in the air "Let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee." An angel then appears to Abraham and promises him a son who should be called Isaac, and a posterity whose number should be as the stars and as the sand upon the sea-shore; after which, the people, in a chorus, again exalt God for his goodness. Up to this point, Abraham has been exhibited basking in the sunshine of prosperity; but now a cloud begins to overcast the scene. A messenger arrives with tidings of a war between certain kings and other kings "from the cities of the plain," of a battle that had just been fought in the vale of Siddim, of the capture of Lot and all his effects, and of his own solitary escape to tell the tale. This news is conveyed in recitative. The previous recitatives are necessarily merely narrative, but here scope for declamation is afforded. The messenger had been an eye-witness of the calamity which he relates; he comes breathless with haste and reeking from the fight; he has the passion and ardour with which men love to bring intelligence of evil. To Abraham this report is as a touch of Ithuriel's spear. In a brief recitative, followed by a spirited air, he excites his people to arm for the rescue. Then follows a choral prayer invoking aid from on high. After this a tenor solo briefly relates the success of the expedition in which Abraham recovers "Lot and his goods, and the people," their return being painted by means of a military march. Abraham offers up thanks to God in a recitative, and the people pour out their gratitude and praise in a grand chorus, which terminates the first part of the oratorio.

It will be seen that there has been a slight transposition of events for the sake of introducing variety into the musical composition. Thus the announcement of the birth of Isaac, which follows the captivity and rescue of Lot in the history, is made to precede it in the Oratorio; but this was necessary in order to relieve the monotony which must have been produced by giving all

the solos to male voices.

The second part opens with an air (allegretto) for a soprano voice, "I will extol thee, my God." The promise that Abraham should be "A father of many nations," is now repeated in a recitative (tenor), and the consequent expression of gratitude and joy is allotted to a trio for alto, tenor, and bass, the characters being left to the imagination of the audience. A bass recitative, followed by a fiery chorus, then denounces divine wrath upon the cities of the plain. This introduces the memorable conference between the Almighty and Abraham, in which the latter intercedes for the devoted cities. An angel (soprano) is the vehicle of communication, and the dialogue is carried on in recitative. In a recitative which follows (alto) the Lord is described as looking down to see if there were any righteous, and the negative response is given in a plaintive air. This delay to strike is finely imagined and equally well expressed. It is the lull before the storm. A terrific chorus immediately follows, descriptive of the raining down of brimstone and fire from the portals of heaven. The chorus ends with a lento movement-a sinking, as it were, into the stillness of death. After the destruction of the guilty cities the scene is changed... A tenor recitative relates the birth of Isaac and the "mockery" of Hagar's son-which paves the way for a dramatic duet between Sarah and Abraham, wherein the latter vainly strives to appease the anger of his wife. Abraham, being commanded by an angel, in a soprano recitative, to hearken unto the voice of Sarah in the matter, a tenor recitative relates how he dismissed Hagar and her child to wander in the wilderness. A chorale follows, Commit thy way unto the Lord." Then a tenor recitative, preceded by a descriptive symphony, narrates the anguish of Hagar when "The water was spent in the bottle," and when "She cast the child under one of the shrubs," that she might not see him die. Hagar gives vent to her agony in a pathetic air. She is comforted by an angel. God opens her eyes and she sees a well of water. The lad is saved and dwells in the desert, God having promised to make of him "A great nation." The grand chorus "Great is our Lord," which follows the relation of these events, may be supposed to celebrate the preservation of Hagar and her child, though the words have only a general meaning. The story now approaches the severest trial and grandest climax of Abraham's life. God, by the intervention of an angel (in an alto recitative), commands him to get into the land of Moriah for the purpose of offering up "His only son Isaac."

Abraham exclaims, in recitative, "The joy of my heart is ceased;" this is the prelude to a scene wherein resignation, grief, and passion struggle in turn for mastery; the storm bursts at last, subsides into a feeling of deep despondency; but this very despondency shows that Abraham, though he questioned the fulfilment of the promise concerning Isaac, did not flinch for a moment from his resolve to execute the command which he had received. Ile is counselled and comforted, it may be by a friend, in the tenor air which follows, "Pour out thy heart before the Lord." The air is followed by a few bars of recitative, tenor, announcing Abraham's departure, and leading into the pathetic dialogue which really took place between the father and his child. Abraham and Isaac have then each an air in which they supplicate for mercy. The angel of God interposes, in an alto recitative, and renews the promise of the divine blessings. Abraham and Isaac pour forth their gratitude in a duet, after which a few bars of recitativə (Abraham) lead into the grand chorus, "Great and marvellous are thy works," which concludes the oratorio.

It will have been seen from the above sketch, that the libretto does not pretend to give the life of Abraham entire. His duplicity in twice passing off his wife as his sister is judiciously suppressed. He is, however, exhibited as a saint, as a warrior, and as a great sufferer. Scope is afforded for the delineation of human passion in almost every phase, from triumphant joy to a sorrow that borders upon despair. The incidents are striking, varied, and picturesque, calling all the powers of the orchestra into play.

MR. BENEDICT'S "UNDINE."

THIS cantata has been written expressly for our festival, by the conductor, Mr. Benedict. Undine, a water-spirit, has left her home and her companions on account of her love for Hildebrand, lord of a castle on the bank of the Danube. Kuhleborn, the principal kinsman of Undine, disapproves of this attachment, suspecting that the mortal lover will prove unfaithful. Nor are his suspicions ill-founded, for Hildebrand no sooner returns to his castle, than, regardless of Undine, he espouses a lady named Bertalda. To avenge the wrong thus done to his race, Kuhleborn summons all the spirits of the waters, who destroy the castle and its owners, while the gentle Undine bewails the fate of her unfaithful lover. It may be remarked that in order to render the contrast between the two female characters as complete as possible, Bertalda is supposed to be a lady of rank, and not as in De la Motte Fouque's beautiful tale-the daughter of a fisherman. After a short overture in F major and minor, the cantata begins with a plaintive chorus in D minor for the female voices. This is interrupted by a bass solo in G minor allotted to Kuhleborn. The burden of the chorus is then taken up again, and the whole concludes in an animated strain describing the life of the Naides, in which the male voices join. This is succeeded by a recitative of Hildebrand and Undine, whose song in E flat with harp obligato, explaining her origin and fears that her lover might forsake her, follows next. It is accompanied by a chorus of invisible spirits (soprani and alti). A short canon between the lovers and Kuhleborn in A flat precedes the scena and aria of Hildebrand, who first dwells on the happiness he would have found with Undine, in a slow movement in B flat, "From worldly cares and toils afar." A march heard in the distance, and announcing the arrival of Bertalda, changes the course of his feelings, and in a spirited allegro, "Loud sounds the trumpet," he expresses his determination to free himself from the trammels of ignoble repose and to follow his destiny, leading henceforth the life of a knight and a hero. The march which had been faintly heard during Hildebrand's air is now approaching. Bertalda (contralto) arrives, being received by a wedding chorus in E flat. Her song, in B major, speaks of her anticipations of happiness as future mistress and sovereign lady of the castle; this leads to a duettino in G, "Happy day," between Bertalda and Hildebrand, Undine, comes to warn the happy couple; she is willing to renounce her love, if Hildebrand will forsake Bertalda. A quartett in C minor, embodying the contending feelings of Undine, who still clings to her faithless swain; of Bertalda, who treats the bold intruder with scorn and contempt; of Hildebrand, who is divided between his feeling of remorse and his love to Bertalda; and of Kuhleborn, who vows

vengeance for the insult offered to a kindred spirit; leads to a bass scena with chorus of ocean spirits, who at the summons of their master, bring death and destruction upon all the inmates of the castle in a fierce chorus of D minor. Undine is carried away by her companions, bewailing the sad fate of her lover, and deploring that her immortality prevents her from joining him in death. Gradually the sound of her voice grows fainter, and with her soft lament at last vanishing-the cantata terminates.

THE NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

THE Triennial Musical Festivals are of so much importance to the trade, to the charities, and to the musical reputation of the city, that we can scarcely touch upon a theme of greater local interest than that of the approaching Festival. We have carefully watched the progress of the various arrangements, and have no reason to fear that the final result will disappoint the just expectations of the public. If we gave implicit confidence to the reports of the Committee, we might be tempted to think that a better programme could not possibly have been concocted, or better engagements have possibly been made, than those which they have effected. But, to compare small things with great, a Festival Committee is something like a Cabinet-every member being bound to defend a policy which no one totally and individually ap proves. This must ever be the case in the very nature of things. If it were a sum in arithmetic which the Committee had to work, each and all would bring out precisely the same answer; but in the Arts, as in Politics and in Religion, different men will always see the same thing with different eyes. The point which recommends a programme to one man, will render it distasteful to another. All will, of course, profess a zeal for good music; but all will not agree as to what is, or what is not, good. Neither does this impugn the truth that there is a fixed standard of excellence. First-rate compositions will appear with different force to hearers of different temperament; nay, even to the same hearer in different moods of mind. What is light will not please him who is melancholy; nor what is grave, him who is gay.

With respect to the engagement of principal singers, the course to be taken may seem more easy. The best are more easily discerned; and only the best, it may be said, should be selected. But, unfortunately, singers are not more exempt than others from the evils belonging to mortality. They may break down under sickness or fatigue, and would certainly break down if the same weight were thrown upon them for a week which they could easily sustain for a concert. Moreover, the exigencies of an oratorio frequently require duplicates of the same class of voice, and subordinate parts can be successfully taken by subordinate singers. Hence the necessity for securing numbers; hence, too, the call for an outlay which renders some exclusions a matter not of choice but of necessity.

Enough has been said, we think, to show the uninitiated, that the management of a Festival is a work of no little difficulty; that an ap proximation to perfection is all that can fairly be expected; and that faults, real or fancied, if sought, will readily be found. It concerns the public, however, to know how far these important celebrations are entrusted to competent hands. The personal weight and worth of the individuals who serve upon a Festival Committee, should go for nothing, if, through ignorance, or recklessness, or disregard for the authority of a responsible conductor, they fail in their duty to the art, to the charities, and to the public. Now, there is happily a test of universal application, whereby the efficiency or non-efficiency of the management may be ascertained-we mean the test of comparison. The bills and engagements for the present Festival may easily be compared with the bills and engagements of those that are past. They may also be compared with those of other places. If, upon the whole, making due allowance for difference of circumstances, they pass uninjured through this ordeal, then we say that the Norwich public will have reason not only to be satisfied, but thankful to those noblemen and gentlemen through whose disinterested services our Festivals have attained their high reputation. We have made the comparisons to which we allude, for ourselves, and therefore fearlessly invite others to enter into a similar examination. In some points, the balance may be against us; in others, it may be for us; but upon the whole-and it is only upon the whole that a conclusion of any value can be formed-we say without hesitation, that the approaching Festival will leave old Norwich where it finds her-in the first rank.

We have expressed ourselves with some freedom respecting the duties of Festival Committees, for we feel that they owe grave duties to the public. But duty between human beings is reciprocal. The public have also a duty to perform. When urging privately the engagement of this or that first-rate singer, we have been met by the unanswerable argument, that "if all desirable engagements should be made, the Hall

would fail as a vessel of capacity." In other words, if filled at every performance, the expense of producing such a result would be so great, that the return would leave no surplus for the Charities. But the Hall has never been filled, or anything like filled, at every performance. This may be in part owing to the impossibility of rendering every performance equally attractive; but it is doubtless in part because the few have had to do the duty of the many. The support of so great a boon to trade, to art, and to charity, is, without question, the duty of all who have it more or less in their power to afford it. We have ceased to put faith in predictions of failure, but that which we desire is triumphant success. A city so famed for its musical love, should be equally famed for its musical patronage.

Politically, Norwich has no enviable reputation, and in manufactures its ancient prestige is scarcely sustained. We need some redeeming characteristic, some excellence which may secure us a place in history. Our musical pre-eminence give us this; and we must jealously preserve it, or Norwich may hereafter be known only as a city which, once famous, gradually lost everything which conferred on it an honorable distinction.-The Norfolk and Norwich Mercury.

THE ORIGINAL OF "FRA DIAVOLO."-The real name of the Neapolitan robber, Fra Diavolo, was Michael Pozzo. He was in early life a stocking maker, and was subsequently a friar. While acting in the latter capacity he joined a band of outlawed banditti in Calabria, and eventually became their leader. In the double character of robber and priest he offered his services to Cardinal Ruffo, who at that time was the head of the party in favour of the Bourbons of Naples, and through the influence of the Cardinal, although a price had been previously set upon his head, he obtained a pardon and a pension of 3,600 ducats, with which he retired from public and "professional" life to a small estate that he had purchased. From this retreat, however, he was soon called by the Bourbons, who on Joseph Napoleon ascending the throne, again availed themselves of his services. In 1806 he made a descent, with a large body of banditti and recruits, at a place called Sperlonga, where he threw open the prisons, and was joined by a great number of the lazzaroni. After a severe action, however, he was taken prisoner and summarily executed a fate which he is said to have met with the most disdainful indifference. He was, in his way, a kind of Robin Hood, and many romantic tales are told of his chivalry and gallantry.

Letters to the Editor.

VOLUNTEER BANDS.

SIR, Lord Elcho's excellent letter has directed the attention of the public to the difficulties which may affect the permanence of the Volunteer movement, and, among other points, the great expense of military bands has been adduced as an argument against their formation in Volunteer corps.

Captain Murray has explained the manner in which an excellent band for ordinary regimental purposes may be formed with very little expense and with incontestable advantage. May we also be permitted to adduce the case of the corps to which we have the honour to belong (the Robin Hood Rifles) as another instance of the facility and inexpensiveness with which this may be accomplished? The band consists of thirty-seven amateur and professional performers. Their services are entirely gratuitous. The cost of the uniform has been defrayed by a separate subscription, entirely distinct from the funds of the battalion. The instruments, which cost about 160l., were purchased at the bandsmen's own expense. The members are all attested in the different companies, and they are under an engagement with the bandmaster, Mr. Turpin, whose services also unpaid, to give him six months' notice when leaving the band. They play for practice twice, and in the castle grounds belonging to the corps once a week, and hold themselves at the disposal of the colonel for marching out, &c., when required.

In addition to other advantages, we believe that the formation of these Volunteer bands (which in this neighbourhood is all but general) will be the means of spreading the love of music more generally among us, and we think that there are few volunteers who have marched to the inspiriting strains of a military band who will not join in the hope expressed by Captain Murray that " unpaid bands may become as general as they are possible.” We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servants, JOHN PATTERSON, Lieutenant, 3d Company. WILLIAM TINDAL ROBERTSON, M.D., Hon. Secretary, Band Committee.

Nottingham, Aug. 22.

UNIFORM MUSICAL PITCH.

Camp, Colchester, Aug. 22, 1860. SIR,-In your impression of the 18th inst., you inform your readers, under the head of "Uniform Musical Pitch," that the pitch is at last settled; of course it is an immense boon to musicians of all kinds and denominations. But although you tell us that the pitch is of 528 vibrations for C in the time decided on, that is of very little use to those who are not possessed of the necessary instrument for determining and calculating vibrations of sounds; if you will kindly state in your columns where a fork, guaranteed to be of the correct pitch, may be obtained, you will be conferring a great favour on all musicians in the provinces, and on Your obedient servant,

"Do."

A DAY OF DEVOTION. August 21, 1860. SIR,-I was present last Thursday evening at the rehearsal at Exeter Hall, of Mr. H. Phillips's new Sacred Cantata, entitled A Day of Devotion, Miss Wilkinson and Miss J. Wells taking the principal soprano and contralto parts. The introductory symphony descriptive of the dawn of morning, the stirring of the people, the shepherd's horn, and singing of birds is very characteristic, and a tenor solo and chorus which follows"O glorious day when we from earth shall soar,"-produces a very solemn and religious effect. Miss Wilkinson executed in a most brilliant manner a very difficult bravura-"Now let the pealing organ sound his praise," and Miss Wells, a sublime recitative and air that followed, "Such is thy life so pictured in this scene." Some of the chorusses are very striking, particularly the last but one," I hear God in the tempest and the silent hour of night," the concluding chorus, with a fine declamatory tenor song preceding it, winding up the cantata in a most devotional and spirited manner. This little notice, if you will be kind enough to insert, is but a just tribute to Mr. H. Phillips as an English composer, and one who all his life has borne so high a reputation in connection with the sacred school of music. I am, your obedient servant,

the same character as the scale; hence, in the minor mode, the chord of the tonic is minor. The chord of the fifth of the scale must, as dominant, always be major; thus G leads to C, which is the primary basis, or fundamental bass, of either the major or minor primary chord of C, as seen in the systems of sounds; but this G, as dominant, and the nearest positive harmonic of C, and most nearly related to it, is the harmonic base, not of the minor chord, but of the major chord, of G, as is evident by a reference to the first part of my last letter, on the theory of harmonics; therefore the dominant chord must always be major. Moreover, the sounds of this chord being also positive harmonics of C, lead more directly to that base, G being the nearest negative base of C; but the sounds of the minor chord lead to the positive harmonic base Eb, or through that sound to others still more remote, and to which Eb is the negative base; whence the character of the dominant chord is evident. The chord of the subdominant has the same character as the tonic. This last sound is equally related to the major and minor chords of the subdominant; but the subdominant being a sound leading in the opposite direction to that of the dominant, the minor chord of the subdominant leads direct to the minor of the tonic, and the major of the subdominant to the major of the tonic: thus the sound Ab in the subdominant chord of F minor leads direct to Eb in the minor chord of the tonic C, it being its nearest positive harmonic; the sound A in the major chord of the subdominant leading to E in the tonic. These facts are evident from the general principles of harmonics as detailed in my last; and the relation of these chords will be seen in any of the diagrams which contain the sounds of which the chords are composed. In the minor mode, therefore, the chords of the tonic and subdominant are minor; the dominant alone is major. Arranging the sounds of these primary chords in their order above the base, according to the magnitude of their ratios, we have the following: C D Eb F G Ab B C

2

THE CONCERT SEASON.

E. H.

MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF THE MINOR SCALE. SIR,-From my previous letters it will be understood that the primary sounds or bases of any scale or key are those of the tonic, dominant and subdominant; and it is evident that as these sounds have their peculiar characteristics, the primary chords, or triads, having these sounds for their bases, and from which the sounds of the scale are derived (see MUSICAL WORLD, April 21st) must possess the same characteristics. In the derivation of the major scale it was not necessary to enter into a consideration of this, on account of the fact of the primary major chords being wholly constituted of positive harmonics from their respective bases; their harmonic bases are the same as their fundamental bases, and consequently the character of the chords with reference to their bases is uniform and unchangeable. With the sounds of the primary minor chords, however, it is different; their fundamental bases do not correspond with either their positive or negative harmonic bases, hence the chords have not the simplicity or permanency of character which appertains to the major chords, and which difference, if it affect their characters as tonic, dominant and subdominant, must certainly be taken into consideration if we would arrive at the true sounds of the minor scale. The chord of the tonic, which is the basis of the scale, must of necessity have

triads, of the tonic, dominant and subdominant, the primary basis of every scale or key. The letters T, t, and S, as before, respectively represent the major tone, the minor tone, and the diatonic semitone +, C is the chromatic semitone 4, S and C are together equal to the minor tone.

Variations of the Minor Scale.

It is requisite to notice the distinction between the chord having the dominant sound for its fundamental bass, and the chord or triad of the dominant; the chord having the 5th of the scale for its fundamental bass may be either major or minor, but as a dominant chord, that is, a chord leading immediately to harmonies connected with the tonic, it must always be major, thus in the scale of C, the sound G may be the fundamental bass of either a major or minor chord, but the major chord alone is dominant, and leads to the harmonies connected with C, that is, to the derivative chords of the system F. Also with respect to the chord of the subdominant, though it is minor in the minor mode, yet when the sounds of either the major or minor chord of the subdominant are combined with those of the dominant, they partake of the character of this last chord, forming the chords of the dominant 7th, 9th, &c., and lead to harmonies connected with the tonic (see MUSICAL WORLD, May 26). These variable characters of the chords in the descending scale of C minor, the sound B, derived from the in the minor mode give rise to similar changes in the scale, thus dominant chord, not necessarily leading to tonic harmonies, may be changed to Bb, the minor 3rd of the chord of G (not Bb, the dominant 7th of C), but which sound belongs more correctly to the minor scales of G and D. This change makes the descending scale C Bb Ab G F Eb D C

the major scale by the difference between a major tone and a minor tone, as will be seen on comparing the order of the intervals with those of the major scale in MUSICAL WORLD, April 21st. In the same letter was noticed the division of the scale into two equal parts, now each of these parts has its distinctive character: thus the sounds C D E in the first portion of the scale of C major are derived from the primary chords of the tonic and dominant; but the sounds G A B, in the second portion of the scale, may be derived from the dominant and subdominant (G belonging equally to the chords of the tonic and dominant), in this case the combined sounds, having a dominant character, as before observed, lead to the tonic C, which may be the basis of either the major or minor chord; in this manner, when the three first sounds of the second portion of the ascending scale of C minor are accompanied by the dominant harmony, A may be substituted for Ab, making the ascending scale as follows:

80

The comparative ratios heading the last diagram in my last letter should be 8, 8, 8, instead of the reverse order, which I must have inadvertently given. I ought also to explain that these ratios refer to the relative pitch of sounds, nominally the same, which appear, or which would appear in an extension of the three

different columns.

JOHN FIELD, who resided for many years at St. Petersburg as indolent as Dussek and as eccentric as Steibelt or Woelfl-wrote some concertos, a few sonatas, and a vast number of less important works. These, though exhibiting a certain smoothness of character and graceful peculiarity of trait, or passage, admirably suited to the finished manner of playing which eminently distinguished their author (a disciple-we cannot think otherwise, although Field being an Englishman,* we should rejoice to proclaim him original of Cramer) are not remarkable either for depth or variety of invention. Field deserves mention, nevertheless, if only for the extensive influence produced both by his playing (his many accomplished pupils among whom, like Dussek, he boasted his Prince Ferdinands-to wit) and his music, sufficiently meritorious in its way, on a vast number of cotemporaries.

John Field-" Russian Field," as he was nick-named-was, we be lieve, born in Ireland.

CIPRIANI POTTER,† another Englishman, and one far more illustrious than Field, has distinguished himself in every branch of composition; and to his influence as a master must be chiefly, if not wholly, attributed the remarkable progress which this country has made of late in years musical intelligence. But, although Mr. Potter has left nothing untouched, and nothing, we may surely say, "unadorned," especially in the department of instrumental music, it is of his pianoforte music alone that we have at present to speak. Mr. Potter is as thorough a master of the sonata form as Mozart himself, with a power of developstruck with his quickness and feeling, did not disdain to ment no doubt derived from the great Beethoven, who, afford him his invaluable counsels. The specimens Mr.

Potter has given us of the sonata for pianoforte solus (at least the printed ones) are not numerous, and are only published in Germany. Yet they are of such a solid kind, that, although sometimes wanting in fancy, they may with safety Mr. Potter's Studies (two books) be constituted as models. are justly esteemed among the very best of elementary works. Of his concertos, although, we believe, he has com posed many, not being printed we are unable to speak advisedly; but some rare occasions of hearing them performed by the composer have unfolded their merits so plainly as to make us the more regret the impossibility of possessing them.

From men so gifted and so thoughtful we must take a great leap to descend upon such a level flat of commonplace as that occupied by FREDERIC KALKBRENNER, whom we notice simply because, as a pianist and a professor of the pianoforte, he has exercised considerable influence. His studies, possessing little musical merit, are decidedly useful; besides which, they facilitate certain mechanical peculiarities that, in the present age of executive wonders, are almost indispensable. As a composer Kalkbrenner had neither originality nor learning. His style, if style it may be termed, was a melee of the exuberances of Dussek and his cotemporaries, the unmeaning extravaganza of some of the modern fantasia-mongers, and the brilliant scale-passages of Henri Herz. We can find no vestige in the entire catalogue of Kalkbrenner's work, either of individual thought or musical ingenuity. True, some of his pieces attained an ephemeral popularity; but, of them, the variations on "Rule Britannia"-which are not so ingenious and scarcely more brilliant than those of Dussekt-constitute a promi nent example. We need hardly say, that such compositions cannot possibly have any influence on the progress of the art. Kalkbrenner essayed his talents in concertos and sonatas; of the former we need not speak-they are not worth the pains; of the latter we have a better opinion. We are acquainted with three of them that in A flat, generally known as the "Left-handed Sonata;" that in A minor, dedicated to Cherubini (!); and that in F minor. The first and second are the best by many degrees, and have some really beautiful passages, besides being, for Kalkbrenner, wonderfully symmetrical. The last, except a slow move ment in C major, fantastically styled "The Song of the Quail," contains nothing above mediocrity. Yet, as Kalkbrenner is unanimously admitted amongst the most notable

+ Chief for many years of the Royal Academy of Music-master of Professor Sterndale Bennett, Mr. G. A. Macfarren, and other eminent musicians.

It may be noted here that Kalkbrenner in his Pianoforte Tutor, while attempting to undervalue, betrays most extraordinary ignorance of the works of this great composer-speaking of his "Consolation" (& ; short theme with variations in B flat), as his most remarkable work!