The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-02 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE CONCERTS.

To the frequenters of the Opera-house the pro-
gramme yesterday presented no novelties, but as no
doubt a large proportion of the company consisted of
residents in the suburbs, who will not venture, out at
nights, the selection proved highly gratifying. There
was no end of encores. Two or three points call for
attention. The first is, that the voices of Mme.
Rosa Derries and Mlle. Menu are heard to peculiar
advantage in this vast space. Grisi, of course, in
the " Intlammatus " from Itossint's Stabat Mater,
could have been heard at the railroad station. Mine.
Didiee created a marked s. nsation in the second air
of Gondi from Maria di Rohan, and was encored.
If this line contralto were to study the English
language, she might gain a proud position as an
oratorio singer. We should like to hear her in

MAY 2, 1857.

Costa's Eli, and in Mendelssohn's Elijah. The
band, which was in full force, as at Cuvent Garden
before the tire, played the Masaniello overture with
immense vigour under the bilton of Sainton, Mr.
Costa having to conduct the Trovatore last evening
at the Lyceum. Nevi Baraldi, the new tenor, sang
the prayer from Donizetti's Maria di Bohan with a
charm, as to insure its repetition ; and Gardoni sang
with his wonted purity of style in the opening
romanza from La Favorita. The middle portion of
the monster organ is nearly erected, and the instru-
ment will speak, it is expected, in the course of next
week. _ _

The preliminary trials of the amateur singers for
the Handel Festival having been attended with such
excellent results, it is determined to call only one
further meeting in advance of the festival. The Mes-
siah, Judas Maccabeus, and Israel in Egypt will then
once more be tried preparatory to the grand assembly,
on the evening of Friday, June 12, when the whole
choral force, provincial and metropolitan-2,000
strong—is to unite in the final practice at Exeter.
hall. The effect of this gathering cannot fail to be
striking and impressive. The singers alone, with the
addition of a few wind instruments, will completely
till the large hall—gallery, area, and platform,—so
that there can be no room for visitors, and the com-
mittee of the Sacred Harmonic Society, however they
might feel an inclination in that way, are debarred
from making a public exhibition of the rehearsal.
Although notice has repeatedly been given that the
lists are quite full, applications to take part in the
chorus continue to pour in from all quarters. It is
believed that the committee, it' necessary, could
obtain from 1,500 to 2,000 more voices trom the
metropolis alone—a fact which says volumes for the
knowledge and practice of choral music now existing
in this country. The progress made of late years is
immense ; and the example set by the Sacred Har-
monic Society, it will be generally admitted, has had
some influence in bringing about so desirable a
result.

MISS P. HORTON'S VOCAL ILLUSTRATION'S.
TILE above designation is not the one adopted by
Mr. and Mrs. 'l'. German Reed in their new enter-
tainment, but it is the one which most properly
describes the remarkable exhibitions of Mrs. Reed,
who will always be known as Miss P. Horton. It is
much to be desired that she would alone sustain the
illustrations, and let her husbabd confine himself to
the pianoforte as accompanyist. To state the truth,
he is agreat bore—everybody feels that he is so as an
"illustrator," for which he has no dramatic talent
whatsoever. He is used, it is true, as a stop gap, to
afford time to the lady to change her costumes, but
she is infinitely more capable than Woodin or Albert
Smith to stand alone ; and the dressing difficulty
could be easily get over by presenting half-lengths
instead of full-length pictures. The fact is Miss P.
Horton (for we must call her so) is a very great
artiste, musically or dramatically. She might have
been made a first rate prima donna. Her voice is of
great compass and sympathetic in tone, but she
has little style and refinement. As an actress she
is astonishingly versatile ; her comicalities are tho-
roughly infectious, and her serious sketches evince
no ordinary tragic power and feeling. " Poor Tommy
of the Turnpike" is a fine embodiment of a rustic
who is a natural poet, with a strong perception of
the beautiful and a mortal antipathy to reptiles ;
the passion for the wildflowers and the horror of the
toad are presented wit;► antagonistic acuteness by
Miss P. Burton. " The Little Old Lady of the
1, illage "is a charming picture. The rhapsodical
poet-lover and the mischievous Miss Gruntley, the
bird that will not sing, are capital presentations. A
Scotch fisherwoman and Irish servant are also
spirited delineations. " The Unfinished Opera " is
a repetition of the old idea. This might have been
surely varied; but it enabled her to sing in Italian,
German, and English with characteristic felicity.
The Sonnambula scene in the second act, with the
pulling off of the " tail;' was exceedingly ludicrous.