The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-19 00:00:00

L

CRYSTAL PALACE.

On Good Friday, last year, above fifty tliou,an
inhabitants of London enjoyed a holiday at Sydeoham wit h
the appropriate pastime of listening to a concert ~f acrid
music. Yesterday iin almost equally cut assemblage parw,k
of a similar enjoyment, and, onthe one occasion as well an the
other, nothing could be more gratifying than to observe the
keen sense of pleasure, the cheerfulness and animation, „„d
at the same time the perfect quietness, order, and decorum,
everywhere manifested by the multitudes of our industrials
townspeople who had thrown their cares and that
toils behind them, and were invigorating their bodies sad
refreshing their miuds by recreations not only innocent and
healthful, but calculated to make a good and enduring
Impression. -

Besides the regular concert of sacred music at three o'clock
there were several other performances, all, of course, of a
religious character. At twelve o'clock Mr. James Coved
played several sacred pieces upon the organ, developing the
powers of the magnificent instrument with the skill and
effect to be expected from so eminent a musician. He per.
formed, among other things, Mendelssohn's march in
delete, selections from Spohr's Oratorio Coirnesi,
the Requiem of Mozart, and Handel's Dead March
in Saul. Next there was a performance in the concert
room by the fine band of the Coldstream Guards, coe
ducted by their able master, Mr. Godfrey. It include'
Handel's overture to Zither, and selections from Mee.
delseohn's Elijah and Rossini's Most in Eyitto. Whit
this was over, the regular mown began. The Kindle'
singers were Mr. Sims Reeves, Madame Rudendorff, eat
Mr. Weiss. Mr. Reeves sang the opening recitative and sir
in the Messiah. Handel's air, " Lord remember David,"
from the Redemption, and the air, "The Enemy said,'
from Israel is Egypt. Madame Ruderadorff rag
" Let the bright Seraphim," the trumpet obligate
aceompasument being played by Mr. Harper ; sad
Coats's air, "I will extol thee," from the oratorio if
Eh, Mr. Weise sang " Why do the nations," from the
Messiah ; and Madame Rudersdorff gave the duet "Grscefel
Consort," from the Creation. Not only the reserved seas
in the concartroom, but the whole of the centre transept,
were densely crowded with listeners ; but the audience were
so still and attentive, and the music was so well chosen for
such an occasion (being broad and resonant), that it was
much better heard than we could have expected; and the
principal performances, especially those of Mr. Reeves,
were received with vehement enplanes. The old Hundredth
Psalm, the Evening Hymn, and," God Save the Queen," was
sung in unison, the visitors being invited to join. Had
this invitation been heartily accepted, lied had the whole
assemblage sung " with a will," as a German audience
would have done, such a chorus would have bean sublime
beyond description, for a psalm sung in unison by a multi.
tude of voices is the grandest music in the world. We
once beard, in Germany, an assemblage of 5,000 people tag
"God Save the Queen," in honour of our gracious Son.
reign arid her royal consort, who were present, and the
effect was overpowering. But this is not understood hem
The people sang as they do in our churches ; that is, a coon
partitively small number joined, and they sang faintly, sad
as if they were ashamed of their own voices. The ides,
nevertheless, is • good one, and might be more effectually
carried out.

We had an opportunity, through the courtesy of Mr Ross,
the engineer of the Crystal Palace, of observing the im.
provementa nearly completed under his direction in the
great Handel festival orchestra. Not only the orchestra,
but a portion of the space in front of it, is being covered
with an arched wooden roof of the span of 216 feet from
side to side, and the orchestra is laterally enclosed
with walls of the same material. The arched oat
rises to the height of 100 feet from the floor;
and the space thus covered is 150 feet in depth from the
front to the back. This is the nearest approach that can ta
made to the creation, in the centre transept, of a tallt
music hall ; and there can be au doubt of its great efficacy
in heightening the acoustical properties of the locality, awl
consequently in increnaing the effect of the great perform.
awes about to take place there.
Besides these improvements in the great Handel orchesta

various considerable works are now in progress . The iloa
of the building, in the tropical and southern ends, hew
been replaced with brick walls and piers round oda
flower-bed, in place of the original wooden supports. P.
wide triple staircase has been erected, leading from rbe
great transept to the basement, so that the crowds seam•
bled at the Palace on days when the great fountains Sre
played, and other popular occasions, may escape from the
building to the gardens, and rice rasa, without the him.
venisuos and pressure so often complained of. Great pun
are bestowed on the laying out and embellishment of ilia
gardens ; and, most important of all, effectual measurer
have been adopted for obtaining the great desideratum 01
ready and convenient railway communication between the
Crystal Palace and London.

Madame Jenny Lind-Goldaohmidt announces three
performances of Oratorios at Erato-hall, to take place cc
Wednesday, May 14, Wednesday, May 28, and Wednesday,
Jane 4 ; the proceeds of which are to be devoted exclu-
sively to charitable purposes. The first performance will
'consist of Handers „Messiah, to be given in aid of the foods
of the Hinds-street, and other institutions for the relief of
needlewomen. Haydn's Creation will neat be given in sop
port of the Brampton Consumption Hospital, and Ms
third performance will be for the benefit of the funds of the
Royal Society of Musicians and the Royal Society of Female
Musicians. The musical arrangements on a large and perfect
wale, will be under the direction of Mr. Otto Goldichmielt.
Mr. Sims Reeves, Miss Palmer, Signor Belletti, and Mr. W.
Weiss are engaged to take part in these performanoo;
which cannot fail to prove eminently attractive, and to sill
oonsiderably to the funds of the several most praiseworthy
institutions in whose behalf they are organised.
M. Otto Goldschmitit writes to the Atiour,s4
to say that the statement to the effect that Madame
Ooldachmidt contemplate* building a Concert Hall la
London, for the purpose of giving musical performance., is
entirely incorrect ; " nuthiog of the kind is intended."
Her Majesty's Theatre opens ou Saturday next.
The opera announced is Verdi's Us Ballo is Moseloa,
with Titieas and Giuglini in the principal part*

The International Association of Decimal CoinaY
have succeeded in making a very perfect collection of the
coins, weights, and measures of all countries, which will be
exhibited is connexion with the clams of PhdomPhica
Instruments at the International Exhibition.

The Italian lithographed correspondence an-
nounces that the Venetian provinces will not be represeoted
at the London Exhibition, because they have refused to lot
the produce of their manufacture be mixed up with that of
the Austrian empire.
The Society of Arts, with the view of showing
hospitality to the commissioners, guarantors, jurors, rrio-
cipal exhibitors and others connected with the spnrooohi4
Exhibition, and especially to our foreign visitors, will hold
three evening receptions at the South Kensington Etwatur
on the 7th of May, Bth of July, sod Bth of October.
Three sets of prises for the best specimens of
table decoration will be given at the Horticultural Gude!'
daring this season. In May, Lady Dorothy Neville
wdf
give two prises, one of six guineas and one of four Pilo°,
for specimens of flowers dressed for the table. lo Jr`''
Sir C. Wentworth Mike will give, as last year, three pies'
one of ten guineas. one of seven, and one of three fluf°9.ll4
for flowers and fruit. la September, Mr. Cassiot will fi's
ten guineas for specimens of plants grown for the same ow
pose.