The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-11 00:00:00

WORCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

WORCESTER, MONDAY.

The 143rd meeting of the three choirs of
Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester, for the benefit of
the widows and orphans of clergymen of the three
dioceses, my be said to have opened at noon to-day with
the rehearsal of mend music at the cathedral, since these
rehearsals have been opened to the publics by the
offer of half-guinea tickets. The principle have all
arrived. It has already been found necessary to provide
additional accommodation for visitors, so extraordinary
has been the demand for tickets. All the principal (15e.)
reserved seats in the nave of the cathedral for the
Mestia• day were disposed of three weeks ago ; and the
additional (I 0 a.) seats on the choir are rapidly filling up. On
the other mornings the places show nearly the same result.
The programme for the festival may be briefly sketched.
To-day has been devoted to rehearsals. Three or four
hours have been well employed this morning in this way at
the cathedral, and with the sacred music, and especial at-
tention has been given to Costa's work, which is new to
many of the chorus. This evening there will be two or
three hours' work with the rehearsal of the secular mode
at the College-hall. The actual festival may be said to
open as many often conclude—viz., with a feast. To-mor-
row morning the Mayor of Worcester (Mr. T. Southall)
gives a public breakfast at the Guildhall to the Bishop,
Boas and Chapter, 141.4111411 of the festival, and principal
%habitude of Wattmeter and the county, ladies being of
course included in the invitations issued. His worship
with the corporation and other guests will proceed thence
to the cathedral, where at noon the first performance of
sacred music -will eminence. The first morning's selection
consists of the Te Deem, composed by Handel after the
victory of Dettingen, and which was used for many years
at the morning service with which these festivals formerly
opened. The Te Deem is followed by a selection from
Costa's /footman, Haydn's oratorio the Creation, and
Mendelssohn's anthem, " Hear my prayer." It should be
mentioned that there is daily morning service at the
cathedral at an early hour ; the three choirs (strictly
waking) combining in the musical portion of the service.
At the first service, on Tuesday morning, the annual SWIMS
in aid of the charity will be preached by the Hon and Rev.
J. W. Leigh. Collections for the charity are made after
each of these services, and at the doors of the cathedral
after the oratorios. Wednesday morning will be devoted
entirely to Mendelssohn's oratorio Erich Mr. Bentley
taking the part of the Prophet ; Mr. Sims Reeves and Mr.
Cummings dividing the tenor soli, and Madame Bandon-
Dolby and Madame Patey-Whytock sharing the contralto
psis. Mdlle. Titian. sings the air " Hear ye, Israel,"
opening the second part of the oratorio. The cathedral
plan is almost filled up. for this morning. The programme
for Thursday morning is a lengthy one, comprising Spobr's
overture to The Lost Judimiatt ; Beethoven's Service in C;
• selection from Handel's Joshua •, and Mendelssohn's
Hymn of Praise. On Friday morning the never-tiring
erecter-piece of Handel, his oratorio of the Mearieh,
will be given entire, all the principals takinsi part in it.
The evening concerts present nothing novel in either of
the three, although no doubt experience has shown that
en audience capable of appreciating the solemn effect pro-
duced by the great works of Handel, Mendelasohn, Mozart,
and Haydn, can relish the lighter and fragmentary schemes
of secular music usually provided on these occasions.
Of the threeevening concerts the first (Tuellaci.c)ic perhaps
the best. The concert on Thursday brings toe close the
musical part of the festival, but there is a ball at the
Guildhall on Friday night, under the management of the
/ay stewards. As already stated, the oratorios are given in
the nave of the cathedral, which has been specially fitted
up for the purpose with seats and an orchestra.
The latter is erected at the foot of the west
window and faces the choir. The recent removal
of the organ and choir screen behind the choir and
nave throws open the centre vista from one end of the
cathedral to the other, and although not originally con-
templated the choir will be used em well es the nave for
seating the audience. This will give much extra specie,
all of which and more will be required, judging from
present appearances. The secular concerts are given at
the College Hall, tho ancient refectory of the monks of
Bt. Mary's, and now used as the Collage school ; there is •
permanent gallery and orchestra. The room, though bars,
is very lofty, and admirably adapted for music. The
Mayor's breakfast and the ball will be held in the Guild-
hall Assembly Room, a handsome end spacious apartment
in the centre of the city, erected on dig by Sir Christopher
I Wren'
The festival is under the especial patronage of her
Majesty the Queen, and the Lord Bishop of Worcester is
the president.
The principal vocalists are Mille. Mess, Madame
Leanem-Sherrington, Madame Saintoa-Dolby, Madame
ratey-Whytook, Mr. Sims Reeves Mr. Cummings, Mr.
Bentley, and Mr. Lewis Thomas. 'Stanton and Blagrove
lead the band. Dr. Wesley (organist of Gloucester Cathe-
dral) presides at the organ, Mr.Townshend Smith (organist
of Hereford), at the pianoforte, and Mr. Done, as organist
of Worcester Cathedral, conducts the festival morning and
evening.
The Great Western, the Midland, and the London and
North Western Railway Companies run special trains and
make special arrangements as to return tickets for the
festival week. The only anxiety that now troubles the
good folks of Worcester is the weather, and, as there is no
Admiral Fitzroy now whose forecasts might be consulted,
this becomes a question of more than usual importance, as
the many upturned eyes to-day Wert.

The Royal Exhibitions to the Royal School of
Mines, Jerroyn-street, and the Government School of
Science, Dublin, consisting of a year for three years
and free admission to the respective schools, which are
awarded by the Science and Art Department after the May
science examinations, have this year been awarded as fol-
lows. Those to the iloyal School of Mines to Gerntan
Green, aged 14, monitor at the Lower Islington Public
School, and Frederick J. M. Page, aged 17, son of a car-
riage-builder, London. Those to the Government School
of Science have been gained by Charles O. Stewart, aged
16, chemist, Camden-town, London ; John M'Allan, aged
22, chemist's assistant, Dublin ; and Stewart
jun., student of the Royal College of Chemistry, London,
Sir Frederick Madden has resigned the Keeper-
ship of the Manuscripts at the British Museum. From
about the year 1826, when he might be seen in the old
painted reading-ram of Montague-house, transcribing for
Mr. Petrie materials for the " History of Britain," be had
been connected with the museum. He is likely to be suc-
ceeded by Mr. Edward Bond, the Keeper of the Egerton
MSS., an erchieologist of equal standing.
Mr. Noble's statue of Sir John Franklin, the
Arctic explorer, has been erected in Waterloo-place, at the
side of the Atheneum Club. Mr. Foley's statue of Lord
Herbert of Lea, which is to be placed in front of the War-
office, Pall-mall, has been successfully cast in bronze.
ROYAL GENERAL DISPENSARY, BARTHOLOMEW-
cLosp..—A quarterly general court of the governors of this
institution, which is the oldest of its kind existing in the
count 7, having been founded so far back as 1770, was held
yesterday in the board-room of the dispetulary, No. 23,
Bartholomew-close ; Mr. W. C. Fowler in the chair. It
was resolved that a deputation from the committee of
the dispensary should wait upon the Mansion-house Cho-
lera Relief Committee with a memorial soliciting a grant
from the funds at their disposal. on account of the number
of diarrhoia patients relieved within the past three months,
and which are estimated at about I'l,ooo or 1:3,000. The
committee some time since issued an order that all patients
suffering from diarrhoia or cholera should be attended to
without a letter of recommendation. A satisfactory me-
port of the working of the dispensary was presented and
unanimously adopted, after which the proceedings termi-
nated with a vote of thanks to the chairman.
THE LONDON TRADE AND BENEFIT SOCIETIES
—At a special general meeting of the London Working-
Men's Association, held last night at the Brougham-
hall, Fleet-street, Mr. Bryon, who wes in the chair,
referred to the desirability of taking steps to get
the trades of London to use their organizations in
favour of the attainment of the franchise. Let the trades
of the United Kingdom but move on the reform question
and he would defy any government to resist the move-
ment. Several gentlemen had urged upon the association
that it should take up this important question, and re-
solutions on the subject would now be laid before the
meeting. The following resolutions were adopted :
" That this association, composed to a large extent of
members belonging to various trade organizations, is of
opinion that the time has now arrived when it becomes
both the interest and the duty of the trades of the United
Kingdom to follow the example set by the trades of the
Birmingham districts, and suspend for the moment their
non-political action, in order that the full power of their
organization may be brought to bear to attain
the right of the franchise fer their members."
" That this association is of opinion it is highly desirable
that a reform demonstration of the Metropolitan Trade
and Friendly Societies should take place, es • distinct
demonstration, at as early a period as possible, end hereby
instructs its committee to take immediate steps for obtain-
ing • preliminary delegate meeting of the trades and
friendly societies to make the necessary arrangements for
such a demonstration as that proposed."
SOUTH KaNSINOTON MUSEVIL—ViIitOIII during
the week ending Sept. 8: On Monday, Tuesday,
and Ssftrdey, free, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 8,204 •, en
Wednesday, Thweisy, and Friday (adinmeien 6d.) from
10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 1.277—t0ta1, 9,481. Average of cor-
responding week in former years, 11,407. Total from the
opening of the museum, 6,22,3303.