Holles Street, 6th October, 1860. BOOSEY AND SONS' NEW PUBLICATIONS. CHEAP EDITION OF BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS. On the 20th October will be Published, in two very handsome Volumes, bound in cloth, gilt edges (490 pages), price 10s. 6d. each, Edited by W. DORRELL, with Life of Beethoven by G. A. MACFARREN, and Portrait by J. LYNCH. This Edition will be found the most perfect and correct of any that has appeared in England. It will be beautifully printed on excellent paper from newly engraved plates. NEW ARRANGEMENT OF SCHUBERT'S SONGS. In the press, a New Arrangement of the most favourite of SCHUBERT'S SONGS, As brilliant and effective Pieces for the Pianoforte, by W. KUHE. CHEAP EDITION OF VERDI'S GREATEST WORK, "IL TROVATORE," IN MONTHLY PARTS. With English and Italian Words, beautifully printed on excellent paper, uniform with the Cheap Edition of “DINORAH” SUBSCRIBERS' NAMES RECEIVED BY ALL MUSICSELLERS AND THE PUBLISHERS. NEW PIANOFORTE DUETS, Just Published, price 5s. each, Brilliant PIANOFORTE DUETS, by A. SCHLOESSER, NEW ENGLISH VOCAL DUETS.-MUSICAL EVENINGS. A series of Popular Duets, translated by GEORGE LINLEY. 1. SWEET IS THE DREAM.-CAMPANA. 2. TENDER BLOSSOMS.-BELLINI. 3. WE LOVE THEE SWEET NIGHT.-BELLINI. 4. PEACE TO THY SPIRIT.—VERDI. 6. THE BRIDESMAID'S DUET.-DONIZETTI. LAURENT'S NEW WALTZES. Just Published, by HENRY LAURENT, MARGARETTA WALTZ, on Balfe's popular Song, illustrated by BRANDARD. KILLARNEY WALTZ, on Irish Airs. LOCH KATRINE WALTZ, on Scotch Airs. SANTA LÚCIA WALTZ, the celebrated Neapolitan Canzonet. Printed by GEORGE ANDREW SPOTTISWOODE, of No. 10 Little New Street, in the Parish of St. Bride, in the City of London, at No. 5 New-street Square, in the said Parish. Published by JoHN BOOSKY, at the Office of BoosEY & SONS, 28 Holles Street.-Saturday, October 6, 1860. "THE WORTH OF ART APPEARS MOST EMINENT IN MUSIC, SINCE IT REQUIRES NO MATERIAL, NO SUBJECT-MATTER, WHOSE EFFECT MUST BE DEDUCTED: IT IS WHOLLY FORM AND POWER, AND IT RAISES AND ENNOBLES WHATEVER IT EXPRESSES"- Göthe SUBSCRIPTION-Stamped for Postage-20s. PER ANNUM Payable in advance by Cash or Post-Office Order to BOOSEY & SONS, 28 Holles Street, Cavendish Square, London, W. 20 ... Mr. RUSSELL. ...Mr. PoWELL. FOUR-PART SONG" The wood, the gay greenwood," Chorus of Men (se- Ditto (without Chorus, in B flat) SCENA-"Hail! happy morn," and "Power benign," Marian Cor in B flat) DUET-"To the Fair, to the Fair," Marian and Alice (in ACT III. DUET-" Geatest plague on earth is love," Alice and Allan SCENA- -{ "My child has fled," and "She has left me to mourn, } Sherif BALLAD" She has left me to mouru" (printed separately from the above, in Ditto, arranged as a Trio for two Trebles and a Bass SCENA-Life to me is no longer dear, Vain was the proud ambition," and Robin BALLAD " Life to me is no longer dear" (printed separately from the above, Military Drill and Calisthenics Dr. MARK is open to Engagements either for THE FIRST ORCHESTRA, Consisting of 30, 40, or 50 Performers, and conducted by Dr. Mark, is composed of the THE SECOND ORCHESTRA, Dr. MARK begs to inform young ladies and gentlemen who are preparing for the Orphans of the musical profession, and poor children possessing musical talent, are admitted free, and receive a general and musical education, together with board, lodg ing, and clothing, until the age of fourteen years, when they are either apprenticed aN trade or trained for the profession. Little Boys, from five to nine years of age, apprenticed for three, five, or seven+17 For Prospectuses, apply direct to the Royal College of Music, Manchester. UST PUBLISHED, RUDIMENTS of HARMONY LONDON: DUNCAN DAVISON & CO., Dépôt Général de la Maison Brandus, de Paris; 244 Regent Street, corner of Little Argyll Street. OCTOBER 13, 1860] [MUSIC AND THEATRES IN PARIS. (From our own Correspondent.) [Paris, Oct. 4. NEWS of all sorts is scant this week. The most prominent item is The rehearsals of the Pardon de Ploermel have commenced at The Italian Opera opened on Tuesday night with La Sonnambula. Mlle. Marie Battu and MM. Gardoni and Angelini were the principal artists. Next week I will tell you at length about the doings at this establishment. At the theatres, at least those of the higher class, there has been nothing new, except a little comedy in one act, called Une Tasse de Thé, produced at the Vaudeville by MM. Mitter and Derby. I have not seen it yet, but it is said to abound in comic situations, and to be very well acted by St. Germain and Mlle. Marquet. At the Variétés a new drama, in three acts, is shortly forthcoming. Meanwhile La Fille du Diable has been revived. A thorough-bred melodrama of the fine old stock has sprung up at the Ambigu. It is entitled La Maison du Pont Notre Dame, and is divided into five acts and six tableaux. The authors are MM. Theodore Barrière and H. de Kock. It that the intelligence I communicated not long since appears to your readers of Mr. Lumley having taken the Théâtre du Cirqus in Brussels for a series of operatic performances by Italian artiste is without foundation. The ex-manager disposes of the destinies of many artists whose professional horoscopes are studded with laurel crowns and sheaves of banque notes, and he is besieged, it would seem, with applications from all quarters to transfer his interest in them, but that he is prepared to incur the risks of The long-promised revival of Le Prophète at the Grand Opera is Mot. The series of Rossini's musical evenings at home at his villa in Passy has been brought to a close, the venerable bard and his lady having returned to their winter quarters in the Chaussée d'Antin. The baritone, Signor Della Siede, who sang with so much success in Rossini's and Mad. Orpila's salons, has returned to Berlin, where he is engaged for the Italian Opera there during the ensuing season. It is said that he is to return to Paris in March next, when he will appear in public. Thalberg is at present in Paris. He is going to London, and Another virtuoso thence to Germany, to look after family affairs. of celebrity, M. Vieux temps, is reported to have bid adieu to the wandering life of an artist, and in proof of this it is alleged that he has purchased a house at Frankfort. The German papers announce the death of M. Horzalka, a pianist and composer. Among his best works are mentioned a song called The Miller and his Child, the words of which were by Ranpach, and another, The Waves of the Sea, by Grillpazer. He was sixty-two. The approaching marriage of Mlle. Virginie Ferni, the female violinist, is spoken of, to a merchant of Nice, to whom she has been affianced since her tenth year. She will thereupon retire into private life. LETTERS FROM ADOLPHE NOURRIT TO FERDINAND HILLER. THE letters which, during the last few years of his life, Adolphe Nourrit wrote to Ferdinand Hiller,* are the purest reflex of the most secret emotions and inward struggles which agitated, and at length brake, the great artist's heart-they are the outpourings of a noble soul, gradually consumed in the flame of ambition and a passionate love for art, and laid open without the slightest reserve to the gaze of an intimate friend. For the better comprehension of these letters, we will first present our readers with a few of the principal events in Nourrit's life, our authority being the excellent article by F. Halévy "Adolphe Nourrit," in the Revue Cotemporaine for May and June, 1860. Adolphe Nourrit was born on the 3rd March, 1802, at Montpelier. His father, Louis Nourrit, then only 22 years of age, possessed a fine tenor voice. He went to Paris, and entered the Conservatory. He was patronised by Méhul, and received instruction from Garat. In the year 1805, he appeared as Rinaldo in Gluck's opera of Armida. He remained at the Grand Opera. Not feeling any real passion for his art, in addition to exercising his talent as a singer, he traded in jewels, of which he was a good judge. His sole object was a quiet life and a certain income. He sent his son to the college of Sainte-Barbe, and afterwards placed him in a house of business. Adolphe became a good accountant, and when just seventeen, obtained a situation in the offices of a life insurance company. By his intelligence and industry, by the beauty of his writing and figures, and by his correctness in calculation, Adolphe gave the greatest satisfaction to his employers. His father was delighted, and he himself perfectly contented with his condition. Suddenly, after his voice had fully changed, there was developed in him the germ, till then completely unsuspected, of a highly harmonious, pleasing, and yet powerful tenor, inclining to a barytone, and at the same time there awoke within his breast a strong love, slumbering up to that moment, for the art. Garat fostered both, calming the apprehension his father felt at the young clerk's resolution to devote himself to music, and on the 1st September, 1821, Adolphe made his first appearance as Pylades in Gluck's Iphigenia. His success was such as to decide his future career. He now shared with his father all the tenor parts, and the name of Nourrit soon became universally famous, but to the public it represented only Adolphe. On the 9th October, 1826, at the first performance of Rossini's Siege of Corinth, father and son sang together, the former taking the part of Cleomenes, and the latter that of Neocles. Nourrit senior then retired and resided in the country, near Paris, but did not long enjoy the repose for which he had yearned. He died, still young, in 1831. Every one knows how brilliant was Adolphe Nourrit's career at the Grand Opera in Paris. He reigned there as undisputed first dramatic singer, without a rival. His performances as Masaniello, Count Ory, Arnold, in Guillaume Tell, Eleazar, and Raoul were wonderful; in all these characters he displayed his great creative talent. It is not so generally known that he was, aiso, the author of two ballets, La Sylphide for Taglioni, and La Tempête (taken only in part from Shakspeare) for Fanny Elsler, the latter produced on the 15th September, 1834. The last character Nourrit "created" at the Grand Opera was that of Stradella, in Niedermeyer's opera of the same name, on the 3rd March, 1837. The subject of the opera was taken from the well-known anecdote, according to which the bravoes hired to murder Stradella let their poniards drop from their hands on hearing him sing. This scene, the principal one in Niedermeyer's work, takes place in the church. But Nourrit had long previously made up his mind to break off all connection with the Grand Opera in Paris. It was on this subject that he wrote as follows, on the 26th October, 1836, to Ferdinand Hiller.† From the Niederrheinische Musik-Zeitung. Things were certainly as Nourrit described them. Duprez came from Italy to Paris with all the advantage of an immense reputation; after long study he had gained in Italy that in which he had been previously deficient-but for which he was afterwards distinguished-great power of tone. In addition to this, he was even the little details in them add to our means of estimating the character of Nourrit, both as a man and an artist.-ED. Niederrheinische Musik-Zeitung. "My dear Friend,-In the first place, receive my thanks for your welcome letter; I had heard of your indisposition and awaited with You are now quite well again, impatience the news of your recovery. with a contented heart and spirit, engaged in pursuits which you like, and about to pass the winter agreeably in the bosom of your family, and under circumstances which render you happy. I am delighted at this, though I am sorry at losing you; but we ought to love our friends for their own sake, and judge their happiness by their own standard. "I have a great deal to tell you-a great deal-which will greatly surprise you; but we will take everything in due order, especially as I can begin with a gratifying piece of intelligence. 66 My wife has been safely confined of a girl, who is lively and well; the event took place twelve days ago, and both mother and child are going on admirably. A great many persons made a wry face at the news of the arrival of a fifth little girl! We, however, receive with joy what God gives us, and offer him our thanks. May the little creature be like her sisters; may she be worthy her mother; if she is, we are sure there will be one more good woman in the world. There is a chance that our children's children will be better than we are. Hallelujah! "But now-what I have to tell you, at present, is of an important and serious nature, and will, perhaps, affect you painfully. But I can at once quiet you; everything you are about to hear has been done solely out of consideration for my repose, my happiness, and, before all, my family. I leave the Opera and retire from the stage. Listen to the reasons which have induced me to do so. "The management of the Opera has engaged Duprez, who, for some years past, has occupied the first place among the tenors of Italy. He naturally could not be contented with the second place in Paris: my position must therefore have been changed in order to make one for him. At first, I willingly and cheerfully consented to this, and, indeed, believed that I should, by a rivalry which would spur me on to fresh exertions, advance the interests of my art. But I too soon remarked the uneasiness of my family, as well as the apprehension of my friends, and my peace of mind was at an end! I have, too, had opportunities of convincing myself that I needed peace of mind to satisfy the dethat, in a word, I am not a man for rivalry. mands of my art, that every care or anxiety is prejudicial to me, and "After reflecting maturely on my new position, I perceived that my future would not resemble my past life; that since the circumstances which favoured my development no longer existed, I could not foresee to what ordeals I should still be subjected, both as a man and an artist; as I cannot be more than the former, it is clear that I can gain nothing in a conflict in which my opponent has nothing to lose. Besides, you already know that it was always my intention to retire early; early enough to devote myself to other pursuits. I have six children, and as long as I live, I will work. "I am very well aware that I shall not find another career so bril liant, and consequently so profitable, as my present one; but in four or five years I should, under all circumstances, be obliged to give it up, and if I do so now I shall gain four years for my future. "My engagement with the Opera ends in March; I shall give my farewell performance, take my pension-to which I am entitled by sixteen years' service-and close with a tour through the departments, which will bring me in more in twelve or eighteen months than I could save in four years at the Opera. "I shall then crawl like a snail into my shell, sing Hiller, Schubert, and all my dear German masters for my amusement, and devote myself to those studies to which I have always looked forward. It is true that I do not yet know in what form the fruits of my labour will be displayed, but when I once know what I want to know, when I have achieved for myself a higher value personally, it is impossible for me not to make my abilities available for the benefit of my family. "I assure you, however, beforehand, that I shall busy myself only with art. Whatever you may think of my determination, believe me that I am not taking any rash and foolish step; I have sought the advice of all my friends, and did not decide until after a family council. "I can assure you that since my resolution has been immutably ↑ We give this and the following letters in their integrity, because fixed, tranquillity has returned to my house; my mother is happier, my |