The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

Mr. Benedict, in apologising for the substitution of
Mme. Novello for the new-corner in this se,tetto,
vaguely alluded to some " confusion " which had
t,iken place in the parts. On Wednesday, in the
Requiem, the " 're decet," given by Mlle. Leonhardi,
caused a shrewd suspicion that there would be a
continuation of the "confusion in the parts ; " and the
Firielio scene in the evening corroborated the
evidence of incapacity, proved in the " Mi tradi."
On Thursday morning the bubble burst. Printed
notices were in St. Andrew's-hall, signifying that in
consequence of " serious indisposition "--no, the
usual formula was not employed ; but, in conse-
quence of Mlle. Leonhardi's inability to master the
English language, Mrs. Weiss would sing the pieces
in The Seasons and The Messiah. But this most un-
precedented and curious apology could not have been
the truth, for the lady sang Moore's " Evening Bells"
to Mr. Pierson's music, she sang on Thursday night
also in English in Mr. Pierson's Faust, and she sang
likewise in "choice Italian" in Mozart's " Porgi
amor' " which was redemanded, being the crowning
singularity of this little festival episode.
Mlle. Ptccolomini, Signor Giuglini, and Signor
Belletti sang at the two first concerts, but lel on the
Thursday, to act on Friday and Saturday at Her
Majesty's Theatre, The little lady pleased her
audiences by her lively acting in the orchestra.
When she really sang well, she obtained little
applause ; when she sang as bad as bad could be, as
in the duet from the Martini, she was vehemently
applauded and encored. What inducement, then,
can there be for this impulsive artiste to improve her
style of singing, when she finds listniers so lament-
ably besotted to accept the bad and to pass over the
good vocalisation ? Giuglini made a decided impres-
sion, as he will always do, by his refinement of
method and exquisite sentiment. Belletti's " Taran-
tella " was, as usual, an uproarious hit. His singing
in the Requiem was superb. Gardoni's "
and the serenades from Fra Diavolo and Don
Pasquale, ecstasied the public, the ladies especially.
On Friday morning, The Messiah was the closing
oratorio, Mme. Novello, Mrs. Weiss, Mr. Lockey,
Mr. Miranda, Signor Gardoni, and Mr. Weiss being
the efficiently principal singers. The choralists sang
with exciting energy on Friday, and their voices
were as fresh as if they had not been subjected to a
hard week's work. There was not a place vacant
in the hall, and the flower-show of the bonnets quite
eclipsed the glories of the regular exhibition of
Thursday at the Corn Exchange.
The following are the financial returns :
Gallery Half- Five-
Guinea Guinea Shilling
Seats. Seats. Places. Cash.
Tuesday Evening ..114 .. 884 .. 60 .. X 576 14 0
Wednesday Morning 2)1 .. 781 .. 38 .. 611 1 0
Ditto Evening 56 .. 836 .. 70 .. 494 6 0
Thursday Morning..l2l 921 .. 42 .. 598 1 0
Ditto Eveninv 69 .. 582 .. 58 .. 377 19 0
Friday Morning 224 .. 1124 .. 128 .. 829 4 0

Total 783 .. 5128 .. 366 .. 3487 5 0
At the last festival, in 1854, the attendance of patrons
was 540, and the general company 5,399—in 1852
870 patrons and 5,748 general company.

The fancy-dress hall in the picturesque St. An-
drew's-hall terminated the twelfth triennial festival on
Friday night. These meetings have now been in exist-
ence thirty-three years, and were conducted for five
successive gatherings by Sir George Smart, once by
Spohr (1839), once by Professor Taylor (1842), and
since that period by Benedict, the present conductor.
The arrangem 'tits of the interior and exterior of the
hall were greatly improved this year. The facilities
for ingress and egress were ameliorated materially.
The orchestral platform improved the conveyance of
sound throughou% the vast hall. The name of the
chorus-master, Mr. J. F. Hill, deserves a special
record. Mr. Harcourt was the efficient organist, and
Mr. Bray was the leader of rehearsals. In the admi-
nistrative arrangements, Mr. Roger Kerrison and
Mr. J. B. Morgan were the honorary secretaries of
the committees, in which the Earl of Albemarle,
Mr. Long, Mr. F. H. Gurney, Dr. Copetnan, Mr.
Steward, and Mr. Blake were active members. The
retirement of Mr. Simpson, who was for years one of
the honorary secretaries, was a matter of infinite
regret; but his enthusiasm for the festival remained
unabated. The weight of the business tell therefore
tnis time on Mr. Roger Ken icon, the most polite,
attentive, good-tempered, and zealous of secretaries—
qualities invaluable in such a position. The
absence of some leading families in the counties
was noticed with regret. Neither the lord lieute-
nant nor the bishop showed on this occasion.
From Tuesday there was a renewal of the
glorious sunshine which has been so long con-
tinued this remarkable summer. The toilettes
were charming, and the East-Anglian fair main-
tained their supremacy for beauty. May the
festivals prosper, and may the promoters thereof
bear in mind that to insure permanent success they
must sacrifice local influences to the exclusive con-
sideration of art progress.