The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-28 00:00:00

THE HANDEL FESTIVAL.

Israel in Egypt, the oratorio performed yester-
day, ;is a work probably better fitted than any other
to be performed on a vast scale in such a locality.
It consists almost wholly of choruses, and unques-
tionably choral music is that for which the Crystal
i Palace s especially calculated. These choruses,
moreover, are among the grandest monuments of
the "giant Handel's' mighty power ; and Israel in
Egypt, therefore, has been well chosen to terminate
this grand commemoration of his name. But when
some modern critics extol ibis oratorio as • the
greatest of its author's works, exalting it above even
The Messiah, we feel ourselves unable to adopt
their opinion. In regard to subject, there can be
ietr no comparison • and the subject of a work of .art,
'lthether painti4 or music—whatever art-critics may
say to the oontrary—is the moat important element of
it. character. After the ineffable sublimity of the
~.4 7fin_ili(maA_Mmghvqptana of the ma-
worli,lseterrer graM,and- however grandly
treated, sink into competitive inidgnifiamen. The
music of The Messialtatoo, is music of expression—
full of passiou in its utmost intenaity.l The music
et Israel in Egypt is (excepting only , the
song of triumph with which it concludes) music
of description—universally and justly regarded as a
lower branch of . the art. Our admiration of the
,mighty power of some of Mein
,pieces of musical
painting is unbounded ; but this u not the feeling
with which• we are moved when we listen to "He
wee despised and rejected of men," " I ,know that
my Re• liveth," or the =molt". .l " Hal-
lelujah !"
The only solo which made a great impres-
sion was the song of Miriam, the prophetic*, "Sing
ye to the Lord, for he bath triumphed gloriously; the
hone and his rider he bath thrown into the sea !" We
'all remember Clara Novello's grand delivery of this
•=
ge. Nothing, indeed, could be grander; but
of Titiens was in nowise inferior. There . was
numb in common between them—the nuns clear,
ringing voice, mounting with ease to the emannt of
the scale, and penetrating the most distant recesses
of the building—the same energy, and the same
lofty tone of inspired enthusiasm.
The choruses, without exception, were admirably
performed, and the composer's power of harmonic
combination was. never, probably, more magnifi-
cently displayed. The grandest of them are
" double" choruses, or choruses ' for two choirs.
`The whole body of singers is lluown
into two divisions, each division containing the four
road parts, so that there are twobodies ciao=
'too[ altos, two of tenors, and t*o of
Thom two choirs am made to sin`, sometimes anti-
phoually, as it is celled, responding to each other,
and sometimes united. In the old antiphonal sing-
ing the two choirs were so completely separated that
the listener could perceive the effect of this respon-
sive singing ; but this is not done hi our orchestra,
so that the division is little more than nominaL
Was it made real, so that the sounds of the two
choirs might be powered se cooling from different
quarters, according to the design of the division,
the effect of the gigantic chorus of this
oratorio would undonbteclly he greatly Moralised,
"but the • attempt is not made, we suplpose
because it is impracticable. Of all these choruses
..i, the first, we think, is the most beautiful, because
•is the only OW that can be called. aspreetive.
It paints ' the children of Israel sighing
b reason of their bondage," and the long,
,sighing notes of the melody blending into
one swell of plaintive harmony, is deeply pathetic.
The chorus descriptive of the plague of flies and
lice is remarkable as a specimen of ingenuity in
giving a attain grandeur to a subject anything
bat grand ; but the next, the famous "Hail-
stone Chorus," is a grand picture of a phe-
nomenon grand and terrible in itself. The
power and effect of all these choruses lie
in the broad and simple melodic phrases of
which each separate part consists, and which
preserve their simplicity and plainness, even when
involved in the most intricate combinations. This
is especially the case with the last and grandest of
the whole, "The horse and his rider," one of the
most wonderful efforts of contrapuntal skill to be
found even in the works of "the mighty Master"
himself.
The number of visitors yesterday, as appears
from the return, was 18,567. On Monday, the first
day, the number was 15,694 ; and on Wednesday
the number was 14,143: all large numbers, but
none of them equal to that of Saturday, the day
of the rehearsal, when 19,163 persons were present.
Yesterday, as we sea, thisnumber was nearly reached,
but on Saturday there was much unpleasant con-
fusion in the transit to and from Sydeuham, while
yesterday everything, both without and within the
Palace, went off with the utmost quiet, smoothness,
and comfort. The attention and courtesy
.Of the
numerous gentlemen who acted as stewards, in con-
ducting the company to their seats and providing
for their accommodation, were the theme of una-
nimous praise ; and the Fstival must leave pleas-
ing remembrances iu the mind of every one who
partook of its pleasures.

STEAM CULTIVATION AT FARNINGMAM,

The exhibition of steam cultivation was con-
tinued yesterday at Farningham, and will
to-day. It is in all respects moat sueoessfurc4,l3!
sydem known as traction by wire rope is quite in
the ascendant. There is nothing else represented.
Mr. Fowles, of Leeds, is yet in the van with the
combined engine and windlass traversing the head-
land, and he has made a very successful attempt to
adapt his apparatus to those who already possess
ordinary portable engines. Messrs. J. and F.
Howard, of Bedford, are exercising their new tackle,
and are evidently nearer the mark than they
ever were before. Messrs. Coleman and Sons,
of Chelmsford, bring something fresh ; while
Masers. Tacker and Sons, of Andover, Messrs.
Brown and May, show useful modifications
of Mr. William Smith's tackle, he being present to
exhibit his own. The work done by Melia. Fowler
and Howard is most excellent. They are both
ploughing and cultivating, and Mr. Fowler exhibits
a new method of throwing up the soil and breaking
it so as to produce very much the effect of good
digging. There is great inconvenience felt in the
fact of the fields being so far apart, and the absence
of any sort of guide to the spots selected. Mr.
Smith is occupying the heavy land on Mr.
Ruasel's farm, and Maws. Fowler and Howard
the lighter land on Mr. Beadle's farm. Crowds of
visitors make their way thither, and a very large
proportion of them are foreigners. Both Thursday
and yesterday a great number of orders were taken,
and on the part of the manufacturers the highest
alitiefactien is manifested, in prospect of the in-
creased demand springing up beyond the Units of
our own island. We are unavoidably compelled to
postpone a lengthened and minute report of what
is new and curious about the improved sets of ap-
paratus.

ROIriL HOZTICMITILAL &CUM.—We under-
Mead that the council of this seelety, yielding to the fre-
quently =premed wishes of enemy of the fellows. have re.
solved to repeat the experiment—tried a short time sines
with such greet suocess—of the performance of choral muds
by the heed of the Royal Artillery, in the comiervatory,
at South Xensington, this afternoon. The pubhn, as well as
the fellows, will then,hare en opurtunity of judginghow wdl
some of our moldier' can and do employ their 'enure hours.

II

F

ALUM'S PATENT PORTMANTEAUS and
=LULLING RAOB with Ruin
LLIDgr WARDROBZ TRUSTS, DRIBB aTAOB, wttb

sever—i—tthsP.. •
DIDIPATCH BOX vnerms and bli.Z•wiNG COO, and
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eatalognes by post for two stamps.
Also Alien's Barrack Fortnum) Catalogue of Portable Bed
steads, Drawers, Zany Chairs, Waahhaudetands, Canteens, Ac.,
by post tor two Amps.
3. W. AMIN. Mananotarer and Patentee, Id and di. Wildt
fiksad, London, W.C.

000 REGENT-STREET, LONDON.
ivrfAaIIAPPIN BROTHERS (by tenant to
his Ira Majosty Napoleon III.), SlLgrafialllargit, bloctro-
Silver Dreesing-eav ilnouta..turers, and Cutlers, Queen's
Cutlery Worts, Sheffield, hove the honour to announce that
hey have
COMMENCED BUSINESS at the WILST-END of LONDON, by
opening PREMISES at
TEL REGENT-STEER?,
with a large collection of their manufactures, and they hops to
receive, as they will endeavour to ment, an extension of the
favours hitherto awarded them
Wat their City Establishment,
67 and IS, KING ILLIAM.STRKET.

HARMONIUME.-NEW MODEL.
CRAM= ELM mid WOOD. MI, lasestatreel

Elie erarreogi.