The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-11-09 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRF.

The melo-drame of Jockn, 11w Broziliaw Monkey, was
last night perfarmetl in order to give Monsieur Mazurier
an opportunity to display the extent of his mimetic powers
before a London audience. Jock() is a heroic animal, such
a one as it delighteth Mr. Martin to honour. He preserves
the life of his benefactor's son, and enriches him with
jewels larger than the Pitt diamond, wherever he contrives
to pick them up; yet, unfortunately, Jocko is slain. In
the midst of his humane exertions the fatal bullet is sped,
and a deadly gash inflicted in the pink lining of Jeeku's
' hairy integuments. In tooth "'twas pitiful, 'twas won-
' (irons pitiful," and might draw tears from the heart of a
mill-stone, to witness the "last kick" of the humane and
:hirsute creature. "What is sublime you turn to farce,"
says the poet • but. the original planner of this incident
resolved to realise the converse of the proposition, and turn
his farce into the sublime. Monsieur Mazuricr kicked
through the catastrophe iu a most moving manner; every
plunge was pathetic. ‘Ve advise the established tragedians
to look to their laurels.

However, tooth to say, we prefer " Punch," and to our
simple thinking, Alazurier is greater in the comical than the
condoling more unapproachable at the symbol of the man
than as the representative of the monkey. Your " 'Ereles'
vein" is not quite to our taste—we had rather laugh than
cry any day in the week. Not that we mean to say Alazu-
rier's performance was not vety clever and exceedingly cha-
racteristic, but the monkey is not so good a subject as
" Universal Punch,
Who, knit with graceful Judy in the dance,
Leads on the eternal spring !"
Besides, it did not afford this extraordinary posture master
equal scope for the display of his incomprehensible atti-
tudes. He has no opportunity to twist himself round
a pole like a piece of packthread ; shoulder his leg like a
musket ; or go to sleep laying his head in the centre of the
"os coccygis, as on a pillow. The springs, leaps, pos-
tures, and attitudes, were nevertheless clever, and exceed-
ingly true to their prototype. An ancient Egyptian would
have worshipped bun. For ourselves we are well content,
if we cannot witness his ape-othoosis, to write his ape-
ology ! •

Ann.rnt THLATIRE.—On Monday night this theatre
was crammed at the first rush. The following names,
among others, are on the Lox-book list:—Marquis of
Graham; Lords Lowther, Carrington, Tullaghmore. and
Nugaptt ; Countess of Arran, Countess of Dunraven, Hon.
Mra. Leeson, &c. &c. The scene of the Arid weathering
the storm in 7'hc Pilot is, no doubt, the principal attrac-
tion.

' On Saturday se'unight the Edinburgh Theatre closed ;
Mr. Murray addressed the audience, and announced the
ent of Mr. Vandenhoff and Miss Nod, and also
statelaTattrt n,
fur the enstag season, they had secured the
occasional assistance of Mr. Macready, Mr. Mathews, Mr.
Charles limbic, Mr. Liston, Mr. Sinclair, and he had
little hesitation in adding Mr. Young.
PAISLEY EA TR T. 011 Tuesday evening Miss Foote
made her first appearance here, in the character of Letitia
Hardy. Although the prices were raised, the theatre was
respectably filled, and there were a immix r of ladies both
in the boxes and pit. ll'hen Miss Foote first came on the
stage she was received with some applause ; but neither
then nor during the performance were the plaudits loud or
hearty—they were, however, though faint, untningled with
any tokens of disapprobation. Her performance of the
character was respectable enough, but was not marked
by any striking originality of conception, or brilliancy of
execution. In her song, " Where are you going, my
pretty maid," she displayed much archness and nal pet,',
and considerable taste as a singer. I;er celebrated waltzing
song was decidedly the most exquisite and finished part of
the performance; but this did not seem exactly to suit the
taste of the spectators, as not even the indecorous plaudits
of her father, who was seated in the boxes, could obtain
for it that mark of approbation which was conferred on the
more showy dancing of the Misses Villars.—Scolch Paper.
ANCIENT PRICE or LADOUR.—In the year 1359,
25th Edw. 111. wages paid to hay-makers was Id. a day.
A mower of meadows 3d. a day, or sd. an acre. Reapers
of corn in the first week of August, 2(1. in the second,
3d. per day, and so on till the end of August, without
meat, drink, or other allowance, finding their own tools.
For threshing a quarter of wheat or rye, 21d. ; a quarter of
barley, beans, pease, and oats, lid. A master carpenter 3d.
a day, other carpenters 2d. A master mason 111 per (lay,
other masons &I. anditheir servants I per day. '1 ilcrs
and their " knaves' lid. Thatchers 3d. per day, and
their knaves 14d. Plasterers, and other workers of mud
Malls, and their knaves in the like manner, without meat
or drink, and this from Easter to Michaelmas ; and from
that time less, according to the direction of the Justices.

LITERARY GLEANINGS.

No. LVI I.

ON ENGLISH AND ITALIAN TONE IN SINGING.
It has been laid down in BACON'S Elements of V,_
cal Science,roly o
that
the lips,atiwrtie
tone is " that which neither partakes
too iongmonth,
outh, the throat, or the head
hut which comes freely from the chest, and is delivered
justly (without undergoing any perceptible alteration) from
that particular place in its passage which we learn by sym.
pathy, and which we perceive to be exactly the Mlle in
well-taught singers, instructed according to the old Italics
method. A tone so generated and so emitted is the pure
natural voice." Ido not dissent from this definition, but
the difficulty seems to me to lie in ascertaining the claims
of :he throat and the head. Any pollution by the lips or
mouth is instantly to be detected, and always to be ab.
horred. But it is not quite so easy to distinguish the limits
where the dominions of the throat and heath are to be
divided, marked, and assigned. It appears to me that
science and nature ate at variance upon this point. The
throat confers fulness, richness, body—the head, el, arness
and brilliancy. I would however he considered to speA
with due reservation. A voice decidedly throaty or thick
and one decidedly thin and heady, arc equally remor(ti
from that tinge of either on which lam treating. A sing.
er " with a whole cathedral in his dime," a " with s
conventicle in his nose," as the common:enpression pc;
is not the object of my speculation. I allude to such per.
sons as have just predominance enough of the bead si
throat to enable judges to dispute about the propriety et
such a formation of tone.

Let us proceed to examples; and as the tone of female
voices is generally the most easily analysed, I shall draw
my first instances (tons the ladies of the profession.
The fullest, richest, and sweetest voice I know is that of
Miss Love—but it is as certainly polluted by the thew
and the mouth. No Italian would allow this tone to ap.
proach even to purity—yet it is very pleasing, not to say
more pleasing than that of any other contralto singer.
The tone of Madame RONZI DE BEGIN'S is as clearly
too much from the head. This formation it is which fires
that " infantine quality" which has been the subject ef
remark in her memoir, and which, though she has gotten
rid of a great part of this fault of late, is still to be felt as
a drawback upon her performance.
The voice of Miss Ws tau xso x, the young lady who ha
appeared this season at the Ancient Concert, is rich, from
the fact that it is in a degree throaty—so much so Wad,
that I question whether, if this fault were corrected, in
quality would remain. Her's is, perhaps, a ease more
completely in point than that of Miss Love. The moment
Miss Wilkinson breathes a note, a practised ear revolts--
an Italian would clap his hand upon his throat, and en.
claim " gola!" It is nevertheless extremely doubtful
whether this doth not confer the chief excellence of her
tone. Yet it impedes her facility and lessens the brilliancy.
It, seems that the Italians have adopted a novel manner of
forming the low notes of a contralto—at least, Ido not re.
collect to have heard such as are produced by Matinee
PASTA before. Her lower notes were what the French
critics call sone state r. that is, they were not clear, be
came forth husky. This is the consequence of the apf,
cation of too much force, and is overcome by industrious
practice. Madame Pasta's low tones were this season much
less husky than before.
The tone of Mrs. SALMON'S voice is formed high, Innis
beyond question exceedingly pure and beautiful. Miss
&resit ewes is more rich and full, yet perhaps equally pare.
Now I conceive the difference between these the best sad
purest of all our English singers to lie merely in the fact,
that Miss Stephens makes greater use of her throat than
Mrs. Salmon—the consequence is, Mrs. Salmon can exe-
cute with more volubility and freedom than Miss Stephebs
—Miss Stephens can give greater expression in declamation
than Mrs. Salmon.

The question that puzzles me is as follows:—There are
many voices which, by a very slight additional
ment of the powers of the throat, would gain sweetness laid
richness—but the instant one hears the least tinge of this
guttural tone, science whispers us it is against the rule,
although we can but own the tone to be, so far aspics,*
the car alone is concerned, more agreeable. It seems to
me, that a consciousness of the elanger which attends this
innovation—the certain knowledge of its fatal final effects,
which those who have been in the habit of training or it.
tending to the training of the voice apprehend—this for
sciousness I say instantly abates the pleasure the mat
improvement of the tone bestows, and forbids as it was
our gratification from an indulgence that we know it no:
legitimate.
Of all the voices I have ever beard, that of Mahn
CATALAN! I thitik must be admitted to be the mostly*?
nificent both as to tone and volume. It is superior in she
the Italians called niefullo di yore. Is this minify the
consequence of the manlier of its formation ? I hay
lately heard a voice quite as powerful, but wanting in a
degree the round, full, sonorous quality. The Often I
have remarked make me very curious to ascertain whole
this quality be from the formation or from the inellowre:
of time. If memory does not deceive me, Catalani's tax
twenty years ago was not so full as it now is, but was ors:
rich, more golden, if I may use such a similitude, which
Ido in reference to the term " enctallo." At present dim
appears more volume, but it has lost acme of its origiral
lustre. It is like a copper-gilt vessel, from which ECII7t
of the gilding is worn oft—or rather like a piano-forte, the
hammers of which are grown hard by use. That die
Ilalien tbrenditiott has a tendency to increase the nasality
the singer grows old, I have constantly observol—thy
leng/i.rh formation tends to augment the throaty quality.
Of this the most pregnant instance was to be found e:
Madame CAMPORESE—to whose style and principles
singing few will object. Just before her retirement he
tone was grown exceedingly nasal, so much so, that .1
singing duets with her in private, I have been perfaily
astonished at her formation. 1 have also observed it is
the orchestra. I could quote other instances, but one sue:
is sufficient. Still however the main question remains e
he solved. Is the metalh)--the quality—in any comidee
able degree the effect of art, or is it the mere prepiey
of nature ? That nature has given to Madame Catalan
larger and more powerful organs than to others is heycre
doubt, but still there may be, and there is I am parseaihl
much that is imp()) tent in the manner of empleyffig tiie
organs, and I potently believe there has been a great attic'
tion both of quality and volume from time and use.
If we extend our inquiry to the phsnoinena arose
male voices, we shall find similar cases. The some re!e
appears to hold throughout all classes. Mr. lie .11'..,!;
has an organ, in point of strength and quality, like t: stir
CATALAN', though nothing is more difficult than to :eye-
bolt' distinctly the real propel ties of his true tonc--v
much does he vary from the standard in exec-title:l.
is sometimes even a little throaty. often extremely ha.:
and nasal ; yet I will venture to affirm, that the nue ere-
thy was, and is, superior in respect of VOIWIT, paw, r,
ness and brilliancy to any tenor I ever Titre
had its efibet on his voice : it has retie.al somewhat
volume, but has lost in brilliancy—it has gained stro•c.•!
and lost flexibility. With an organ net ttrally less pew. lee
Mr. SAPIO has obtained fine quality (when he does:-
overstrain his voice), by a high Italian formation.
moment he forces it, his intonation fails. This is not.:'
defect alone—it is common to all voices—hut the reeesil
mention it here is, because I think that voices formed he.:
are liable to fail with less strain upon them than thsi
which come more from the throat—for the same tc:•::
that thin voices go out atone sooner than thick, is
moody observed. Mr. VAUGHAN'S voice is of 1..14'w
formation. It is certainly has artificial, and tee, tin.:'
as pure as any Italian voice I ever heard. It
brought out nearer the throat, and is therefore not so
liant nor so facile in execution as Mr. Sapio's er 3.•
liraham's.
The Italian base voices appear to me incomparable feet
than those of most English base singers; for example . :
of Signors ANGRisANt and Remo RINI. Our best
singers, who take the character of base, have bun
tortes. Messrs. BARTLEM A N and BELLA Aty were lice,t
cf
this class. Messrs. LACY and SALE indeed have legit:Leta,
base voices, and that of the former it particularly fine
~
round in quality, and as superior in power. Mr. et 36.
voice affords a magnificent foundation in a glee.
.was taught by RAuzziNl,anti i suspect the Italian fr,ti
tion is by far the best for this apt cies of voice.—tht, •• •
Muskat Magyythe and Re:•:.•tp:: 7 Se! I.ISVP.