The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-21 00:00:00

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

Nonwicn, Sept. 19.
Nothing could be happier than the manner in which the

legend ofßlondel de Nesle has been turned to metrical and

musical account by the author of the book of "Richard Cceur

de Lion." In a poetical sense it is quite equal to " Undino"
(fromAhe same hand) ; while the incidents not being drawn
from the supernatural world, hero and heroine are alike
creatures of flesh and blood, and the interest is altogether
human. In the account which appeared on Tuesday it was
said that the old story bad been modified to allow for the
introduction of a female character; and, indeed, without

such an innovation it wou!d hardly have served so well for
a cantata. The devotion of friendship is by no means to be
sneered at ; but the passion of love has been always, and

will always be, the cherished theme of musicians. Besides

the resources of a composer are crippled for want of a so•

prano voice, the contralto quality of tone being an affinity
too close to tie tenor for that variety of contrast indispens-
able to musical effect. Lastly, a quartet of principal singers
—soprano, contralto, tenor, and bass—is essential, for the
purposes of combination, as well as of contrast; and but for

Mathilde Mr. Benedict must have remained soprano-less.
Regarded from the dramatic point of view, moreover, Ma-
thilde is an engaging personage ; and the invention of the
White Lady provides her with s, mething of im➢ortance to

achieve, thus rendering her a necessary agent of the plot.
The book, in short, is one of the most perfect things of its
kind with which a modern musician has had to deal ; and it

would have been strange if the composer who set " Undine"
had failed in "Richard Ccour de Lion." Instead of failing,
however, Mr, Benedict has enriched the art with a new

work calculated in an equal measure to satisfy musi-
cians and delight the great community of amateurs.
The overture consists of an introduction in two parts—
andante connote, and andantino—to which reference is

subsequently made in the finale and elsewhere, followed by
an allegro, beginning in the minor key and ending in the
major, the two leading sutjects of which are afterwards
made use of in a scene of great importance. Brilliantly ar-
ranged for the orchestra, this overture is constructed after
the manner of Weber's operatic preludes, a manner which
it is not surprising should exercise a potent spell over
Weber's most gifted pupil. Mr. Benedict, however, can
emulate his master without borrowing his ideas. The in-

troduction comprises a chorus—" Another dance ; another
dance ;" a romance for Urbain, the page (contralto)---,4
hundred hundred years ago;" and a repetition of the open-
ing chorus, with some slight modifications. Built upon a
graceful melody in waltz-time, the chorus (accompanying
the diversions of the villagers at sunset) is sustained with

the utmost animation, and a flow of tune which never allows
the attention to flag for a single instant. An episode—

semi-chorus—whore the tenors and basses ask, "Can we

not dance by the light of the moon ?" the trebles and altos
replying, No, no 1 you forget," (the White Lady is sup-
posed to make her rounds at moonlight), is in effective relief
with the preceding, and through its appropriate change of
character leads naturally to the romance of Urbain. Here
the page relates the legend of the spectre believed to haunt
the castle (the ghost of a lady who died for love), inter-
rupted at intervals by the exclamations of the villagers in
chorus. The situation closely resembles that where Raim-
baut tells the story of Robert le Diable (" Jadis regnait en
Normandie") ; but Mr. Benedict has been in no way influ-
enced by Meyerbeer ; on the contrary, the theme he has
found for the romance is as fresh as it is quaint, while the
responses are in excellent keeping. The resumption of
chorus and waltz movement becomes all the more striking
on account of this episode, which is as sentimental as the
context is exhilarating. The next piece is a scene for Ma-
thilde (soprano)—recitative, andante, and allegro—an ope-
ratic show-piece of the most legitimate stamp. In the an-
dante (" Gentle shade 1")—a movement as melodious as it is
richly accompanied—Mathilde addresses words of consola-
-1 ion to! the White Lady, citing her own love for the un-
known prisoner as a bond of sympathy between thew. The
allegro (".To live and hopelessly to:love") is an apostrophe
to the tender passion, wedded by the composer to a
vigorous movement in florid bravura. To the foregoing
succeeds a chorus (" A stranger see in foreign dress"),

piquant and pretty, iu which the villagers make remarks
on the outward appearance of Blonde! and speculations
as to what rcay have brought him to their neigh-
bourhood, Blonde! (tenor) satisfies their curiosity with
a ballad ("I wander in search of a treasure"). Like one
of the most charming songs in " The Lily of Killarney"
(the Colleen Bawn's first air), this is a tender ditty in the
minor key, with a more sprightly and melodious refrain in
the maj3r. Blondel avows a determination nev,r to rest
until he has discovered the retreat of the friend of whom he
is in search; and at the conclusion of each verse the vil-

lagers express their admiration of his constancy in the
delicious melody of the refrain. We are now transported
to the interior of the castle where Richard Coeur de Lion is
imprisoned. The composer takes advantage of the situation
to write a grand sans for his chivalric hero. This com-
prises a recitative, allegro (" My sight can pierce thro' my
prison wall"), and andante (" One beauteous image near
me strays"). In the weariness of his solitude the thoughts
of Richard revert to the events of his past life—first to the
glorious deeds in Palestine, then to the auspicious day
when he conducted the lovely Berengaria to the altar. Both
movements are well-imagined and admirably written—the
which is as gracefully tuneful as it is
impassioned, The scene that ensues, the most interesting
aofaaalalts:stieboonthedi. n especially,a
musical and dramatic sense, is the one, it
need scarcely be explained, where Blondel finds out that
his master is in the castle and that the end of his own labor

is at hand—the chief incident, in short,
of a legend which
has thrown such charm over the romantic history of Coeur
de Lion, and which it is almost cruel to the imaginative
mind to be invited to dismiss as fabulous. After a recitative
and airs (" The load upon my heart grows lighter")—by
no means the least engaging solo in the cantata—Blondel,
hearing the sound of a lute (harp) from within, begins to
sing the old romance with the sound of which in the course
of his travels he has assailed the walls of many and many
a dark and frowning keep.
This time it is not in vain. The voice of Blondel is re-
cognized by the illustrious prisoner, who straightway re
peals a fragment of the melody. Blondel, enchanted, re-
commences the song ; when strain after strain is echoed from
within, and no further doubt is left in tho mind either of
Richard or his minstrel. Mr. Benedict has managed this
situation with extraordinary success. The words of the
signal song are not only poetical but metaphorically sug-
gestive

" May is into prison cast,
Icy chains have bound him fast ;
Though the flowers awake from sleep,
From their beds they dare not peep.
Only in the wood is heard,
Sadly singing, one small bird.
Dull and dreary all must be
Till our liege King May is free.
" When the breath of Spring is felt,
Icy chains will quickly melt ;
Then the flowers will sparkle forth,
Scatt'iing glory o'er the earth— -
Then the birds on ev'ry spray
Loud will sing their roundelay.
Bright and joyous all must be;
May regains her liberty."
The melody to which they are allied is one of those una_
fected strains which not only a child might easily catch
and retain, but with wbich the most cultivated ear could
not be otherwise than pleased, its marked and appropriate
simplicity being unaccompanied by the slightest tinge of
vulgarity. It might be sung, by the way,. just as readily to
the original Provenccl romance with which poetic legend
has accredited Blondel :
" Doinna vostra beulas
Elsa belles faissos
Els bele oils amoros
Els genus cor ben taillatz,' Sce.
As we have already said, the principal themes here em.
ployed are also, in a ehape more or less modified, the prin-
cipal themes of the allegro in the overture. A duet (4, I
heard the song and the response")
in which Mathilde, who
has overheard • Blondel her aid
in his difficult enterprise—is just what it should be, easy and
unpretending. The sang of the Page (" Lady and.
the stranger listening there") is as sparkling as one of
Auber's most sparkling improvisations; while the
what was going on, promises
chorus of soldiers, to which it gives place (" Your health,
gallant comrades,"—in five-part harmony, for altos,
tenors, and bases (the tenors and bases divided)—has a
strong Weberian flavour, which, combined with spirit and
vivacity, makes it all the more welcome. The incidents of
the finale may be easily defined. Mathilde assuming, ac-
cording to agreement with Blondel, the appearance of the
White Lady, frightens away soldiers, visitors, and page;
and Richard, with his faithful adherent, effects his escape,
but not till poor Mathilde has discovered that the object of his
love is a personage altogether out of her sphere, and reds-
tered a solemn vow to pass the remainder of her days in the
seclusion of a convent. The music of this finale, which
draws largely upon the overture, includes an extremely
effective trio for Mathilde, Blonde], and Richard, and ter-
minates with a jubilant chorus, of which the last theme is
that of the troubadour-song of Blondel—is as characteristic
and attractive as anything that precedes it. The end, in-
deed, is worthy the beginning. The score of "Richard
Coins de Lion" is everywhere masterly, the arrangement
of the choral parts, the writing for the solo voices, and the
instrumentation for the orchestra being alike complete and
finished ; but no less was expected of its author, to whose
well-earued laurels this new cantata will, add another 1.04

That the performance was the best during the week has al-
ready been recorded. The solo singers (Madlle. Tietjens,
Miss Palmer, Mr. Santley, and Mr. Sims Reeves, the mem-
bers of the chorus and of the orchestra, all strove their very
utmost—a proof of the high esteem in which Mr. Benedict
is universally held.
On the whole the Norwich Festival has been a real suc-
cess—artistic as well as pecuniary. There were two or three
drawbacks to contend against, and among others the indis-
position of Miss Palmer, which obliged the committee to
telegraph to London for Miss Lascelles (who sang all the
contralto music of " The Messiah") and should teach them,
on a future occasion, not to rely with confidence upon a
single English contralto, more especially when such im-
portant oratorios as "Elijah" and " The Messiah"—to say
nothing of entirely new works—are in the programme.
Both in the " joash" of Mr. Silas, and the " Richard Coeur
Lion" of Mr. Benedict, Miss Palmer had responsible parts

allotted to her. She did her best, it is true, to get through
them creditably ; but had it not been for the ready acqui-
escence of Miss Lascelles it is possible that the contralto
music in " The Messiah" (Mademoiselle Trebelli, notwith-
standing) would have had to be omitted. It is the general
opinion that the great oratorios of Mendelssohn and Handel
(including " Judas Maccabaous," on Monday) were never
more finely executed in St. Andrew's hall. They also drew
the largest audiences, the attendance on Wednesday morn-
ing, when the new sacred drama of " Joash" was backed up
by selections from three settings of the " Stabat Mater,"
besides a scene from Mr. Henry Leslie's "Manuel," and
a miscellaneous selection of pieces from Handel, Cherubini,
and Beethoven—being the most considerable of the week,
as the subjoined table will show :

Patrons. Hall.
Monday evening.. 958
Tuesday evening.. . '69 • • ' 761
Wednesday morning .. 97 • • 579
Wednesday evening .. 138 958
Thursday morning • . 249 .. 1,174
Thursday evening .. 65 9
1,17
Friday morning .. .. 313 .. 1,284
The receipts of the six ordinary performances, morning
and evening, amounted to £4,080, to which must be added
£370 for the preliminary cheap concert in the evening of
Monday (" Judas Maccabams") ; £350 for the ball, which,
though not so numerously attended as was desirable, passed
off with great spirit; and the amount derived from the sale
of books and donations, which cannot yet be precisely
calculated. Then there is a reserve fund of something less
than £2OO from the last festival. It is therefore expected
that considerably upwards of £5,000 will have been
placed at the hon. treasurer's disposal, in which case it is
hard it at least £l,OOO does not go to the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital and the other charities, In spite of all
that has been said about the cathedral, most people be-
lieve that were oratorios to be held within its walls, the
receipts, if not actually doubled, would be at least 50 per
cent. in excess of what has lately been the average ; and
that some attempt will be made to obtain it for 1866 is more
than probable. The Dean is said to be very friendly towards
the festival; and it is notorious that any of the chapter—
Canon Heavyside—preached an eloquent sermon in its behalf
just before the commencement of the present meeting; while
the bishop—who objects to all such means of obtaining
charity, and will not sanction them by his presence, even
at the morning performances at St. Andrew's-hall—has no
voice in the disposal of the cathedral. To conclude, our
acknowledgments are due to Mr. Roger Kerrison, ex-hon.
secretary, and M. G. Elward Simpson—both members of
the sub•committee of management—for useful attentions
and undeviating courtesy.