The Express.
London, England, 1868-09-12 00:00:00

11 USIC.

THE GLOUCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
LO UCESTEIL ratDAT.

The closing day of the festival has been bright-
ened I.y the same beautiful weather that has
stare on the previous performances, with a tem-
perature again similar to that of midsummer heat.
Aveording to festival usage, the final performanee
this morning was appropriated to the sublimed
of all oratorios, and tha. which lamest appropriate
to such an occasion as having beer most largely
associated with charitable and benevolent pur-
poses—Handel's Messiah. The very find perform-
ance of this oratorio watt in aid of the cause of be-
nevelenee at Dublin, in April, 1742, " for the re-
bel of the prisoners in the several jails, and teethe
support of Mercer's Hospital, in Stephen's-
street, and of the eharitable infirmary on the Inn's
Quay," according to the oft-quoted announcement
in Faulkner's Journal of the period. It may par-
hap be considered a matter of congratulation that
the decline of Handel's guava at that
time, and many surrounding adverse cir-
sunistances, to use Pope's words, " drove
him to the Hibernian shore ;" as, in all
" Mr. Handere new grand oratorio,
called the Messiah," would, at that time, have
failed here (as signally as it succeeded there), as
it did indeed, notwithstanding the additional ate
trucks, on its reproduction, of " some concertos
on the organ by Mr. Handel." If, however, ling-
land then behaved ungratefully to the great com-
poser (and she certainly did, and as certainly he
found a readier appreciation, at the time, in the
sister island), she hes made ample amends for it
ever after, as the transcendent merits of the
Mrseiu h were speedily recognised in this
ecs'ntry. where it has ever since formed an in-
dieteueable item in the programme of every great
musical oe'ebnition. No work of art and genius
elan be cited which has brought such large and
continuous streams of money aid to philanthropic
purposes. In many ways did Handel (who, like
Dr. Johnson. " had nothing of the boar about him
but hie skin ") serve such causes, but never so
effectually and so lastingly as by the production
of this, the sublimest of all his many oratorios.
During the century and a quarter that has elapsed
since its first performance the Messiah has con-
tinually been the source of large benefits to many
institutions, including the Royal Society of
Musicians, which owes its earliest means of serv-
ing the high purpose it has so worthily fulfilled
to the large PUMP which fell to its share front the
profits of the Handel Commemoration in 178.1, and
the festivals of the two following years—the
society being also, in other ways, especially iden-
tified with the name of Handel, who moreover
bequeathed it a legacy of 1,0001.
To-day's performance of the Messiah was fully
worthy of the work and of the occasion. The
opening recitative. " Comfort ye," and air,
" Every valley," were given by Mr. Sims Reeves
with an elevation and fervour of religious feeling
that have never been transeetnieci even by him-
self, and scarcely ever approached by any other
tenor—and the same remark may be applied to his I
singing of those affecting recitatives, " All they
that see Him," " Thy rebuke," and " He was cut
off;" and the intensely pathetic airs, " Behold
and see," and " But Thou didat not leave "
while the difficult declamatory solo, " Thou
Shalt dash them," was given with that power
without effort, which is so rarely realised in music
so arduous in execution. The principal soprano
solos were assigned to Mdlle. Titiens, whose many
varied performances throughout the week have
teen among the most prominent and valuable
features of the festival. It is only during recent
seasons that this versatile artist has given the
English public an opportunity of appreciating her
powers and merits as an oratorio singer, by
proving that brilliancy of execution and dramatic
force lire not incompatible with the more sub-
limated style of sacred music. In the bravura
air. " Rejoice greatly," the vocal difficulties of
which. to speak frankly, are the chief character-
istics of a song scarcely in keeping with the
general sublimity of the oratorio, Mdlle. Titiens
diiplayed those high executive accomplishments
which its effective performance requires ; while in
the expression of the deeply pathetic, yet hopeful
sentiment of the air, "I know that my Redeemer."
this artist proved her thorough appreciation of its
vi ry dire: out and far higher character. Madame
Fainte n-Lolby gave the airs "He shall feed."
aid "He was despised" (the latter with the
Ft cowl pert, which is frequently omitted) with
that inter se pathos which has long charalteriseel
Ler erformance of such music. Mille. Drasdil
sang the solo " 0 Thou that tellest" very eff.ei-
tiveiy. and 11(111e. I.iebbart's clear soprano voice
t.s Lard to advantage in the solo " Come unto
Ilim." which forms a repetition, in a higher key,
of the pie et ding contralto air, " He shall feed his
f and ii. the air "If God be for us." To
Miss Edith Wynne was assigned the salaam-) air
in the 1.. coral part, " How beautiful are the feot,"
arcl to no one Letter qualified for its performance
could it Lave le en given. Mr. Santley's fine voice
and finish‘ll style and execution gave, as on so
many previous oceusiens, full effete to the derlatita-
Vet. la ug, " 1i by do the nations," and the tar " The
T. mere t shall sound," the abbliaato accompani-
ment for the instrument referred to being, as
usual, in the skilled hands of Mr. Thomas Harper.
Mr. Lewis Thomas sang the air " But who may
abide," and the wondrously suggestive " The
people that walked in darkness," with good
effect; and Mr. Rigby gave valuable aid in the
quartets and duet (with Mdlle. Drasdil) near the
end of the oratorio. Again to-day, notwithstand-
ing the great and incessant fatigues of the pre-
vious performances, the chorus-singing was es-
ecially admirable for quality and balance of
tone and power, and readiness and pre-
cision of execution. The grand choral
writing in this sublime oratorio, sung
by such excellent choristers, produced a profound
effect ; especially in those well known but never
too familiar choruses " For unto us," " Halle-
lujah ;" and the splendid climax of the work,
" Worthy is the Lamb," and the concluding fugal
" Amen." The cathedral was crowded to excess,
a usual result on the Messiah day; the next best
attendance having been on Wednesday, when
Elijah was given ; proving the tuidiminiehed at-
tracticn of these great oratorios, and perhaps, in
acme degree, a preference for entire works to a
series of seleetions.

The collection on this, the final day of the fes-
tive}, amounted to Mat., and further donations are
still c xpectui.
Ws dnesday evening's concert (the second) in
the Shire-hall promoted several features of great
interest, commencing with Mendelseohn's cantata,
The First Wutpurfits Night. This great creation of
dramatic musical genius is one of the many proofs
which its composer has left of bin capacity for
the highest order of stage music. The distinct
oolour and individual character which ho ;has in-
fused into this and other such works for chamber
pertormance—the broad Doric simplicity and
grandeur of his music to Antigone and tEdiptse,
the bright airy grace and genial beauty of his
setting of the Midsummer Night's Dream, and the
weird-like tone of sombre romance diffused
through the work now specially referred to—all
these characteristics, so appropriately and so per-
fectly realised, and so opposite in style, serve to
prove what a loss was involved in the non-oomple-
tion of his grand romantic opera Loreley, inter-
ruptod, with many other noble projects, by
his untimely death in 1847. Weber himself
has never exceeded the intensely dramatic power
displayed in the mimic of the Wa/purgis Night,
which, moreover, has an occasional vein of reli-
gious elevation and devotional sublimity, especially
in the music for the Druid priest, with the choral
'Response near the close, that that composer could
never approach. The Walpurgia Night is also one
of many examples of Mendelssohn's scrupulous
conscientioueneni and earnest labour in working
tip to the highest possible standard within his
power of attainment. No work was allowed by
him to go forth until he had thougbly satisfied he;
most scrupulous self-judgment. The H'alpurgis
.Night, brought out in 1843, had been almost
entirely reconstructed during the period of some
twelve years that had Warmed since its
first projection. lie performance ma Widnes-