The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-29 00:00:00

AMATEUR MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

The public were last night admitted to what may be called
the first rehearsal of some portion of the performances which
are to take place on Thursday and the successive da3s at Exe-
ter-hall. The first grand rehearsal, as it is called, will be to-
night, on which occasion the solo parts, &c., which were not
rehearsed last night, will be performed. What took place
last night may, however, convey a tolerably accurate notion of
what is to be done to-morrow, although the merit of the de-
tails cannot of course be estimated by it. The public were
admitted a little before seven o'clock, and shortly after that
hour the whole of the room, which contains seats for upwards
of two thousand persons, was completely crowded. The or-
chestra consists of nearly seven hundred vocal and instrumen-
tal performers. Generally speaking, the performers were fully
competent to their respective parts, although, as may be sup-
posed in so large a number, there were several whose services
might be replaced by better substitutes, and several who might
be dispensed with altogether. Nevertheless, considering that
this was the first rehearsal, the performance was with little
qualification of praise most excellent. The effect of the cho-
russes was grand and impressive ; and the united efforts of so
many voices and instruments, were perhaps never surpassed, if
we except the performances in Westminster Abbey, and per-
haps at Birmingham, on any previous occasion. The " Hal-
lalujah," the selections from the " Creation," from " Israel
in Egypt," the " Pastoral" chorus, and the " Benedictus "
with which the whole performance was concluded, were all
given in a style of grandeur and magnificence of which it is
difficult to form an adequate notion without having been pre-
sent. The highest credit is due to the industry and exertions
of those by whom these concerts have been got up, and the
public will no doubt encourage their exertions by their atten-
dance. We are not aware that there is anything to be said as
d drawback upon the excellence of what we heard last night,
which could have been avoided. We may, however, observe,
that the flatness of the roof of the room in which the festival is
to be held, appears to cause an abruptness of reverberation to
the sounds, which the expansion of an arched ceiling would
have mellowed into more perfect harmony.

SOCIETY OF BRITISH MUSICIANS.

FIRST CONCERT.

The first Meeting of this Society, which is expressly de-
voted to the encouragement of British composers and
British talent, took place on Monday evening at the Ha-
nover-square Rooms. The objects of this society are to
bring before the public the instrumental writings of those
aspirants after professional distinction, who from the exclu-
sive system pursued 'at the Philharmonic Concert, would,
in many instances, have otherwise remained in undeserved
obscurity.
The concert opened with a new symphony, by Mr. '
Macfarren, one of the professors for harmony and compo-
sition in the Royal Academy of Music. The symphony
is in F minor, and is a composition of considerable merit,
displaying a mind well acquainted with the with the writings
of Beethoven, Sphor, and Weber. Without any appear-
ance of plagiarism, in the first movement, there was much
which reminded us of the first of these composers. The
nzotivos were well chosen, elegant in their structure, and
happily dove-tailed together. The modulations, often new,
were judiciously introduced, and although in many cases
unexpected, were yet not far-fetched nor over-strained. The
second movement in Cis not equal to the first. There is
more apparent labour, with an evident attempt to get
through difficulties ; nor can it boast of the originality and
freedom of the movement which preceded it. Sphor ap-
pears in many passages, and the trio in G from this mas-
ter's opera of " Azor and Zemira" was brought to memory
throughout the movement. The minuet and trio in A
flat is a delightful nzorceau. A joyous melody runs through-
out, and the whole is written with great freedom and ele-
gance. The passages for four corni are well imagined, and
very effective in the hands of good performers. The last
movement pleased us as little as any, and in the fugue the
modulations were too frequent, and at times even baroque.
As a whole Mr. Macfarren's composition deserves great
commendation, and is infinitely beyond anything we have
yet seen from Tenterdcn Street and its vicinity. It wanted
further rehearsal, and many of the best points failed, owing

to a deficiency in that respect.
The overtures of Mr. Tinney and Mr. W. L. Phillips
were well received, arid deservedly obtained the approbation
of the audience. Mr. Tinney writes with much apparent
ease, and has adopted the light style of the Italian school.
His composition, therefore, appeared to be better under-
stood by the performers, and was, in consequence, better
executed. Mr. Calkin's symphony in E flat, although not
novel in its character, evinces a mind stored with the good
old school of Haydn and Mozart. This gentleman's use of
the wind band is not very judicious ; and the passages given
to the bassoon were in many instances bordering on the
ludicrous. It was insufferably long, and on that account
tedious. Mr. Lucas's concerto for the violincello was
admirably executed ; but he should take care and provide
himself with a better instrument. The tone was thin and
hard, and such as gave us no pleasure to listen to. As a
composition, the concerto has little to recommend it.
We presume the Directors mean to rely upon the instru-
mental performances of this Concert as its chief attraction
with the public ; indeed, the exhibition of the vocal talent,
Monday evening, was not very seductive. We never
heard " God save the King" performed before in the
Hanover-square Rooms in the manner it was that night ;
and, we are sorry to say, not much worse sung anywhere.
Mr. Tinney's scena, " 'Tis dark oppression's hour," is too
long, and too difficult in execution, to receive justice from
the singer to whom it was assigned. We liked the point at
the words,
" Lashed by the Ocean's angered pride,"
which was well conceived, and cleverly instrumentated.
Miss Bruce sang a song from " Belshazzar's Feast," by
Guisbach, which, like Mr. Chubb's song, was neither very
new nor very clever. What could Mr. Stretton be about,
in undertaking to sing the strange medley performed under
the name of Holmes ? The music was about equal to the
poetry, and neither deserved a place in the Concert of that
evening. Mr. Calkin's glee wanders too much. in the
chromatic to prove effective. In summing up this notice
of the first Concert of this infant Society, we must hint the
propriety of a rigid attention to the merit of the composi-
tions before they are admitted ; and, when selected, that
they have a more perfect rehearsal. The orchestral per-
formers were evidently strangers to each other, and the
wind and brass band, chiefly selected from the military,
blew out their parts as if they were in the Palace-yard,
rather than in the King's Concert Rooms. By a little
attention this defect can be easily remedied, and we hope,
for the honour of the Art, this Society will not lack encou-
ragement. The rooms were well filled, and we understand
that there are upwards of six hundred subscribers.

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT.--011. Saturday as a
shandry cart, containing Mr. John Thompson, of Stalmine ;
a youth, his son ; Mrs. Wilkinson, his mother-in-law ; and a
young woman named Webster, of Liverpool, who was on a
visit to Mr. \V., was returning from Lancaster cheese fair to
Aston-with-Stodday, they passed a cart on descending the hill
at Conder-green, at a rapid rate, belonging to William Cook-
son, a neighbour. A race ensued, and the off-wheel of the
cart went with overpowering effect against the other vehicle,
and upset it with tremendous force. The whole of the persons
in it were flung to the ground ; the young woman, Webster,
it is supposed, must have fallen on her bead, for she was
killed on the spot ; Thompson had one arm broken, and was
otherwise injured ; Mrs. Wilkinson's shoulder was dislocated,
and also otherwise much hurt ; and the youth has received a
severe injury to his leg and thigh. An inquest was held on
the following day by John Gardner, Esq., Coroner, and a ver-
dict of " Manslaughter" was retnrned against Cookson, the
driver of the cart, and he was committed by the Coroner to
Lancaster Castle.—Liverpool