The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-10 00:00:00

pm farts.

TESTIMONIAL TO TAGLIONI. —We hare been
favoured with a sight of a testimonial in silver, to he pre-
sented to the celebrated dancer Taglioni by the Earl of
Pembroke and other subscribers to the Opera. The subject
is " Diana visiting Endymion," and the artist's name Mr.
Edmund Cotterell—the modeller of several of the Goodwood
cups, to which this bears in size and general appearance a
very considerable resemblance. This is perhaps the best of
Mr. Cotterell's works, who have hitherto been confined too
closely to Arabs in the desert and Arab horses. Here, how-
ever, he treats a higher class subject; creations already
familiar to us by the classic models of antiquity, and the
endeavours of the higher schools of modern art to work in
their poetic spirit and beauty. The group consists of Diana
and Endymion, a Cupid and a deer. We like the Endymion
the best, and though in some respects it reminds us of
Canova's well-known figure of Endymion, at the Duke of
Devonshire's at Chatsworth : this is more from emulation
than imitation. The Diana is a little stiff, less airy than the
dancer she is here meant to commemorate, who has always
appeared to us to realise the following beautiful description 1
in Ben Jonson :
e, tier treading would not bend a blade of gram
Or shake the downy blow.ball from his st.dk !
Rut like the soft west wind she odic,: along
And where she went the flowers took thickest rota t,
As she had aow'd them with her odorous foLt."

The testimonial maiGese;Witiii.darrara7;;Fanton-street,
Haymarket, where may be seen at the mine time other
works by Mr. Cotterell, with something more than mere
promise about tkem.
_Musk.
- - -

THE HEREFORD FESTIVAL.—This Festival com-
menced yesterday, with much prospect of success. It is the
123rd meeting of the three choirs of Hereford, Gloucester,
and Worcester; and its net receipts are applied in making
additions to a number of small benefices within the diocese.
The preparations have been judicious. The principal singers
are entirely English ; Miss Birch the Misses Williams, Miss
Dolby, and Messrs. Lockev, Hobbe, Hatton, Machin, lnd
Phillips. The band and chorus, compared with the host
assembled at Birmingham, are small; but exceedingly select
and effective. On Monday and Tuesday evening there were
two very careful rehearsals ; the one for the miscellaneous
=laic of the evening concerts ; the other for the sacred music
to be performed in the mornings. These rehearsals were very
satisfactory ; it being found, from the compactness of the
choral and instrumental bands, and the talent of the indivi-
dual performers (most of whom are from the metropolis) that
the conductor's task was comparatively easy. On Tuesday a
sort of musical performance was joined to the morning ser-
vice of the cathedral ; Spohr's overture to " The Last Judg-
ment," Handel's " Te I)eum," Purcell's " Jubilate," and
several anthems, being mixed with the service; a practice,
which, though it has always been adopted at the meetings of
the three choirs, is of questionable propriety. On Tuesday a
dinner was gives by the principal gentry of...the neighbour
hood to the principal male performers • and on Wednesday
the dean gave a dejeimer to all the firsts of orchestral depart-
ments. Mr. Townabend Smith, the able organist of the
cathedral, is the conductor of the performances; and the
orchestra is led alternately by Mr. T. Cooke and Mr. Willy.