The Press. — London, England, 1853-12-03 00:00:00

DECEMBER 3, 1853. less severity the defects in knowledge, judgment, or eyesight, which have led sundry royal academicians to mistake glazing or colour for dirt upon the ,Ern vas of the "old masters;" and induced others to excuse or ignore the blunder. In the second article we follow art into regions of the highest and serenest abstraction. Treating of "Real and Ideal Beauty," the author discusses in a profoundly philosophical spirit the laws which guide, or should guide, a re fined taste in its appreciation of the beautiful, whe ther derived from sensations received through the eye or the ear—whether developed in poetry, in music, in painting, or in sculpture. His object is to enable us to attain the power of analysing the phe nomena of the beautiful, in order that we may " transfer the emotion of the Beautiful from the sphere of Feeling into that of the Understanding." Both papers are written with undeniable ability, and are well worth reading. A fresh batch of Parisian gossip; some concluding descriptions of the " Nar cotics we indulge in," a terse and judicious Osumi of the Turkish question in its more advanced phase, further " Words on University Reform," and a brace of story-telling articles furnish the remainder of the contents, and constitute altogether a varied and in teresting number of the Edinburgh Magazine. Fraser, for December, is on the whole a fair number. Its first article, on " The Crystal Palace at Syden ham," is an artistically-drawn prospectus of the wonders we are to behold when Sir Joseph Paxton and his brethren have finished their conservatory and flushed the pipes of their innumerable fountains. Of course Fraser is for the opening of the Palace on a Sunday, though it shrinks from deducing fair con clusions from trite arguments. What is the hearing of Professor Maurice's dictum upon theatrical en tertainments, for example, and why should we open crystal palaces and silence singers and actors ? Is Fraser, in his revolutionary capacity, illogical, or only timid ? Two of the best-conceived papers in the present number are those upon Poultry and Codfish; the latter especially, which is one of a series, and is learned and interesting. A review of "Ainari's War of the Sicilian Vespers " is somewhat late in the slay. A good and full article on the Russo-Turkish ques tion concludes the number. DECIDEDLY desultory is the December number of Tait; exhibiting a lamentable falling off from its predecessors even of a few months since. Often as we were forces' in old times to dissent from the political doctrines advocated in this magazine, we were always pleased to recognise the literary talent and hearti ness of purpose with which they were enforced. But now these qualitiei have vanished, without leav ing any successors in their place. In the number before us there is no single paper rising above the deadest level of mediocrity. The political articles are trivial and jejune. The imaginative ones con sist of thin slices of romance, not apparently very bright as a whole, and exceedingly unsatisfactory when clipped into shreds. Under the ambitions title of "British Agriculture, its Faults and Prospects," the opening paper gives nothing but some loose facts picked out of the common handbooks of agricultural chemistry, jumbled with some extracts from Mr. Caird's letters to the Times. "Russia and Turkey" is another heading of much pretension ; but it ushers in only some four pages of an article of historical character, for whose beginning and end we must look elsewhere, and containing a little cheap information, rather clumsily put together, respecting the above-named countries. The Family Friend Alinanaek. London: W. S. Orr and Son. WE were about to test the promise prefixed to the table of contents of this little work, but. when under the head of" Cabinet, 3:c.," we found that Lord John Russell was Foreign Secretary, and that no such Minister was named as Lord Clarendon, and no such office as the Attorney General, though the Solieitor- General was duly included, we did not think it ne cessary to carry our examination further. NEW PUBIC. A Treatise on the Science of Music. By Daniel M. G. S. Reeves. London : Novello. Tun author of this work is a gentleman who has evidently spared neither pains nor labour to make himself acquainted with the subject he has taken in band, and his work throughout exhibits considerable knowledge of the science and practice of music. We think that this treatise will prove useful to persons of a mathematical turn of mind, and to those who have mule considerable progress in the study of harmony and in the construction and application of chords ; but it is too diffuse fur ordinary purposes, and too learned for the generality of musical students. Nevertheless, the originality of thought and idea with which the work abounds should render it ac sePtahhi to the tuttsiewl thvor6t ; and we have no lebi- THE PRESS. tatiou in saying that it deserves a place in every musical libraryw Welt has pretensions to be considered complete. The truth of the►e remarks will sufficiently appear to any one who will give himself time 10 peruse and fully to understa►►d Chap. V., "Of the Ratios Involved i►► Music mind of Temperament," and Char. V" which treats "Of the Principle upon which Mime " pleases the Ear." Thu theory m;titintined by the author is, that the charm of music, c o nsidered in reference to the relations between the sounds, funda mentally depends on the pleasure which the ear derives from the sense of order and proportion (mingled with sufficient variety) which ratios, uni• fonnly founded on the four lowest prime numbers, have a tendency to produce. Our space will not allow a discus upon this very abstruse point. Suffice it to say we agree with Mr. Reeves that " this " doctrine is not without its difficulties ;" and having recommended the work to the notice of our musical readers, we shall 'CAW them to determine whether " increasing observation and reflection will build up " the entire demonstration of the truth of the " author's position." It is proper to add that the musical examples with which the work abounds are well arranged, and show the Lund of a sound anti masterly musician. OUR LIBRARY T. AmlotatiimA on the .4p.mtolie Epistles, Vol. 1., Pout 1. T. W. l'eile, 11.1/. Ithingt..44s. Tritrebi on the Amazon. A.ll. Wallace. ltoevo and Co. ii 14 IY lithe Sea, te. POVIIIR. ''lurk', Berton, and c,.. I'.ubb Turning. A Lecture. Hey. 11. W. 1/41sli11. Aylott soul 4',.. The Partition of Turkey. i'liapiinui mud II all. Pootprintn 1 Pennon* lien. J. G. Edgar. I). Bogue. /Mind I itoinea, I). Bogue. The l'roolit European Creak. A Sermon. Rev. L. P. Mercier. T. Itootworth. I 'ilit.MlA altforitt. M. S. Itickerby. The ili/o/e of the Refornintios E.:tiorme,i. 1, Finch, .1. Itigh). fifiekinaham. 11, 114tia1.141g.•. Life fond ..441rentenes ti iiiek iiiminu. Parts 1,9, and 3. II l'riam. Vickers. Static 4 'torrinoe Ta.nothni. l'eunplil4.t. ]h•.l. E. 1111014.b1. The London 4, sterly &riot.. No. 2. Partridge, 4 oek..y„t. c.,. NII:Sle. The Bora Ihihnorni yountriliem. G. It. E. !bodges. IL Cocks and 1'... !ie puma. IIAYMARKEI"fIIEATHE. Much Ado about .Nothiny was performed at this theatre on Monday last. Miss Reynolds appeared as Beatrice, one of the most difficult characters to enact correctly that Shakapeare ever i►nagined. Criticism on a first representation is rather unfair : time will doubtless correct some inaccuracies that obtruded themselves in the embodiment of this volatile shrew. Beatrice is a lady of high birth, gifted with great powers of repartee. Wit, well applied, like the keen edge of a sharp razor, to cut deeply requires but a light touch ; quiet, arch application of repartee is more bitter than the apparent ebullition of anger, which feeling, until Beatrice susrcts she is loved and loves in return, forms no portion of her nature. The scene wherein she suggests to her lover the way to win her affec Lions, viz., to risk his life in blotting out the stain cast upon the fair fame of her dear relative, gives great opportunity for a display of pathos, not the play ful pettishness of a pretty wayward child. Mr. Vandenhotf bustled through Bcacilick. If his delivery of the speech in scene 3, act 2, and his general reading of the part, be correct, then have Charles Kemble, Macready, AT., been in error. The costumes were various and of every age, a perfect patch work of periods—a shoe of the time of King John, a slipper of a Joh n of I KA; some gentlemen bearded like pards, others smooth, mustachios with whiskers, ditto without; Claudio unadorned with hair. 'Phis may be &minting to the text of Shekspetwe, " For you, my Lord Laekbeard," sire. Beatrice's very pretty head might have been of any period. Miss Louisa Howard, who played Hera sufficiently well, could have done duty as one of Sir Peter Lely's best pictures ; and Ursula, without any change of head dress, &c., have appeared as maid of honour to the Empress of the French. These are trifles which may be considered beneath a manager's notice, but they appear large blots in the eyes of the plsygoing public. PRINCESS'S. Osi Monday night Mrs. Charles Kean reappeared as iiyrrha in Sardanapahia, after an absence from the stage of several weeks, caused, we regret t', say, by si•vere indisposition. On Tuesday Pauline was re vived, the principal characters by the firearms and thunder and lightning of the establishment. Not withstanding the wild improbabilities, unaccountable appearance of Pauline at the end of the third act, smell of gunpowder, and " real Adelphi " effects with which this melodrama abounds, it is a gond piece of the kind, and rarely fails to interest the spectators. On Tuesday night, however, the audience were not disposed to be serious, and, to their shame be it said, the dis covery of the secret door in the country house, which is the turning point of the second act, caused as much laughter as a comae trick iu thu Chri*tunuo panto- 739 mime. Leaving this untoward result to be explained by those who have more knowledge of chambers of horrors and bloodstained footsteps than our humble selves. it affords us sincere pleasure to speak favour ably of the the actors engaged in the representation. The part of the heroine is very cleverly and artisti cally played by Mrs. Kean. Ilurace tie Bemire is by far the best part we ever saw Mr. Kean act. lie gives an excellent impersonation of the cool, deter mined highwayman, Mal he preserves throughout the play a natural manner, which is doubly valuable as being so rare a quality in this theatre. In our untiee of the pnncipals let us not omit to record that, in the second act, Miss C. lAsiercat looked most inter estingly miserable, and that the bride's dress in the third act is very beeonting to Miss Heath. The piece is badly put upon the stage. Much e ff ect is lost by the gentlemen being dreamed as Englishmen, not as Frenchmen. Common observation, even a walk in Leicester-square, will show the modern coatumes of the two lute to lie as different as their prejudices. The unhappy French words which are retained in this version of the original drains undergo a process of mangling which is distressing to theme who have a knowledge of the language. For this un pardonable—( would it were actionable ! )—cruelty Mr. and Mrs. Kean are, in our judgment, alone to blame. When we find artists of their station in the profession pronouncing chdteau, Autos, and Pauline, Pelleen and 1" peen, can we wonder at the subordinate members of the company being guilty of the like offence, and of rendering Boulogne be BoadoNg ; Etienne as lacy-en, etc. de.? As tae order of the day at this theatre seems to be the production of translations and adaptations from the French, it is time that a stop should be put to these wholesale murders of innocent foreign words. Nor is this by any means the first time we have had to complain. A tow months ago we protested against a general massacre of Italian ill Norco Spada, when certain obvious quantities and accents (for which there is less excuse) were ruthlessly slaughtered. Without multiplying examples, one instance, from flu. Lancers, will strengthen our case, where the unfor tunate, or rather fortunate (for his fate is enviable), hero is termed by all his friends, military as well as artistic, Jolly l'ur, instead of Joli.ctrur, a mispronun elation withal' probably leaves an impression on the minds of the pit and gallery that the gentleman in question approximates in his disposition to a " lively and spurting lureher" rather than a careless and lighthearted young Frenchman. Will Mr. Kean allow us to suggest a remedy We propose that he should engage, as a permanent member of his establislimeet, a language-master, whose duty should he to instruct the members of the company, as well as the chief, to pronounce, according to their re spective 'opacities, the foreign words which occur in their parts. if Mr. Kean would adopt our advice, ho might, at a small expense, prevent the ears of his audience from lacing offended and their teeth being set on edge. As it is, there seem not above two 'Ramona engaged at his theatre, and these both ladies, who have any pretensione to a correct pro. nuuciation of foreign tongues. Posit. SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY. YENTERDAY week Handel's oratorio Semisoft was pro duced, the mom being very full. Im spite of the badness of the libretto, the extreme length of the composition, and the monotony of t►iauy Of the pieces, this oratorio deserves to rank as one of the grandest of sacred works; CA, though inferior in interest to Come of those with which we are Inure familiar, this composition of ample opportunity for study, and ought always to be heard with pleasure. Hatidel'a plagiarisms have often been the subject of discussion, and it ix, indeed, a matter of surprise that a muxician of his master mind and unrivalled power should have thought it worth while to thieve. That he did steal at times is very certain, and this Oratorio is evidence against him, the chorus, " Hear Jacobi t ;0.1," being taken note for note front a composition by Cans:nine. One of the principal features of this perform ance was the appearance of Madame Viardot Garcia as Micah, the music of which was origin ally written fur a contralto voice. Though her commanding talent, clear enunciation of the English words, and power of singing recitative, leave but little to be desired, we honestly confess we have known (not to speak of native) foreign artists who have proved better interpreters of Handel'a music. Still she is probably the most intellectual . prima donna of the day, and the subscriber( should feel highly satisfied at her engagement. Little remains to he said concerning there:staining principals. Mr. Lockey as Samson was cold and correct. Mr. Weiss as the giant, llrrapha, displayed monstrous energy. Hearing Mr. Lawler always makes um regret that sin fine a voice should, for want of study, fail to produce , its true effect. The chorus got through its pert cre• I datably cuvugh, bum tusettaditsvm, wee here and