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

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-
Ha in rarely gifted masters of that king
among the instruments. Ia 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 us distinguished in their wondrous mastery
of the fiddle as Sivot i, 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 with admiration as a
maestre. 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
Dustmann, and the contralto Madame Lescbetizka.
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 hero be remarked at once, how-
ever, while it was the one hundred and fifty-third
of those Monday Popular Concerts now securely
esteblished 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, the
usually well filled area of St. James's Hall was
quite un-usually crowded last_ evening by one of
the most brilliant assemblies of the season, every
part of the h all 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.
Has do's exquisite
quartet in D major (No. 45) led
off the radiant selection marked down in the pro-
pramme—a programme,including among other ?nor-
ceaux, Romberg's Andante in G major for violincello,
with pianoforte accompaniment, charmingly exec
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
our," 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 Dustmann. The especial matter for
interest, however, last evening in this concert of
Herr Ernst's was, es 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, eo
to speak, like a very atmosphere, the intricate invo-
lution noticeable in several of its more highly elabo-
rated.paSsages—created even upon that first hearing,
aot only upon ourselves but upon the vast majority
of the audience, a very profound impression. Of
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 nolturno 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—emie
nently well beloved. The other, if not precisely a
new composition in iteelf,was completely new (0 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 spoken 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 dart"—
admirably, wonderfully performed last night by
Herr Joachim—warbled by him, sobbed forth by
him upon the strings of that marvellous in-
strument. The other solo for the violin,
already spoken of as entirely new last
night to a London audience, was
performed
i
with antonishing dexterity of mull-Pelation by the
wizard bow and fingers of Wieniawski-
It eras the
adaptation by Herr Ernst of Schabsrt's Erl King
—altogether a very wonderful composition and is
certainly a masterly performance.
A composition
blending together the three voices (marvellously
indicating the three individualities one might
almost say) of Father, Child, and d Goblin Spirit—
theit
performer's power therein, as 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, sad,
and weak I"
Altogether, of its kind, a composition of unques-
tionable genius, of a genius as unquestionable
in its wild eltrich way as that distinguishable
E'egio, or as that marking the abundant
in the tender and passionate pathos of the
and labyrinthine beauties of the new quartet
already commented upon,
Ernst's new manu-
script quartet for violins, viola, and vio-
lincello. The audience, crowded though it was,
listened throughout the whole evening
atten-
tively, stopped to the last with but
a most
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 was given, our earnest con-
gratulations upon it, as a
signal evidence of an,
personal popularity both with the public and with
the profession, and of the full appreciation of his
genius by both.

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

RA IL