The Express.
London, England, 1857-06-13 00:00:00

OF CHORISTERS AT EXETER
HALL.

The whole body of choristers engaged in the
Mad Festival, notaberiag two thousand, were OMP

gregated in Ezeier-hall, last evening, for the purpose of
a general rehearsal. Some difficulties in the arrangement of
so large a body have been got over, the conductor being in
full view of every one. The bed plan possible has been
adopted. Last night the chorus were placed in double choir,
as they will be on the bred or Egypt day ; trebles occupy
tag the usual orchestra, the altos the level space on the floor ,
between the north and south panted, the tenon com-
mencing at the raised mats, and the buses occupying the
west gallery and the space below It. A small portion of the
gallery between the first and mood bum was occupied by
about ninety ladies and gentlemen of rank and distinction
who had accepted invitations front the committee of the
Sacred Harmonic Society. The north gallery was also
similarly occupied. Among those present we noticed the
Dachau of Sueelench and Lady Victoria Scott, Countess
Hinnoull, Lady Detainees, Earl of Shaftesbury and the Hon.
E. Ashley, the Marquis of Westminster, Earl Howe, Lord
Ward, Marquis d'Azeglio (Sardinian Minister) , Admiral,
Lady. and Mies Swinburne ; the Dean of Westminster and
Mr. French, Mr. Ernest Bunsen, Rev. Canon Wood, Mr.
Layard, Colonel Malcolm and Mrs. Malcolm, Cardinal Wise-
man, Sir Charles and Lady Eastlake, Mr. Thackeray, Mr.
H. Cole, Mr. J. Scott Russell, Sir H. Fownall, Lady and
Mies Mayne, Mrs. H. Baring, Re.
Mr. Coate was placed on a raised platform, about the
centre of the hall, the large bees drum, manufactured for the
Sacred Harmonic Society by Mr. Men, being In front of
the orchestra ; a pair of kettle drums and four serpents oc-
cupying desks in the body of the ball.
The Teheran' began about seven o'clock. It consisted of
choruses eel ccted from the oratorios about to be performed during

the Festival. The music, of anima WY heard to disarm.:
tage ; the hall being nearly fall of the singers, from whom
the listeners were not separated in such a way se to perrelse
so clearly so they will do at the Crystal Palace. The malt,

nevertheless, was sstistai tory. '1 he provincial trap;
though they Woe not been brigaded" together before, moved
under the boon of Marshal Gera with laudali!e precision,
and the Wort, in room of the choruses, was mad
even to aulaimity. Tide was pre-eminently the came
with the situpendous " with the chorus, "0
Father, whose Almighty power," from Joffe, Marrahrus.
and with "O never Low we down," and several others limn
the same oratorio. At the Crystal Palace, thornier; we
may anticipate t never yet rmilised by Afoul hsnoesy.
The previni ail choristers, iu their several Lidies, arrived
in London only yesterday. The largest and most important
of these bodies came front Birmingham anti the neighbouring
midleod district, to the number of two hundred and fifty.
They had Loeb selected with great care Ly Mr. James Oliver
Almon, whew !chows in lielmlf of the Binaingliow Musical
Festival have corned him a good repute. Before their departure
• general miasmal took place on Thundoy evening in the
great Town-ball, which woo crowded to the dis,rs by the
public of the town. The Yorkiiiire district kr-
nielied (under the direction of Mr. Sao-rad Smith, of
Bradford) 200 choke chorslists. From Liverpool 60 at.
tended, headed by Mr. Henry Stenos-, the se-rerary of tie
Philharmonio Society; 50 also from Lublin cent Ohm puts
of Ireland, 'Alerted by Mr. George Gray. Moors. Does,
Smith, and Anegt provided • considerable free from the
feetivals of Woreeeter, Ilereford, and Gloucester; the thorn
master of Norwich, Mr. Still, had also hie portion of aid in
good wearing order. Canterbury, Ely, Esoter, Well;
Bristol, Lincoln, Winchester, end other csittearel towns.
with Oxford and Cambridge, render ellicient service, and,
with the gentlemen and boys from St. George's Chapel,
Windsor, slag seleotions from the Chapels Royal and the
metropolitan Corps, fureish te nnnwiical amount of practical
choral singers ouch as bas never been assembled.

SEVERE TENTING 1W TILE MONSTER OReIIE,TRA.
—Oa Thursday afternoon, shortly after five o'clock, the
visitors at the Crystal Palate wc,ra somewhat alarmed at

hearing a great rattle and uproar in the direction of the
Handel Festival orehestrit. On proceeding thither the noise
wee found to priseed from the feet of between 400 and 500
of the workmen reined at the Palace, who had been calla
together to tint its capabilities for bearing henry moving
bodies. This was done moat effectually. At a given signs]
I the whole body of men ins mass embed front bottom to top
' and down again es rapidly as possible, the quick patter of se
many heavy boots on the wooden steps making a very lost
noise. AU parts of the orchestra were then subjected to •
still more severe trod. The teen were ordered to stand close
together and to leap up at the same instant; this was dons
several times on different parte of it, but not the aliened
effect was produced to cause any apprehension respecting
its capabilities fur bearing a considerably greater weight than
will be plated upon it. On Whit Monday nearly 2,000
person, were moving on it at one tine during the preform,
once of the military band there.