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Guido et Ginevra (March 5, 1838) the Grand Opera gave in succession, Benvenuto Cellini, by Berlioz; Le Lac des Fees, by Auber; La Xacarilla, by Marliani; Le Drapier, by Halevy, and Les Martyrs, by Donizetti.

M. Leon Pillet, appointed Director June 6, 1840, put the theatre into thorough repair, and opened his administration brilliantly with La Favorite, in which Mad. Stolz, Baroilhet, Duprez and Levasseur gained great applause. In 1841, Mario, who had appeared in Robert with remarkable success, quitted the opera to join the Italian company. Baroilhet represented Don Juan with a tropical fire; Carlotta Grisi captivated the public in Giselle, a delicious ballet, by Adam; and La Reine de Chypre, by Halevy, gave new opportunities for triumph to Mad. Stolz, Duprez and Baroilhet. On the 15th of March, 1843, Charles VI., by the same master, added a new wreath to the laurels of the great French composer. Nobody can forget the well merited success of the air of the king, the duet of the cards, the popular chorus Guerre aux tyrans, the picturesque recitative of the man of the Forest du Mans and the entire part of Odette.

The Don Sebastian of Donizetti was given not long before the death of the famed and illustrious composer. But masterpieces became now more rare. The new works which followed in order were Le Lazzarone, Richard en Palestine, Marie | Stuart, in which her touching farewell is remark- | able, L'Etoile de Seville, in which Duprez played and sang the part of Edgar so finely, David by Mermet, L'Ame en peine by Flotow, and finally Robert Bruce, a feeble pasticcio after Rossini, which might have caused a smile of pity on the face of his marble statue, so unhappily placed behind the comptrollers of the theatre.

At length Madame Stolz, who had created a void about her by causing the removal from the theatre of all who displeased her, even to the dancers, left the scene, Pillet at the same time giving up the direction and leaving debts to the amount of 400,000 francs to his successors, M. M. Duponchel and Roqueplan, (1847.) At this period, Cerrito and Saint-Leon gained a fine success in La Fille de Marbre, and Duprez raised himself to the level of Talma in the famous scene of the degradation of the Chevalier in Verdi's Jerusalem.

The Revolution of 1848 broke in upon the successful performances of Carlotta Grisi in Griselidis, a ballet by Adam, whose death is a loss to art. Nisida by Mlle. Plunkett, Da Vivandiere, by Pugni, and Jeanne la Folle, by Clapisson, complete the contingent of that year of political troubles.

At length, April 16, 1849, Le Prophète, the third great work of Meyerbeer, was given to the public under the auspices of Roger, the graceful deserter from the ranks of the Opera Comique. The pastorale was given by that singer with delicious taste; Madame Viardot Garcia created the part of Fides with a dramatic force of expression which raised the fourth act to an incomparable excellence; then Alboni, with her commanding voice, adding to a calm dignity a freedom and fullness of breadth, which transports us back to

the second act reminds us of Gluck, the air of Zacharie of the solidity of Handel; the hymn of triumph, the march of the coronation and the entire scene in the cathedral have a pomp and splendor almost supernatural; and finally, during the lovers' last embrace, amid fire and flame, and falling walls, the tableau, imitating the death of Sardanapalus, has an effect truly striking and marvellous. The chorus which opens the first act and almost rivals the first chorus of Rossini's Tell for its freshness and odor of the country, the call to arms so vigorous and martial in its rhythm the delightful ballet of the skaters, the air of Fides in the 5th act, the bacchanal song of John of Leyden, and above all the dream and chorus of children in the 4th act all this has a surprising richness of melody and accompaniment. Without attaining the extreme popularity of those which preceded it, owing to the nature of the subject, still, this score of Meyerbeer, fully imbued with a German eclecticism, is perhaps the most interesting of all his works for the amateur and artist.

After the Prophet they produced L'Enfant prodigue of Auber, Dec. 6, 1859, and the Demon de la Nuit by Rosenhain. The Sappho of Gounod was both for the composer and for Madame Viardot-Garcia, the occasion of a success solid and honorable. La Corbeille d'oranges gave Alboni opportunity to exhibit her exquisite talents and Le Juif errant of Halevy showed in full contrast the beautiful voices of Massol and Mad. Tedesco.

Dec. 2, 1852 the Academie Nationale de Musique, again resumed the title of Academie Imperiale, and after the unsuccessful Orfa, gave Luisa Miller, composed by Verdi for Madame Bosio. To the La Fronde of Niedermeyer, succeeded Le Maitre Chanteur of Limnander. Then followed the great success of Madame Rosati in Jovita, a ballet by Labarre; but this did not prevent M. Roqueplan from resigning the direction, June 30, 1850. Since this time the opera has been attached to the Emperor's household and under the same administration.

La Nonne Sanglante, by Gounod, in spite of the monotony of the poem, gave Mlle. Wertheimber and Gueymard passages worthy of their talents. Gounod, the last pupil of Lesueur, recalls the large style of his master. At times his melody is curtailed but the idea is never wanting in elevation and nobleness. His choruses and accompaniments are written with a master hand; the symphony of the 2d act of La Nonne is worthy of Weber for color and originality.

Since 1855 there has been nothing very remarkable, unless we except Les Vepres Siciliennes Cruvel, a German) opportunity to display the of Verdi, which gave Mlle. Cruvelli (Sophia varied resources of her fine organ. Marco Spada and Le Cheval de Bronze by Auber, passed from the Opera Comique to the Grand Opera. The bringing together in this manner, and, perhaps classes of opera, let us hope will be but the step we may say, this confounding of the two grand towards separating them hereafter with more ex

actness.

If we grant that vocal art has been sensibly

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By Freiderich Chrysander. Leipsig, Breitkofph and Härtel. From the Deutsche Musik Zeitung. The Second Volume of Chrysander's book on Handel has recently appeared. The first was conte poraneous with the publication of the Leipsic Society's edition of Handel's Collected Works, and thus the foundations were simultaneously laid for two monuments in honor of the master, who had become a stranger in his native land; monuments which will not only hand down his memory to the remotest ages, but also, by their intellectual influence, be of indisputable importance for our own further progress in art. Both enterprises, Handel's Works and Chrysander's Biography, proceed hand in hand towards the same result, namely, to render the life and acts of one of our great masters, in all their truthfulness, the common good. Of his compositions only a few were really known, while some few more were known orly by tradition to the larger portion of all-comprehensive musical labors were floating about the public, so that merely indistinct notions of his among the people. Just as, in the case of Bach, until about twenty or thirty years ago, we were contented with the limited side of his art, that is to say, his eminent technical excellence, and did not until very lately begin to penetrate to his really intellectual qualities; we shall, in a short time, change our inadequate notion of Handel's art for others more correct and complete, and, in the place of the few anecdotal narratives from which the large mass of public derived their ideas of his life and disposition, without attaining a truthful and definite picture of his character, we shall now acquire, thanks to Chry sander's work, a knowledge of the complete and mighty course of development pursued by the mind

of one who was as elevated in morals as he was in art

Both undertakings have come at the right time. It present day possesses in itself, as a counterpoise to is an indisputable fact that the musical art of the

that extravagance and pretensions of mere technicality, of which it is generally the victim, a profound impulse to maintain what is true, and to return to what is primary. The attraction towards direct

the days of Rubens and Teniérs. The Arioso in declining for some years, this may perhaps be knowledge-a feeling that takes us back to those

M. Poisot treats the matter very gingerly. The fact seems to be, as we have learned it from other sources, that Stolz was Pillet's mistress, and used her power as queen of his affections to retain her place as queen of the stage, by admitting no rival upon it.

from two causes worth mentioning:

sources whence the art of our forefathers flowed in never turbid clearness, appears, indeed, to be of a firm basis for vigorous progress. Since the art of our own time does not appear to go further than the Past in achieving a result that may serve as a stand2. The augmentation of the orchestral forces, ard, and does not, moreover, possess in itself the

1. The elevation, gradually and constantly, of the normal pitch or diapason.

productive power for the purpose, there is nothing better left for it to do than, by popularising the perfect work of certain definite periods, to lay down among the people the foundation for future structures. That is the great end which our editions of the works of Handel and Bach have to fulfil. Even at present, people have not as yet come to a clear understanding concerning their relative position. Our first wish in contemplating the work under consideration is that Bach and all our greatest masters may find such historians as Handel has found in Chrysander, or that the latter himself may be their historian.

selves with the mere contemplation and imitation of
outward form and peculiarities.

We are no better off now-a-days, with oratorios, whenever we happen to come across them. Our present music, based entirely upon subjective sensation, does not possess the strength to wed itself to a purely objective conception of the matter given it, and declines into coldness and outward painting. The discordance between the great historical figures of the Bible and our modern sentimentality is generally very great in modern oratorio. The purely historical character of the oratorio is entirely misunderstood it was so even by Mendelssohn, who inThe endeavor, by means of old art generally, to troduced into his oratorios the lyrical church eleprepare a secure foundation for our vigorous devel. ments, namely, the choral, certainly with Bach's opment must not be misunderstood as a wish to re- Pussions musik as a model, but without perceiving turn to antiquated forins and notions. As far as that the latter was a series of special works for diHandel is concerned, such a thing is entirely out of vine service, while oratorio is only more distantly rethe question; though as a matter of course, certain lated to the purely church view of things, or even works of his sprang up under the momentary influ- has nothing at all to do with it. Mendelssohn wantence of his age, it might very easily happen that, on ed to invest oratorio with an additional religious sigexamining our productions now-a-days, the question: nification, which was quite as foreign to him personWhat of ours had not originated under the same cir- ally as to the whole polite world in which he lived. cumstances as the perishable portions of Bach and Handel was born to create and carry out Oratorio. Handel's works, while, on the other hand, what had It is a sufficient proof of the greatness and importrisen to such a height of ideality as their great works?ance of this highest form of musical art, that a man would remain unanswered, if we were not sincere of such a mind as Handel had to live a long life of enough to own the true state of the case. We hope active employment in every way, in order, in his that our increasing appreciation of the past and its greatest strength and maturity, to complete, in his great masters will speedily put an end to complacent greatest works, that form in which the passing of idea theory of the "surmounted point of view," and its into reality could be effected in a manner most aptwo obstetric aids, heaven-storming egotism and un- propriate to music, namely, the oratorio, in which thinking delight in its equal by birth, fashionable the feelings enter with the epic view of matters into feebleness. No one, without rendering himself alto- a compact for the purpose of representing a real acgether ridiculous, can any longer give utterance to tion and definite characters, that is to say, in which such opinions as those which recently appeared in a the feelings become objective, while the action does musical paper on Handel's Israel in Egypt. not step forth outwardly into life, but remains ideal, so that there is nothing to disturb the music, as is not unfrequently the case with visible action.

There is now evident throughout Germany a great amount of zeal for the restoration of old masterpieces, not in the isolated cases of collectors and historians, but combined with the wish to place these treasures within the reach of the large mass of the public. Even in our own time the spirit of inde fatigable progress towards something higher does not rest a single moment, althongh we may not be able to perceive its workings in violent revolutionary attempts, but rather in the effort to obtain a correct view of our progress. The task of making the riches bequeathed to us by our great forefathers in art the common intellectual property of all, secures, if it be rightly performed, an honorable position even for our own age. At all events, if the highest ideas of our particular epoch have become the free property of its posterity, and thus placed an entire nation in a higher position and rendered them capable of receiving what is new to them, fresh and more extensive views are opened up in the domain of the mind, until these views are themselves realised in the endless process of intellectual development, and become the foundation for further efforts.

As yet, however, we have absorbed and rightly worked out hardly a tenth part of what art offers; for this reason, putting all other considerations aside, the revivifications of Bach and Handel, on the extensive scale on which it is now practised, is of undoubted importance to us. The notions of church music and oratorios have, at present, disappeared, as much as it was possible, from among us. Consequently we require for both of them complete models, more defined in their form and ideas-models, such as Bach, Handel, and the older masters have bequeathed us-if these kinds of composition are not to give up their ideal empires and sink down into a mere semblance of life in consequence of a combination of subjects and means of expression negativing each other. Church music, which finds its idea in man's relative position to the highest intellectual ideas, must fall a prey to a mere over-sensual poetastering of the feelings as little as to the non-independent playing of understanding with pure form. In our own age-which we cannot deny possesses an impulse to render clearer the views of religion, obscured by forms, although for the moment it has not got beyond a dim humanism-church music, when it has not altogether descended to a mere concert style, has been subjected to mere sentimental ecstacy quite as often as to abstract intellectual formalism. In the works of old church-music, up to its highest exponents, Bach and Handel, the matter and the expression constitute indivisible unity, while the form of expression although determined by the circumstances of the age, is always natural, and springs from the subject. On this account, the study of the old masters is the best invigorating means for the benefit of of our own religious art, but only if we endeavor to discover, and, in conformity with the present view taken of things, to render evident in our works the inward relations between outward appearance and the living idea contained in it, and not content our

American Composers.

W H. FRY.

Among the appointments which, apart from party reasons, do honor to the new administration, as recognizing the claims of men of distinction in letters and art to honorable posts in the civil service of the country, is that of Mr. Fry, to be Secretary of Legation at Turin. Mr. Fry has been for many years one of the editors of the N. Y. Tribune, and is well known to our readers by his musical articles, often copied or quoted in these columns. He is also a composer of no small merit, and has a rare fortune among composers, to become a diplomatist. In the N. Y. Dispatch, "Timothy Trill" gives the following account of Mr. Fry and his works, among other "American composers."

First on this list comes by all right the name of Wm. H. Fry, Esq., whose opera, "Leonora," was the first and grandest work of that calibre ever composed by a man of American soil, and whose other works, especially for orchestra, entitle him to the most honorable and distinguished position among the hundreds of self-styled composers with which our country actually swarms, and who, alas! are continually publishing but never performing their works! ("Nor any other man!")

Mr. Fry's heaviest works are his opera, (composed when he was but 17 years old) his Santaclaus Symphony, the Pastoral Overture "A Day in the Country," the romantic tone-poem "The Broken Heart," and his truly grand sacred work, the "Stabat Mater," a much larger and more serious Oratorio by far than that by Rossini on the same subject.

Besides these, Mr. Fry has been an earnest devotee to a class of composition for which he has rarely gotten any credit; namely, the Chamber Quartet. He has written over a dozen of these, one of which, (No. 11,) was produced several years ago by Mr. H. C. Cooper's efforts at one of Dr. Guilmette's Concerts, and one movement of which was encored, a very rare honor for this species of music.

Mr. Fry's music is characterized by marked melodic features, imaginative instrumental symbols, and predominance of climacteric force, more than by contrapuntal equilibrium, strictness of classic form, or breadth of Orchestral treatment.

He believes with Berlioz, that no matter how nice the pudding may look, its appearance will not save the oaths of its eaters if it prove to contain nothing but ashes, or the dry chips of Albrechtsberger's and Hauptman's strictures, while at the same time, no one could be more severe with himself than he is, to prove which, one need only glance at one of his fine- |

written, complicated, altered, interpolated, scratched and blotted scores, a Chinese puzzle to a Conductor, and the dread of the copyist.

This mention of Berlioz urges me on to remark how often I have been struck by the many points of resemblance between him and Mr. Fry in their peculiar views. They remind one of Bentham among philosophers, or of Fitch among inventors, and neither has had any chance of being influenced by the other, for they carry out each other's theories instinctively, while the weak practical points of each are the firmly sustained theories of the other.

Thus Fry's abundant flow of melody and the predominance given to it in all his works, are quite the reverse of Berlioz who might study for a lifetime without being able to supply a small barrel-organ with six or eight tunes. Then look at the position of the latter as the mighty King of the Orchestra, and the perfection of detail with which his scores are worked up, and the marvellous effects produced by the mere instrumentation alone, in which even the Germans confess themselves inferior. The points of similarity in these two original men, are a firm belief in the sacred truth of tone-painting, (which so many classicists scoff at,) and in the appropriateness of expression in the music of our churches. Liszt, Wagner, Berlioz and Fry have all created much and envenomed discussion on account of their peculiar views, scorn of established customs and contempt for the well-worn paths of science. And why? Be cause innovators are always the longest in being understood, and old ears are like old dogs, and cannot (soon) be "taught new tricks."

Was not Wagner's snblime overture to "Tannhausser" ten years in existence before "the notes ever had a "resurrection into life from the deathwhite paper?" Did not Beethoven actually die, having never heard his own Ninth Symphony? Did not Schubert die before the parts were even so much as drawn out from his Symphony in C minor, it having been left for the enthusiasm and devotion of a Schumann to give the work its first hearing?

A Whitfield or a William Pitt may address the applauding thousands of London, and yet fail to keep sleepy Hottentots awake, but are they not same shining oratorical lights in either case? How can we then despair at the dullness of appreciation which has hitherto marked the public presentation of certain musical works, of whose merit critics are agreed, and of whose genius fellow-composers stand confessors?

A NEW LIGHT IN MUSIC.-We have received the following circular which we give for the benefit of our readers who may never have heard of this great genius

Eugene A. Wiener, No. 765 Broadway, (near 9th street)-up three pair of stairs-New York. (Portrait of Mr. Wiener).

According to editorial prints, of the first order, one of the greatest living pianists and musical writers! Without an equal as an extemporizer upon any given melody. Acknowledged by the public and the press of the Old and New World.

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His method to develope any voice for "song" or 'speech" and to remove any morbid obstructions of the voice, invariably surpassing any system known in musical art and science.

His method of teaching the Piano from the beginning to the highest perfection never failed to surround him with enthusiasts.

The effect whenever imparting his musical knowledge and skill-always proved "instant" and "startling!"

The testimonials of the most competent critics and distinguished people here and abroad, express wonder, and the opinion that they never before have witnessed such a decided success!

Eugene A. Wiener approves of the "modern school" as far as represented in "some" productions of Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Giacomo Meyerbeer or Henselt, Thalberg, Kullack, Taubert and others. It is a matter of course, that Wagner, the author of "Lohengrin" and "Tannhäuser" must prove correct in his leading idea, when pointing at a "Future of Music" inasmuch as the progress of each age being the natural law of expansion, leaving behind the imperfect formations of the past, however venerable they may be.

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Thought" is the creative Power of the Creator, above as well as "within us!" Speculative philosophical audacity is promotive for art and science, "if" the go-ahead principle is realized with that caution, neglected by the otherwise gigantic Robert Schumann, Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Nicolaus Lenau. Friedrich von Schiller once exclaimed: "Give me a handful of earth, that I may go out of myself!" Eugene A. Wiener thinks, it is better to say within

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Church Music in New York.

The music at the Fifth Avenue Dutch Reformed Church (Rev. J. M. Macaulay's) has for many years been under the charge of our first musicians, and in consequence, noted for its excellence. It is at present directed by Dr. C. A. Guilmette, the renowned

formerly occupied the old building on Broadway, in the lower part of the city, known as the Broadway Tabernacle, which was used for concerts and other miscellaneous purposes; but, at length, in the march of improvement and the rapid growth of the city, the site of the old building was wanted for a block of stores, it was disposed of at a great advance on first cost, and with the proceeds of this sale, the building which they now occupy was erected and completed

about two years since.

It contains a very fine organ, built by Stuart Brothers, after the design and under the superintendence of Mr. G. W. Morgan of Grace Church, with thirty stops, extending throughout its full compass, and two and a half octaves pedals, which are arranged on Mr. Morgan's plan, described by a previous letter. It is played by Miss Marion McGregor of Rochester. As a general rule, ladies are considered inadequate to the control of a large organ, and sel dom attempt it; but those who have succeeded rank Among these may be mention

baritone singer, favorably known to the Boston public from his performances there in oratorio. The choir numbers about thirty: most of them are from Cooper Institute classes, where Dr. Guilmette is pro-high as performers. fessor. It is very thoroughly drilled, and notwithstanding their numbers, they render the music with very delicate shades of expression. Mrs. H. Westervelt is the leading soprano singer. The style of music varied, but always adapted to the sentiment of the words-whether grave or gay. Mr. W. H. Currie is the organist, and succeeded Wm. A. King in this capacity. He is a native of Dublin, Ireland, and has been in this country about ten years, of which four or five were passed at Chicago and the West. He is a wonderful executive organist, possessing correct taste, with great creative fancy, and plays with a force and sentiment which give the music far more than its individual effect.

Of the merits of the organ we cannot say much at present, as it is in an incomplete state; but it promises to be one of the first-class when finished and will contain forty-four stops, with two and one-half octaves of pedals. It is in the hands of Thomas Robjohn, to whom the contract was given four years ago. At present not more than one-half its intended complement of pipes and stops have been put in. The pneumatic action was tried upon this organ, for the first time in this country, but has proved defective and troublesome. A new hydraulic apparatus for supplying wind is about to be applied to it, and will soon be experimented with and tested.

Mr. Wm. Mason, a son of Dr. Lowell Mason of Boston, is one of our most talented organists. His merits as a pianist are well known and appreciated by all lovers of classical music; but it is not generally known that he also stands in the front ranks as a performer upon the organ. His playing belongs to the strict school of sacred music, and he ignores entirely the modern secular style, as inappropriate to the service of the church. He formerly played at the late Rev. Dr. Alexander's Church (Presbyterian) in Fifth avenue, but is now temporarily engaged at the New Jerusalem Church in 35th street, of which Mr. Silver is pastor. The services of this Church do not admit largely of musical display, although more is perhaps attempted in this particular one than in many of the same denomination. The opening voluntary is always extemporized by Mr. Mason; then follows a motette, selected from the highest compositions of this class sung by the quartette choir of amateurs; after which follow chants, at the close a hymn intended to be congretional. dismissed The congregation is out a closing voluntary. Of Mr. Mason's capabili ties, the "Diarist," in Dwight's Journal of music, has thus spoken:

with

"Some two years since a small party remained in Dr. Alexander's church, in New York, after service, and William Mason extemporized upon the organ. That it impressed me strongly is clear from the fact that, notwithstanding all the great organ playing I have heard before and since, that half hour's performance remains fresh and vivid in my memory. In nine cases out of ten, you know beforehand what is to come next in an organ voluntary, just as you know how nine out of ten newspaper stories are to end-or, if your ear is disappointed, it is because the organ knows not where to go nor what to do next. But Mason's themes were so fresh, his episodes so unexpected yet so pleasing, the forms adopted so varied-now a solo with answering chorus from the vox celestis, now the full rolling masses of tone from the grand organ, and at last a fugue moving onward with stately steps-that the ear was constantand delightfully disappointed, the fancy continually excited, and the musical sense filled with enjoyment.' Of the many edifices erected for religious purposes in this city, the Tabernacle (Congregational) corner of Sixth avenue and 34th street, is perhaps one of the finest and most substantial. The society worshipping here has been for many years under the pastoral charge of Rev. J. P. Thompson, widely known as an intelligent and able preacher. They

ed Miss Tillinghast of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chicago, and Mrs. Belknap of San Fraucisco, a pupil of William A. King. One of our first organists informs me that he generally has from three to six pupils. Miss McGregor is generally acknowledged to be second to none as a player of strictly sacred music; her style is of the Dr. Hodges school, so called. The soprano singer of this church, Mrs. Eliot (formerly Miss Anna Stone), is a native of Boston, and no doubt well known to many of your readers. Miss Ellen Meyer sings alto, and the tenor and bass parts are sustained by Mr. George N. Seymour and J. T. Lewis respectively the whole forming a quartette of great efficiency. The music is directed by Mr. H. Camp, who succeeds William B. Bradbury in this department.

Rev. Dr. E. H Chapin's church, in Broadway, is a large and comfortable edifice, and is always crowded by a large and attentive audience, attracted by the eloquence of this distinguished preacher. The music is furnished by a choir of seventy-five children, chosen from the Sabbath school, numbering about

three hundred and fifty. They are drilled in the singing school connected with the church every week, and sing, in good ti.ne, very plain hymns and tunes, with pleasing effect. Mr. Eickhom acts as superintendent of the Sunday school and director of the choir, Mr. Wilson as leader, and Mr. Anthony Davis (a native of Germany! as organist. The organ was built by the Messrs. Hook of Boston, has 34 stops, three ranks of keys, and is a very fair instrument.-Transcript.

Dwight's Journal of Music.

BOSTON, APRIL 6, 1861.

nuts as fast as he finds them; it were a poor time to do that just as one has the chance (which may not come so soon again) to stuff his pockets. So henceforth we abandon all thought of sequence, as we already have done practically, with the best will to the contrary. The matter for the weekly letter shall be sometimes the last yield of to-day or yesterday, sometimes of an older vintage; whatever has survived unspoiled some weeks or months, will taste the better. This time I will speak of what last happened, while the impression of it is as fresh and fit for service as it probably ever will be.

A musical work was produced here for the first time last evening of a form and magnitude unexampled in these days, remarkable for any age, but more like one of the most earnest and ambitious products of the days of Palestrina and Orlando Lasso, and the learned Flemish and Italian masters of church music, than like anything that is wont to grow under our nineteenth century culture. It was a complete Mass for sixteen distinct voice-parts, composed by the greyhaired director of the Sing-Akademie, Professor GRELL, and sung by the Akademie, the composer himself conducting. The Mass is purely vocal, a capella; voices unsustained by any sort of accom paniment, except that the sub-director BLummer touched occasionally a bass note or a chord on the piano as a touchstone of true pitch. There were from three to four hundred singers, with a delegation of sixteen soli in front, who sang some movements wholly by themselves, and in other movements alternated with full chorus, with a view to vary, relieve and adorn the great, broad, curiously involved, slowly and majestically moving mass of harmony. The performance had been long expected and much talked of. The Mass was supposed to be the masterpiece of Grell in his peculiar sphere, that of the severe and learned old Italian church style, of which he is thought to be at the present day the foremost representative in Germany; devoted to it with a somewhat pedantic and one-sided life-long persistency (for

MUSIC IN THIS NUMBER. - Continuation of the Opera of indeed he seems to be a very dry old man), but

"Martha." Piano Solo.

Editorial Correspondence.

NEW SERIES. No. X.

GRELL'S SIXTEEN-PART MASS THE SING

AKADEMIE.

Berlin, Feb. 21, 1861.

It is almost idle to date these letters. The experiences which they record accumulate so fast, with such full, strong current, never ceasing, each new novelty preoccupying the mind against the last before there is time to write about it, or hardly even to review it in the mind, that all that remains possible for me is to select from the portfolio of memory from time to time, as the painter does from his sketch-book, whatever one happens to feel in the humor for working up, or whatever there may seem to be a call for. Chronological sequence must be given up-and what of that? The mind's ardor is of more importance than the almanac and has a right to turn it up-side down and supersede it. The music which I hear to-day is heard not always for to-day; but quite as likely for the supplying of a lost link far back in the chain of knowledge and experience, or to save up one against the time of need hereafter. The squirrel does not crack his

with a mastery that entitles to respect in any real branch of Art. The rehearsals had been many and most careful; the Sing-Akademic lending themselves with a most patient loyal zeal to the work, resolved to do their best (and they never do anything that is not marvellously good), to make their director's work tell to the best advantage. The hall of course was completely filled by the most musically enlightened audience of Berlin, including a host of music-directors, professors and composers.

The impression which the work made upon me (and I should judge upon most listeners) was mixed and very curious. Many of the choral effects were positively sublime; and indeed all that was sung en masse by the whole choir, so greatly subdivided, sounded rich, full, widespread and majestic to a degree seldom realized. The mere sound of it, of such a broad, deep stream of tone, in which sixteen several streams were blended, was really a new, a glorious sensation, filling one now with awe and now with ecstacy. Some of the climaxes, where all the voices climb through modulations, as in the Gloria, the Quoniam tu solus, the Sanctus, and especially in Hosanna in excelsis, were enough to make one breathless with wonder. Of course literal sixteen-part harmony, simultaneous, re

a

alized in each instant, is impossible, within the range of all kinds of human voices. That is to say, vocal harmony in chords of sixteen notes is out of the question. The problem is solved only by the contrapuntal process of figuration, imitation, echoing and distributing about of little melodic phrases and fragments amongst the sixteen parts. Everything must be said more than once, in order that all may have a share in singing it. This has its inconveniences, its questionable consequences, to which we shall afterwards allude. But at times and for certain purposes it was exceedingly effective, used as it was with such consummate skill, so as to make a consistent, clear, euphonious whole out of the mingled risings and subsidings of so many little single waves, so many independent voices, each as it were eager to distinguish itself by some individual way of saying the same thing which all had to say. You felt it, for instance, when the whole air seemed cut up into little Amens, as fine as the words engraved all over the face of a bank bill. The Credo and Resurrexit found wondrous confirmation in all this answering of independent voices, this mastering and reconciling of differences and contrasts. Such words as visibilium omnium et in

visibilium lent a beautiful occasion for this sort of

genial, thin; the crossings of voices often laid bare
dangerous places on the uncomfortable verge of
discord, such as you did not feel in the sublime and
as it were self-rectifying harmonic masses of the
chorus of four hundred. The Benedictus, how-
ever, which was sung only by the soli, was very
beautiful and spoke to the feelings. The Kyrie
and Christe were particularly over-long: first by
soli, then by chorus, then soli again, each time
treated at exhaustive length; and then a going
back to the beginning and summing the whole
up by the full choir. Had it begun with the last
division, omitting all that went before, the effect
must have been finer, one would think.

composition of his, a Te Deum, also a capella, and very fine. Introduced occasionally in the course of four-part compositions, for certain purposes, as for instance for the illustration of certain grand texts like some in Handel's "Israel," these sixteen-voiced sublimities might be admirable. But used through the whole length of a Mass, for two hours, they show you that the experiment is after all a failure, that the principle is wrong. It is chiefly as a curiosity therefore that this work is interesting. It proves abundantly the learning, the mastery of Grell. But it is not an achievement for which music can be thankful more than

once.

Wonderful as the composition was, in its way, a greater wonder was its almost perfect execution by the Sing-Akademie. To sing through an entire Mass, in sixteen voice-parts, without any accompaniment whatever, during two hours, keeping the most complicated tone-web always whole and clear, entering always at the right time with promptness and decision, never lost or faltering,

an

Grand as the thing was, you listened with impatience. It did not seem to get forward; it continually hung back, after it had fully passed you with its thought and put you in the mood of going on. A certain nightmare spell, the penalty of its own greatness, seemed to have invisibly bound its feet. We have already seen the reason. In treating sixteen voices, something must be found for each to do; they cannot move in four-giving the right shade of expression, the right defold common chords; the voice does not command so many octaves. Accordingly each theme, each motive, each musical statement has to be pulled to pieces and divided about among them in little figurative repetitions, answers, variations, melodic phrases of a moment's length. If this be well done, as it certainly is in this case, it lends a wonderful fullness, and sense of crowded, swarming life, yet quite harmonious, to the whole mass. But it can scarcely be called contrapuntal, or real polyphonic writing, in the high sense; for, though each of the sixteen parts manifests a certain amount of individual motion, it can only move a very little way, it can only go the length of its tether; there it stands tied to its post of a fixed harmony, with liberty to play a little around that, making little variations on it; but it does not move on in continuous self-development, twining itself with other individualities into a polyphonic whole, as in the works of Bach. The separate motion, the little melodic figuration of the parts, adds nothing to the thought and does not lead to anything; it only increases and en

gree of force to every passage, the tones all pure and musical, the balance admirable, was achievement which presupposes a remarkable average of ability and culture in the ranks, as well as indefatigable devotion and loyalty to a common end, and the most patient and welldirected practice. We have had something to boast of in the way of oratorio chorus singing in our own Boston; but nothing that could be compared to this. It was the crowning achievement of a society, who, every time that I have heard them have astonished me by the singular unity and perfection of their renderings. The SingAkademie, which was the life-work of Fusch and Zelter, to be whose successor therein Mendelssohn aspired, only to be defeated by an inferior candidate, and which stands now higher than ever before, probably, under Grell and Blummer, counting three or four hundred ladies and gentlemen of the most cultivated families of Berlin among its members, and having its own noble building, which contains house-room for its Director, a fine concert hall for its great per

treatment. There was once a passage where the contralto voices ran in triplets, varying the theme, whilst the general mass moved on in longer tones, which sounded exquisitely. On the other hand the yielding of the interwoven, figurative style now and then to a brief passage of soft, smoothly flowing harmony, as in propter nostram salutem descendit and in another intended to represent the lovely image of the Virgin (ex Maria virgine), produced a heavenly feeling. It was as when the ocean that has so long tossed in waves, becomes a mirror glassing the heavens' blue. Always had the composer adapted his music fitly to the thought and to the word of the Latin text. There was no such discrepancy as we find in so many of the more secular sorts of Catholic masses, even some of Haydn's in which the supplicating Kyrie eleison is made to revel in careless, florid bird-like warblings. Solemn themes, like the Crucifixus, were made profound-riches, so to speak, the sonority of the whole tone-formances, elegant ante-rooms, with busts and ly impressive.

mass at each given moment. It does not amount
to creation; it has nothing to do with that part
which genius plays in every composition; it is
after all an art of effect; it is studied skill. Such
a chorus dispenses with all orchestra; it needs
none; it clothes itself with its own accompani-
ment. But in a way that prevents a natural rate
of going forward. To accompany itself thus it
has to repeat and multiply itself in little, and
take many steps without advancing.

On the other hand, the vast design, so well accomplished, carries its own condemnation along with it, in the fact the necessary fact, of its inordinate length. The Mass lasted two hours. However grand in certain points, however interesting and impressive during moments, however full of new suggestion for the technical musician (and doubtless there was much to be learned from it, especially if one would study the score), still the impression as a whole was tedious and exhausting. How different the polyphony of Bach, of To carry out such a plan, to give fair play to six- Handel and other great ones! Four-part harteen voices, required much room, more than the mony is enough for them-as a rule. Five parts, subject warranted in some of the movements. It six parts or a double choir, exceptionally and ochad to be as long as it was broad. The bread casionally, serve for peculiar effects. The four had to be broken among such a multitude that it voice parts have real, independent, characteristic took a long time to get round. And that, too, in and continuous progress; and for further enricheach single movement, or separately treatment, for color and support drawn from wider ed text, of the Mass. First, for the sake octaves, they employ instruments, which give a of contrast, movements were treated alter- more piquant and decided contrast, and which nately by the sixteen soli and by the whole add interesting accessory ideas. The sound of chorus. Not only did this double the length Grell's sixteen-part choir was unspeakably grand of everything, but it operated most of the and beautiful sometimes; but you grew weary of time more as a foil, than as a contrast in itself it; it was positively a relief to our ears to hear agreeable. You were too glad always to have again some four-part harmony, happily afforded the chorus come back. The soli sounded hard, un- in the second part of the concert by another new

portraits (oil paintings) of the great composers meeting the eye at every turn, with a nice little upper hall for chamber concerts, and all sorts of conveniences-a completely furnished establish❘ment in fact, is very properly the pride of Berlin and the object of much fostering care on the part of Prussian Princes, especially his late majesty King Frederick Wilhelm IV., the record of whose acts in furtherance of a high musical taste and culture in his capital is a rich and long one. The Sing-Akademie is such a musical society as we need in Boston, and in all our large cities, and I must endeavor soon to give a more detailed ac

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NEW ORLEANS - Le Pardon de Plöermel.-Mr. Boudousquie has wisely decided no longer to delay the production of Meyerbeer's new opera, "Le Pardon de Plöermel." M'lle Adeline Patti, having perfected herself since she has been here, in the leading role, that of Dinorah, as that in which it is her intention to make her debut, on the London lyric boards, has been engaged to sing it here; and to-morrow evening the long-looked for opera, with its charming music, its new and elegant scenery, and its appropriate costumes and properties, will be produced-M'lle Patti, M'mes Richer, Pretti and Maillet, and Messrs. Melchisedec, Carrier, Genibrel, Chol, Delamarre and Debrinay forming the cast.

Italian Opera.

and of a quaintness that seems in keeping with the religious character of the Jewish festival. The trio between Eudoxia. Leopoldo and the Jew, later in this

La Sonnambula was given on Thursday of last week, on the occasion of the benefit of Signor Brignoli, with Miss Kellogg in the part of Amina, Brig-scene, is one of much beauty and dramatic effect;

noli as Elvino and Susini as the Count. A Mad. Parazza, whose face has been long familiar in the ranks of the chorus, attempted the important rôle of Lisa. BRIGNOLI, of course, did his best, and that, in music so congenial to his powers, was of an excellence that can scarce be equalled. It is idle to enumerate the particular passages of an opera so thoroughly familiar as this, in which Signor Brignoli would excel, for it would be merely to give the titles of all the songs of the part of Elvino, from the beginning to the end of the opera. Add to this, that he never sang better and the whole story is told.

SUSINI made an effective Count Rodolpho, so far as good acting makes one, but was still not in good

voice.

Miss KELLOGG, in many respects, was an admirable Amina. Her conception of the part was perfect, and generally both her voice and action carried out successfully her idea of the character and the intentions of the composer. In all the arias her neat execution, good style and acute perception of the requirements of the situation contributed to make her efforts satisfactory and pleasing, but in the concerted pieces she was wanting in sufficient power to cope with the more vigorous voices of those who surrounded her. The grand finale, Ah non giunge, was admirably executed and elicited much applause. A great drawback to this performance was the utterly incompetent representative of Lisa, who was hardly able to do enough to keep up the thread of the story, even with the omission of all the airs that she should give. The part is an important and very interesting one, and in the hands of Miss Hinckley, for example, (for it is by no means one beneath her), the opera would have been adequately represented. A young and ambitious prima donna could almost create this part before our audiences by giving it careful study. Who will do it?

La Sonnambula was repeated on Tuesday evening of this week for the benefit of Miss KELLOGG,which could have been but little benefit, by reason of the almost unparalleled severity of the snow storm which kept people effectually at home. This evening BARILI took the place of Susini, and consequently much more of the opera was omitted, even Vi ravviso. So the opera was practically given with no Lisa and no Count! Which will be omitted next, Amina or Elvino ? Miss Kellogg and Brignoli did their best, and the beneficiaire received an offering of flowers at the close of the first act, on being called before the curtain.

La Juive has been twice performed, since our last; on Friday of last week and on Monday of this week. The attention of the hearer, at the first representation, was much disturbed by the intense dramatic interest of the plot, (which is one of the most successful of the works of the late Eugene Scribe), by the pomp of the spectacle, and by the unfamiliar character of the music itself, which fails to make a very marked impression upon the first hearing, beyond a very general one. A second and a third hearing have made its character better understood, and its beauties stand out now quite clearly and distinctly, although they are not of the sort that are easily retained in the memory, the melodies being short and broken, the composer looking always, more to the dramatic than the musical effect of his score, and thus making his music more largely of the nature of recitative and of concerted pieces than of the melodies which characterize the works of other popular composers of the day. These later hearings revealed many passages of much interest. The opening chorus of the third scene, Celebriam, is one of much brilliancy and well introduces the great scenic display that follows. The music of the first scene that begins the second act, is full of solemnity, |

but we longed to hear such a voice from the Prince as would fill out the harmony with the power that was intended, whereas Signor Scola was almost in

audible.

The portion of the opera which follows, the scenes between Rachel, Leopold and Lazarus, though of great dramatic interest, became a little wearisome from being unduly spun out, unrelieved by any melodies standing in relief from the general monotony of the music. The trio, however, at the end of the act is perhaps the more effective from this contrast and brilliantly closes it. The third and fourth acts do not equal the first and last in interest, with the exception of some beautiful airs sung by Stigelli. The last act is a grand climax to the whole opera, and the solemn dead march that opens it, to which such a thrilling effect of horror is given by the shrill piercing tones of the fife that mark its rhythm, make a most effective introduction to this exciting and almost painful finale. Very impressive, and solemn too,are the sombre and strange harmonies of the unaccompanied chorus that announces to the martyrs that the fatal hour has come, freezing the soul of Rachel with terror, and filling the mind of Lazarus with distracting and cruel doubts, whether to save her, or to permit her to suffer as a martyr. These violent passions are adequately and forcibly painted by the music of Halévy taken in connection with the effects of stage and scenery that it requires. How it would strike one apart from these it is not easy to say.

COLSON and STIGELLI again won new laurels by their wonderful impersonation of the characters of the Jew and his daughter, singing with unusual brilliancy and effect at the second performance which was by far the best of the three. Martha was repeated to a large audience on last Saturday afternoon, and we are glad to learn that we are to have still another opportunity of hearing La Juive this afternoon, which is the very last performance of this troupe which leaves for New York to open at the Academy on Monday.

We go to press too early this week, on account of the annual Fast, to be able to give any report of the later performances.

HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY. THE MESSIAH. - The time-honored Messiah exerted its accustomed

influence in filling the hall completely, on Sunday evening March 31st. Miss ADELAIDE PHILLIPPS is much to be praised for singing with inmost feeling. Especially moving was her air: "He was despised." She proved again, that she is a true and worthy artist. Mr. STIGELLI likewise sang with dignity and feeling, in many instances rising to a high degree of expression. Both these artists added very greatly to the enjoyment of the evening. Misses KELLOGG and HINCKLEY are yet too young to have experience enough in the oratorio style. Deep feeling, dignified expression both being based on the emotion the artist himself experiences, are necessary requisites for a success in oratorio, which the ladies will yet have to acquire. Dr. GUILMETTE ought to sing with a more even tone. His wavering takes away much of the interest in his performance. Most of the choruses were done well. Some runs might have been smoother. **

MUSIC IN THIS NUMBER.-By an oversight in furnishing the plates for the musie pages of this number of the Journal, a continuation of "Hymn of Praise is presented instead of "Martha," as announced in the usual place.

Music Abroad.

Vienna.

The most important event last week was the appearance of Joseph Joachim. In years gone by, the Viennese had, it is true, heard him as a wonderful child, but the wonderful man still remained a stranger to them.

Vienna, the cradle, if not of Joachim

himself, at least of his reputation, as well as the place of his education, had some reason to complain of the manner in which she had been invariably overlooked by the artist in the course of his long travels. Young

as he is, Joachim has been considered, for nearly the last ten years, the first of living violinists, and the fact of Vieuxtemps having been, now and then compared to him, proves that those who used such a standard were aware that they had to deal with greatness of no ordinary kind. It was no easy task for an artist to satisfy such high and long-cherished exAnd pectations of a public as experienced as ours. yet Joachim has accomplished it in the most brilliant

manner.

He began with Beethoven's concerto in D major. After the very first movement, it must have been evident to all that they had before them not only a most astonishing virtuoso, but a man of great importance and originality. With all his bravura, Joa. chim is so totally merged in the musical ideal, that he might be described as a perfect musician, who had passed through and gone beyond the most brilliant "virtuosity." His playing is grand, noble, and free. There is not the slightest tinge of "virtuosity" about it; whatever, in the solos could remind us of vanity or self-esteem is passed over, without our perceiving the faintest trace of it. This nobleness of artistic conviction is so prominent in Joachim, that it prevents our thinking until afterwards of the appreciation due to his magnificent technical skill.

What fullness and power in the tone which Joachim's grand and certain bowing draws from the instrument! It struck us, on the first occasion of our hearing Joachim, that, even in the most emphatic treatment of the lower violin passages, there was none of that peculiarly material scraping and shufing on the string which we have at times heard in the playing of the most celebrated violinists. Joachim' shake is incomparable for purity and equality while his polyphonic playing is, at one and the same time, so well combined, and yet so sharply distinct, that the listener frequently fancies he hears two performers. In the course of his concerts Joachim will enable us to form a still nearer acquaintance with his technical skill. After once hearing him, it strikes us that it would not be quite safe to pronounce even a general opinion on his merits, since he will probably exhibit his art to us under other aspects. After his first concert, we certainly felt inclined to believe that the expression of what is great, noble, and pathetic was the task best adapted to his nature. He must show us, in other compositions, whether he is as great a master of light grace, easy wit, and fresh humor. His rendering of Beethoven's concertoespecially his execution of the adagio, which he gave with deep feeling, but with such a degree of freedom that he almost appeared to be extemporising-afforded proofs of the most decided independence of conception. The concerto was more brilliant and more animated under Vieux temps' bow. Joachim exhibited greater depth of feeling, and by truly ethical power, surpassed the effect which Vieuxtemps' playing produced by his gushing temperament.

The second piece was an adagio by Spohr, the uniformity of which lost everything like ponderousness in the vigorous and, at the same time, varied manner in which Joachim gave it; but it was in Tartini's Teufels-Sonate that he struck us as most astonishing. We feel sure that violinists will agree with us when we say that this specimen of colossal and, at the same, classically refined, technical skill, was something never previously equalled. The most difficult bravura passages in this piece-passages which the per former is generally contented to get over with unpretending mediocrity-Joachim not merely produced with ease and certainty, but absolutely in countless instances, impressed an accent pregnant with meaning on this noisy, seething, confused mass of sounds; he "gets up lights" which lent the whole thing a new and expressive character. To sum up, we remember scarcely a second virtuoso whose entire performance completely in one and the same mould, and consequently so pure and harmonious in its effect.Musical World.

Musical Correspondence.

NEW YORK, APRIL 2.-Alas! for the consequences of being in a hurry, as shown in my forgeting to enclose Mr. Satter's programme in my last. I send it to you now, hoping that you will not consider it as coming too late to be of any value.

1. Overture, "Merry Wives of Windsor,"....Otto Nicolai 2. a "Drusenthal," Fantasie-stück,. ......R. Goldbeck b Sentiment Poëtique... ....J. N. Pattison

c "Columbia," Caprice Américain....L. M. Gottschalk 8. Sonata, D minor, Op. 31...

......Beethoven

a Allo molto. b Adagio. c Finale.

4. (By request), Grand Fantasie sur "La Juive, "..Satter

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