The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-26 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 26, 1853.

MUSIC.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

The performance of Samson, last evening, attraeta
one of the most crowded assemblages we have ever seen
in Enter Hall. This oratorio, produced by Handel im-
mediately after the Messiah, partakes largely of the gran-
deur and beauty of that immortal cheferwurre, both in its
choruses sad its airs, though its effect as a great dramatic
work is impaired by the faults of the poem, which was
written by • person of the name of Hamilton,
one of the compasses very incompetent literary
assistants. Its groundwork is the Salmon Agonistes
of Milton ; but the story is rendered confused and
incoherent; Milton's poetry is mixed up with • great deal
of mean and prosaic matter, some of it little ►etter than
dogged; and it is not surprising that some portions of the
music partook of the weakness and flatness of the words.
Some of the airs, too, are in a more antiquated garb than
&so of the Messiah; more of the formal phrases sad
divisions, the flounces and furbelows, which were the
fashion of the day. As the oratorio is now performed by
the Sacred Harmonic Society, its effect is much improved
in earl, us ways. Originally of excessive length, it hes
been reduced to moderate dimensions by the excision of seine
of its weakest parts ; end the original score, in many please
slight and hastily written, is enriched by the additional se-
companiments of Mr. Costa, in the same manner as the
original score of the Messiah was filled up by Mozart. In
this task Mr. Costa has taken Mozart far his model, and
has executed it most successfully. The slightness of
Handel's scores is explained by the circumstance that he
himself always presided at the organ during the perform-
ance of his oratorios, and gave the instrumental part all the
requisite fulness and richness by his own inimitable
manner of accompaniment. As this could be done by
nobody but himself, it was with the view of
supplying the delLioney that Mozart made addi-
tions to the scores of several of the oratorios. Since
Mozart's time, attempts of the seine kind have been
made by other hands. They have generally ►een clum.y
and overdone ; and we do not know any one but Costa who
has successfully imitated Mozart in his skill, delicacy, and
respect for the text of the composer.
The performance of last evening differed from those of
last season only in one respect, bat it was a remarkable
one—the whole of the contralto part was sung, for the first
time, by Madame Viardot Garcia, who is at present paying
• very short visit to England. At the last Birmingham
Festival she sang in this oratorio, but it was only
• single air, "Ye sons of Israel," which she gave
with an intensity of feeling and effect that de-
lighted and moved everybody. Last night she
sang the whole part, including several brief recitatives,
which aro usually omitted, because it requires a powerfully
dramatic singer to render them impressive, and dramatic
force is not • quality in which our English oratorio singers
generally excel. Madame Viardot, by the clearness, ex-
presides, and varied emphasis of her musical speech, gave •
meaning and effect to these fragments of recitative which
we n heard bestowed upon them before. She sang the
two great airs belonging to her part, "Return, 0 God of
Hosts," and" Ye Sons of Israel," with the exquisite beauty
and profound sensibility to be expected from an artist so
peerless in the highest branches of her art. The other
principal singers were Miss Birch, Mr. Lackey, Mr. ♦Veiss,
and Mr. Lawler. They acquitted themselves exceedingly
well, lacking nothing but a larger share of dramatic force
and energy.

The gorgeous choruses were song with immense power,
and Mr. Costa's beautiful orchestral accompaniments
"went"