The Press. — London, England, 1857-06-20 00:00:00

JUNE 20, 1857. selected chiefly from the cathedral choirs and choral societies. Ireland also contributed her quota to the gross •ierftount. Mr. Oliver Mason, of Bir mingham, Mr. Smith, of Bradford, Messrs. Amott, Done, and Townshend Smith, of Gloucester, Wor cester, and Hereford, brought up their respective forces. The absurd anomalies of numerous organists and leaders were got rid of. Mr. Brownsmith presided at the three oratorios at an organ specially constructed for the festival by Gray and Davison. Sainton was the sole chef d'attaque, or first violin ; and Costa, of course, was generalissimo, without any divided authority and responsibility. In Paris, at the opening of the Great Exhibition, Berlioz had six sub-conductors under him ; and the result was confusion in the beat and uncertainty in the attack. There were several acoustical principles to be solved by the Crystal Palace Festival. There was no end of theories and prophecies on these points. By many professors it was promulgated that the crash would he so great that the glass would be all smashed in the roof. By other persons it was pretended that the sounds would be so mixed, muzzy, and confused, no inner workings of the score could be distinguished. Another set of theorists insisted that success would be impossible, inasmuch as there would be a physical obstacle arising from the rate of velocity of sound, and that a note struck at the same moment by a great number of voices at various distances from the auditors must reach their ears, not simultaneously, but successively, thereby creating dissonance or confusion. Other persons declared positively that no precision could be obtained from such a multitude, and that Costa's clear and distinct beat would not avail him. Last Saturday's rehearsal dispersed to the wind all the calculations as to any failure. Defects there were ; but the assertion of THE PRESS from the very commencement was quite realised, that there would be sublime moments at the wondrous combination of vocal and instrumental talent. The conductor has evidently been remark ably aecnrate in his estimates as to the balance of sound. He took as his proportion of orchestral players seventy-six first violins, seventy-four second violins, fifty violas, fifty violoncellos, fifty double basses, eight flutes, eight oboes, eight clarionets, eight bassoons, twelve horns, six trumpets, six cornets, three ophicleides, eight serpents, nine trom bones, two pair of kettle-drums, one long drum, six side-drums, and one monster drum, a regular eight-pounder, made by Multi. Thus there were three hundred stringed against eighty-five wood, brass, and percussion instruments. For the single voices the tecompany ling portion was little increased beyond the custo siary ratio. That the due proportions were attained ssuow universally admitted. The building, no doubt, presents some serious obstacles owing to the necessity of solacing the orchestra in the central transept, leaving the lateral openings of the nave on each side. On Saturday, according as the hearers were placed, the difference of opinion as to the effect was varied. Testing the different galleries, and the grand area litseif, we found a marked change in the conveyance of else sound. And here let us mention a special trial which we made. At the Royal Italian Opera touearts this year, there is an inclosed proscenium for the singers, and we ascertained that at the exigent° end of the first gallery the concerted pieces frotrathe operas were heard to the greatest advantage. Making sure of our experience, we tested the same spot on Saturday last, and, to our amazement, found the sound mingled and distant; but at Monday's performance, seated in the identical locality, nothing could be finer or purer than the tone from the orchestral masses. Great changes had been, how• ever, made in the interim. In the first place, the orchestra itself had been inclosed in every direction as far as practicable ; and, in the second, Costa had removed the lady choralists from the sides to the centre. In a picturesque point of view, the alteration was charming ; in an artistic sense, the variation was •superb in its results. But we must not yet plunge into the performances of the week; there are yet 'historical and statistical matters to be recorded. Under the organist's seat was the portrait of Handel ; beneath the conductor's place were two busts and the statue of the immortal composer. There was no need of these reminders—the ponderous harmonies of the Shakespeare of Music coming on the ear were the vital reminiscences of the mighty mastermind. Whilst the musical arrangements were exclusively assigned to the Sacred Harmonic Society's working committee, of which Mr. Harrison is the President and Messrs. Brewer and Bowleg the acting and indefatigable working officials, Mt. Ferguson, the general manager, and Mr. Grove, the secretory of the Crystal Palace Company, took charge of the internal administrative details of the Palace, the work at which and at Exeter-hall must have been overwhelming. Complete success has, however, at tended the business portion of the meeting. The classification of the seats and desks in the orchestra, the organisation of the transept, nave, and galleries for the visitors, the approaches, the exits, the excellence of the commissariat department, the polite attention of the stewards, the admirable conduct of the police, THE PRESS. were all points universally recognised. The railroad service was perfect; and if the City authorities could but have lett the approaches to the station at London. bridge clear, adverse criticism would have been de prived of its only complaint. At the Judas Maccabeus, on Wednesday, the assemblage of royalty, rank, and fashion, was re markable. In the royal box, to the right of the orchestra, looking at the further transept, were the Queen anti Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Princess Alice, Prince Alfred, the Duke of Cambridge, the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, and Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who did not look happy until he was seated by his intended. Amongst the foreigners of note were Count Zichy, Count Hadik, Baron de Bruck, Baron de Pont, dce. On Friday (yesterday) the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary occupied the royal box. The visitors at each performance amounted to nearly 12,000 on Monday and Wednesday, and it was estimated that upwards of 13,000 persons were pre sent at yesterday's performance. Imagine the scene on Wednesday. Take the orches tra, shaped in semi-circular benches, painted blue and white, with the organ reaching to the summit. Beneath stood the monster drum. In the centre were the lady choralists, principally costumed in white. Black masses on each side of them were the male singers. Then follow the line of seats in the transept and nave, filled with fashionable occupants dressed in every colour, the men fortunately forming a decided minority. Above these were the galleries filled with visitors. A pause of deep expectation. The Queen enters, and bows graciously, and the entire assembly rise and cheer as with one voice. Then a martial roll of the side-drums, followed by a deep-toned note from the monster drum, and next the clear, thrilling notes of Clara Novello penetrate to the remotest corner of the vast Palace. A change of key in the anthem is heard ; a quartet of voices Mme. Rudersdorff, Miss Dolby, Sims Reeves, and Herr Formes—is heard ; and finally the great soprano returns to the original key, and electrifies the vast auditory by an ascent to the ringing note of the B flat. More cheer ing a solemn stillness follows—Costa looks at the Queen, and the signal is given for the orchestra to begin the overture to Judas Maccabeus. What a series of emotions since the Sovereign of this great country entered the Palace, and was greeted with acclamations, not only by her own loyal subjects, but by the foreigners of all nations, so infectious was the enthusiasm ! There was another prodigious sen sation on the Wednesday, one in which the Royal visitors evidently participated as strongly as the general auditory. It was in the trio and chorus of "See, the Conquering Hero Comes," opening with Mme. Novello, Mme. Rudersdorff, and Miss Dolby, then sung by all the female voices, and finally taken up by the entire body of choralists, sustained with the full power of the orchestra. Costa had scored this national chorus with astounding brightness and vigour. When he tried to go on with the March, the interruption from the demand for the encore drowned his orchestral phalanx. He at length looked round to the royal box, and the Queen gave the command for the repetition. We now arrive at the prominent points in the execution of the three oratorios, premising that an analysis of such works would almost amount to an insult to the memory of Handel. The question is, how were they executed? What was the effect produced by the solo singers? How did the choruses come out? How were the orchestral undercurrents heard ? How did Costa treat the additional accom paniments for the Judas Maccabeus Alonday's choral sensations were the opening anthem " God save the Queen," the " For unto us a child is born," "The yoke is easy," " The Lord gave the word," the" Hallelujah," and the fugued " Amen " finale. At the rehearsal, Costa began the "Unto us" according to his usually effective reading, pianissimo, but at the performance he commenced piano. We liked his original reading best, but his new version told so powerfully that the redemand was vociferous, which, however, he firmly resisted. The attack of the trebles in the chorus " And the glory " was won• drously fine. The male voices in the subsequent choruses proved how carefully they had been selected. But the main feature was the solution of the problem as to the just balance of sound. The solo singing suff-red from the magnitude of the locality. The contralto and bass voices did not penetrate. Sims Reeves when he got to his upper notes would not be denied. Mme. Novello ruined some splendid vo calisation by taking unwarrantable liberties with the text. The oratorio, however, ended with the general conviction, loudly expressed on all sides, that the festival was an artistic triumph. If doubt 3 remained on the minds of any professor or amateur, Wednesday's execution would have removed them. It must have been as difficult for Costa to write the additional accompaniments to Judas as to compose a new oratorio. The task was exceedingly delicate, but the success was complete. Objection has been taken, it is true, to the weight of brass, but the 611 theMe in the first place is martial, and, secondly, the dimensions of the transept had to be borne in mind by Costa, who coloured the original stringed undercurrent dramatically and brightly. The We come, we come," "Disdainful of danger," and " Hear us, 0 Lord," in the first part, were sung with sur passing grandeur by the choir. Not only did the simple chords shake the ear, but the florid passages came out with marvellous distinctness. Deep was the impress►on at "Fall'n is the foe ;" exhilarating the effect of " Tune your hares;" jubilant the tone of "We hear, we hear ;" but the grand climax in the second part was attained by "We never will bow down." It was the upheaving of mountains by giant forces—the massive combina tions coming out with colossal power. The solo singing on the second day was magnificent. Sims Reeves distinguished himself first in the florid divi sions in the air " How vain is man ;" and, secondly, in " Sound an alarm." In the latter, he prudently reserved his strength for the close; and the war cry, as in Costa's Eli, broughtdown thunders of applause. Mme. Novello, in the airs "0 Liberty" and the " From mighty kings " gained great glory. Mme. Rudersdorffs success in the air " Wise men, tlatt'ring," was quite equal to any solo display of the morning; it was admirably rendered. The casual ties of the day were in the basses, Weiss, however, retrieving his laurels on one or two occasions. The Old Hundredth Psalm was impressively sung at the end of Judas, but the previous excitement had killed the effect which was produced by it at the inaugura tion of the Crystal Palace. Wednesday was, perhaps, on the whole, the greatest triumph of the festival— delight and astonishment were on every face—tha most carping criticism bad been extinguished. The Israel yesterday was essentially the culminating point of choral grandeur, and but for the undue pro minency at times of the organ would have been per fect. It is worthy of remark that on every occasion the chorus-singers seemed to gain in precision of attack. They appeared to enter more fully into the feelings of their anxious conductor, whose beat they watched with intense interest. The chorus "He spake the word" was enunciated with a palpable per suasion of the composer's grand conception. The annunciation was vastly imposing by its energetic style of delivery. The declamatory vigour of the phalanx of voice was intellectually grand. The " Hailstone Chorus" was encored ; it was no use to resist the call—it lasted several minutes ; and even after its repetition there was what the French call the " prolonged sensation." It took one's breath away in fact. The intonation on the word " fire " was awful ; it made the blood run cold. Some of the veteran professors declared aloud they had never before been so moved. After this amazing display, anxiety was felt for the terrific chorus, " He sent a t hick datkness," but its supernatural attributes were magnificently in toned. The following fugue was attacked unflinch- ingly—the pace was trying, but there was no faltering. But the applause was again deafening for the chorus, " But as for His people." The vast audience appeared to be relieved from gloom and despondency as the composer, by his genius, drew them from the depths of 'despair to joy and glad ness. The execution was as bright as the glorious sunshine which lighted up the assembled thousands in the Palace of Glass. By many amateurs it was thought that the grand feature of the day was the chorus " But the waters overwhelmed their enemies." We scarcely dare trust ourselves to depict the effect of this choral exhibition, in which the vivid ideas of Handel were so" overwhelmingly" realised. It was an immense combination of instruments and voices, asserting the accuracy with which the executive elements had been gathered together and balanced, to realise the composer's colossal conceptions. Formes and Weiss secured the suffrages of the visitors in " The Lord is a man of war." Altogether, the double choruses were sung with a majesty and power never before attained. The arrangement of the orchestra for the voices in two choirs lightened its sombre aspect, the prevailing black being relieved by the intermixture. Clara Novello's fine organ in the " Sing ye to the Lord," brought the oratorio to a glorious conclusion. Again were the strains of loyalty poured forth through the Palace, and then, after a tremendous burst of cheering from audience and orchestra to the only musician who could have accomplished such mighty musical achievements in execution—to Costa, who with Coriolanus could ex claim at the conclusion, " Alone I did it," the prelimi nary Handel Festival of 1857 came to an end musically triumphant and financially successful. All honour to the Sacred Harmonic Society as the originators ; all honour to the enthusiastic executants, who have brought the project to a glorious termination. The shortcomings, the weak points, the defects, the draw backs in a festival of such magnitude, sink into utter insignificance by the si,le of the great fact that there were moments of sublimity never before reached at such gatherings. Doubts, apprehensions, and mis givings have disappeared in the final triumph of the most elaborate experiment in executive art ever