The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-06 00:00:00

DIRMINGII Aif USICA f, FESTIVAL.

WEDNESDAY. OCT. 4.
The performances at St. Philip's church cominetreel this
morning with Handers fine overture to " Esther," which
is too well known to require a minute analysis. Mr. Bra-
bar; then executed the recitative in S .lurtsott," where he
complains of his blindness (by, we b• li ee, the same cont.
pose r). in a style that liter:Ally resembled an exe.:ution or
murder of pod music ; that celebrated line in particular,
" My very soul in real darkness dwells," he lininn:ed over
with a negligent irsipidity, totally at variance with the in.
tense feeling that Handel intended to pourtray. lie made
ample amends, however, by his moth: of singing " Total
eclipse," which follows. Mr. &litany gave as much tired
as 0,1.2 limited compass of his voce (an agreeable counter-
tenor) would allow, to Handers " Brave Jonathan," in the
t )ratorio of " Saul ;"hut as the air, though stamped with all
the sub'ime recu!iar.ti.Js of Handel, has never been very
attracti..e, at leest in England, we will not insist upon its
merit S,lectiotl . from. " The Tod el,:su" (death of
composed by Gratin foloweel, in which we were
deeply impressed—as, itlest:l, were -almost all who heard
them—wieh the thrilling grandeur of its chornsses. .1
richer treat than the opening, oie. of " The Lord
bath prepared his seat," whether we consider its con-
tinuous, yet far more monotonous solemnity, or the ptr-
tett simplicity of its composition, was never yet expe-
rienced. But perhaps the most remarkable, featnre in dna
selection was the recitative by Mr.l'hillips of ".'Tisdone;"
be worked out the idea which Graun hail conveyed in Lis
music, of the general convulsion of nature at the :bath of
our Saviour, with the impressiveness the subject deserved,
and even accompanied the words, " Ye sepulchres, give
back your dead," not only with a dramatic expression of
voice, but even of countenance. {Vermeil:inn tl:is fact, as
it contrasts strongly with the uniform inert stupidity of his
rival (Brabant's) countenance, who, whatever power he
may impart to his lungs, preserves at least in his lines.
!Dents all the dull vacuity of a true Boentian intellect—
" Basdurn in rrns.To jarrtres acre Imt um." 31isa Travis,
who, we were glad to perceive, seemed recovered from her
yesterday's cold, was in unusually fine voice, and molted
the trio, " Pour forth your Li ars," with Messieurs Kny.
vett and Vaughan, so admirably ss to leave loth far he•
. hind her in cens;eleratien of the audience. The " Tod
Jesu" was follow..d by f e!ections, altered and imprcred (as
it was somewhat to!elly said) from niters Sacred Drams
of " Joseph," in which there was nothing very impressive
but a pensive air sung by Madame Caraduri, entitled,
How long are the days of his mourning l" Two lines of
this, _ . .

" Our Joseph was matchless in beaMy.
Fair as morn o'er the hills when it glides,"
were executed with a tenderness—ands softened 'retells. of
tone, that none but a woman can give, and few bus her
own sex can appreciate. Mr. 11.11nmy executed " The
people throng about thy palace gates" Cr, diiahly in point
of style, but " barbarously ungenteel," as far as action woo
concerned. This gentleman (and we are well .acquainted
with his style and manner of singing) always prefaizsn
air with an application to his breeches pocket; why, or
wherefore, the Power, as Sterne says, that made us, alert
knows; the reason rests with himself and his coi.science.
In the third part Mr. Brabant thrilled his audience ar
UMW SS jib Handers "Jeplitlia's Vow." Of this subitice
reci•arian, which seems to run through the gamut of the
passions, di:playing, in turn, the rage, remcrse, tench nicer.
vacillation, and fixed purpose of a parent who has sewEd
his child to death, it is difficult to speak in terms of com-
mon eulogium. Mr. Braliam, however, did justice to the
composer, and, as the dying notes of his voice, iu the sir
that class the recitative, " Waft her, angels, thee' alts
skies," pealed among the vaulted galleries of this uotie
church (for in a church alone should such divine harmful
be heard), the effect amon3 the audience was electrical.
In the evening a miscellaneous Concert, in two acts, teas
given at the Theatre, in which we were delighted to tied
that CaPcott—that wild end impressive gut us—was is
high request. His " Li'e's Fay scenes' lost something in
the hands of Vaughan; butjustice was afterwards done to
his music in his well-known glee, for five voices, ' Thou
art beautiful Queen of the Valley I" Miss Bacon (wile,
by-the-by, is too close n imitator of Velluti) sung a thht
with Caraderi, " Retain," from Meyerbeer's " Crorieo
in Egitto," with a spirit that, io many instances, reminded
' us not only of Velluti, Luc of Catalani also. If this young
lady would trust more to her owu powers, and lon to Moe
1 of others, we think she would improve by the experiment.
fur we naturally give inure credit to a secondary original
than a f rst-rate imitator. In Act 11., however, site 10,6
very successful in Rossini's " Elena, oh tu ;" so much so,
inilieJ, AS to cause an evident regret among the author.:
that she had so little to do. So much fur the vocal; lLe
! instrumental department of the Concert was equally veil
sestYined. Kicswettcr, on his violin, delighted us with a
concerto dial would have fully established his claims to
the character of a peerless musician, had not Lindley mi
ltested the palm with such spirit a. to leave the qtreAti"
;
of supremacy daubtful. On the whole, we may say of
both what the Mantuan poet said of his shepherds, "r 1
vitola to dignus, et hic." IVe subjoin the following glee;
with which we shall closeout account

Volt art beautiful, queen of the valley !
Thy wal's like silver sparkle to the son :
klelodious wave thy groves ; thy garden meets
Enrich the pleasant air. Upon the lake
Lie the long ►hadows of thy towers,
And high in beaten thy temple pyramids arias.
Long may'►t thou flourish in thy beauty ;
Long prosper beneath the righteous conqueror.
Who conqinrs to redeem. Long yeat-A of pesos
And happiness await thy Lord and due;
Queen of the valley.

We are happy to say that the receipts at the Church us
this day are as fol!ow
ticawd Day, 111213. 1 Stcoid l'ay,
Adruimi nto 01111.0d:1300 17 01 Mtnis.ion to Choi-6.0206 00
Collecti.d after Scrolon 4143 201 Collected ditto 380 I. -