The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-24 00:00:00

FIRST PERFORMANCE.

It is wholly unnecessary, at this period; to kd
vert to the overpowering interest created amongst
the musical public of the metropolis, indeed we may
almost say of the whole kingdom;by the perform-
ances now in progress in that magnificent edifice,
Westminster Abbey. Since the much talked, and
much written of, celebration that took place in the
year 1784, generally known as the " Commemora-
tion of Handel," no musical festival has taken place
in London, although in the provinces such meet-
ings have long been known, and have on many oc-
casions been got up on a scale of expenditure and
of magnificence which even a metropolitan under-
taking could scarcely be, expected to surpass. In
London, however, since the period referred tifzo
such experiment had been tried, while in the inte-
rim music had advanced, in regard to the facilities
afforded by its immensely improved condition in
practical matters, to a pitch offering every assurance
that a festival now, on a scale of grandeur com-
mensurate with the occasion, would form a most
splendid era in the history of the science in this
country. . _ _

At the festival in commemoration of the cele-
brated composer we have mentioned there seems to
have b 'en, as far as we can discover from the a. 6.
counts published at the period; a difficulty in col-
lecting the number of musicians required to fill the
orchestra and chorus fully competent to support
their several stations, and we should not be surprised
to learn, were it possible to ascertain that fact at this
late period, that a great number of the performers
who held their instruments in the orchestra were
mere men of straw, and that in the choruses, num-
bers of the supposed singers were dunabies in every
sense of the word. Not so now ; so far from any
difficulties being interposed by a dearth of talented
performers,' t was impossible to find room for
third part of those who actually applied for engage;
ments. In order to prevent ill-will amongst the
professional gentlemen, and to avoid losing the' ser-
vices of the numerous applicants whose claims were
absolutely unanswerable, the committee were Under
the necessity of inconveniently crowding the spice
assigned for the performers, and the orchestra prei,
seated a mass of musicians; whose souls were " in
arms and eager for the fray," such as, we are ma
tale, was never before collected together in thii
country, and we verily believe, with only 'a teal
exceptions, has never assembled amongst our neigh:
hours of the Continent, of whom, it must be al-
lowed, we are mere imitators in most matters con=
nected with music, but to whom, in the instance of
periodical musical meetings such as the present, we
are infinitely superior. This crowding together of
professors, however, by no means, in our opinion;
added to the general excellence of the performance;
Had there been fifty musicians less in the orchestra,
so far from the apparent mass of sound being dimi;.
nished, it would have, probably, been much in-
creased. The performers, standing almost in con-
tact, had no space to exert themselves efficiently.
The tones of their instruments were deadened by
the clothes of the performers impeding vibration.
We believe, by the skill with which the arrange-
ments were conducted, the whole of the vast body
of performers, amounting to six hundred, were
provided with copies, but many of them were
scarcely able to see their parts from the situ-
ations in which they stood. Dozens of vio-
linists were unable to " draw a long bow :”
the violoncellos were tipping their neighbours' in-
struments continually ; the trombones were in
danger of flooring the ranks of clarionets below them
when they threw out their tubes in descending the
gammut ; the double basses were digging each other
in the ribs with their elbows ; and the horns were
" pouring their pensive souls" beneath each other's
coat flaps ; while the choristers, male and female,
were screaming and bellowing into one another's
ears. Amongst the stringed instruments " notes
of linked sweetness" could not by any possibility be
" long drawn out," and the sounds of the whole,
instead of being by " distance made more sweet,"
were rendered comparatively feeble and thin by the
garments of the thronged musicians, and the drapery
with which the galleries were lined and festooned.
From all these causes combined, there was some
little disappointment amongst the audience that the
volume of sound emanating from so numerous a
body of practitioners was by no: means commen-
surate with the anticipations they had formed. The
organ, however, laboured under no such disadvan-
tages. Its tones came forth clear and strong, and
seemed to be unreasonably loud. Even in the most
powerful. crash and roar of the instruments and
chorus, full sonorous tones were heard above all.
Indeed, with all due deference to the deservedly
eminent musicians, who in turn took their seats
before the keys and pressed the pedals with their
feet, we think the performance would have lost none
of its effect if the use of this instrument had been
more limited. We in truth heard too much of the
organ. If it had merely been introduced in the
leading off the choral fugues, or solely as an accom-
paniment to the voices when moving independently
of the band, the effect, in our opinion, would have
been far more perfect and more characteristic than it
was. " Doctors," that is, Music Doctors, may dif-
fer with us on this subject. We had much rather
attribute, however, the undue prominence given to
this department of the performances, to the very
natural professional anxiety of the gentlemen or-
ganists to do their duty, than to an overweening
anxiety to distinguish themselves beyond their fel-
lows.

Another point may be also remarked. The ac-
companiments of the orchestra to the recitatives
and airs appeared sadly feeble. The contrast be-
tween the full band, chorus, and organ, and the
very few instruments that were allowed to take part
in these accompaniments was much too great. The
solo voices were heard, even where the singers were
of inferior rank, more clearly than we should have
expected in so large a building, and seemed to be
more powerful than was necessary for perfect com-
bination and good taste, by contrast with the lead-
ing instruments of the accompaniment. The violins
sounded thin and weak in these accompaniments ;
and had we not in other situations formed an inti-
mate acquaintance with the rich tones of Nicholson,
Wilman, I'latt, the impression conveyed by

their performance now would have 'been, that- ,
those gentlemen, on their respective instruments,
were, though sweet in quality, deficient in fulness
of tone.
There are soiree ether Matters to which we must
take occasion tb allude in the progress of these per-
forraances, and which would lead us too far at pre-
sent. In regard, however, to the effect, there is
one point to which it would be an act of extreme
injustice to the whole body of professional gentle-
men present if we did not notice it in terms of un-
qualified praise. We allude to the great accuracy
—and there was scarcely an exception to prevent
our remark applying in -the most general
sense—with which every piece was executed,
and that entirely without rehearsal ; for the.
" rehearsals" so called, which took place on Tues-
day, were as much a public performance as the one
we are noticing, and at the private rehearsal on
Thursday evening, only three pieces were_ tried.
We have had the good fortune to he present at
Festivals at York, at which we uhhisitatingly say a
spectacle was..affohled far'. surpassing_ that at West-
minster Abbey, in point of extent and magnificence.
The band _at York, in several of the departments,
the meetings -that have taken,place, was far more
extensive than the one now assembled here. The
edifice itself being far more capaciouseafforded-room
for more ample accommodation for an orchestra and
choruses, while at the same time the area of the
chancel of the Minster, and the galleries erected in
it, accommodated a much more, extended amount
of visitants. In all these matters, the meeting at
Westminster is decidedly inferior 'to that at York
The power of the band and choruses, notwith-
standing the great absorption of `souna, supposed
to arise from the orchestra belizig erected imme-
diately under the great tower, was in the aggregate,
to our thinking, far greater than at' Westminster
Abbey. There was more of that closeness, that
apparent damping and smothering Of the sound, and
deficiency in brilliance -and clearness—in purity, if
we may so express ourselves, of the tones given
out. Still, in regard to accuracy and precision—
in crispness, as the musicians call it—the perforp-
a/lees at the Abbey are confessedly 'superior to those
at York. This is not at all surprising, when we
reflect how large a number of the situations in the
orchestra, as may be seen on reference to the
printed list, are filled by professors of first-rate
talent. This remark, however, applies only to
the band. The choruses, as it appears to us,
were better sustained at York. The choristers at
the Abbey are an almost heterogeneous mass, col-
lected from all parts of the country, the main body
composing the groundwork being Londoners, chiefly,
perhaps, from the theatres. At York, on the con-
trary, the chorus was composed of residents of the
East, West, and North Ridings, with no slight
sprinkling of the deservedly esteemed choral singers
of the adjoining county of Lancaster, all conversant
from their infancy in the practice of oratorio music.
The firmness and compact strength of these voices,
accustomed to be brought together on similar occa-
sions for many years, and their peculiar excel-
lence in Handers choruses, nearly all of them
known to them almost by rote, have been long ac-
knowledged, and have been on every occasion sig-
nally observable 'at the York, Manchester, and Liver-
pool meetings. The remark has often been made
that no leader of inferior talent or erroneous judg-
ment, no band of deficient skill, could force them to
deviate from-" the even tenor of their way ;" that
they were " like a brick-wall," and would sing the
music they were put to at the time they had been
used to practice it, in spite of the caprice of con-
ductors, or the whims of leaders, and would give
their own version of Handel's music, traditionally
received from their ancestors, unsw lyed. by modern
prejudices, uninfluenced by technical Considerations.
Allowing every merit to the choristers at ale Abbey,
in firmness and unity of sentiment and action they
were decidedly inferior, when singing the composi-
tionspf Handel, to the vigorous and unsophisticated
body :of provincial choral performers assembled at
York.

- -
One word is due to the talent and industry of
the gentleman who fills the arduous part of con-
ductor at this festival. Sir George Smart has
added another wreath to his well-earned laurel's.
We . are, certain. there is, not -a gentleman at present
in the profession who could have succeeded so well
in overcoming the difficulties with- which ..this func-
tionary has had to contend, either in completing
the necessary preliminary arrangements, or by
his ability in conducting the performances, insuring
the success of those arrangements. The leaders on
the first day were Signor Spagnoletti and Mr.
Cooke ; at the organ Mr. Attwood and Mr. Novello.
Having thus far confined ourselves to noticing
such matters connected with the general subject as
appeared to call for remark, we shall now proceed,
as far as our limits and the shortness of the time al-
lowed us will permit, to make an observation or two
upon some of the pieces performed. The public
rehearsal, as we make no doubt most of our musi-
cal readers are aware, of the first performance, took
place on Friday morning last. We purposely ab-
stained on that occasion from going into any de-
tailed statement, reserving ourselves for the more
important occasion of the performance itself, on this
morning. The following is the programme :

PART I.
Th• Coronation Anthem Handel.
Haydn's Sacred Oratorio,
THE CREATION.
Introduction—Representation of Chaos.

Recitative—Mr. Bellamy, " In the beginning."

Chorus—" And the spirit."
Recitative--Mr. Vaughan,

" And God saw." Air—" Now

vanish."
Chorus—" Despairing, cursing."
Recitative--Mr. Bellamy, " And God made."
Air—Miss Stephens, " The marvellous Work."

_ .
Chorus—" Again, the ethereal vaults."
Recitative—Mr. H. Phillips, " And God said." Air, " Roll-

. ,
ing with foaming billows."
Recitative—Madame Caradsri Allan, " And God said." Air—

" With verdure etad."
Recitative—Mr. Hobbs, " And the heavenly host" Chorus—
_

" Awake the harp."
Recitative—Mx. Braham, " And God said, Let there be light."
Air, " In fplendour bright."
Trio---Mils Clara Novell°, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. J. B. Sale,

" How day unto day."
Grand Chorus—" The heavens are telling."
PART 11.

Recitative—Madame Stockhausen,

" And God said, Let the

waters." Air, "On mighty-pens."
Trio—Mrs. H. R. Bishop, Mr. F. Robinson, and Mr. H. Phil-
lips, " Most beautiful appear."
Recitative—Mr. E. Seguin, " And God said, Let the earth
bring forth." Air, " Now heaven in fullest glory."
Recitative—Mr. Sapio, " And God created man." Air, "In
native worth "
Tiio—Miss Clara Novello, Mr. Vaughan, and Mr. W. Robin-
son, " On thee each living soul."
Chorus--" Achieved is the glorious work."
Recitative—Die. Hobbs, " In rosy mantle."
Duet—Mrs. H. R. Bishop and Mr. E. Taylor, " By thee with
bliss."
Chorus—" For e►er blessed," &c. &c.
Duet—Mrs. W. Knyvett and Mr. H. Phillips, " Graceful con-
sort."
Recitative—Mr. Hobbs, " Oh, favoured pair I"
Chorus—" Praise the Lord :"