The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-25 00:00:00

TATTERSALL'S—MONDAY.
LIVERPOOL SPRINU CUP.
3 to I apt Mr. Parr% Pamme (t)
a to 1 Mr. Watts'. Little Cworp (t)
13 to 2 Mr. liesaattow's Unity
7to 1 Mr.Meemo's Doubt (I)
to 1 Mr. Datram'a Itrrer.loo
LIVERPOOL 8 fEEPLECIIASIL
B to 1 apt bir John It) 10 to 1 apt Abdwl-Kadar
ato 1 Voila Mops Itoto 1 Maria Day
II to I tt.tt-tr.p (t 10 to I) 30 to 1 Ream (0
Sir John and Vain hope were most in favour, but were
not backed for much money. The field is expected to be
large,

2,000 GUISP.AS STAKES.
I to 1 taken to • pooy about the 51ountaas Sylph wit
Offers to tick the Sold artiste Grecian
CUP:STYR Cu P.
12 to apt Mr. Trrea's Rhesus (t and aft oft)
25 to Lord ebestetlieltl'. Lady Evelyn
23 to Lord(-(((den's Wsllllcs (t)
30 to Lord I:Vinton s Knight of Avenel (t)
35 to Mr. Ile: rue's Sesame (t)
So to Mr. IJuvrotes's Strap (t)
50 to Mr. T. Lister's Note, (t)
11,1 to Mr. lAsney's Sir Richard (t)
60 to Lord Entir:d's lies Mover (t)
There were not a dozen bets laid on this event, and the
investments in every case were small ; the only change was
in lthesus, who was in favour at an improvement on last
Thursday's quotation.
DERBY.
11 to apt Mr. Howard's Grecian It and aft off)
to .- Mr. Ilal.ford's Prose Minister (t and aft am
12 to Mr. Ostoldostoc's MAMMA Sylph e(t and aft off)
12 to Mr.A Nichol's Newntrater
20 to Mr. Gerard Sturt's Lamellas (t and aft Off)
23 to Mr. Melklam's Comet/Ration (t)
25 to Mr. J. Clark's Marlborsigh Bock
40 to Sir J. Hawley's Goofonor (t •
Grecian was backed fur two or three hundred pounds,
and l'rim Minister, Laraartine, Constellation, and Con-
fessor, for 1001. each, at the odds quoted above, the layers
being willing to go on.

LIVERPOOL SPRING MEETING.
The following horses were at Aintree on Monday
morning :
Fun Toe SIERPLECHARZ.—Abd-el-Kader, Currig, Grey
Steele mare, Fogleman, Maria Day, Morrie Daly, Mulli-
gan, Penrith, Rat-trap, Rescue, Sir John, Vain Hope, Vie-
tim, Volatile, the Young'un, Peter Simple, Fugitive, Helf-
and-Half, Tipperary Boy, Sobenides, &c.
THE Sritimo Cur.—Doult, Little George, Conveyor,
Reversion, Wilmout, Valiant, &c.

MUSIC.

MR. HORSLEY'S ORATORIO, "DAVID.'
We regard this Oratorio as the first fruits of a
genius destined to do great things. Mr. Charles Edward
Horsley is the son of the veteran composer who has so long
held so high a place among the masters of the English
se-haul of vocal harmony ; and there seems no doubt that
the son will support the honour of the distinguished name
be inherits. He has pursued his studies chiefly
in Germany, under the immediate instruction, we
believe, both of Spohr and Mendelssohn ; and that
his mind is deeply imbued with the works of
the great sacred writers of that country is apparent from
the work he has now brought before the world. Mendels-
sohn he appears to have especially taken for his model in
the formation of his style, a remark we are far from making
invidiously, or with the view of detracting in the least from
the value or interest of his production. Every young
artist, how gifted soever with original genius, naturally
catches the style of which he most strongly feels the
beauties. This was the case with the most original of
all geniuses, Beethosen himself; and every amateur
knows how much his early sonatas, quartets, and
symphonies (some of them still numbered among his
finest works) are in the style of Haydn and Mozart, espe-
cially the latter. In listening to " David," we have been
frequently reminded of " St. Paul" sold " Elijah," but this
circumstance has increased rather than diminished our
pleasure.
" David " was performed last evening at Exeter Hall,
for the first time in Louden. It was first produced
some months ago at Liverpool, where it was respectably
got up and met with a degree of attention which encou-
raged the young author to undertake its production in the
metropolis. He received, we understand, much friendly
assistance from the Sacred Harmonic Society ; and was
enabled to obtain a strong and excellent orchestra and
chorus, and a sufficient number of our best vocalists for the
solo parts. The musical public, likewise, took a great inte-
rest in the matter; the hall was crowded in every part,
and the work achieved • triumphant success.
In his choral writing, Mr. Horsley seems to have steered
a middle course between the scholastic severity of
the old masters and the freedom of Mendelssohn's
latest style. In " David ", there is a great deal
of very admirable fugal counterpoint, but little
adheredee to the strict forms of the fugue. He has intro-
duced subjects of fugue, with their appropriate answers,
without thinking it necessary to carry them through the
replications, inversions, anti changes prescribed by Eux and
Marpurg. Several of the choruses arefugato,—as the v,ry
fine one in the first part, " Have ye seen the man ?''—but
we have observed only one fugue, and it is a magnificent
one ; the chorus in the second part—" The King shall joy,"
in which there is a complete and highly-wrought fugue on
two subjects. In the great final chorus, also, there is a very
original fugue subject at the " Hallelujah." When the
resources of fugal counterpoint are thus used with a free-
dom from the trammels of antiquated rules, they are of Mb-
rdte value in adding depth and richness to harmony.
Many of the airs are very beautiful; those especially in
the part of David, which was finely sustained by 'Mr.
Locke,. The air in the first part, The Lord is mj shep-
herd,' is delightfully sweet and flowing; and the air,
" Where am I, 0 Lord," in the second part (enriched with
an oboe obligate accompaniment) is intensely expressive.
There are two or three tine contralto sin which Miss Wil-
liam. .ansi_deliciously. A baritone air near the be-
ginning. in the part of Somuef, " Give ear unto
my pray.r," was very finely sung by Mr. Whit-
worth. The most remarkable duet ts between Dora
and Goliath when they are about to engage in combat. It
is very energetic, but rather tamely delivered, especially by
Mr. NVeiss, who was not a very fierce giant. There is a
remarkably fine double quartet, of somewhat peculiar con-
struction: the first quartet being female voices—sopranos
and altos—and the second males—tenon and basses. The
erect of (11vse two distinct bodies, heard alternately, and
then joining, in eight nal parts, without any instrumental
accompaniment, was very fine, though the singers, through
some accidental mistake, made a false start at the outset.