The Press.
London, England, 1855-08-25 00:00:00

~i~

been laid before the Birmingham Parliament; there
was only one point left open, like that at the Vienna
Conferences. The committee insisted on the terms
of 1852. Mme. Novello argued for an increase.
The rejoinder was polite, but firm. She was paid
enough in 1852. Mme. Novello retorted that she
wax worth double in point of attraction. The com-
mittee bint3d that, as they could do without Jenny
Lind, they could also dispense with Mme. Clara.
The negotiation was broken off. Mme. Novello's
brother (the clever vocalist being absent in Italy)
rushed into print. The committee expressed to
Lisbon, and presto Mme. Castellon reached the
British shores, and was engaged, the committee
also enlisting Grisi, Mme. Bosio, Mme. Ruders-
dorff, Miss Dolby, and Viardot, as the other lady
singers, enrolling at the same time four tenors in
Mario, Gardoni, Reichardt, Sims Reeves, and three
bassi profondi in Lablache, Weiss, and Formes.
Another lengthened correspondence in connection
with this festival has been given to the world, for
this is the age of rushing into print; and English
journalism, rather than not pique the curiosity of its
" Constant Readers," has not even hesitated to make
known to the Russians the minutest details of mili-
tary and naval plans. The great question in the
Birmingham Councils for the last three years has been
to persuade Meyerbeer to compose an oratorio, like
Mendelssohn, expressly for the triennial gathering.
Meyerbeer, however, is not unlike his protegee, Jenny
Lind, very difficult to be induced to come to a
resolution; and then Mr. Mason, with much tact,
commissioned Costa to compose Eli, the words being
supplied by Mr. Bartholomew, the author of the book
of Elijah for Mendelssohn. Costa was the conductor
of the two last festivals; and it is not a little singular
that, about a quarter of a century since, he made his
dibut in this country as a tenor at one of these
meetings. His subsequent career at Her Majesty's
Theatre, as the successor of Signor Spagnoletti in
the direction of the band, and as one of the founders
of the Royal Italian Opera, is well known. His two
operas of Malek Adel and Don Carlos, although they
were not maintained in the permanent repertoire,
gave him a reputation as a most promising com-
poser, but he never followed up these early efforts.
Some stray vocal pieces, which figured at fashionable
concerts, and a sacred work done at the Birmingham
Festival, were sufficient for some amateurs to venture
an opinion that he only was biding his time. As the
conductor of the Philharmonic Concerts and of the
Sacred Harmonic Society for many years, Costa
acquired great experience and a thorough knowledge
of the works of the immortal masterminds. Next
Wednesday will decide whether a new writer of
sacred music has not been called into existence.
The orchestral and choral forces put in requisition
for the meeting are stupendous. The band consists
of nearly 150 picked players, the most eminent
soloists in the country, native as well as foreign,
being included therein. A finer-balanced orchestra
was probably never collected. There are twenty-
eight first violins, with Sainton and Blagrove as chefs
d'attague ; twenty-eight second violins, with Watkins
as principal ; eighteen violas, with Hill at the head ;
seventeen violoncellos, Lucas at the top; and seven-
teen double basses, with Howell's herculean fingers
to pull them through. The wood band is doubled in
the parts, as also the trumpets. The brass is judi-
ciously kept within bounds, Costa wisely resorting to
a couple of serpents and to the organ's thunder in
the grand climaxes. In the chorus may be counted
eighty sopranos, eighty altos, eighty-two tenors, and
eighty-two bassos, in all 32-1 voices, and such voices !
In addition to the strength of the practised Birming-
ham choralists, London has been ransacked for its
most experienced choral singers, whilst the elite of
the cathedral choirs, and the exquisitely fresh and
sonorous voices to be found in the Yorkshire and
Lancashire Choral Societies, have been combined
for the vast ensemble. How all the elements will be
wrought into one coherent and colossal whole, let
next week's PRESS record. The oratorios and sacred
works will be Mendelsohn's Elijah, Costa's Eli,
Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Mount of Olives, and
Mozart's Requiem. The concert novelties will be
Macfarren's cantata Lenora and Howard Glover's can•
tata Tam o' Shanter. In anticipation of Meyerbeer's
presence, copious gleanings have been made from his
Huguenots, Prophite, Etoile du Nord, and the Invo-
cazione all' Ammonia. The production of a royal
amateur, Prince Albert, will be heard. The sympho-
nies and overtures are worthy of the orchestra which
has to execute them.

HEREFORD.—The one hundred and thirty-second
meeting of the three choirs commenced last Tuesday
in the cathedral at Hereford, and terminated yester-
day (Friday) with Handel's Messiah. The Rev. W.
F. Hopton preached the sermon on Tuesday, his
text being Isaiah, chap. lv., v. 1, "Lo, every one that
thirsteth come ye to the waters:; and he that hath no
money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine
and milk without money and without price." The
musical portion of the service included the customary
pieces. There were two novelties, the first in a
"Jubilate" by Mr. H. Townshend Smith, the Here-