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

HANDEL MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

FOR the last four or five years a prospectus has been
in circulation, chiefly in professional circles, to
have another Festival in Westminster Abbey, but
the extinction of the Ancient Concerts, under the
auspices of the directors of which, the last Handelian
demonstration took place in 1834, seems to have
taken from the professors the requisite energy to
carry out their scheme. In that year the band
consisted of 223 players, 180 from London and 43
from the country. The chorus comprised 358 voices,
of whom 200 were from London and 158 from the
provinces. Adding the 45 principal vocalists, the
total strength was about 600. There were patrons
and vice-patrons in all the members of the Royal
Family; there were nearly sixty presidents of the
highest noble and political celebrities ; there were
directors of the Ancient Concerts, with titled trea-
surer and hon. secretary ; but the real organisation
of the festival wan in the hands of the deceased
Mr. Parry, Sir George Smart, Messrs. Hawes and
Harris. Sir George Smart was the conductor, and
the organists were no less than seven—namely,
Messrs. Novello, Attwood, Sir H. R. Bishop, Turk,
Dr. Crotch, Mr. Adams, and Mr. W. Knyvett.
There were also four leaders of the band—namely,
Signor Spagnoletti, T. Cooke, Weichsel, Mori, and
F. Cramer. There were also four principal second
violins—namely, John Loder, Watts, C. Reeve, and
Wagstaff. Of these performances, which were on
the 24th, 26th, 28th of June, and July Ist, we have
a vivid recollection. There were three private re-
hearsals of the chorus at the Store-street Rooms
and four public rehearsals at the Abbey. Amongst
the leading singers still living are the Dowager
Countess of Essex, Mme. Caradori Allan, Mme.
Stockhausen, Lady Bishop, Miss Romer, Miss Sher-
reff, Miss Masson, Mme. Clara Novelle, Mr. Henry
Phillips, Mr. J. Bennett, Mr. Hobbs, Messrs. F. and
W. Robinson (of Dublin, Mr. Stretton, Prof. Taylor,
Mr. Machin, Grisi, Ivanoff the Tartar tenor, and Tam-
burini. Haydn's Creation, Handel's Messiah and Israel
in Egypt, were given in their entirety, and there were
selections from Judas Maccabeus, Samson, Jephtha,
with gleanings from Beethoven, Mozart, Leo, Purcell,
Pergolesi, and Himmel. This festival was justly
regarded as a great musical treat, considering the
state of executive orchestral and choral talent at the
period. It is curious that whereas in the two last
specified departments art has gained so much in the
metropolis, how much it has lost numerically in
principal singers. Clara Novelle remains as the
queen of sopranos, but tenors, basses, and contraltos
are now remarkably scarce. In 1835 was the
Amateur Musical Festival, at Exeter-hall, of the
Sacred Harmonic Society; and from that event must
be dated the commencement of the improvement in
choral practice, which has extended itself to our
provincial festivals. The assumption of the baton
at the Philharmonic concerts by Costa in 1846,
the formation of the Royal Italian Opera at
Govent Garden in 1847, and the subsequent accep •
tance by Costa of the conductorship of the Sacred
Harmonic Society, produced successive revolutions
in orchestral performances. These events led not
only to an extended knowledge of secular and sac►ed
music in the metropolis, but have vastly ameliorated
the general execution at the ancient country gather-
ings. Birmingham took the lead in this movement,
and has honourably maintained her proud position
of supremacy; and further north, in the midst of
the smoke of furnaces, a town of modern manufac •
Luring fame—Bradford—has taken the stand amongst
periodical festivals. The appeal made to England
to support a subscription for a monument to Handel,
at the place of his birth, with the avowed intention
to hold a commemoration in various parts of Ger-
many, appears to have been the incentive to action
for the present demonstration. In October last the
Sacred Harmonic Society issued its manifesto for
a festival, to be merely anticipatory howcver of the
Brand Musical Congress in 1859, the centenary of
Handel's death. An alliance, "offensive and de-
fensive," was made with the Crystal Palace Com-
pany. The exact terms of the treaty have not
transpired. Quoad the Sacred Harmonic Society, the
basis was that of art progress, for it was stipulated
that Handel's oratorios were to be given in a com-
plete form, and The Messiah, Judas Maccabeus, and
Israel in Egypt, were the works at once announced,
and have been duly given, last Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday, the 15th, 17th, and 10th of June. The
numbers in round figures of the festivals at the
Abbey in 1784 were over 500, and in 1834 nearly 600.
At tile Crystal Palace the effective returns were over
2,4oo—more than 500 to each of the four vocal parts,
the orchestra numbering about 385. The chorus
included about 1,000 metropolitan amateurs, 200
provincial chorales, tend about 850 provincial singers,

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,