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MRS. MEREST AND HARMONY WITHOUT A MASTER. SIR,-Can you inform me whether Mrs. Merest (late Miss Hawes) was the vocal instructress of the Princess Mary of Cambridge, as I see her concerts are under the patronage of the Princess and her mother? Do you consider it possible to learn harmony without the aid of a master, and simply by studying Hamilton's Catechism of the Rudiments of Harmony and Thorough Bass? An answer to these questions through the medium of the MUSICAL WORLD will greatly oblige

Yours obediently,

MUSICUS.

any night occasion at its concerts, and which Mr. Punch himself feels somewhat anxious to escape. Meanwhile, although he loves good music much, he loves his Judy more; and Mr. Punch will certainly not risk her precious life more often than she really obliges him to do, by taking her to concerts which he can't get her away from without the chance of fractured crinoline, if not of broken bones.

OLYMPIC THEATRE.-It is not often that we find a damnatory sentence delivered in a clear and unmistakable manner by a modern audience. Generally, a piece is mildly applauded on the first night,

[Will any of our readers be good enough to answer the ques- however little it may be relished, and the treasury alone reveals the tions of "Musicus?"-ED.]

SIR,-Will you, in your "Notices to Correspondents," kindly favour me with your opinion of Scheibler's method of tuning the pianoforte by the metronome, and whether, in practice and in its results, it is superior to that of the old method of tuning by the unassisted ear? I adopt it for my own purposes, but one of my friends not agreeing with me, simply because he cannot, I think, comprehend the theory, is disposed to vilify it. Another, a professional tuner, even goes so far as to say that Scheibler is a myth. Yours respectfully,

A HIT AT EXETER HALL. (From Punch.)

NUX VOMICA.

THE Concerts given by the Sacred Harmonic Society are without exception very praiseworthy performances, and Mr. Punch feels always pleasure in lending them his ears. To hear good music well performed is as refining to the mind as it is pleasant to the sense; and two hours once a fortnight cannot well be better spent than in hearing the Elijah, Israel, or Stabat Mater. Were Mr. Punch inclined to criticise, which he happily is not, he might perhaps complain that the band at Exeter Hall is apt to overwhelm the chorus, and that the organ would sound better if it were less loudly voiced. It appears to Mr. Punch that what is written for "accompaniment" should not be brought into such prominence as to give one the idea that the singers are intended to be kept in the back-ground, and the less that they are heard by the audience the better. In a chorus the voice parts should surely be most audible; and the Exeter Hall Concerts would be certainly improved, were the choristers more numerous, and the orchestra reduced. Despite defects, however, there is plenty of inducement for a father of a family to improve his daughters' minds at this Harmonic Hall, where Mendelssohn and Haydn may be listened to with profit, and where Handel is so often turned to good account.

But the more tempting are the concerts which are held at Exeter Hall, the more troublesome will it be found for families to get away from them. If Mr. Pater be a gentleman, and not so selfish as to cause annoyance to his neighbours by stumping out while the music is proceeding, the chances are that he will waste some five-and-twenty precious minutes in squeezing through the narrow labyrinths by which he has to make his exit. First a push along a passage, then a crush round a sharp corner with six elbows in his ribs, then a header down a staircase, which seems about as steep as the outside of the Monument, and where he feels he would fall headlong if he were not so wedged in, then a blockade in a corridor where he can hardly breathe, and, to complete his torture, a mauvais quart d'heure spent in standing near a draughty doorway, and in telegraphing to his footman, if he have one, or to some Jack-in-waiting to hail a passing cab. Thanks to its clever architect, a man who goes to Exeter Hall can scarce more easily get out of it than could Sterne's starling from its cage. "Sound an alarm" of fire on any crowded night (and the Sacred Harmonic concerts are invariably crowded), and it were terrible to calculate the loss of life that might be caused by it. In such event, were Mr. Punch upon the jury, his verdict would be, manslaughter against the men who own the building, and who, by spending a few pounds, might soon make proper vents to it. If it should happen, by some accident, that at one of the May Meetings a Bishop should be crushed, doubtless steps would then be taken to throw open extra staircases, and to facilitate the public in their egress from the place.

As the Sacred Harmonic is of all societies the one that most uses the hall, and best pays those who have the letting of it, a word from this society would surely have great weight with the holders of the building, who are in reality the persons to be blamed. Mr. Punch would therefore call upon this able-lunged society to raise its voice against the way in which its patrons are accommodated; and to avert that wholesale slaughter of the music-loving world which a cry of Fire! might

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melancholy fact of a failure. However, the art of condemnation is not altogether lost, as was proved by the sharp, decisive, and almost unanimous volley of hisses which sealed the fate of a new five-act play in blank verse, called the Warden of Galway. The demerits of the play were by no means so remarkable as the severity with which it was treated. It was a weak, colourless, academic sort of production, and the language, decked with poetical commonplaces, has about the same degree Gradus ad Parnassum. But there have been many pieces equally weak of value as a Latin poem replete throughout with epithets taken from the and equally colourless, which have been yawned at here and there, and then have wound up with a good display of showy enthusiasm, and a lusty call for the author. It was not the writing or the dramatic treatment of the Warden of Galway that procured for it its unenviable distinction; it was the unlucky nature of the subject. The Warden, a mediæval functionary, armed with the power of life and death, has to try his own son for murder, and not only condemns him, but, when the Galway mob attempts a rescue, hangs him up so quickly that the pardon, which the youth's wife has with great difficulty obtained, arrives too late. Now, the bump of benevolence is largely developed in London audiences, and they have long been taught to expect that when that well-known deus ex machinâ, a pardon, is brought in, it shall take due effect. Therefore, the spectacle of an unhappy wife, waving a useless document in the eyes of a wretched old father, who had combined so much Roman virtue with so much professional sharpness, was found eminently unpleasant, and utter condemnation was the result. MR. SIMS REEVES. · The crowded state of the large room at Exeter IIall last night, on the occasion of a concert given by Mr. Sims Reeves, proves that the enormous popularity of our great tenor, already unparalleled in the history of English singers, is even yet increasing. Replete as London now is with attractions of every possible description, the name of our most famous singer sufficed to draw together an audience as distinguished as it was numerous. The applause lavished on Mr. Sims Reeves throughout the evening was most enthusiastic, but it was not a whit more than he deserved. Mr. Reeves is one of the very few artistes who have not been spoilt by extraordinary public favour. With each succeeding season we perceive increased refinement in his style. So far from being content with his hard-won laurels, he appears to be constantly engaged in elaborating his original readings of the various masterpieces on which his talents are employed to a uniform standard of highly finished excellence. This refining process is perhaps most observable in sacred music, and all habitués of the Exeter Hall Society will recognise how much Mr. Reeves's rendering of the Passion music in the Messiah, for instance, has gained in delicacy as well as in fervour and intensity of expression. The more difficult his task the more signally does the proficiency of a true artist appear, and we need only refer to Mr. Reeves's superb singing of the terribly arduous tenor part in Bach's Passionsmusik, on the occasion of its recent performance, to show how triumphantly be can bear this severest test of a great singer. The bénéficiaire of last night is widely celebrated for his exquisite rendering of English ballads, but he would never have been able to produce so unprecedented an effect in these, were he not qualified to do ample justice to music of a far higher order. - Daily Telegraph.

KARLSRUHE.- In spite of the bad weather, the Baden Musical Festival was successfully held on the 22nd ult. There was a monster concert in the Grand-Ducal Theatre. From 800 to 900 singers took part in it, 100 to 150 more being prevented from so doing by want of space. The Court box was occupied by the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess, and the Crown Prince. They were loudly cheered by the whole house. The united choruses went extremely well under the direction of Herr Krug, and were heartily applauded. An equal amount of approbation was bestowed on the various choruses individually, the singers from Mannheim being, however, especially well received. -Ferdinand Heller's Katakomben, and Abert's König Enzio, are to be produced in the course of the winter.

MADRID. At the Real Teatro de Oriente, in consequence of the exertions of the conductor, C. Moderati, the French normal diapason has been adopted.

ST. JAMES'S HALL.

MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

MONDAY, JULY 28.

LAST MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

N consequence of the extraordinary demand for places

were unable to obtain admission, the Director begs to announce that he will give TWO MORE CONCERTS,

The 101st and 102nd, positively the last of the season.

ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST CONCERT, Monday Evening, July 28, 1862, the Programme, as performed on the .occasion of the Director's Benefit, repeated by general desire. PROGRAMME.

PART I. Quartet, in E flat, Op. 44, for two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello, MM. JOACHIM, WIENER, SCHREUES, 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 (repeated by general desire), Herr JOACHIM (Ernst); Songs, "The Savoyard," "The Kiss," Mr. SIMS REEVES (Beethoven); Canzonet, Fidelity," Miss BANKS (Haydn); Sonata, in A major, dedicated to Kreutzer, for Pianoforte and Violin, Mr. CHARLES HALLE aud Herr JOACHIM (Beethoven). Conductor: Mr. BENEDict.

To commence at Eight o'clock precisely.

ONE HUNDRED AND SECOND CONCERT, Tuesday Evening, July 29, 1862, the Instrumental Pieces from the Works of BEETHOVEN.

PROGRAMME.

PART I.-Quintet, in C, for two Violins, two Violas, and Violoncello (by desire), MM. JOACHIM, RIES, SCHREURS, BROEDELET, and PIATTI (Beethoven). Duet, "Lauda Sion," Miles. CARLOTTA and BARBARA MARCHISIO (Cherubini). New Song, "Lucy," Mr. WILBYE Cooper (G. A. Macfarren). Song, "L.'Addio," Mlle. BARBARA MARCHISIO (Mozart). Sonata Pathétique, for Pianoforte Solo, Mr. CHARLES HALLE (Beethoven). PART II.-Romance in G, for Violin Solo, with Pianoforte Accompaniment, Herr JOACHIM (Beethoven). Song, "Non mi dir," Mile. CARLOTTA MARCHISIO (Mozart). New Song, "The Nightingale," Mr. WILBYE COOPER (Henry Smart). Duet, "Serbami ognor," Mlles. CARLOTTA and BARBARA MARCHISIO (Rossini). Quartet, in B flat, Op. 18, No. 6, for two Violins, Viola, and Violoncello, MM. JOACHIM, RIES, SCHREURS, and PIATTI (Beethoven).

Conductor: Mr. BENEDICT.

To commence at Eight o'clock precisely.

NOTICE. It is respectfully suggested that such persons as are not desirous of remaining till the end of the performance can leave either before the commencement of the last instrumental piece, or between any two of the movements, so that those who wish to hear the whole may do so without interruption.

Between the last vocal piece and the Sonata for Pianoforte and Violin, an interval of Five Minutes will be allowed. The Concert will finish before Half-past Ten o'clock. Sofa Stalls, 58.; Balcony 3s.; Admission, Is.

Tickets to be had of Mr. Austin, at the Hall, 28 Piccadilly; Chappell & Co., 50 New Bond Street, and all the Principal Musicsellers.

BIRTH.

On the 21st inst., at No. 8 Lansdowne Road North, Kensington Park, W., the wife of Frederic Archer, Esq., of a daughter.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

UNICORN.-In our opinion, the part was not merely "sub-acted," but sub-looked and sub-sung. "Unicorn" should consult Godwin on Sepulchres. VULTURE. On the contrary, Sig. Bianchi was the Bertram on that occasion. The "lost article" is found, and will prove it:-"It would appear that the Operas are now beginning to reap advantage from the unusual influx of strangers to the metropolis. Covent Garden, on Saturday night, was crowded to inconvenience. Even the pigeonholes,' as the extreme upper boxes are familiarly entitled, were every one filled, and the theatre presented an aspect of extraordinary animation. The programme was highly attractive, and embraced, with the single exception of Herr Formes, the names of all the principal members of the company at present in London. The performances began with Lucrezia Borgia, of which we have so recently spoken that it is enough to mention the continued success of Grisi and Mario as Lucrezia and Gennaro, who excited the enthusiasm of the audience, and were fêted and applauded at the conclusion with the usual unanimity and fervour. The second act of Roberto il Diavolo followed the opera of Donizetti, Mad. Castellan on this occasion taking the part of Alice, it being impossible for Grisi, with all her indomitable energy, to sustain two such parts as Lucrezia and Alice on the same evening. Mad. Castellan sang charmingly, and

looked the devoted Norman peasant to perfection. The air, Quando lascia la Normandia,' was sung with great purity, and in the unaccompanied trio with Roberto and Bertramo, Mad. Castellan took the high notes (some of which Grisi omits) with great clearness and brilliancy. Her acting in the duet with Bertramo was very pleasing and natural. Alice, however, is not a new part to Mad. Castellan; she has played it at Berlin, we understand, with the utmost success. Owing to the continued indisposition of Herr Formes, Sig. Bianchi, who had already been the substitute for Sig. Salvatori in the part of the Duke Alphonso (Lucrezia Borgia), replaced the great German basso in that of Bertramo, proving himself in both instances a highly useful and available member of the company. Sig. Bianchi has the valuable merit of always singing correctly. He has certainly no strikingly remarkable qualities as an actor, and does not even attempt to impart to the character of Bertramo the gloomy grandeur and demoniac subtlety which, in the hands of Herr Formes, invest it with such a peculiar interest. He, nevertheless, acted the part with intelligence, and, though he was never forcibly dramatic, was always appropriate and painstaking. Sig. Tamberlik sang magnificently as Roberto; and in the little part of Rambaldo, the new tenor, Sig. Stigelli, made further steps in the good graces of the public. Although the theatre was so crowded, the great majority of the audience remained until the end of the performance. As Fidelio is again announced, it is to be hoped that Herr Formes has entirely recovered from his indisposition, which has proved of serious inconvenience to the theatre, his services, pending the arrival of Sig. Ronconi, being of extreme importance." Sig. Salvatori was the barytone who was described, by an enlightened contemporary, as "more like Tamburini than any of them." The theatre was the Royal Italian Opera-not Her Majesty's Theatre, as "Vulture" supposes. By the way,

"Vulare" is no Phoenix.

MR. SY B--s.-Come fauellar nuovo, e chi lo insegna? Ma vidi lei, se vidi bene, io la vidi per certo, perche egli la contemplò in ogni parte. (Diece volte ho visto quel, che tu dici.) Una altra si saria perduta. Io ho errata la porta. (V.S. mi perdoni, e contali auvisi scappai da la mala ventura.) Che diavolo d'intrigo! Opensa, se io vi pensassi.)

"in me è un piu crudele inferno E un Paradiso in lei piu sempiterno." Non te l'ho io detto? (Dimmi scoprissi la ribaldaria? Scopprissi.) Fa tu.

M. C. H. (Liverpool).-Mad. Arabella Goddard is in no way related to Mr. Joseph Goddard.

BILLETSTIGELLITHILLONIAN.

By an unexpected stroke of fortune

we have been able to lay hands on the very article in question (Morning Post, June 3, 1851). Let "Billetstigellithillonian" peruse it, and then put his hands to his ears: "M. Alexandre Billet has announced a new series of chamber concerts, the first of which took place yesterday afternoon at the Hanover Square Rooms. This admirable pianist has been already so highly eulogised in these columps, and his merits are now so widely known, that it is scarcely necessary for us on the present occasion to do more than record that he again gave evidence of that extensive reading, thorough knowledge of all schools of pianoforte music, and complete mastery over the mechanical difficulties of his instrument, which have for some time honourably distinguished him from many of his contemporaries. The pieces M. Billet performed yesterday morning were Beethoven's sonata in A, Op. 101; Weber's polacca, entitled L'Hilarité; Mendelssolin's Rondo Capriccioso, in E minor; and a batch of studies by Steihelt, Moscheles, Chopin, Potter, and Kalkbrenner, in all of which he was loudly and deservedly applauded. The concert-giver, however, did not depend wholly upon himself for attracting an audience, but judiciously secured the services of the fascinating Anna Thillon and the accomplished Herr Stigelli to vary the programme. The captivating powers of the former, both as a woman and a singer, are doubtless well known to our readers. She has long been a great favourite in the principal theatres and concert-rooms of London and Paris, but not long enough, fortunately, to enable the arch-destroyer to steal any of the bloom from her witching beauty, the freshness from her voice, or the artistic enthusiasm from her heart. On the contrary, she looked yesterday charming as ever, and sang one of Mozart's lovely cantatas, with admirable textuality, deep expression, and an amount of physical power which we did not previously believe her to possess. She was most enthusiastically cheered at the conclusion of this piece. Herr Stigelli was, as usual, highly successful with his German lieder, and the whole concert passed off with considerable éclat. The rooms were crowded." "Admirable textuality" is good.

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THE

The Musical World.

LONDON: SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1862.

HE Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain held an extraordinary general meeting on Monday last, for the purpose of returning thanks to Mr. and Mad. Goldschmidt for their munificent gift of 4417. 18s. 2d. Mr. J. T. Willy Mr. J. T. Willy having been voted to the chair, the Secretary (Mr. Stanley Lucas) read the requisition, signed by ten members of the Society, desiring him to call the meeting. He also read the circular convening it, and, after the Chairman had explained the circumstances under which the Royal Society of Musicians had received so large a sum from Mr. and Mad. Goldschmidt, the following resolution was carried with

acclamation: :

"At an extraordinary general meeting of the Royal Society of Musicians, convened for the express purpose, held at the Society's Rooms, Lisle Street, it was unanimously resolved:-That the grateful thanks of the Society be tendered to Mr. and Mad. Goldschmidt for the munificent gift of 4411. 18s. 2d., being part of the profits of a concert given by them at Exeter Hall, on the 4th June, 1862, in aid of the funds of the Royal Society of Musicians and the Royal Society of Female Musicians; and that a letter expressing the terms of the above resolution be forwarded to Mr. and Mad. Goldschmidt." It was further resolved: thanks of this Society be given to Mr. Mitchell, of Bond Street, for his constant kindness towards this Society, as well as the interest he has ever taken in the welfare of the musical profession."

· --- "That the

A vote of thanks to the Chair concluded this "extraordinary general meeting."

CHARI

HARLES MAYER, favourably known as a piano virtuoso and composer, died at Dresden, after a long illness, on July 2. He was born in 1799, at Königsberg, and, while yet a child, proceeded to Russia, his father, a first-rate clarinettist, having been for many years musical director to the Count Scherencetieff. The family then resided in Moscow, and, at a very early age, Charles Mayer became a pupil of John Field ("Russian Field "-Clementi's favourite scholar), the famous pianist. When only in his ninth year, he played at public concerts. In the year 1812 his parents fled to St. Petersburg, whither Field also proceeded, so that Mayer was still able to take lessons of the latter. In 1814 he made his first professional tour, going as far as

France. He then returned to St. Petersburg, where he was highly esteemed, and most liberally paid, as a pianoforte teacher. In 1847 he transferred his residence to the Saxon capital, whence he made several professional tours with the most brilliant results. As a composer and teacher of the piano, Charles Mayer was actively employed up to his death. He leaves a widow and two children, the elder of whom is 15, besides a mother 85 years old, whom he supported, but unhappily they are totally unprovided for.

SIR

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To the Editor of the MUSICAL World. IR,-The second day's performance of the Thirty-ninth Musical Festival of the Lower Rhine opened with the Sanctus," "Pleni sunt Cœli," and "Hosannah,” from the High Mass in B minor, for eight-part and double chorus, orchestra and organ, by J. S. Bach. Executed with genuine enthusiasm, these extraordinary specimens of sacred music produced a deep impression upon the élite of the public. The next selection, scenes from Gluck's Iphigenia in Aulis, was not so effective. In my opinion, scenes from operas should not form part of the programmes at musical festivals, even when the operas are distinguished by the classical purity and elevation of such a composer as Gluck. Operas require action; they are written with an eye to this, and, without it, must lose part of their value. Amongst the soloists-Mad. Dustmann-Meyer, Clytemnestra; Mlle. Conraths, Ifigenia; Herr Schneider, Achilles; Herr Becker, Agamemnon; and Herr Hill, Calchas-Herr Becker, as Agamemnon, was particularly conspicuous by his full, powerful voice, and his dramatic excellence. Herr Schneider's pleasing lyrical tenor was not sufficient for the scenes of Achilles, which require a strong heroic tenor, and even Mad. Dustmann only partially fulfilled the expectations the public thought itself justified in forming of the first fair dramatic singer of the Imperial Opera, Vienna. There was nothing remarkable in her performance, either vocally or dramatically; it is true that a portion of her shortcomings may be attributed to the fatigue inseparable from her continuous exertions at rehearsals and concerts.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony constituted the second part of the second day's concert. It was executed with an amount of spirit, precision and enthusiasm beyond all praise; and the impression made by a work, so wonderfully interpreted, but marked by extravagances pardonable only in a genius like Beethoven, was of a most elevated, nay, almost superhuman description. There is not the slightest doubt that the Symphony was the gem of the whole Festival.

On the third day, we had one of Haydn's Symphonies in D major. All the many delicate points in which this composition abounds were admirably brought out, the second movement more especially making an extraordinary impression. An air by Mozart-" Weh' mir, ist's Wahrheit "—was well sung by Herr Schneider, but, in itself, is the flattest production that ever issued from Mozart's pen. This was followed by "Die Nacht" (first time), a Hymn, words by Moritz Hartmann, set to music, for chorus, solos and orchestra, by Ferdinand Hiller. The estimable conductor of the Festivals of the Lower Rhine was, before the commencement of the Hymn, greeted by the male portion of the public, as well as the executants, with the most lively cheers, besides being overwhelmed with flowers and bouquets by the ladies. This brilliant ovation proves how highly Hiller's great worth is appreciated in Cologne. The Hymn itself a beautifully gushing piece of poetry by Moritz Hartmann-displays, in a musical sense, the sound acquirements and honest purpose

veva.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.-Elijah was performed last night at Exeter Hall. Full particulars in our next.

MAD. GOLDSCHMIDT LIND, accompanied by Herr Otto Goldschmidt

and family, has left London on a visit to Stockholm, Mad. Goldschmidt's native city.

MR. T. M. MUDIE has arrived in town for the season.

MR. GEORGE CROZIER tenor-singer-after an absence of two

of the composer, and is a worthy companion to his other works. The first part of the concert was brought to a close by Robert Schumann's overture (brilliantly played) to GenoThe second part commenced with a repetition of the magnificent chorus already mentioned in a former part of this article-"Es nahe der Stätte Keinstörender Laut"from Solomon. Especial notice must be made, also, of Hil-years in the United States and Canada, has returned to England. ler's beautiful and perfect execution of Mozart's D major concerto, as likewise of the rendering, by Mad. Dustmann, of the air from Jessonda. Here the lady was quite at home. She sang with great intensity and true art, exciting among her hearers genuine admiration. The whole Festival was worthily brought to a close by Mendelssohn's overture to Ruy Blas, and the D major chorus--"Lobt den Herrn, Jung und Alt"-from Solomon.

Although there were many details to which objection might have been made, I cannot, in concluding my notice of this Festival, avoid dwelling on the fact that the performances on the whole were admirable, affording high and ennobling enjoyment, which will, doubtless, be long remembered by every one who was present.* Cologne, July.

A. A. A.

RGD. A. MUS., AND THE PRIZE QUARTETS.

SIR,

To the Editor of the MUSICAL WORLD.

IR,- It is due to the umpires in the recent quartet contest that their decision should be vindicated against the slur which your correspondent RGD. A. Mus. has endeavoured to throw upon it. He takes exception to their awarding the first prize to a quartet of which, while speaking of it in other respects most highly, they declare that "it is not the richest, nor the most original in ideas;" and he argues that the umpires have neutralised their decision by thus praising some quartet, which has not won the prize, more than the fortunate one. Your correspondent is clearly

in error.
It would not have been consistent to award the
prize to any work, however rich and original in ideas, in the
absence of proper skill and judgment in their treatment.
It would, I think, have really savoured of the "Emerald
Isle" had the umpires said: "We award the first prize to
No.-, because, of all you have submitted to us, it is the
richest and most original in ideas, though they are entirely
orchestral in character, and not at all adapted for a chamber
composition.
The author is evidently wholly unaware how
to construct a movement of any kind. He is even ignorant
of the compass and capabilities of the instruments for which
he has professed to write, and his work is consequently quite
impracticable; so that, while awarding the first prize to it
in consideration of the richness and originality of its ideas,
we regret that it is impossible to publicly present it."

The admission of your correspondent that he was a competitor, and that he considers he was fairly beaten, induces a belief that he will now, in the same honourable spirit, frankly acknowledge the invalidity of his exception to the umpires' decision.-I am, Sir, truly yours,

CHAS. E. STEPHENS.

2 Howley Place, Maida Hill, W., July 21, 1862.

gentleman has recovered from his very severe illness, and will shortly be MR. E. T. SMITH. - We are glad to learn that this enterprising able to resume the management of his affairs.

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MLLE. CSILLAG. According to the German papers, this lady intends leaving the stage, and bestowing her hand upon a rich Englishman.

THERESE MILANALLO, who is married to a naval officer in Brussels,

intends, after a long absence from public life, to give a series of concerts, next winter, in the principal cities of Europe.

SIGNOR MARINI. - "The Directors have very great regret in stating that Sig. Marini is suffering from so severe a Sore Throat and Hoarseness as almost to deprive him of voice. In order, however, to prevent the postponement of the Opera, Sig. Marini has most kindly offered to make an effort to go through his part. The kind indulgence of the audience is, therefore, most respectfully requested towards him. — Royal Italian Opera, April 20, 1852.”—(Ancient Leaf.)

CRYSTAL PALACE.-(Communicated.) The attendances for the past seven weeks have amounted to nearly half a million of persons, or about seventy thousand per week. The exhibitors' and refreshment departments have in consequence been crowded with customers. As the country and foreign excursionists to London for the International Exhibition increase, so it is anticipated will the visitors to the Palace. All strangers seem to think a visit to the Sydenham Palace as indispensable as a visit to the Exhibition, particularly as it is the policy of the directors to add to the many attractions already provided by some speciality each day in the week. Thus, on Monday, Blondin walks the high rope across the fountains. On Thursday he gives one of his graceful performances on the low rope in the centre transept. The great fountains will be played on Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesday, Mr. Coxwell, the aeronaut, whose scientific ascent at Wolverhampton for the British Association in his new large balloon has created so much interest, will make his first voyage in London with that balloon. Partial sixteen persons, it is probable Mr. Coxwell will be accompanied by a ascents will be made during the afternoon, and as the car will hold full omnibus load of visitors in his aerial trip. That visitors from a distance may be informed of the arrangements for each day, the list is published on Friday or Saturday for the ensuing week. Saturday, being the only half-crown day in the week, is of course a more select day. In addition to the opportunity for a quiet stroll through the Fine Arts Courts with their unrivalled collections, there is usually an afternoon concert by some celebrated artistes, aided by the fine band of the Company, and a display of the upper fountains. The gardens and grounds of the Palace are now in their prime: flowers and foliage at their best. The beds on the terraces and the of the last few days is now bringing them out into astonishing Rosary have been kept back by the unseasonable weather, but the sun beauty. The view of the surrounding country from the terraces, and from the superb dining-rooms in the South wing, are most charming; while, to those who do not mind a little fatigue, the panorama spread out before them when at the top of the lofty water-towers is without its river, the extensive views into Middlesex, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, equal. The whole of London spread out as a map, the windings of the and Berkshire, show a beauty of home scenery which cannot be surpassed. Attendants with telescopes are provided in the tower galleries to point out surrounding objects of interest. The drawing for prizes in the Art Union takes place on Thursday, 31st.

"DON GIOVANNI" AT THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.-" The performance of Don Giovanni last night was one of the most brilliant and successful ever given. The house was crowded to the ceiling, and the audience were enthusiastic. No less than five pieces were redemanded and repeated-‘La ci darem' (Mile. Patti and M. Faure); Batti, batti'

HERR SCHACHNER's oratorio, The Redemption of Babylon, is to be (Mlle. Patti); the trio of masks (Mad. Penco, Mad. Csillag, and Sig. given, for the first time, on Wednesday evening, at Exeter Hall.

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Tamberlik); Vedrai carino' (Mlle. Patti); Il mio tesoro' (Sig. Tamberlik); and all the principal singers were recalled before the curtain after the grand finale of the bull scene. As the performance did not come to an end till past midnight, we must reserve our remarks until to-morrow." [What will" Antigye"- Gy(e)ant(i) — Ain't-heGye ?-say to this? "One who pays," you're wanted. Can Mr. Punch spare him?]

The Operas.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

THERE has been nothing new since our last. The Trovatore was given on Saturday, with Mlle. Antonietta Fricci as Leonora, and Sig. Graziani as the Count. The lady made a very favourable impression, and the gentleman (of course) won an encore in "Il balen."

On Monday ("extra night ") Don Giovanni. Thanks, in a great measure, to Adelina Patti-" that pleasant little party," as Mr. Punch calls her-the season 1862 is likely to be commemorated at the Royal Italian Opera as "the Don Giovanni season."

On Tuesday Robert le Diable, with Mlle. Fricci as Alice, and Mlle. Battu as the Princess. Mlle. Fricci's performance was, on the whole, very good, and had some really fine points. Mlle. Battu was much applauded in "Robert, toi que j'aime." Both ladies are making way.

On Thursday the Huguenots. Last night the Barbiere di Siviglia. Thanks, in a great measure, to Adelina Patti, and (we forget his proname) Mario, the season 1862 is likely to be commemorated at the Royal Italian Opera as- -but no, we have already said that of Il Don Giovanni, which, by the way, is given again to-night!

Dinorah and La Figlia del Reggimento are both in preparation for Mile. Patti, and Masaniello for Mario. Things could hardly go on more brilliantly.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

THE revival of Mozart's Figaro on Saturday night was, on the whole, a highly creditable affair. The traditions of this opera, regarded as a lyric comedy, seem in a great measure to be lost; the spirit of Beaumarchais, which, even through the attenuating process of Da Ponte, still preserved some of its original flavour, has now apparently evaporated, and, were it not for the incomparable music, but little interest would, in the present day, attach to the performance of such a work. That the Marriage of Figaro, however surpassing in satiric piquancy and refined delineation of character, is regarded, simply from a dramatic point of view, as less entertaining than the Barber of Seville, can scarcely be questioned. Mozart, in fact, had a more difficult task to accomplish than Paesiello and Rossini; for, while a larger variety of characters was given him to deal with, there was less concentration of plot on the one hand, and less individual attraction on the other. Figaro, the busy "factotum," is a much more amusing personage than Figaro toned down and preparing himself for the amenities of wedded life; Almaviva, the ardent and romantic lover, is as pleasant again as Almaviva at once the faithless and the jealous husband; Rosina, perhaps, gains as the temporarily neglected and disconsolate spouse; but Bartolo and Basilio fade into abstractions. True, Susanna, the clever servant and confidant of Rosina, and Cherubino, the mischievous and love-sick page -to say nothing of subordinate characters-are added to the dramatis persona; but these, in crowding the canvas, would only have thrown further impediments in the way of an ordinary musician. Mozart, however, was anything but an ordinary musician, and the manner in which he has idealized every one of the men and women comprised in his scenario causes us to forget altogether the almost heartless cynicism of their primary nature, as shadowed forth in the dialogue of the brilliant and keen-witted French dramatist. Time was when the exigencies of the drama did not seem incompatible with the deep, soul-felt beauty of the music; but either the world has improved in moral dignity, or the actors of the day have, in this particular instance, lost the secret of their craft. We are inclined to entertain the former proposition, and sincerely believe that the Nozze di Figaro still lives, and will live for ever, through the genius of Mozart, which, like the pen of Goldsmith, adorned whatever it touched, and, like the expansive heart of Shakspeare, found a vibrating tone for every manifestation of

our common nature.

The merits of the performance at Her Majesty's Theatre are almost exclusively musical; and, indeed, in this sense we have seldom had reason for more entire satisfaction. Even the concerted pieces-to which Mozart has left nothing superior-were for the most part so well executed that, in spite of the lack of "finesse," which, in a histrionic sense, robbed the music of much of its significance, the effect was both spirited and charming. The inimitable finale to the first act, for example-which, from a duet between the Count and Countess, expands, through gradual steps, into a magnificent concerted "ensemble," for all the chief personages (except Cherubino, who has escaped through the window) was admirably done; and nearly as much may be said for the superb sestet of the second act (where Figaro, in Bartolo and Marcellina, first recognises his father and mother)-which, inasmuch as

some of the less important characters were concerned, deserved all the warmer recognition. The songs and duets, nevertheless, formed the principal attraction; and as these are unexceptionably beautiful-a match, indeed, for their successors in Don Giovanni- the pleasure derived from their almost uniformly efficient execution was unalloyed. In the two airs allotted to the Countess-"Porgi amor" and "Dove sono - Mlle. Titiens exhibited the splendour of her voice and the treasures of her art to perfection, winning in the last enthusiastic applause. This accomplished singer gave the true German portraiture of the slighted lady whose complaints are embodied in such touching melody the portraiture of which, no doubt, Mozart himself approved, and which has come down to us from the earliest traditions. Miss Louisa Pyne, perhaps a somewhat over-refined Susanna, was greatly applauded in "Venite inginocchiatevi" (where the ingenuous waitingmaid tries the head-dress of the Countess on Cherubino), but made a still more vivid impression in the garden serenade, "Deh vieni, non tardar," which has rarely been sung in a more unaffectedly expressive manner. This was unanimously re-demanded; as was also the familiar letter duet ("Sull' aria "), with Mlle. Titiens one of those purely melodious inspirations that came oftener to Mozart than to any other composer, and the charm of which it is as hopeless to define as it is impossible to deny. In the last instance it would have been as well had the "encore" been declined, the second performance, from some mysterious cause, being as unsatisfactory as the first was faultless. Mlle. Trebelli, as every one may have anticipated, was thoroughly successful in Cherubino, representing the character of the amorous page with agreeable sprightliness, and singing the two airs, "Non so più cosa son," and "Voi che sapete "-those unequalled embodiments of youthful aspiration with such truthful and exquisite feeling that even the transposition of both of them, and one or two unnecessary" embellishments in the last (to change a single note or inflection of which is virtually to rob it of a grace), were overlooked, and "Voi che sapete " unanimously encored. It may be remembered that Mad. Alboni, who at first used to transpose (though never to alter) these airs, subsequently gave them in the original keys, and with so little disadvantage that she was compelled invariably to sing them twice. And yet Mad. Alboni (who did the same thing, by the way, with the two songs of Zerlina, in Don Giovanni) is even more strictly a "contralto," and therefore less of a "mezzo-soprano" than her clever successor. Such a precedent is surely worthy consideration, even by so great and deserving a favourite as Mad. Trebelli. Sig. Gassier, an excellent Figaro in the Barbiere, fully sustains his reputation in the Nozze, imparting life and vivacity to the character, and giving the music throughout with a freedom that betokens earnest and conscientious application. Nothing could be better than the two characteristic duets with Susanna in the first scene; nothing more pointed than "Se vuol ballare, Signor Contino" (the air in which Figaro retaliates upon the Count); nothing more vigorous and dramatically effective than “Non più andrai," the song with which, at the first rehearsal, Mozart himself was so delighted that he is said to have rushed upon the stage and, patting the singer on the back, cried "Bravo! bravo!"-as though not Mozart but some other composer had written it.

The Figaro was well matched, with a Count in Mr. Santley, the English barytone-who has now scarcely a rival on the Italian stage, and who, notwithstanding the high position he has attained, continues to study, and therefore to improve. In the first act the Count has little else than concerted music to sing; but his part in the finale-witness the duet with the Countess, and the trio in which Susanna takes part is of the utmost importance, and here Mr. Santley was all that could be wished. In the second act occurs the duet:

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"Crudel! perchè finora

Farmi languir così?"

the impassioned phrases of which-unless the way in which Mozart has idealized all the personages of his drama is borne in mind-must appear strangely out of sort with the passing colloquy between a fickle husband and an intriguing serving-maid. This duet-one of the most popular as it is one of the most beautiful ever imagined-was delivered with such warm and genuine sentiment by Mr. Santley (and Miss Louisa Pyne) that the audience would have been only too pleased to hear it again. Mr. Santley's most striking effort, however, was in the grand air, "Vedrò, mentr' io sospiro," in which the suspicious Count vents his anger upon the unobedient Susanna - another preposterously ideal embodiment of what at the best can only be regarded as a mean and inglorious exhibition of feeling. Never, on any occasion or by any singer, have we heard this magnificent piece more finely given; and never were unanimous and hearty plaudits more legitimately earned. Among the more subordinate characters those of Bartolo and Basilio were well represented, the former by Signor Zucchini, who gave the noble air "Lavendetta" (which Rossini had not forgotten when he

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