydia Thompson, and Miss Catherine Lucette, we show not only that there was a large assemblage of female histrionic talent, but also that the theatres of London in many various quarters were fairly represented.

Scattered about the nave of the building were several minor amusements, in the shape of a Punch's show, a nigger band, &c., and the bands both of the Grenadier Guards and of the Crystal Palace Company were on duty. For the instruction and amusement of strangers there was a sort of newspaper called the Royal Dramatic College News, containing a copy of the proclamation, a programme of the day's "fun," serious information respecting the charity, and a variety of miscellaneous jokes, which was widely circulated both on the railway station and in the Palace. Of the facetious portion of this paper the following is a favourable specimen

:

"Should this meet the eye of the Life Insurance Company who sent me a most idiotic paper to fill up respecting my brother Sam, this is to inform said eye that I've forgotten its address, but, under the conviction that it will glance over your valuable paper, I herewith send the required answers, sworn to, &c. "DUNDREARY.

"1. Is the Hon. Sam, &c., your brother?-No. "2. Whose brother is he?-My sister's.

3. Does he stammer ?- No; he speaks as plainly as I do. "4. Has he any chronic disease ?-Subject to pimples.

"5. Do you call his lungs sound ?—No, I call them inflated air tubes.
"6. What state was he in when you last saw him?-Michigan.
"7. What age do you consider him ?-5 feet 10.

"8. Does he chew or smoke ?-He smokes when he chooses.
"9. What are his habits?-White flannel and straw hat.
"10. What is his income ?-As much as he can get out of me.
11. Is he steady?-I never saw him balance himself.

"12. Does he sleep with his mouth open ?-Yes, when he's alone.

13. Can he move his left ear?-I don't know, but he parts his hair in the middle. "14. What height is he? It depends on his socks. "15. Is he in sane mind ?-He is in sane, &c.

"16. How long have you known him?-Two years after I was born.
"17. What is his mode of life?-Beer.

"18. Has he had the measles ?-No, but he can have them if required.
19. How many teeth has he?-Two rows front and back.
"20. Does he curl his hair ?-This I decline answering.
"21. Is he married?-No. He's quite sane.

22. Has he any children ?-Two nieces.

23. Are any of his relatives alive?-No.

"24. Had he a wet nurse?-Very.

"25. Do you consider him a fit subject for insurance ?-Decidedly not.

26. Has he any physical peculiarity ?-Yes. He has the mark of a counterfeit £5 note on the small of his back. ***27. Do you solemnly swear to the above?-Not if I know it.

"DUNDREARY.'"

When we reflect that several of the actors and actresses who mainly contributed to the fun of the fair had to appear at their several theatres at seven o'clock in the evening, as if nothing had occurred, we cannot avoid the conclusion that there is something like zealous fellow-feeling in the members of the histrionic profession. It is understood that the receipts from the bazaar and shows considerably exceeded 2,000l.; there can be no doubt, therefore, that the funds of the charity will be materially benefited.

Mr. F. Romer, the herald, accompanied by his state trumpeters, pursuivants, and mounted escort, proclaimed the fair at twelve and three o'clock from the front of the great orchestra for the ensuing Monday, when it was continued with increased success, upwards of 28,000 persons being present. The bazaar, the circus, the shows, and all the other amusements were crowded throughout the day. The monetary success both to the College and the Crystal Palace Company must have been very great.

MR. SIMS REEVES'S CONCERT.

THIS concert, which took place on Wednesday night in Exeter Hall, before an enormous audience, was interesting for several reasons. First, there was a new cantata, by the most popular of our composers, the remainder of the programme being all of excellent quality; then there was a first-rate band, together with a numerous and highly efficient chorus; and, lastly, the execution of every piece, whether vocal or instrumental, was admirable-the solo singers, in addition to Mr. Sims Reeves, being Mad. Lemmens-Sherrington, Miss Palmer, and Mr. Santley, the solo players Mr. Charles Hallé and Sig. Piatti. An ordinary entertainment, under so eminent a name as that of the concertgiver, would have been out of the question; but Mr. Reeves provided even more than was expected in variety of attraction, and delighted his numerous patrons with a selection of music which occupied upwards of three hours and a half in performance, and yet did not include a single composition of inferior or questionable merit. The band, directed with consummate ability by Mr. Balfe, gave Weber's overture to Der Freischütz, Professor Sterndale Bennett's overture called The Naiads (which figured gracefully at the concert of our most distinguished native singer), and the Wedding March of Mendelssohn. Mr. Hallé played the Andante and Rondo Brillante in B minor (with orchestral

66

accompaniments) of the last-mentioned composer, besides one of the Wanderstunden of M. Stephen Heller and a Valse by Chopin. The Rondo of Mendelssohn-one of the first things he wrote during his early visits to this country-is, its beauty and originality considered, too rarely heard, and was therefore all the more welcome. Signor Piatti's choice fell upon the Sarabande and Gavotte of John Sebastian Bach, with which he has so frequently charmed the very musical audiences that flock to the Monday Popular Concerts at St. James's Hall, and which, to judge from its reception, was no less suited to the vast "mixed assembly" gathered together within the less inviting walls of the Temple of Harmony in the Strand. To dismiss at once the miscellaneous vocal pieces-Mr. Santley introduced "The Bellringer" (W. V. Wallace) and "The Colleen Bawn" (Benedict), in both of which he has earned laurels repeatedly; Mad. Lemmens-Sherrington gave Maid Marian's scena, Hail, happy morn," from Robin Hood, (Macfarren), and the variations on "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman? inserted by the late Adolphe Adam in his comic opera, Le Tauréador; Miss Palmer sang Mr. Chorley's ballad, "When I was young," and Mr. Sims Reeves "My own, my guiding star" (Robin Hood), both of which were encored, the latter with an enthusiasm impossible to describe. Mr. Reeves-whose voice was never in more splendid condition, and who never seemed more determined to win distinction for himself and afford pleasure to his hearers-also gave "Gentle airs," one of the few familiar numbers from Handel's Athaliah (Sig. Piatti playing the violoncello accompaniment), and, with Mr. Santley, the duet "All's well," from Braham's opera of The English Fleet-the promise of which once famous, now not altogether undeservedly obsolete, piece of circumstantial declamation kept the large majority of the audience in their seats to the end of the concert, and, it is but fair to add, satisfied them that they had waited to good purpose.

A few lines about Mazeppa - Mr. Balfe's new cantata - must at present suffice. The well-known incidents of this romantic story are cleverly put together by Miss Jessica Rankin, whose verse, moreover, has the advantage of being unaffected and sensible. Mr. Balfe has happily caught the spirit of the subject, and unquestionably added one more to his many artistic successes. The dramatis persona are fourthe Count (Mr. Santley), Theresa, his wife (Mad. Lemmens-Sherrington), Nita, Theresa's confidante (Miss Palmer), and Mazeppa (Mr. Sims Reeves). Choruses of pages and attendants in the first part, and of Cossacks when Mazeppa's involuntary ride approaches its termination, make up the sum-total of the musical elements at the composer's disposition. The choral portions of the work, if not precisely the strongest, have the merit of being unexceptionably spirited and appropriate; melodious they always are (or they would not be Mr. Balfe's), and in one or two instances-which, seeing that the cantata is tolerably sure of a wide popularity, we shall have opportunities enough of pointing out attain that point of characteristic beauty best described as "the picturesque." With this, of course, the orchestral accompaniments in which Mr. Balfe exhibits more than his usual ingenuity-have a good deal to do. The solo airs are, for the greater part, in the composer's most agreeable and engaging style. Those allotted to the Count-"Oh, she was fair," and "O thou dear one, in whom I trusted " are both good, the last, indeed, extremely beautiful. Theresa's one song, "I dream'd I had a bower so fair," in a more ornate and elaborate style, is marked by a grace and fluency peculiar to Mr. Balfe when he allows his pleasant muse to speak without restraint. Nita takes part in a duet with Theresa, and in a trio with Theresa and the Count -the latter a pretty trifle, beginning in the manner of a "round." The best music, however, naturally enough, falls to the most conspicuous and by far most interesting character. Mazeppa's first air-" She walks in queenlike grace" is founded on one of the most charming melodies that ever came from its author's untiring pen; the second-"Theresa, we no more shall meet "-is a simple and expressive ballad, conceived and accomplished in that style which, from the opening bars, unmis takably reveals itself as "Balfian;" while the third- -"Once again to life awaking," illustrative of an incident in the "Ride "--preceded by a very impressive recitative, and mixed up at intervals with chorus (the materials of which have already been used in the orchestral prelude at the beginning of the cantata), is perhaps the most genuine of all. In addition to these, Mazeppa has a duet with Theresa-"Ah! why that face so full of care?". a favourable example of the composer's lightest and most ad captandum way of writing. The execution of the cantata, under the direction of Mr. Balfe himself by orchestra, chorus, and principal singers-was, for the first performance of a new and not overeasy work, in every sense remarkable. Piece after piece was applauded with warmth and unanimity; and so loud was the uproar after Mazeppa's first air ("She walks in queenlike grace"), that, while forced to applaud Mr. Reeves for not wishing to interrupt the continuous interest of the music, by repeating an isolated portion to the detriment of the context,

-

we think he might have yielded to the wishes of the audience and sung it again. Mr. Santley, too, was pressed with no less vehemence for a repetition of the Count's second air ("O thou dear one "), but, like Mr. Reeves, turned a deaf ear to the appeal. All the solo music, indeedincluding, of course, that of Theresa and Nita (Mad. Sherrington and Miss Palmer) was sung con amore; and if Mr. Balfe was not content he must be very difficult to please. At the end of the performance he was greeted with applause from every side.

On the whole, the audience had every reason to be well satisfied with the sumptuous musical treat prepared for them by Mr. Reeves, who, on first appearing in the orchestra, was honoured with such an enthusiastic recognition as is only awarded to the most eminent public favourites. We should have stated that Mr. J. L. Hatton played the pianoforte part in Bach's Sarabande and Gavotte, besides accompanying two or three of the miscellaneous vocal pieces.

Letters to the Editor.

MISS LIZZIE WILSON.

SIR, Will you allow me to correct, through the medium of your extensive circulation, a mistake into which I apprehend my musical friends and patrons may fall, from a vocalist of my two names (as above) having lately sung at the Blue Boar Tavern, Holborn? I beg to state that I have no connection whatever (professional or private) with this lady, of whom, in fact, I never before heard. I have sung for the last three years at various provincial, suburban, and metropolitan concerts, and the last time I had the honour of appearing before the public was at my own concert last month, at the Hanover Square Rooms.-I am, Sir, your obliged humble servant,

Old Change, E.C.

LIZZIE WILSON.

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SIR,- My friend, Mr., of the Potteries, tells me that he knows you well; therefore, with his compliments, I take the liberty of addressing you, and also presenting you with a copy of an Essay which I have

written on the obstructions which all musical students meet with in their progress of learning, particularly in the article of TIME; also of an invention which is now in the Great Exhibition amongst the pianos. (See Catalogue, p. 72, No. 533-“ Norma Virium.) My invention is to supersede the metronome, and, as the title of the Essay says, "to meet the numerous difficulties of both professors and learners in their first stages of instruction," and particularly in the article of TIME. My

- is at the Exhibition every afternoon to show how easily pupils can accompany it. Children taught by it cannot possibly be bad timeists, nor does it require one-sixth of the usual time in learning. It imbues the mind with, and fastens on the understanding, all those forms of accentuation which are so essential, but so difficult to instil. If you make a call at the Exhibition some afternoon, we will bestow a little more trouble in showing you its excellence.

I am, Sir, yours very respectfully,
THE AUTHOR OF THE ESSAY ON OBSTRUCTIONS.

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