The Press. — London, England, 1858-04-03 00:00:00

he twisted a bough." He laid on a of colour, and called it Ariadne. strained the human throat as if it had catgut; marked some notes on a stave against it "soprano;" it mattered nothing passage belonged to no voice in the every other instrument be under his voice alone rebel? If it would not break. In the earlier periods of tbeir not been so; now the mind was not the body was. The eye and the band begun to fail, and deafness had of the other. While their senses they talked to us in our language; they /tits intelligible to us. Now it is for effort, let us try to see their works as Look on that picture, try and feel trying to express ; do not go nearer figures, you will find nothing more new, perhaps less. Stand further off; make yours so too. He has told of his dream, and he has done all be you ; your mind must do the rest. Choral Symphony; Beethoven has told writing about ; follow his thoughts ~. three movements, but do not look different in the last. It is not song ; articulate song. Those are not hear, they are only instruments. . closely for the words, you will not them; you have them before you, or mind must suggest them. Words and never much to him ; and now he has half ern, do you forget them too. This is be enjoyed indolently, not holiday who would understand it must not be recreation, but come with fresh and resolved for study. It is something ' people (as foreigners are pleased able to say that this ninth symphony never lacks an audience in London, who flock to bear it show unmistake hear it intelligently, because they delight. The instrumental portion of a went, on the whole, extremely well, Fidelio overture was somewhat injured intonation of the horns. The symphony h great spirit; the scherzo especially have been better rendered. The considering the nearly impossible music, was entitled to great praise, necessary to say that Miss Goddard's in the Choral Fantasia approached perfection. Of the solo singing we week has been a busy one in the musical the concerts mentioned above, there at St. Martin's-hall on Monday, the by the Sacred Harmonic Society, at . Wednesday, and secular concerts at every evening by the English Opera held the Lyceum last autumn, and been making a tour in the provinces. Harrison, and Mr. Weiss were the -., excellent orchestra, under the direc- Mellon, gave additional interest to these • performances. MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The legitimate opera - "rnmence immediately after Easter. programme issued embraces some names English public. That which will greatest curiosity is Mlle. Therse Titiens, the principal soprano of the Imperial Opera, Vienna. Mlle. Titiens' repertory comprises characters of the high dramatic class, such as Norma, Lucrezia Borgia, Valentine (in The Huguenots), and Donna Anna, and report speaks most favourably of the power of her voice and the significance of her acting. Mlle. Lucioni, a young contralto, and Sig nor Mattioli, a baritone, are also additions to the staff. The principal favourites of last season—Mme. Alboni, Mlle. Piccolomini, Mlle. Spezia, Mlle. Or tolan', Signor Giuglini, Signor Belart, Signor Bel letti, dcc.—are retained. Giuglini will undertake a new character, that of Raoul, in The Huguenots, from which great things may fairly be expected. Mile. Piccolomini will also appear in a new part—that of Luisa Miller in Verdi's opera. The opening opera, The Huguencts, will be supported by a cast including Mesdiles. Titiens (Valentine), Ortolan' ( the Queen), Lucioni (the page), and Signori Giuglini (Raoul), Delletti (St. Bris), Vialetti (Marcel), and Aldighieri (Nevers). The scenery, by Mr. Marshall, is an. nounced as "entirely new and original." The en gagements for the ballet are of the very highest class. Mme. Rosati, who rules the worshippers of choregraphic art in both Paris and London ; Mlle. Pocchini, who at the commencement of last year astonished the public b * ', brilliancy and novelty of her st eps i n L a Es ; Mlle. Marie Taglioni, l ong acknowledged as an idtial of grace and elegance, and now principal dancer at Berlin ; Mlle. Boschetti, renowned for the audacity of her movements—all have a place in the programme. Besides these there is a new dancer, Mlle. Anetta Orsini, from Vienna. Signor Bonetti will conduct the band et the termi• •• • • ' little remorse as he twi shapeless mass of co Beethoven strained th been wire and catgut; and wrote against it "s to him that the passag world. Should every o control and the voice bend, let it break. In lives it had not been weakened, but the hod' of the one had beg'. stopped the ear of th were like ours they tall made their thoughts in us to make the effort, I they saw them. Look what Turner was tryin to examine those figur than you see now, pert his eye was dim, mak you the subject of his can to show it you ; 3 Listen to the Choral S, you what he is writir through the first three for something different not, at least, anion' voices that you hear, Do not listen too close be able to hear them; if not, your mind mu voices were never mud forgotten them, do y not music to be enjc music; thoss who wou looking for recreation active minds resolved for an unmusical peopl to call us) to be able tx of Beethoven's never h and that those who fits ably that they hear bear it with delight. the selection went, o though the Ficlelio ov by the false intonation was played with great could hardly have b chorus singing, consi character of the music and it is hardly necessi pianoforte solo in thi very nearly to perfect will say nothing. THE past week has 1 world; besides the cot was The Messiah at St. same oratorio, by the Exeter-hall on Wedm Drury Lane every ev Company which held which has since been Miss Pyne, Mr. Harr stars," and an excellc tion of Mr. Mellon, ga Passion Week perform HER MAJESTY'S Ts season will commenc The programme iss new to the Englist excite the greatest T Meng, the princip Opera, Vienna. Mlle. characters_ of the high Lucrezia Borgia, Valet Donna Anna, and re F the power of her voic acting. Lucioni Mattioli, nor a barito THE PRESS, APRIL 3, 1858. nation of the Italian Opera season in Paris, and will be preceded by Signor Arditi, the conductor of the extra performances last winter. THE VOCAL ASSOCIATION will give a grand perform. ance at St. James's-hall, Regent-street and Piccadilly, on Wednesday evening next, April 7th, when the programme will be entirely Mendelssohn, and com prise the following works : The First Walpurgis Night, the Symphony in A major, the Violin Concerto, the Lorely fragment, a selection from the part-songs, and other morceaux. The band and chorus united will number four hundred performers. lint 4 rts THE SOCIETY or FEMALE ARTISTS issued invita tions to a private view at the Egyptian-hall on Mon day last; but, in consequence of the number of paintings sent in, the preparations were not by any means complete. Several pictures remained un hung ; drawings in chalk and water colours stood side by side with paintings in oil ; copies and originals were mixed together ; and the catalogues were still in the printer's hands. Under these circumstances we postpone our remarks till next week. THE SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS does not hold very high rank among the London exhibitions, nor enjoy a very large share of public patronage. The private view has passed over, and the world of art is not perceptibly convulsed ; "the exhibition is now *pen," says the board in Pall-mall, bat Suffolk-street looks nearly as placid as usual. And there is good reason for this. It is worth any trouble to see a fine picture ; but the epithet is rarely applicable to any thing in these rooms. Out of more than nine hun dred items in the catalogue we may, perhaps, find some twenty or five and twenty worth examination ; but the process of sifting is tedious and even pain ful. Still it is only fair to admit that the gallery possesses some corresponding advantages. If the visitors are few, there is the more room for them ; if there is not much to study, at least we may study at what hour we please; there is no necessity for an early breakfast ; if it requires some nerve to place oneself in a room the walls of which hardly afford a square foot where the eye may fall without pain, what endless rest and refreshing dwell in that green baize floor ? Truly we have much to be thankful for : there is a bright side to every question if we will but look for it. Even in the desert, too, there is an occasional oasis; a careful search will be re warded; we shall find pictures here and there which show real talent and careful study of nature ; we linger before these, and for a few moments "plea sures," as Dr. Watts sings, " banish pain." There are Boddington's landscapes, endlessly repeated, no doubt, and often artificial, but never without merit. In his " Windings of the Wye " (188), there is truth and beauty too, Syer gives us rocks and broken water, autumn afternoons in Wales, well composed, good in form and colour, pleasing in light and shadow, and wholly free from exaggera tion. Pyne was an artist once, though fallen into evil habits now. Of his six contributions, four are mere flimsy devices of prettiness, and in No. 733 his nice perception of local scenery is so conspicuous that " The Vale of Somerset " might be taken for a view in the Alps. But his " Lias Rocks on the Dorset Coast" (468) is in a much better style. There is life as well as colour; wind and rain, and air thickened with spray. " The Last Load," by G. Cole (394), is an excellent study of our English climate. The sky is full of gathering clouds and light rain, the sun throws pale and broken light over the distant landscape, and a bright gleam falls upon the waggon which is bearing home " the last load." The picture is not highly finished, but shows careful observation. Cobbett is evidently a great admirer of Frith, and his " Flower Girl" (401) is almost open to the charge of plagiarism ; but if not very original, he paints with care, and has a better eye for colour than for form. The mother of " The First-born" (77) is a very pleasing person, but hardly a cottager's wife. We cannot help fancy ing that she was painted literally from the artist's housemaid, even to the lace cap at the back of the head, and we are confirmed in our opinion when we find the same figure on the other side of the rootr, topped with an old green bonnet, mounted on a donkey, and indulging in a " Gossip on the Coast." Still there are good points about all his pictures, and the careful finish of the draperies deserves especial praise. No. 83, by T. Roberts, is called " The Reward." An infant has undergone the process of washing, and the mother is uncovering her breast. The picture is full of truth—coarse truth, animal truth, filling the whole canvas, and leaving no room for sentiment. The action of the mother, with her feet on tiptoe, sustaining her sprawling child on her knees alone, while with both hands she unfastens her dress, is real enough in all conscience, but a sow suckling her young would excite as much feeling. The drawing, colour, and detail are all excellent, and, repulsive as the picture is, to these we cannot refuse our praise ; the artist seizes our admiration, but it is most unwillingly given. “ The Music Lesson " (107), by the same artist, is prettier, but inferior in execution. But, having gone through these, we have still nine hundred more before us. Here are smiling females by Baxter; feeble rustics by Gill, smooth rustics by Hill, silly rustics by Clater and Pidding ; Henzell sends fishermen, and Wilson sea-pieces after Stanfield. Then in land scapes the list is endless : there are purple land scapes by West, cold-green landscapes by Ward, black landscapes by Niemann ; there are landscapes with figures by Shayer, in which we cannot decide whether the landscape is worse than the figures, or vice versa ; there are landscapes and cattle by Tennant, with a similar open question ; and pasteboard landscapes by Pettitt. Woolmer de lights in the contrast of raw green and flesh-colour, and Gosling has a similar weakness for herbage and red earth. Zeitter is still aiming at the effect of worstefil-work on coarse canvas, and does not despair of succeeding in time. Noble contributes mild illustrations of history, and Salter takes Shakespeare under his protection ; while Foggo's incidents from India and the Crimea, with a little more attention to finish, might rise to the rank of public-house signs. Last ; but not least, comes Mr. Hurlstone, the president, with his annual batch of figure-pieces, very curious works of art, painted with a shaving brush, if we may venture an opinion. Is it not painful to think of all the time, labour, and materials thus wasted? We know that everything has its uses, but man is left to find them out. Doubtless every one of these pictures would have admirers, but we must take the trouble to inquire where they live. It is evident they do not reside in the neighbourhood of Pall-mall. Some three or four of the artists should be turned adrift to seek their fortunes in Trafalgar-square or elsewhere, and then the society, thus purged of all incongruous matter, should seek a new abode. If it were to hire rooms in Whitechapel, and reduce the charge for admission to one penny, it might, perhaps, secure a full attendance, but pur chasers, we fear, would be few. On the whole, we should recommend the society to migrate to some land where art is still in its infancy, and throw open its exhibition on April 1, 1859, either at Timbuctoo or New York. piteg Blida aittl oittg amtuiput, FRIDAY EVERDNI. VERY little demand has prevailed for money this week—at least it has been comparatively limited—though the com mercial acceptances usually at maturity at the beginning of the month have rather stimulated the inquiry during the last day or two. Except from this merely incidental cir cumstance, the Money Market has received no impulse whatever; and very little business has been done either at the Bank or by the discount-houses. The rates remain without alteration. The 6,000,0001. loan of the East India Company has all been taken, within about 200.0001, at the reserved price of 97 and upwards. None of the leading firms opened sub scriptions ; consequently it was practically taken by the public, although it was foretold that the amounts of the debentures, I ,0001. and 5001. respectively, were too high. The allotments are already at a premium of a half to one and $ half per cent. The Bullion movements of the week have been unimpor tant. Only about 10,0001. have been sent into the Bank; and the demand far the Continent seems to be entirely arrested. The amount now en route from Australia is 915,0001., of which 127,0001. brought to Suez by the Simla is expected to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. A con siderable proportion of this aggregate, probably half of it, is overdue at the present moment. Consols have receded since our last, but they have been steady at the lower quotations. Last Friday they closed at 971 to ; yesterday at 961 to I. The fall is attributed to the depression in the railway market, and to sales in preparation for the Indian loan. Exchequer Bills have declined le. The present quota tion is 3.55. to 395. prem. Railway Shares have fallen from one to two per cent. The rapidly diminishing traffic receipts caused by the in activity of trade have induced heavy sales, and there have been no purchases to countervail the general tendency. Such purchases as have been made have been in Preference and Guaranteed Stocks. The depression has in some degree been assisted by the failure of the attempts to bring about a termination of the ruinous competition to and from the north between the London and North Western and the Great Northern companies. Foreign Stocks are about the same as last week; but Turkish Six Per Cents. have receded about a half per cent. Banking and Miscellaneous Shares have been in mode rate request, and previous quotations have been maintained. The Trade Reports of the week appear to concur that commerce is reviving, though very slowly. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE. Tuesday, March 30. BANKRUPTS.—Joan Delis and Besrantx Danis, George. street, Westminster, builders and oontraotore—.WlLLlAX POWELL, Lowestoft, grocer—UnzAlw Biurtan, Sherrard-street, Golden-square, tailor—GeotlGE ARMITAGE, City, iron merchant and commission agent—Gsoeon Ltszrr, Sheffield, Yorkshire, busk manufacturer—Gem:Gs num), Kidderminster, bookseller and staLioner—CnAntes HOLDER. Great Winchester-street, City, carpenter and builder--Josnue, Hanson and JAMES HANSON, Huddersfield, Yorkshire spinners—Josern IdtrciyeeL, Sheffield, • • JONES and C8.A1t144 JONES, High-sheet, chandlers. Forkshire ,____woollea builder—Wm.:rut Islington, tallow. 5m1441