The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-11 00:00:00

THE LOS DON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 11, 1863

WORCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

WoncusTEß, Sept. 10.
Herr Schachner must be difficult to satisfy if he was not
pleased with the very admirable performance of his orcto-
rio in the Cathedral this morning. With regard to the
work itself there is not a word to add to what was published
the day following the production of " Israel's Return from
Babylon" at Exeter. If its composer is neither a great
master nor a man of genius, he is, at least, a conscientious
musician, and does his best—which now •a-days can hardly
be said of many who are more highly gifted, without being
prodigies on that account. Herr Schachner was lucky to
have his oratorio brought out at the Worcester Festival, and
to get the place of honour assigned him in preference even to
Handel, still luckier, in finding such zealous and congenial
interpreters as the band, chorus, and solo singers, under the
superintendence of Mr. Done. Rarely has a new work of
pretension enjoyed a fairer ehance ; and if, at the end of the
performance, the whole of the vast assembly crowding the
nave and aisles of the Cathedral slid not rise from their seats
with the firm conviction that they had been listening to a

chef d'oeuvre, it was certainly no fault of the executants,
Probably not a single amateur who had heard the ora-
torio in London, and was to-day equally fortunate at
Worcester, would refuse to admit that the last attempt was
better than the first, although the first—as may be readily
imagined, with Mr. Alfred Mellon at the head of a splendid
orchestra, a powerful chorus, and four of the most distin •
guished singers of the day—offered very few points for cri-
ticism, By this performance, indeed, of " Israel's Return
from Babylon" the Worcester Festival of 1863 deserves tobe
remembered. The judgment that led to the selection of such
a work, while the oratorios of 'lerr Ferdinand Hiller and
one or two other living composers of universally recognised
distinction, have never been produced in England, may be
questioned by some people who like to pick a hole where
they can without serious risk ; but the pains taken by every
one concerned, from the wielder of the conductor's stick up
to the owner of the double drums, the commendable anxiety
of those in whom the direction of the music meeting is
vested to have full justice done in all senses to the new work,
and thus, as it were, to justify their choice, call for nothing
less than hearty acknowledgment. The Worcesterian en-
thusiasts, in thus honouring Herr Schachner, have done
honour to themselves, and earned unqualified credit. They
would have made " Israel's Return" pass for a veritable
chef d'oeuvre, had it lain in their power; but failing in that,
they resolved it should sound as like a chef d oeuvre as the
materials of which it is constructed would allow. One espe-
cial advantage was vouchsafed to the oratorio yesterday.
There were, in all probability, just as many friends and
partisans of Herr Schachner present as on that former me-
morable occasion when the walls of Exeter Hall reverbe-
rated with vociferous demonstrations of approval ; but the
arena being now a cathedral church, whatever the impres-
sion created, there was no chance of applauding, either in
right or wrong places ; and as not a single repetition was
asked for, by those who enjoy the exclusive priatileee at
these morning ceremonies, the performance was nowhere
interrupted, so that Herr Schachner's work could be heard
and judged fairly and Impartially as a whole ; and if this
second experience suggested nothing new to say about it the
inference to be drawn is palpable.
"Israel's Return from Babylon"—the reader may core to
be reminded— is divided into four parts—the Captivity, the
Deliverance, the Reconcilement and Return to Zion, the
Promise and. Song of Praise. These headings alone suffice
to explain the plan of the book, which, as there are no inci-
dents, is all that is necessary to remember. They will also
serve for reference in the few observations to be made in
yesterday's performance. The band gave the orchestral pre-
lude -meant doubtless to describe the despondent feelings
of the Israelites under the yoke of their bondage—as finely
as it could possibly be given. Here were pianissimos no
less than fortissimos pianissimos, too, the like of which it
would be agreeable to welcome a little more frequently in
London ; and this too without offence to the members of our
London orchestra, seeing that the band engaged by the
conductor of the Worcester Festival is almost entirely se-
lected from their ranks. Perhaps it is easier to play softly
in a church than in a theatre or concert-room. The choruses
in the Captivity—" Go ye conquerors" and " War against
Babylon"—though wholly different in character, were
equally well sung. The first, by the way, is one of several
instances in which Herr Schachner imparts peculiar indi-
viduality to the celestial bequests—the words of the divine
admonitions being always set to a single note. This note
remains unchanged, and is reiterated upon each successive
syllable, while the harmony is modulated in the accompani-
ments. The expedient was applied by Mendelssohn, in his
comic operetta " Heinikekr," the part of the Mayor being
cast to an amateur who could boast but ono available note
in his voice ; but what Mendelssohn did for a joke Herr
Schachner has imitated with the gravest conceivable inten-
tions. The admonition in the first part (Captivity)—" Go
ye conquerors"—is uttered upon a series of E's; that in
the third (Return to Zion)—" Whom I have spared from the
sword"—trpon a series of G's ; that in the fourth (Promise)
—" 'They shall be my people"—upon a series of C's. The
idea was, perhaps, by the aid of simplicity, to confer in-
creased solemnity; but the effect is at the best mono-
tonous. The chorus in the Deliverance—" Sound the
loud timbrel"—was given with extraordinary spirit ; that
in the Return to Zion—" Go forth to the Mount," con-
veying the exultation of the Israelities on their delivery and
their joy at the thoughts of seeing Zion once again—splen-
didly ; the final chorus of the Song of Praise—" Praise to
the Lord," which, like the chorus just named, involves an
example of Herr Schachner's method of conducting a
g
preceded by an example of the light in
which "fugue"--and u e
he " a
views d is
chorale—best of all. In short, more effec-
tive singing has not been heard at any of the meetings of
the three choirs; and, as the music was strange to the
f— n
singers, they may be said, without exaggerated eulo, to
have covered themselves with glory. Nor should the solid
and continuous support they received from the members of
the orchestra be passed over, inasmuch as to that was in
great part due the highly satisfactory result.
The solo singers were Mademoiselle Tietjens, Miss Pal-
mer, Mr. Sims Reeves, and Mr. Santley. Herr Schachner's
"principals," and he
oratorioeonly
ssithalnyd
hs
aivnenfeaeldlenof infotuor abler or more willing
hands. The three quartets (with chorus)—" So when the
dread clouds," " With singing. come we unto thee," and
(t put on thy strength, 0 Zion I" (containing another spe-
cimen of "fugue")—the first of which occurs in The Deli-
verance, the second and third in The Return, were incom-
parably given by these excellent and invariably attentive
singers. Another striking performance was the duet,
" Hark I 'tis the breeze of twilight" (Evening Hymn—
written strictly throughout in what is termed " canon on
Mademoiselle Tietjens
the octave," the voices answering each other note for note),
b another, the duet for
asungnd
mi n
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e e perfect
and st y lagaine
men's voices - -4 The Lord has tried His children"—which,
it is scarcely necessary to state, was equally fortunate. The
solos were beyond reproach. Mademoiselle Tietjens, who
was in magnificent voice, gave the eavatina, " Come not, 0
Lord," the air (with chorus), " On high resound our songs
with praise," and the soprano recitatives (which are both
incessant and fatiguing) as thoroughly well as the come
poser, most nervous and exacting about his own music,
could possibly have desired ; Miss Palmer threw genuine
sentiment into the air, " Fallen is the throne, 0 Israel l"
and the arietta, " The Lord bath laid bare His holy arm ;"
Mr. Santley gave "Awake, rise, and shine" (in which is
observed a setting of the passage, " Behold, darkness shall
cover the earth," materially differing from Handers "He
sent a thick darkness"), with wonderful energy; and Mr.
Sims Reeves surpassed himself in the air, " The Lord of
Hosts is with us," and the solo, " He will bring them again
into His holy place," finer singing than which. has not been
heard. Thus every incident of the performance was in
favour of Herr Schaehner, and the beat wish we could offer
up in his behalf is that he may again have an opportunity
of hearing " Israel's Return from Babylon" thus unim-
peachably performed.
The selection from Handel comprised the overture to
"Esther" (his first oratorio), the chorus "'Cherub and
Seraphim," the air " Waft her Angels," with its impres-
sive recitative, " Deeper and deeper still" (Mr. Sims
Reeves) ; the ulr " Farewell ye limpid streams" (Miss
Gaza"
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Palmer), and the chorus 't When his loud voice in thunder
spoke,"r
t from " Jephtha" (his last) ; the chorus " Awake
eclipse" (Mr. Wilbye Cooper) the chorus "0 first created
beam," the air "Return, 0 dof los s' (Madams Sain-
ton-Dolby), the chorus " T P t would
tread," the air " Honour and o dust his glory they
the
(Mademoi
Harper), and the
double chorus "Fixed in everlastingarm'4(Mr. We'i'st air
Weiss), the
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which he would give the preferhetenseelef.
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were 2,170—
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The last miscellaneous concert in the College Hall this
evening, the " Messiah'? to-morrow efternoon (for both of
which every ticket has been sold), and the ball in the Guild-
hall in the pypina, will bring this unprecedentedly sueq,aa.
ful festival to an PbOd

A steady supply of gold to the amount of
£20,000,000 a year has reached us of late years from Cali-
fornia and 41;strali4.