Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

NORWICH, SEPT. 16.
The Eastern Counties Railway Company have afforded
great facilities to those who may feel inclined to visit
Norwich during tha festival. Return tickets, from all
stations, at a single fare for a day, and at a fare and a
half for the week, have tempted others to come who
might otherwise have stayed away through nthtives of
economy. From Lowestoft, Yarmouth, Lynn, Summer
Lefton, Fakenham, Dereham, &c., the excursion trains
bring constant reinforcements. The arrivals to-day have
been incessant, and the hotels and lodging-houses are
likely to reap a golden harvest. The weather continues
extremely favourable, so much so that the atmosphere of
Norwich has assumed an unfamiliar brightness.
The " lions' of Norwich are various and interesting,
not to speak of St. Andrew's Hall (at present monopolized
by " singing men and women," blowers, scrapers, and
thumpers upon instruments, whose exclusive business is
the festival), or the cathedral (a noble specimen of the
Anglo-Norman style, with its spire visible, in clear wea-
ther, nearly 20 miles to northward), the venerable Guild-
hall, containing among other objects, the veritable mace
of Queen Elizabeth—the market-place, where at the
south-west corner stands the parish church of St. Peter
Mancroft, one of the fiaest examples in this country of
the later poin'ed architecture, and renowned far and wide
for its bells and its ringers—half-a-dozen smaller churches,
the most curious of which aro St. St. Gregory's,
and St. Peter per Mounter gate—the bridges acroQs the
Wensurn, chiefly to be noted for their antiquity—the
scanty remnant of the ancient walls, together with other
things too numerous to specify, are one and all worthy
inspection, and render the metropolis of East England,
which, less than two centuries ago, was the third city in
the kingdom, and " the chief seat of the chief manufacture
of the realm," an object of interest both to the antiquary
and to the man of taste who admires the beautiful in every
shape without caring to inquire very deeply about its
origin.

The first evening concert, as we have hinted, was of a
very mixed character, consisting chit fly of a hodge-podge
of pieces for the Italian singers, selected from the operas
just now most in vogue. Such an entertainment, however
tedious it might seem to the jaded ear of the London
amateur, served nevertheless to engross and fascinate the
Norwich audience. A more brilliant assembly was never
perhaps assembled in a provincial concert-room. The
ladies of Norfolk outshone themselves, and more than
vindicated their claim to be ranked among " the fairest of
the land." The hall being lighted with profuse liberality
imparted a dazzling splendour to the scene, and the
prospect from the eastern gallery (whero the president,
vice-presidents, and their families are stationed), which
embraced at once the nave, the aisles on either side, and
the well-proportioned orchestra backed by the towering
organ, the mign of the French ship Genereux at the
apex, and an army of singers and players at the base, was
in its way unsurpassable. According to custom, we
subjoin the programme of the first concert, as an average
example of the harmonious banquets administered to
patrons of the festival.

PART I.

Overture—" Buy Bias" .. „Mendelssohn.
Quartett—" Over the dark Elue
Cavatina —" Batti, batti" .......... ...... Mozart.
Aria—" Il into tesoro" ........
Duetto—" La ci darem"
Sc,na, Aria —" Mi tract" .... ..... M ozart.
Ssitetto —" Sola, so:a" •• .. •... Mozart.
Scene—" Ocean ! thou mighty monster" .. .... Weber.
Duetto—" All' idea di guel metal o"
Descriptive Cantata —" Tam 'Shanter" Howard Clover.

PART 11,

Overture—" anillaume Te 1" Rozsinl.
Song—" Those Evening Pens" ......
Barcalora ar d Chorus—" Am:co 11 picciol legno" Anber.
Duetto —" Pdrigi o (Ara"
Fantasia—Violin
Romanza—" Di Provenza"..
Romanza—" Spirt° gentil"
Duettino— ' SulP aria" .
Song —" The Battle King" .
Quartetto and Chorus—" Chi my Frena" Donizetti.
Overture—" Le Nozze di Fig tro" ...... Mozart.

Here was enough and to spare,,hut not too =eh for
the audience, au was suggested by the fact that until the
overture to Figaro (composed by Mczart in one of his
hours of unclouded merriment) had commenced, not a
lady or a gentleman began to stir. The " stars "of the
evening—or at least the singers about whom the greatest
degree of excitement prevailed—were Mademoiselle
Piccolomini and Signor Giuglini. The " pet of the opera,"
as Mademoisrlle Piccolomini has been designated, was in
her liveliest mood, and exerting all her powers to please,
succeeded to admiration. She thoroughly captivated her
hearers in "La ci darem." She not merely sang the
notes, but as usual—suiting the action to the words and
music—gave full dramatic significance to this exquisite
inspiration of Mozart. a more genial reading of which
was never heard. This and (Longo intervcalo) " Parigi o
eara," where the repentant Traviata abandons herself to
her last fond daydream, Mademoiselle Piccolomiai was
compelled to repeat, at the urgent solicitation of the
assembly. In "La ci daram" she was assisted by Signor
Belletti, in Verdi's (bet by Signor Giuglini. Both
these accomplishel vocalists sang their best, and
shared the honours with the " enfaate gate" of the Lon-
don public. In Batti, batti," Mademoiselle Piccolomini
was most ably accompanied on the violoncello by Herr
Hausmann, an old favourite at Norwich, and a capital
player in the bargain. Signor Giuglini's great success
was in the well-known romance from the Favorite, which
he sang with a grace and feeling that won unanimous
sympathy, and resulted in a second encore, the same com-
pliment having Leen previously accorded to his Il mit)
tesore." The other song in the Don Giovanni selection,

" Mi tradi quell alma ingrata," Elvira's denunciation of
Giovanni, was entrusted to Mademoiselle Leonhardi
(Fraulein L"onhard ?), a young lady from Hamburg,
about whose capacity as a vocalist we are unable to say
anything at present. Surely it was ill-judged to allot so
difficult a piece to a beginner. The famous and incom-
parable sestet, "Sola, sofa,' by Madame Novelle
Mademoiselle Piccolomini, Mr. and Madame Weiss,

Signors Giuglini and Bolletti worthily crowned the solec_
tion. Mademoiselle Leouhardi was put
_down for a
seprano part in this, but not being equal to the task
Madame Novelle undertook it impromptu. Our English
artists, to their credit be It said, are always ready, at a
moment's notice, in classic ii music. " Ocean, thou mighty
monster" (which Madame Nevello seoms to have no idea of
abondoning at present) needs no deserip:ion. 'Lie spark-
ling duet from the Blrb:ere was given with admirable
ease and fluency by Signors Gardon and Belletti.
Mr. lloward Glover's Tam 0' Shanter was performed
with great spirit, and as regards orchestra and chorus,
with greater correctness than on any p^evious occasion.
Mr. Miranda, ton, Mr. Glover's pupil, although he had to
contend with the formidat is memory of Mr. Sims Reeves

(toe whom the cantata was expressly written), entitled
himself to high praise for the energy of his declamation
and his good taste and extreme carefulness with which he
delivered the tenor solo=. This young gentleman has a
voice worth cultivating, and seems inclined to take ad—
vantage of nature's gift, Tam O'Shanter met with a right
hearty reception, and deserved it. The term "character-
istic" is not applied to this composition without reason'
since, in additio to its remarkable merits as a musical
work, it is stamped throughout with a character that
cannot be misunderstood. It aims at Imitating the Scotch
style of melody, and perfectly succeeds in accomplishing
what it was not easy to accomplish without falling into
vulgarity. Mr. Glover's good judgment has saved him
from this danger, and while every piece, chorus, and solo
is the cantata is instinct with the Scottish element of tune'
there is not one that can be accused of either parody or
plagiarism. "Inspiring, bold Jahn Barleycorn" (to single
out one instance from many) is neithsr more nor less than
a frank and genial melody in excellent keeping with the
graphic lines of Burns, and qnite worty of them. The
continued success of -'a .n O'Shanter Is, therefore, not to be
wond Ted at,and the influence of Mendelssohn's captivating
manner, perceptible in the orchestral accompaniments,
only adds a charm the more to the whole.
Mr. Pierson's new setting of " Those evening bells" is
as unlike the old Russian tune to which Moore allied
them as one thing can well be unlike another. The
former is just as laboured as the latter is simple and
unaffected. But why reset words that cannot,without an
effort, he separated in the mind from the melody for which