The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-07 00:00:00

wealthier members of a fsraily so afflicted would do.
We hope this session will not be suffered to pass by
without some measure being introduced for the
regulation of this matter.

Herr Ernst's Concert
AT THE ST. JAMES'S HALL LAST EVENING.

A magnificent tribute was, last evening, offered
to one of the greatest artists of the age—Herr
Heinrich Ernst, the most gifted of living vio-
linists. And when Herr Ernst is so spoken of, it
should be borne in mind that the present epoch in
the History of the Violin is very noticeably pro-
life in rarely gifted masters of that king
among the instruments. In testimony of which, it
is only necessary to bear in mind for one moment
that among living violinists there can yet be num-
bered (to say nothing of others not here mentioned)
artists as distinguished in their wondrous mastery
of the fiddle as Sivori, and Joachim,.and Wieniawski.
The two great violinists last mentioned offered the
tribute of their co-operation yesterday, as did
several other eminent performers, both vocal
and instrumental, in token of their personal
regard and professional admiration for one
whom they look to not simply with affec-
tion as a confrere, but vtith admiration as a
maestro. Together with the two celebrated violinists
just mentioned, Joachim and Wieniawski, the fol-
lowing distinguished artistes took part last evening
in the performances—L. Ries with the violin, H.
Webb with the viola, Signor Piatti with the vio-
loncello, M. Halle at the piano, the tenor of the
night being, otherwise to express it, the Tenor of
the Day, meaning of course our great tenor Mr.
Sims Reeves, the soprano being Madame Meyer
Thatmann, and the contralto Madame Lesnbetizka.
As Conductor, the concert of last evening, moreover,
had that best of all concert conductors—Mr. Bene-
dict. The whole of the musical entertainment yes-
terday, it should here be remarked at once, how-
ever, while it was the one hundred and fifty-third
of those Monday Popular Concerts now securely
establishei as among the most brilliant
of the musical institutions of the metro-
polis—was especially set apart for Herr Ernst's
Benefit. And by reason of the simple announce-
ment of the fact that it had been so arranged, th©
usually well filled area of Sr. James's Hall was
quite un-usually crowded last evening by one of
the most brilliant assemblies of the season, every
part of the hall being thronged by admirers of the
great violinist. Apart from the attractive circum-
stance of the performances being designed at once
in his honour and for his advantage, there was,
moreover, the crowning attraction-of all in the fact
that there were to be given, for the first time, accord-
ing to the announcements of the programme for the
night, several of his latest compositions for the violin
the viola, the violincello, and even for the pianoforte.
Hay do's exquisite quartet in D major (No. 45) led
off the radiant selection marked down in the pro-
pramme—a programmetincluding among other mor
ceaux,Romberg's Andante in G major for violincello,
with pianoforte accompaniment, charmingly exe-
cuted by Piatti and Halle ; Gounod's " Quando a to
lieta," from Faust, so very gracefully rendered by
Madame Leschitzka, that it was encored by accla-
mation; Beethoven's mellifluous love song, "Lieder
Kreis," that "lengthened sweetness long drawn
out," given last evening for the ninth time by Mr
Sims Reeves ; and, besides these, Mozart's
immortal Letter Air, from Don Giovanni, "Non
mi dir bell' idol mio," chaunted rather than sung
last night, anything but satisfactory to our mind,
if we may presume to hint as much, by Madame
Meyer Dustinann. The especial matter for
interest, however, last evening in this concert of
Herr Ernst's was, as we have before hinted,
the performance—some of them for the first time—
of the great artist's own compositions. In some
respects the most remarkable among all these was
the masterly quartet for two violins, the viola, and
the violincello, inimitably given by Joachim, Ries,
Webb, and Piatti. Hearing it but once, as we
have done, it is of course impossible to appreciate
one tithe of the abounding merits and distinguishing
beauties of this most original and highly imagina-
tive composition. The symmetry of its construction,
the exhilarating freshness of melody suffusing it, so
to speak, like a very atmosphere, the intricate invo-
iution noticeable in several of its more highly elabo-
rated passages—created even upon that fit st heating,
not only upon ourselves but upon the vast mcjority
of the audience, a very profound impression, Ot
itself it would be an all-sufficient attestation of
the fact already known in his regard, that Herr
Ernst is indeed a master of the mysteries and
wizardies of counterpoint. A tender and beauti-
ful notturno of Ernst's for the pianoforte was
performed with that touch of infinite grace and
delicacy peculiar to M. Halle—who followed
up his refined execution of it with a brilliant taran-
tella, by Heller. Goethe's lovely siren-like, ballad
"Der Fischer," indifferently translated by the Rev.
Archer Gurney, but suavely embalmed in the amber
of a delicious melody by Herr Ernst, was admir-
ably sung by Mr. Sims Reeves. The song itself,
however, partakes by necessity too much of the
dreamy tone of a reverie to admit of its rousing the
hearers of it to anything like enthusiasm. Beautiful
as it is, therefore, no less as one of Goethe's marvellous

fancies, than as one of Ernst's most sympathetically
emotional compositions, it failed to command an en-

core. The two charms and glories of the night,
however, we have left here to the very last to be
.particularised--the two especial charms and glories
of the night, that is, according to our capabilities
of appreciation. Both of these were compositions
of Herr Ernst's. Each of them, was for the
violin. One of them, an old favourite—emi-
nently well beloved. The other, if not precisely a
new composition in itself,was completely new to us,
and we doubt not also to the vast majority of those
who heard it last night in the St. James's Hall--
yesterday, in fact, being the occasion of its first per-
formance here in England. The former of these two

_ -- -
compositions—the one we have just now ePoken of
as an old familiar favourite, and one eminently well

beloved—Who does not know it, who knows any-
thing at all of the genius of Herr Ernst? That
exquisite "Elegie our la mort d'un Wet cheri"—
admirably, wonderfully performed labt night by
Herr Joachim—warbled by him, sobbed forth by
him upon the strings of that marvell°" in-
strument. The other solo for the violin,
already spoken of as entirely new last
night to a London audience, was performed
with antonishing dexterity of manipulation by the
wizard bow and fingers of Wieniawski. It was the
adaptation by Herr Ernst of Schubert's Erl King
—altogether a very wonderful composition and is
certainly a masterly performance. A composition
blending together the three voices (matvellously
indicating the three individualities one might
almost say) of Father, Child, and Goblin Spirit—
the performer's power therein, as it were, at the
instant beck of the composer's genius'
bounding
" into a strange wail uncouth
Like witches' dance, ghastly with whinings thin
And palsied nods—sounds wicked,
unquestionable
tionable genius, of a genius
Altogether, of its kind, a composition of unques-
assad, and weak I"
in its wild eltrich way as that distinguishable
in the tender and passionate pathos of the
E'egie, or as that marking the abundant

quartet
saelrreipatdy
quartet
tentfeodr uvpioonii,tis
_ .
and labyrinthine beauties of the new
rnvsiotisa,
and vio-
new mann-
lincello. The audience, crowded though it was,
listened throughout the whole evening most atten-
tively, stopped to the last with but a very few ex-
ceptions, applauded to the echo, and were manifestly

delighted. The result, indeed, was in every way
so much of a success that we may, without hesita.

tion,offer to the distinguished artist, in whose honour
the whole performance wns given, our earnest con-
gratulations upon it, as a signal evidence of his
personal popularity both with the public and with
the profession, and of the fell appreciation of his
genius by both.

THE HOME CIRCUIT.—The learned judges going
the circuit on the ensuing assizes (Mr. Baron Martin and
Mr. Justice Willes) have fixed the following days for hold-
ing the assizes at tho different towns ;n the circuit,_.
Hertford, Monday, July 11; Chelmsford, Thursday, 14th ;
Lewes, Wednesday, 20th; Maidstone, Monday, 25th ;
Guildford, Monday, August 1.