The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 23, 1858.

1036

ing to their historical succession, and without
adulterations, omissions, additions, or changes of
any sort, we believe the musical world of London
would feel obliged to them, and that their enter-
prize and labour would be duly rewarded. We
might then perhaps hope to see the " Litanies,"
and many other Mozartian works hitherto unper-
formed and unpublished in this county, engraved
and rendered popular by the same firm. Messrs.
Cocks, or any other publishers who feel disposed to
enrich their catalogue with the posthumous compo-
sitions ofMozart, must, however, be on their guard
against the numerous spurious scores in existence,
such for instance as are to be found in the collec-
tion of thirty Masses offered for sale at Vienna in
1851, and more than half of which were declared
by the best judges to be complete forgeries.
Indeed, despite the eloquence of a little pamphlet
intled "In Sachen Mozart's," written to prove
the authenticity of the thirty scores, not more than
seven passed muster, and of these two are adul-
terated by instrumental additions, and one
obscured by omissions. The so-called " First
Mass " and the sublime " Requiem " are both too
well known in England to require any criticism
at our hands ; but we may still express our
approbation of Messrs. Cocks excellent pianoforte
editions of them, which arc the cheapest and best
we have met with.

RimbauU' Opera Music-books.

London :

D'Almaine and Co.
THE object of Dr. Rimbault, the well-known
"arranger" for the pianotbrte of all kinds of
music, may best be learned from his own words.
In the " advertisement " to the " Opera Music-
books" it is stated that,—" It has long been a
" matter of regret by all lovers of the pianoforte
" that no good and Cheap arrangement of the
" lasting and beautiful melodies which abound in
" the standard operas of the Italian stage can be
" procured. Vocal scores, it is true, have lately
" been printed on the Continent in a Cheap form,
" and some few pianoforte arrangements of entire
"operas are to be had ; but these do not supply
" the deficiency complained of. It must be ap-
" parent to all who consider the subject that
" every Italian opera contains a great deal of
"music which, however interesting on the stage,
"as conducing to the business of the scene, is
" totally unfit for arrangement and performance
"in the drawing-room. In the present series of
" operas all this extraneous matter is carefully
" omitted, the arrangement being confined to the
" melodies, which follow in the exact order in
" which they occur in each opera." We are not
responsible for the capitals or grammar of this
persuasive advertisement, neither does our critical
duty demand that we should dilate upon any
question properly appertaining to a literary
review ; but we may observe that Dr. Rimbault's
plan, although a very good one, is by no means
new, and that productions of a similar kind have
very often (perhaps, indeed, too often) been
given to the world for equally small pecuniary
considerations. We cannot admit his strongly-
urged claims either to originality or unprece-
dented cheapness, but s:e quite willing to ac-
knowledge that the arranger has done his work
for the most part very well, and that the price of
the " Opera Music-book " is reasonable. The
numbers before us, 49 and 50, are devoted
respectively to airs from Verd►'s Luisa Miller
and Flotow's Martha, both "light " works be-
longing the ad captandum school, and abounding
in such tunes as many of our amateurs adore.
With such attractions, then, materially enhanced
as they are by clear, bold engraving, good
enduring paper, and gaily-coloured titlepeges,
it will be strange indeed if the " Opera Music-
books " do not sell. We, at least, can recom-
mend them as really excellent things of their
kind.

Sabbath Evenings. No. 192. By Dr. Rimbault.
London: A. W. Hammond (Jullien's).
lIERE, again, the talent of Dr. Rimbault as an
"arranger" is effectively displayed, and upon
much more grateful subjects than the " Opera
Music-books" could possibly afford, for the
selection for " Sabbath Evenings" is almost
wholly from the works of the greatest masters.
E.G., Book I. includes the " Gloria in Excelsis,"
from Mozart's Mass known as No. 12 ; "Now
vanish before the holy beams," from Haydn's
Creation; Handers "Holy, holy, Lord God

Almighty ;" Marcello's Psalm, "0 Lord our
Governor; " and the " Gloria," from a Mass by
Pergolese; while in Book 11. we find Martin
Luther's famous hymn, " Great God, what do I
see and hear?" the " Ag,nus Dei," from Mozart's
Mass known as No. I ; "0, thou that tellest good
tidings, from llandel's Messiah; the " Sanctus' and
"Lacrimosa," from Mozart's Requiem; and llandel's
" Disdainful of danger," from Judas Maccabees.
All these pieces are well arranged for this instru-
ment, and sufficiently full in harmony and parts,
without being at all difficult to play. We can,
indeed, give high praise to Dr. Rimbault's
"Sabbath Evenings." Moderately endowed
pianists, possessing a taste for good music, could
scarcely find selections more conducive to their
gratification or improvement, and if the arranger
had not taken the utterly unnecessary and un-
warrantable liberty of transposing Mozart's
" Agnus Dei " a note higher, and his " Sanctus "
and "Lacrimosa" a note lower, than the author
intended them to be, we should be able to bestow
unqualified eulogy upon the production under
notice.

The " Sabbath Evenings " are beautifully " got
up," as the phrase goes, and not the least part of
their attractions is a well-executed frontispiece
representing the infant St. John, lithographed
and coloured by Brandard, after the celebrated
picture by Murillo.

Operatic Airs, and " Home Sweet Home."
Transcribed for the Pianoforte by George
Osborne. London : A. W. Hammond
(Jullien's).

lin. GEORGE OSBORNE bag long been recognized,
both here and on the Continent, as one of the
most elegant and brilliant pianoforte writers of
the day ; and the above productions, though by
no means of an ambitious character, most agree-
ably exemplify those peculiar features by which
Mr. G. Osborne's style is marked, and are every
way worthy of his talent. No pianotorte com-
poser knows better bow to render his music at
the same time easy, and which is termed " effec-
tive." None possesses in a higher degree the
rare art of giving a new and elegant turn to ideas
of the most familiar and popular kind. We
heartily recommend all these fanciful and eleg ant
" transcriptions" to our musical readers.

.Sunshine and Cloud, and That Early Beam.
Ballads. Words by J. E. Carpenter ; Music
by Charles Glover.

Sing Me a Song of Summer Days. Written by
Dirs. Newton Crossland ; Composed by J. A.
iacfarren.

London : Joseph Williams.

THESE productions are so exceedingly slight and
unpretending in their character, that little need
be said about them. Indeed, their merits may
be all sufficiently understood by the laudatory
statement that they are smoothly written, and
as easy to sing as to play.
The same species and degree of praise may
also be applied to the following productions:—
" The Bloom upon the Cherry-Tree." Ballad.
Words by Miss Rosa Raine. Music by Stephen
Glover ; and " 'Tis the Hour for Music."
Duettino. Written by J. E. Carpenter, and
composed by Henry Farmer. Published respec-
tively by D'Aimaine and Co., and Joseph
Williams, London.

L'Espalier de Roses. Mazurka Brillante. Par

Adrien Talexy. London : Joseph Williams.
THERE is a good deal of melodic prettiness min-
gled with quaint freakishness and flashy brilliancy
in this mazurka, which, moreover, possesses the
merit of being throughout very effectively
written for the pianoforte. The subject is grace-
ful as characteristic, and the passages very
" showy" without being difficult, as amateurs
might imagine them at the first glance to be.
The rush of diminished-seventh chords in both
hands at the commencement (and to which the
engraver has contrived to give a very grim
appearance by the extraordinary blackness of his
ink), the rapid leaps by octaves to the top of the
key-board, &c., may certainly look formidable to
the uninitiated, but all these passages, neverthe-
less, lie conveniently under the fingers, and can
soon be mastered.

Pearl Drops. Mazurka for the Pianoforte.
Composed by Ricardo Linter. London
Joseph Williams.
THE mazurka of Mr. Linter, despite its capti-
vating title, is by no means so happy an effusion
as that of Adrien Talexy. It is animated and
dan.sante. but very deficient in neatness, grace,
and character.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
BOOKS.
Hurray's Handbook for Kent and Susses.—Marray.
Heraldry, in History, Poetry, and Romance. By Ellen J.
M i Ring( on .—C ha man and Hall.
A Tour in Southern Europe and the Crimea. By the Rev.
.T. Pulling —Nisbett and Co.
Belgium, and Up and Down the Rhine.—Nisbett and Co.
Conjugal Love, and its Chaste Delights; also, Adulterous
Love, and its Insane Pleasures. By Emmanuel Sweden.
borg.—Swedenborg Society.
Heaven and Hell; also, the Intermediate Slate, or World
of Spirits. By Emmanuel Swedenborg.—Swedenborg
Society.
Lott ery. By Mrs. Jones, of Pantclas.—Routledge.
Fellow-Travellers ; or, the Experience of Life. By the
Author of " Margaret; or, Prejudice at Home." Three
Vols.—Hurst and Blackett.