The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-21 00:00:00

?'HE BAND IN KENSINGTON GA.RDBNS.

Yesterday the band of the Royal Horse Guards Blue
layed again in Kensington-gardens, when—owing,
loubtless, in a great measure, to the magnificent wea-
...ner—very nearly twice as many people were assembled
4on the Sunday previous. The band may be said in
,ome degree to have redeemed its reputation, while the
tuthorities concerned in the selection of the ITILHIC cer-
ainly did more honour to their audience and to the oc-
-asion which had attracted so vast a crowd. With this
Admission we have also "to record that—probably in de-
forence to the general d;sapproval created by last Sunday's
~erformance—the very opposite extreme was adopted.
fnstead of a programme composed of vulgar dance tunes,
ye had now one exclusively devoted to sacred music of
the grtvest character. The war march of the Levites,
•rom Mendelssohn's rlthaliah, selections from Rossini's
-tabat Mater, a chorus from Haydn's Creation (" The
leavens are ttl ing"), tWn choruses from The Meniah,
The glory of the L Id" and "Halleluj%h"), and an
Ave Maria" of Cherubini, were the ....blot ingredients.
1.11 these (arranged for a military orchestra with inge-
auity and eff-ct, we presume by Mr. Tutton, band-
oafiter —an .-xcellent and prac,ised musician) were more
or less pi-rformed—and indeed, with one exception
Flanders " Mdlilyjah"—whlch was taken so (pick,
,nd executed so c rsely, that nearly all its grandeur
nd didnitv were lost), as well as could reasonably have
oeen expected.

The remarks it was our duty to make last week may
i_ea-sihly have induced this absolute metamorphosis. If
however, they were not exactly appreciated. In ad-
Jocating the principle of affording rational and innocent
onusement to the people in the shape of mu-ical per-
formai C 3 on Sunday, after the hours set apart for Divine
iervice, we objected to its being offered in so utterly
rivial and unedifying a form. We felt convinced that
he audience was too good for the music, and that, had
,uch an entertainment been provided for them elsewhere
and under other circumstances, it would have been re-
oudiatcd with contempt. But we did not mean by this
shat the Sunday programme should be entirely made up
if pieces of a grave and uncompromising character.
The fault of yesterday's performance was its extreme
monotony. All the compositions were very good, but
they were too much of a colour. In the selection from
the Stabat Mater, for instance, three long pieces imme-
iiately succeeded each other in, minor keys—the " Pro
oeccatis," the "Inflammatus," and the fugued finale.
Now, it is more than probable that the difference be-
tween major and minor keys, and the precise nature
of a fugue, were as far from the comprehen-
sion of 99 out of 100 present as the peculiar philosophy
of the Rosicrucians ; nevertheless, although its scientific
distinctions might have been caviare to the multitude,
the effect of so great a prevalence of sombre music was
felt, and the general impression derived from the per-
formances was one of heaviness, if not of actual bore.
We heard— and were delighted to hear—more than one
artisan recognise the choruses of Handel and Haydn ;
but with three long pieces in minor keys, from Rosini's
Stabat, were evidently oppressive, even to these intelli-
gent persons. Why not contrive an agreeable melange?
lay no means resort to polkas, galops, and waltzes ; but
t.t the pieces from oratorios and masses be discreetly
varied with secular music,-such as the overtures of Wo-
oer, Rossini, Au her, &c. ; slow movements, or scherzi,
,rom the symphonies of Mozart, Beethoven,
)
thove(f n,
maneydet A.bleee;n
; reminiscenee•lroai 'the l
and others, which, although what is conveviently termed
profane music, never, we are convinced, engendered
Anything worse than harmless delight in the minds of
the listeners. None would object to passages from the
[nets being read or pictures of the great painters being
contemplated on a Sunday ; there CaO, therefore, he no
ra-sfin why beautiful music—which is just as edifying
and just as innocuous—should not be heard with impu-
nity. We demur to mere unmitigated tritiirg ma week-
days, much more on the Sabbath ; and for this reason,
while criticising yesterday's performance as too uni-
f. Tr:2,y grave, we are compelled to recur to that of the
,veek previous as trivial and irrelevant.
Let the will, however, be taken fur the deed. The
intention yesterday was good ; and the whole proceed-
ings, balancing merits and defi'cts, were entitled to
respect. The crowd, though so much greater, was quite
as well behaved as the other, and everything passed off
with such unmistakeable gratification to all present that
there is reasen to hope the question whether the mass
of people in this immense metropolis is better employed
on Sundays in healthful recreation out of doors than in
glo and silent sec,usion may be looked upon as
settled.
Before quitting the subject of the music in Kensing-
ton gardens we must once more protest against the
general shabbiness of the proceedings. Why should
there be only or.e regimentA band when it would be easy
to combine two or three f —why should the performers
be ill accommodated ?—and why, since it might be ef-
fected so eaeily and at a mere nominal outlay, is not the
platform so constructed as to render the band both visible
and audible to the majority ? At present—we repeat—
it can neither be heard nor seen with anything like dis•
tinctness, unless by those who do not ears about personal
discomfort in the search after pleasure.

The specie arrivals of the week have amounted to
about 500,000/., of which 350,000/, is from Australia,
the remainder being chiefly from the West Indies. The
shipments are estimated at 700,0001., including those to
India and China, and 250,000/. on account of the Turk-
ish Loan.

THE CHURCH DISCIPLINE BlLL.—Yesterday, at, a
meeting ofof the Fellows of Sion Cyliege, it was agreed .
trninimously-tdiatacli colleke seal to a petition to
the House of Lords, against the Church Discipline Bill,
introduced by the Lord Chancellor. The petition W
proposal by Ur. Boott, and oscouded by *f 44XPY.

)t • *„
••••4,•;,

6'U V OFFICE, Seven, o'Clock.

TATTERSALL'S.—(Phis Eveuiri,g.)

GREAT NORTHERN.
10 to 3 agst One Act (taken)
11 to 2 agst The Earl (taken)
6to 1 agst Fandango (taken)
Bto 1 agst Heir of Linne (taken)
FLYING DUTCHMAN'S HANDICAP.
sto 1 agt Hospitality (taken)
sto 1 aget Pamicestone (taken)
6to 1 agst Uzella (taken)
6to 1 agst Zeta (taken)
TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS.
2to 1 agst Yellow Jack (taken and offered)
3to 1 agsVPorto Rico (take 7to 2)
Bto 1 agst Milton
CHESTER- CUP.
Bto 1 agst Imogene
. Bto 1 aget Hospitality (taken)
10 to 1 agst Yorkshire Grey
25 to 1 agst Fatalist (taken)
25 to 1 agst Scythian (taken)

DERBY.
9to 4 agst Wentworth (taken)
sto 1 agst Ellington (take 11 to 2)
10 bo 1 agst Cannobie (taken and offered)
33 to 1 apt Peter Wilkin4 (taken)

ARRIVALS AT YORK.

Dulcamara, Madame Clicquot, Minerva colt, Kestrel,
Actuary, Lady Tatton, Panmure, Magnifier, Hospita-
lity, Heir of Linne, Gamekeeper, Saunterer, Sir George,
Bourgeois, Peace (late Beuzey), Skirmisher, One Act,
Gaudy, Red-White-and-Blue, Medway, Sebastopol,
Nougat (2 yrs), Roving Betsy, Fisherman, Fandango,
Saraband, The Earl, Ghika, Pretty Boy, Apathy (2yrs),
Viscount, Fanny Fern, Hesse Cassell, Zeta, Skirmisher
(2 yrs), King of Trumps, Berezina, and Assayer.
The ground is in excellent order.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—{This Evening.)

the LORD CHANCELLOR took his'seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

THE NAVAL REVIEW.

The Earl-of MALMESBURY begged to draw the
attention of the noble and learned lord on the woolsack to
a complaint which had been made by certain Irish peers,
not members of that house, that they were not included
in the accommodation provided for their lordshipi for
the ptirpo/e of witnessing the review. He wished to
know whether those Irish. Peers would not have tickets
issued to them ?
Lord CAMPBELL hoped the same privilege would
be extended to the Scotch Peers.
The Lord CHANCELLOR said he would use' his
best endeavour to have both the Irish and Scotch peers
accommodated on the occasion.
ADJOURN-AIENT OF THE HOUSE.

On the motion of E. GTZANYI LLE it was agreed
that the house at its rising adjourn till Thursday.
The Marquis of CLAN EtICA.R DE presented a peti-
tiOn in favour of Marriage with a deceased wife's sitter.
The noble marquis took, occasiou to express his entire
satisfaction that; her Majesty's Government had not
'adoPted the recommendation of the committee of the
H'-use of Commons 'to rernoTe the column of the Duke
of York on Carlten.terrace, and making a road into St.
James',-park.
After a brief conversation the subject dropped.l
A great many petitions were presented a.tainst the
Chucrch Discipline Act by the Duke of Newcastle,
Lord LyttAton. the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bari
of Carnarvon, Lord Rodesdale, and several other lible
peers.
Petitions were also presented against the Oath of
Abjuration Bill, and against the abolition of chtirch
atom.

On the motion of Lord REDESDALE, the 'Basting-
den awl Rawtenstall Water Bill, and the Southiort
Wwer Bill were severally read a second time.
t., Tho Lambeth Water Bill was read a third time itnd
assed.