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

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

ART DtsoutsmoNs form the staple of this month's
Ebo►►y. Two long and striking papers are devoted
to this subject. One contains a searching analysis of
the late report of the parliamentary commissioners
upon the National Gallery. The writer, we need
hardly say, makes a vigorous onslaught upon the
managent of the gallery, and exposes with remorse-

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, considered 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.

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!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 effect 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