The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-13 00:00:00

FINS ARTS.

Lorma's POWTRAI7I. Boha's Illustrated Lamy.
The idea of condensing the matter contained in
Lodge's viluable but bulky folios was a happy one,
and whilst its original form only rendered it accessi-
ble to collectors of large and elaborately bound works,
or so thosi who bare the privilege of peering into the
public libraries, the present edition conforms itself
to the most fastidious taste of type and engraving, as
well as to the moderate size of our book-shelves.
In the drawer of an antique cabinetwss discovered,
niaey years ago, a collection of beautiful original
drawing. of H.lbein, in red and white crayon on
tinted paper. Horace Walpole was. we believe, the
first to perceive and disclose their immense value.
They were the original drawings for his admirable and
brilliant delineations of characters of the time of
Henry VIII. Though they are now either last or
dispersed, their spirit and mild severity may still be
dwelt on in tbe beautiful fao-similes in C'hamber-
laine's work. It is with feelings somewhat akin to
this that we have refredwd our memory in the en-
gravings of kr. Bohn's nest edition.
There are few monuments which more strongly
captivate the beholder, at more vividly depict an age
replete with barbaric pomp of dress, in which
persons more markedly bore the tenor of their
mustencie in their ormatemace. We have the won-
derful head-gear of that age, which, though amain
a different out on each and ovary lady, sold be easily

ideotified as to the reign it belongs to. This volume
81.0 e nt.ios some plrtraits byAntonio More, another
fun igtser, who ty his tel. at es a colourist, won hos-
pitality from the court of Queen Elisabeth ; as also a
sprinkling of Titian's, to whose style Moro chiefly
co, i forme d.
The igrdlaril face c f the author appears in the fres-
tispieee from the hand of hiaelime. Both the features
of the writer and his dram at o-ce bring as in one
rapid stride back to the present, and show that if we
hays lost all character in the modern garb, we hays
gained in delineating that of mind.
On the biographies of these characiters nets the
fame of Edmund Lodge, a swatter of the Heralds'
College, for =say years Norroy, afterwards Clams-
deux, Meg-at-Arms. In a clear and lucid style, and
with unostentatious eredition, he
takes a eouswehen
sive grasp of the period in wil& lived his heron ;
and, -by taking. each iedividual by taros, be surveys
the gams age in different points of view, thus pro-
bably arriving at more accurate and impartial
keowlege of the pest than the too-often one-sided his-
torian. It would be difftcult to take up a more in-
tereatieg volume, blending p asefidly the anthentie
sources of past literature had art.
- •

MUSIC.
SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.
The fret performance of the season, est evening,
ceeeisted of the oratorio of " Solomon." The orchestra
sad status mitered in fell form tinder the direetiob
etlfe: Casts, and the hall was filled to overflowing.
" Selimma" is one of Handers Wait wake. It
woe elm. in 1748, and flat performed &Moven,
13eadsa ,Ibe in Much 1749 ; so that the perform-
sass of Metaled may be called the eattesery of its pro.
&Wien. It was not very sucessafid even in its ninety,
and, sines Handers own time, has bets verY nidam
performed. Several of the chasms, end tee or Wm
of the airs, have been in frequont ties at tmlivals may
eanomte of .erred made, but, as a Ade, ft has always
bees Impeded saga' at the eenapeuses Iheblest=l
'and its sleet is heavy and made/Wary.
hat the elleadventage of working upaq a dull poem.
hoes which be Geoid not have leaved say inspire.
Lien. The 41 mighty star," indeed, was extra:al
unfortunate in his literary seristsece. He *me
peaces of no merit or rsputetioe, the chid of
was a eintlyseas of the name of McNeil, by whom
most of his oratccios, and Sokaare"gliliti-
=kr. Ware written. This oratorio is in in:
felicitous, being quite uninteresting in subject, an In
diction, swap and promo to the lest degree. The
first pat coexists of the soleninitise at the dedication
of the temple,followed, very incoherently, by the con-
jugal eadairmants of Solomon cad his queen. The
Neondort, which the beet, ccatains the famous
scene the "Jaunt of Solomes," treated with
some dramatis Asst. And the third pert is occupied
with the vile of the Queen of Sheba, and the festi-
vities to whisk.it gives rise. In the magical treat-
ment eider Wesel, the most remarkable imbue is
the den* gems% sane of which acs wry mesterly
~tbWisdom, wh? !lard not only the auk
whtoh Aureoles, the interest
of these aslip.me is impaired by the toned
Natio ablation which pervades them. are
usekest, sa in Handers other oratorios, to the
=6of devotion, bat to praise and glorify Ring
; and Zadok the priest, who acts as Cory-
phone, never opens his month but to utter some
pmy of fulsome flattery. For instance—
&era reusA the world, there never yet was seen
8o wise a awards, era shuts a Queen.
And
From morn to eve, I could enraptured sag •
The various virtues of ear happy klsg,
Is wham with weeder we behold Nabbed
Tie grace of future with the weak of Wall.
And again :
Thrice happy Hiett 1 to have labial
What sane hsoesloeth will be believ'd.
The language of the (Mortises is in the 'ante strain.
The float of them all, "From the censer curling
time," which, from the character of the music, might
have been a sublime hymn of praise to the Almighty,
has for its burden :
Live for ova, pine David's em,
Live for ear, mighty Solomon t
In all this there is something distasteful, not to say
disgusting, which impairs the pleasure to be derived
from Handers music.
Besides the gorgeous composition Jost mentioned,
this oratorio contains several other choruses of great
power and beauty. " May no rash intruder disturb
their eoft hours," is charming; and the exquisite soft-
nese and delicacy with which it was sung reflected
the utmost honour on the admirable state of
plias to which Mr. Costa has brought his ahead lost.
The finale to the second part, " Swell the fall chorus
to Slctraon's praise," is a piece of fine, resonant har-
mony.
The airs are very inferior to the &proses. They
are stiff, formal, and lraded with hackneyed divisions;
and their want of feminism argues an exhausted
imagination. One of them only, " What
though I trace each herb and flower," has ever
stained any degree of popularity; and its merit
lies more in a certain sneaked smoothness whioh is
. .

xery pleasisg, titian in any striking beauty of melody
or expression. Desk being the character of the airs,
.the singers, who were the Misses Williams, Miss
Stewart, Mr. Lackey, and Mr. Lawler, could not ren-
der them productive of much effect; but they all
exerted themselves to do justice to their parts.
The Sacred Harmonic Society have done well to
preduro this oratorio, for all the works of a great
master should be made known to the public ; but it is
certainly not calculated to become attractive and
popular.