The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, SEPPE'MBER 12, 1861

WORCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

Mozart's " em," -WORCESTER, Sept. 11.
Req thanks to exale set by our
admirable Sacred ui
Harmonic Scciety,theseems tpo have taken
permanent root at the country festivals —the better for art,
which cannot but derive benefit from the frequent contem-
plation of so incomparable a model. There was much to
praise in the performance of the "Requiem" at Worcester
Cathedral. The four solo singers—Madlle. Tietjens, Mdm.
Sainton-Dolby, Mr. Wilbye Cooper, and Mr. Weiss—ap-
proached their task with becoming reverence ; and their
singing throughout was marked no less by devotional feel-
ing than correctness. An unimprovable text could hardly
have been more religiously respected. The three quartets—
" Tuba mirum," "Recordare, Jean pie," and " Benedictus
—were singularly well given, the "Recordare" more espe-
cially, a movement alike the admiration of musicians and
amateurs, and which, towards the end, when the ear and
the mind have been rapt in a sense of continuous beauty,
contains a new and unexpected passage,—
" Inter oven locum preesta,
Et ab hatlis me sequestra,
Statnens in parte dextra."
more eloquent than all the rest. Never was uplifted prayer
clothed in a strain of such persuasive loveliness. The mem-
bers of the chorus in most instances did their duty well. The
florid counterpoint in the magnificent fugue of the " Kyrie
eleisen"—built upon a subject closely resembling that of
"And with his stripes," in "The Messiah"—might have
been steadier, and more precision on the part of the conduc-
tor would have been advantageous to the resumption of the
"Requiem aoternam dons nobis," after the soprano solo,
" Lux seterna" (Madlle. Tietjens) ; but thero was little else
with which to find fault. The sublime "Dies iris" left no-
thing to wish ; and as much may be said of the " Rex tre-
menda3 majestatis"—tremendous in its majestic embodi-
ment of the theme. The " Confutatis maledietis" was
equally happy. The last verse of this,—
" Oro suppler et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi dills;
Gere curam mei finis"—
as exquisitely pathetic in its supplication as that in the
" Recordare" is consoling, was thrillingly impressive. With
what poetic truth the distinction between the two is ima-
gined and conveyed need hardly be insisted on, when it is
remembered that in the " Confutatis" the supplicant is ad-
dressing the Supreme Judge, while in the "Recordare" his
appeal is to the gentle Saviour. To the honour of the Wor-
cesterians bo it recorded that their chorus-singers appeared
to enter into the feeling of this distinction with just as firm
conviction as the eminent quartet of solo-singers who came
all the way from London to sing the "Recordare." The
" Lachrymose dies illa," with the striking passage of slowly
ascending intervals on the line "Qua reeurget ex favilla"—
which a celebrated critic in his analysis of the work has de-
scribed as a " play upon words, less frequent in Mozart than
in Handel"—(it were fortunate if every musical composer
could play upon words like Mozart in the " Requiem" and
Handel in his " Israel !")—wag not quite so immaculate,
though still an excellent performance. Tho elaborate and
masterly Offertorium ( " Domino Jesu Christo," and
" Hostias et precea Tibi") was given with remarkable clear-
ness ; its ingenious contrivances were effectively revealed,
and its most characteristic points—for example, the " Rex
&Hie " and " De ore leonis," in the " Domino Jesu
Christe," and the mystic progression of harmony to which
the prayer for resurrection after death (" Pac nobis, Do-
mine, de morte transire ad vitara") is set, one of the most
passages in this extraordinary composition—
' (quartet), was quite as satisfac-
tory,with startling vividness. The " Sanctus" usher-
he short fughetta, Hosanna in este srs," which
t
ienxgp extraordinary
st
he
de
comes twice, being eachdictus'
Agnus Doi," another example of deep
time" delivered. with.l. commendable
could have been
precision. Tl3heel2:‘
order—was equally fine,
better than the subdued tone in which the appealing
pathos united to abstract
amnudsienaolthble.laiguty of the highest
phrase " Dona nobis went" was uttered. The last
chorus—merely a repetition of the first, as with "The horse
and his rider " in Handel's " Israel "—has been mentioned.
The effect of the " Requiem " in a cathedral is something
wholly apart—peculiar and indescribable. What a work 1
No wonder Mozart was so painfully anxious to be spared
long enough to enable him to finish it (without the inter-
vention of his pupil Sussmayer)—for assuredly it is his
"Transfiguration." Beethoven's "Christ on the Oliva
Mount," great as it is in many respects, sounded occasion-
ally a trifle melodramatic after the "Requiem." Something
of this may be laid to the account of the tame and unwar-
rantable English version to which—under the name of
" Engedi," the refuge-place and stronghold of David, when
pursued by Saul (" Samuel," Book I.)—it is too frequently
the cuatvra sow to ally itt 13eeth,ovvn, woulti wader to pro-

p spiten d eonf t
the
originality
was,
or
ntt
ttieohn.unquestionablesepsiueliarapnr
.svhsegctiraiegbtwporo
ossuesp,
text have tolerated such a liberty—a liberty, by the way,
o
easy to render superfluous by putting the words allotted to
the Saviour in the third person, and thus imparting to
the whole of the form of a narrative—like the description of
the Passion in Handel's "Messiah." Nor was the perform •
ante generally quite so good as that of Mozart's piece, in
rrtneeanrw declamatorye
vntyTshe
beyond
tnwhehr
adaihedrii
recoiephHaremphaticallyrecitativeOlives"
eer-
lujah " was sung at the conclusion. Beethoven's inde-
ghn,Lfiendnayn, devimenpohsiandglichanordusel, whichnever
vindicated tha,n, in this
might
css composedteia imu stp c yts hee. aed
tvTvoaecne, tasea:bvl
fiefl
give effect
nreTe
tffwhwae ehncr
otsai
were Mademoiselle Tietjens, Mr. Wilbye Cooper, and Mr.
Mr. Cooper, although apparently indisposed, strove ener-
geticallyair at the beginning—one of the Chevaux bataille of Mr.
oratorio obligingly acted as substitute. Mr. Reeves, how-
ever, was doubtless husbanding his means for the scone of
the Watchman in the "Lobgesang"
evinasmuchercana
selection). This remarkable of Mendelsohn (the
last piece in a tryingly long, but unexceptionally interesting
afterthought of the composer, who,
ninnith his own works (instance the ad-
dition Passage—t he more remarkable
a
" Elijah," after its first performance
easily
di ;s
alterationssiattwised an
at Birmingham), refused to have the " Lobgesang', pub-
lished or re-performed until ho had made it as complete as
labour and reflection could devise, and who, in re-consider-
ing his work, was inspired with one of those thoughts which
most splendidly reflect his genius, has never been delivered
by any other singer as by Mr. Sims Reeves, the first to enter
thoroughly into the spirit of it, and still the only one who
has the secret of giving it appropriate significance. " Watch-
man, will the night soon pass?" is so closely identified with
this gentleman, and so entirely suits his means and style,
that one might almost have believed that it (and indeed the
plaintive air "He counteth all your sorrows," which he
sings equally well) had been expressly intended for him by
the composer; but as the " Lobgesang" was written in
1840, and Mr. Sims Reeves did not make his debut in Lon-
don as priino tenore assoluto till 1847, when the late Mons.
J union opened Drury-lane for opera, a month after Men-
delssohn's death—it is scarcely necessary to urge that this
could not have been the case. The pity is that Mendelssohn
should not have lived to hear so genial an interpretation of
one of his most felicitous and poetical imaginings. The
other solo singers in the " Lobgesang" were Madame Lem-
mons Sheriington and Miss Banks, who gave the melodi-
ous duet (with chorus), " I waited for the Lord," with per-
fect taste and expression. In the duet with Mr. Reeves—
" My song shall be always Thy mercy"—Madm. Sherring-
ton was equally successful, while in the solo that announces
the stupendous and exciting chorus, " The night is depart-
ing," the clear soprano of this accomplished songstress (to
employ a much-abused and highly-flown commonplace,
excusable only in hurried reports—and when a compliment,
as in this instance, being richly earned, must in fairness be
paid) " rang round the aisles, penetrating to every corner
of the sacred edifice, and filling it with silvery sound." (I)
The choruses in the " Lobgesang" were for the most
part given with spirit, if not invariably with precision
(instance " Praise the Lord with lute and harp," and " Ye
nations"). The best, perhaps, was the noble Lutheran
chorale, the second verso of which is accompanied in the
elaborate style of J. S. Bach, and with a richer orchestral
colouring than the resources disposed of by the Thuringian
Colossus could by any possibility have enabled him to pre-
sent. Here both " spirit" and " precision" were observed.
The three symphonic movements with which this work
begins were for the most part admirably played, and created
a marked impression. The cases are so rare in which exclu-
sively orchestral music can be heard in a cathedral that
when they happen an individual interest is raised to be
compared with nothing else. The allegretto in G minor of
the lobgesang (the second movement) has a vein of peculiar
melancholy which from susceptible people, under such ex-
ceptional conditions, might easily draw tears ; the adagio
religioso is like music from above ; whille the majestic in-
troduction—the first announcement of the chorale which
impresses its character upon the entire work- -and the ear-
nest, strong, and splendidly worked allegro, to which it
leads, is calculated to inspire the hearer with the sentiment
of vigorous resolution and exalted faith.
The second and third miscellaneous concerts, in the Col-
loge-hall, bore so strong a family resemblance to the first,
that it would be tedious and unprofitable to deecri be the pro-
gram"' piece by Piece. The grand feature of Wednesday
evening's concert was Mencienteolin's " Walpurgis Nacht,"
which, on the whole, was a somewhat slovenly perform-
ance, although the solo vocal parts were its effectively
sung by Mr. Wilbye Cooper, Miss Palmer, and Mr. Weiss
as could reasonably be desired. No voice is better suited, by
weight and volume, to the solemn declamatory passages of
the chief Druid than that of Mr. Weiss. Amon) the choice
" bits" in the rest of this concert were Duesek'e canzonet,
"Name the glad day," one of the most successful revivals
at the Monday Popular Concerts—sot down very properly
for Miss Banks; the tenor air of the garden scene front M.
Gounod's " Faust," eminently well fitted to Mr. Sims
Reeves, who gave it con amore ; Mereadante's recitative
and air, " Grazie clementi Den" very finely suing by Ma-
dame Sainton-llolby, our " Queen-contralto ;" Mr. Wal-
lace's "Bell-ringer," another favourite at the Monday
Popular Concerts, iutrusted, as a matter of course, to Mr.
Santley, and as usual encore", the cevatina from " Lu-
crezia Borgia," sung—how, need not be said—by Made..
moiselle Tiojens ; "Sweet bird," from liandel's " L'Allegro
eel ii Penseroeo," charmingly warbled by Madame Sher-
rington, and skilfully accompanied en the flute by Mr,
Pratten ; Professor Bennett's graceful ballad " sing,
maiden, sing" (Mr. Sims Reeves—encored) ; Mr. Benedietee
pretty duet, " I Montanati" (Madame Sherrington and Mr.
Santley) ; and "The Last Rose of Summer," for which
Mademoiselle Tietjens obtained one of the heartiest and best
merited encores of the festival. There was also the overture
to " Euryanthe," played with extraordinary vigour, the
"Dervish chorus" from the "Ruins of Athens," and the
grand Coronation March from the " Prophete." At this
concert, too, Miss Done, the young pianist°, daughter of
the cathedral organist, made her debut, and though she
selected a very difficult and not always effective piece__
Mendelesohn's Andante and Rondo in B major and minor
(with orchestra)—achieved a legitimate success. Miss Done
has unquestionable ability, and plays as though she were in
love with her task. The applause at the end was hearty and
general. The last concert, yesterday evening, was, if pa s-
Bible, more crowded than that of WednesdaY—uneorafort-
ably crowded, indeed, for those who wished to listen to the
music at their ease. The classical features of' theprogramme
were Beethoven's symphony in F (No. 8), which we have
heard better played ; and the overture and introduction to
the first act of " Guillaume Tell." The overture was voci-
ferously applauded and the last movement repeated. From
the rest we must single out Meyerbeer's elegant song,
Here on the mountain reclining)" (Mr. Wilbyo Cooper
—clarionet, Mr. Lazarus) ; a violin solo (
‘Rigoletto), splen-
didly played by M. sainton and applauded to the echo ;
the brilliant aria "Di questa speranze," from Sig-
nor Schira's " Nicole de' Lapi" Mademoislelo Tiet-
jens) ; a scene for contralto Miss (Palmer), with
chorus, from Gluck's " Orfeo ;" "Alt vous dirai'jo
maman" (Madame Sherrington—flute, Mr. Pratten) ;
Signor Piatti's ballad, " The Savoyard " (Mr. Sims
Reeves, encored) ; " Oh ruddier than the cherry," famously
dashed off by Mr. Santley ; two new and pretty ballads, by
Mr. Macfarren—‘•The Mountaineer'sWifc," and "Maggie'a
Secret," (Mdme. Sainton) ; and Signor Arditi's popular
valse, "II Bacio," for which Mdlle. Tietjens has so strong
and, considering its real effectiveness, not unnatural par-
tiality. The concert terminates with the National Anthem
(harmonized by Dr. Elm), in which some of the principal
singers, with great good taste, consented and remained to
take part. On the whole, the evening concerts have been
much the least interesting features of this music-meeting.
Without plan, character, or novelty to recommend them,
they were for the most part simply tiresome.
To-day the imperishable "Messiah," in which all the chiefhe
singers took part, brought the musical proceedings of t
Festival to an end. As usual, the Cathedral was crammed
to the doors, numbers, unable to obtain admission to the
her:
nave, taking refuge in the choir, behind the orchestra,
vi
they at least could hear, if they could not,
gee. Such
choruses "Hallelujah" and "Worthy
is
the
Lamb,"
with its prodigious and magnificent "Amen," can be heard
es as in
in one place under just as favourable eircurnstanc
inns-
the other—in some respects perhaps more favourable , f
much as the enormous volume of sound, proceeding from
an
has an effect
an invisible host of singers and players,
bor-
dering upon the mysterious, their solemn grandeur
of awe.
im-
pressing the hearer with an indefinable sentiment
This was the case to-day, when many in the choir, because
unable to get elsewhere, would not willingly have changed
places with those in the nave. Of the execution of Handel's
sacred masterpiece it is unnecessary to say one word. It is
the most familiar of all oratorios to the vocal and instru-
mental performers as well as to the audience, and for this
reason it is invariably better given and invariably better
appreciated than any other work of the kind. Such, in all
probability, will be the ease 100 years hence, when some
future Mr. Bewley will project a grand festival in honour
of the bicentenary anniversary of Handel's death,--at the
Crystal Palace, should that enchanting edifice endure so
long— and some future Mr. Done, or Smith, or Arnett, will
direct the performance of the "Messiah" at Worcester,
Hereford, or Glocester. What other sacred composition,
extant or yet unborn, is likely to enjoy an equal chance of
endurance ? No other —because no subject can approach
the dignity of the "Messiah," and because Handel has set
the " Messiah."

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