The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-07 00:00:00

MUSICAL FESTIVAL

OWN 001111SPONDINT.)
.MINGH&M, TOZBOAT, &Pt 6.
thin morning with a per-
which (whatever may have
Germaay) has never been excelled
oratorio was Mendelmohn's first
`)ra”ch of hie art ; and its first
entry (for I do not take into

qty attempt to produce it at
place at the Birmingham Festival
of 1837. This event led to the intimate
connexion which Mendelsohn formed with
Birmingham—a connexion which led to the pro-
duction here first of the Labgesang, in 1840,
and next of Elijah in 1848, the year before the
composer's lamented death. Elijah seems to have
made even a stronger impression on the English
public than St. Paul has done. It is now more
frequently performed, and has become more of a
"household word" than any oratorio in existence,
save only the unapproachable Messiah; and, chiefly
through its means, Mendelssohn has pined a repu-
tation second only to that of Han ; even•the
beautiful and genial masterpiece of • Haydn being
now forced to yield the palm of grandeur and sub-
limity to the masterpiece of Mrsielesohn.
As to Ppobr, be is now, by general con-
sent, &Reeved of the place whlch he On held
as the bearer of HandePs mantle, which ridunde-
niably rests on the shoulders of his younger com-
petitor. The enormous success of Elijah, however,
bas too much withdrawn the attention of the public
from St. Paul. I sin one of those who think the
earlier work, as an effort of genius, equal to the
later. There are things in St. Paul which Men-
delasohn himself has never surpassed, though he
has profited by his experience as an artist in im-
proving the general form and oonstruction of his
last work. In the composition of St. Paul, he
adopted the model of Bach in his celebrated
Passims Musik. The form is chiefly narrative ;
it is like that of one who relates a
history, mingling his tale with graphic de-
scriptions of scenes and recitations of dialogues.
Bach employ* one performer (or sometimes one and
sometimes another) to act as the story-teller. This
person says, such a circumstance occnred, and the
parties I speak of said, so-and-so. This is the plan
of St. Pau/. One of the singers, chiefly the prin-
cipal tenor, acts in this double capacity, sometimes
narrating and sometimes reciting. Mendelssohn
saw the inconveniences of this form, and in
Elijah made his poem a series of dramatic
scenes, which explain themselves with little
or no aid from narration. Hence in Elijah
there is much leas recitative than in St.
Paul, the incidents are more varied and march
more rapidly, and the music is altogether more at-
tractive to the general ear. But still there are, as
I have said, many things is St. Paul which Men-
delssohn himself has not excelled ; and certainly,
next iu rank to one or two of the chefs d'uurre of
Handel, we must place the Elijah and the St. Paul
of Mendelssohn.

The importance attached to this oratorio by
the public of Birmingham was evinced by the great-
ness of the audience assembled to hear it— more
numerous than I have ever seen on the first morn-
ing of any previous festival. Every corner of the
magnificent hall was crowded ; not a vacant seat
was anywhere to be seen ; and the consequence
was, in this sultry weather, that ladies were carried
out fainting from the heat. One or two such mis-
haps, however, were not sufficient to damp the
animation of the performance or the enjoyment at
the audience.

The solo singers in this performance were Mdlle.
Titiens, Madame Lemmens-Sherrington, Madame
Saintou-Dolby, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mfr. Weiss, Mr.
Cummings, and Mr. Briggs—this last a young and
apparently • promising performer. With such
principal►, with such a chorus, and such an
instrumental band as are always assembled at a
Birmingham Festival, the whole performance could
not fail to approach perfection. The choruses—
which form, perhaps, the most remarkable feature
of this oratorio, and which, on the whole, are not
inferior in depth and grandeur to anything in
Elijah—were sung with 'marvellous precision, and
often with unspeakable sublimity of effect. These
choruses, and in a still greater degree those of
Elijah, show the extent to which Mendessobn
emancipated himself from the scholastic fOTMS
which he found in the works which he regarded
as his models. Bach and Handel, the masters
whom he venerated above all others, con-
sidered (the former especially) the fugue
as an essential element in choral writing, and their
works, consequently, are full of fugues. Men-
delssohn, versed in all the mysteries of harmony,
though he regarded the mastery of this branch of
counterpoint as indispensable to every composer
worthy of the name, did not bind himself by its
ancient forms and restrictions ; and though there
are few fugues in St. Paul and still fewer in Elijah,
yet every chorus in these oratorios shows the ex-
tent of his resources, derived from his mastery of
fugal composition.
In speaking of a work which though not so
familiar as Elijah to the public is yet well known
to the lovers of sacred music, it would be super-
fluous, even were there time to do so, to enter into
details respecting St. Paul or its performance by
artiste so generally admired. It is enough to
mention a few of those things which seemed to
make the greatest impression on the audience.
And first of all, there was the grand display made'
by Madlle. Titiens of her powers as an oratorio
singer. At the outset of the piece she had to
discharge the function (already adverted to) of
delivering the narrative by means of recitatives ;
and no one could fail to be struck with the clear-
ness, force, and beauty of her English elocution.
Her air, " Jerusalem, thou that killest the pro-
phets," was the very perfection of vocal melody and
pathetic expression. By • signal from the noble
president (the Earl of Lichfield) this air was re-
peated ; and I may here observe that the various
encores thus called for were chosen with great
judgment and taste. The address of Stephen to
his murderers—.a piece of recitative of ineffable
grandeur—was delivered by Mr. Sims Reeves in a
manner which reminded me of the old days of
Brahanes "Deeper and deeper still," and showed
(were that necessary) that Reeves is the legitimate
successor of the greatest of English singers ; and his
subsequent short recitative, which combines narra-
tion and expression—" And they stoned him, and
he kneeled down, and cried aloud, Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge ; and when he had said this
he fell asleep "—was a thing which they who heard
it will not soon forget. Mr. Weiss had remarkable
success in the great air in the character of Saul,
" 0 God, have mercy upon me !" He sang it with
profound feeling, and its repetition was most de-
servedly called for.
Madame Sainton Dolby gave the usual effect to
her air—it may well be called here, for she has
made it so by the exquisite beauty and simplicity
with which she singe it—" But the Lord is mindful
of His own." It, too, TM encored by a sign from
the president. In the second part of the oratorio
the principal soprano part was taken, and charm-
ingly sustained, by Madame Lemmens Sherrington.
Besides several narrative recitatives, which she
delivered with admirable clearness and grace, her
chief effort was the fine scene (as it may be called)
" I will sing of Thy great mercies," which she gave
exquisitely. These were but a few of the many
beauties of a performance which, I repeat, has
never been excelled in England.
The town is filling rapidly, and probably never
before was so full on the first day of a festival.
" The cry is still they come !" and probably, by to-
morrow (the day of Costa's new oratorio), nobody
will know where to find a corner. Among the
visitors present at the hall to-day, the follow-
ing were a few of the most distinguished
President, the Earl of Lichfield; the Countess of

Lichfield and party ; Mr. Holliday, Mayor of
Birmingham ; Mrs. Holliday and party ; the
Countess of Bradford, Miss Moncrieffe and party ;
Lord Willoughby de Broke ; the Dowager Lady
Willoughby de Broke and party ; Mr. Scboleheld,
M.P., and party; Mr. John Hardy ALP., Mrs.
Hardy and party ; Mr. Gathorne Hardy, M.P.,
Mrs. Hardy and party ; Sir John Duckworth,
Bart., and party ; Mr. Newdegate, M.P., Mm.
Newdegate and party ; Mr. M. D. Hill, Reoorder
of Birmingham, and party ; Hon. and Rev. John
Bridgeman and party ; Mr. Henry Whitmore,
M.P., Mrs. Whitmore and party ; Mrs. Dugdale,
Mrs. Arthur Peel and party; Mr. Sampson Han-
bury, Mrs. Banbury and party ; the Hon.
Mite Hewitt and party ; Lady May Fielding
and party ; Mrs. Monckton and party ;
Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mrs. Adderley and party
the Rev. Mr. Boyle and party ; Mrs. Bourne, of
Grafton Manor ; Captain Howard, the Rev.
Henry Biddulph and party ; Mrs. Deaae, Sir
Thomas Winnington, Bart., ALP., and party ;
the Dowager Lady Ward, the Hon. Mrs. Claughton
and party ; Sir R. Hamilton, Bart., and party ;
Mr. Hodgetts Foley and party ; Mr. F. Vernon,
M.P., and party ; Mr. Beale, M.P., and party
Mr. Lygon, M.P., and party ; Captain and Mrs.
Boultboe and party ; Lady Mary Windsor Clive
and party ; Mies Boycott and party ; Miss Theo-
dosia Hincks and party.
The following were the reeeiperthis morning :
' St. Paul : President and rim-president's seats, at
21s. each, 296' ; receipts, 3101. 108. Secured seats,
21a. each, 747 ; receipts, 7841. 7a. ; unsecured
seats, 10s. CA each, 300 ; receipts, 1571. 10a. ;
donations and collections, 329/. 9s. 4d. ; total
number attending, 1,343 ; total receipts, 1,3821.
2a. 4d.

THE CONCERT LAST NIGHT.—THE NEW
CANTATA.
(From the Binning/tam Gauttc of this day.)
Though last night's concert was not so well
attended as the morning performaace, still there was a large
and fashionable audience, and all the best seats in floor and
galleries were occupied. The majority of people do not
cars to run the risk of hearing • new work unless
it is by some very popular and well-known com-
poser, and would rather her something they have
heard beton and know to be good than hazard
the chance of hearing something they may not care
for, and will never want to hear again. If, however,
many persons could have known or had been made in any
way acquainted with the sterling merit and the now an.
doubted excellence of Mr. Smart's new cantata, "The
Bride of Ininkerron," there would indeed have bees few
empty benches, and many would have gladly been present to
witness the production of a work which is not only • credit
to the composer but a credit to the school of English
mimic. It was performed in a much better style
then could have been anticipated after Monday
night's somewhat unsatisfactory rehearaaL At the
' conclusion the composer was greeted with es►husiaatic
cheering. The members of the orchestra were particularly
liberal in their applause, and considering they moat know
as much or more of the work than most people, this
tribute must have been highly gratifying to the cam.
poser. The audience ware scarcely leas enthusiastic, and
indeed when Mr. Smart had bowed his acknowledgments
and retired from the orchestra the applause was continued,
and he was obliged to re-appear apes the platform to re-
ceive the surplus of the applause which the large assembly
considered still owing to the master who could write such a
noble composition as the "Bride of llunkerron."