The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-11 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE.

To the Tonic Sol-Fa Association the public have
for several yews been indet4ed ler • very successful annual
fete, the juvenile concert ; and more recently they have
added a woad of these yearly meetings in the shape of an
Arcadian contest between choirs which have been instructed
oa Mr. Curwen's new system of musical notation. Yester-
day one of these choral competitions took place in the pre-
sence of several thousand audituts, and it appeared to
create • great deal of interest not only amongst the mends
of the respective champions, but in the sol.fa world at
large. Last year there were flee candiiLites for choral
honours, but in consequence of • rale which forbids win-
ners from entering the lists at the next succeeding encounter
the number on this occasion was reduced to three—Hull,
North Staffordshire, end Brighton, the choirs from which
places mustered each about one hundred strong.
Tie judges were Mr. John Goss, organist of St.
Paul's ; Mr. Gimege Bogart'', secretary of the Philharmonic
Society ; Mr. Thomas Oliphant, hon. secretary to the Mad-
rigal Society ; and Mr. James Turle, organist of We twin-
star. At the conclusion of the trial • number of additional
pieces were given by two of the prise choirs of 1860, namely,
Finsbury sad tics Potteries, all of which were exceedingly
well received bed some of theca encored. The wieners of
the first prise last year, namely, the West Richest:hole, were
not represented except by their leader, Mr. Loagbottom,
who conducted the grand concert. At half-put three the
company assembled in the great transept ; and the Handel
Orchestra was occupied by a chorus of 1.500 voices, supplied
by the choirs already enumerated and some thirty metropo-
litan classes. After !singing the National Anthem, a placard
was held upennouocing that the second prise had been car-
ried off by North Staffordshire ; and au elegant blue ban-
ner was acoordiugly banded to the fortunate winners, who
amidst loud cheering made the grand tour of the orchestra
with their new colours flying in their van. The
eel banner, constituting the first miss, was then handed,
with the same oerumouies, but with still more emphatic de-
motistratious of applause, to the Brighton choir. Order
being at length restored, the serious business id the after-
ewe commenced—the performaun of Mozart's Twelfth
Maw, or " Service," as it was maphemistiodly termed.
Instead of the brain text, however, the music was sung to
an English adaptation by Mr. Stallybrass, who doss not
appear to have been particularly happy either in Lis choice
of the words or in his setting of them. These " atlapta-
time " as an old vice of the association, but they have
rarely committed • more glaring mistake than in substi-
tuting for the Kyrie a string of phrases that would have
served for • jubilant anthem ; or fur replacing
" Cu. Sauelo Siuritu" with "Thou it gone up ou higli,
and led captivity captive'." The first movement was a
little unsteady, and the Uterus is em/as lacked something
of its proper vigour, as the first pieces is the programmes
of amateur concerts often du ; but the remaining portions
at the Mar were ailunothly rendered, asps 'orally the soft
carwhich uses given with great tenderness and
Altogether the perfornuinoe was one on which the
associatioa have good reason to pride themselves. It has
shown in • very etrikiog manner the perfect adaptability
of their notation to clerical commeitions ; and to
have enabled some 1,300 persons, the majority of whom in
all probability have never been able to read music at all, to
take part in such a corset is really an achievement on
which Mr. Curwen and li is friends sty well be congratulated.

THZ OXFORD Mum) HALL.—At this establish-
ment, when much ease and attention is bestowed on the
musical salectioes which are nielitly given to very full
audiences, the latest novelty is one foe which sums credit is
to be taken. It consists of an arrangement of portions of
Verdi's last opera, Siasoa Boreaiwgra, the name of which
has not been beard 1111 yet in any shape in this connive. A
numerous body of vocal erectitants, accompanied by
• band, deliver several mice, concerted pieces, sod
choruses, in • manner which, perhaps, the general
public might suppose was not within the compass or
an institution of this kind. There are singers far above the
average, and the training of every department has been
evidently carefully attended to by • conductor of no small
musical skill and knowledge, and the performance is in every
sense satuductory. This operatic selection is only • small
part of the entertainment, which extends over every species
of popular song, comic, sentimental and serious ; sod every-
thing that is produced is duly appreciated by those who
are Prestst, who enter keenly into tho enjoyment el the
evening.

DEATH MP TUE KIN() OF THE Girenti.—There !
has lately bees great grief in the gipey community at ,
Yetholm and throughout the district on account of their
venerable king, whose death took place on the 19th nit. It ;
in not right that one exalted so high above his kindred ,
should be laid in the duet without a wont of farewell over
his grave, especially when his reign WAS of a peaceable and '
not predatory character. Unlike some of his contemporary
monarchs, his rule was so mild that his subjects not only
1,1,10'604d a lord deference, 'out were tenderly attached to
him; while hie exemplary habit of abstaining faun interfe-
re:ace or aggression on the empire of others procured him
much of the good. will and respect of other " powers." While
his mid character and conduct was thus exemplary,
his personal demeanour gained him the respect of those
not acknowledging his sway. Hi. palace had been • house
of call fur many a tourist, and the conversation of the old
king was gelltlraly much relished. ilia most noticeable
habits were them of reading the Scriptures and chewing
tobacco, of which he frequently received considerable
gsantAka foot his visitors. The deceased king bore the
tlanpaMoo of Charles 1., being at lout the tint of that
Ids family who occupied the throne, and had
::alletho venerable age of Ati. A large company followed
his remains to their last resting place is Yetholm church-
yard. He leaves no one to seaweed to the erne ; but as
the monarchy is an elective one it is likely his successor will
be chosen mad crowned without as appeal to arms on the
part of any pretender.—Kelso Clumaide.
Tint SCUM STKAMISR AIIMINIAN.—Tbe Secretary
of the African Steam Ship Company writes to inform us
that the statement contained in the African mail, published
is our yestenley's inipreasion. that the company's steamer
Armeuiao bed been on Logos Bar is entirely without foun-
dation. The Armenian mired at Liverpool yesterday, two
days before the contract time, is perfect order.