The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-05 00:00:00

CONCERTS OF ANCIENT MUSIC.

EIGHTH CONCERT.
Until this season, no one of all the musical associations with
Which this metropolis abounds, had sank into such low repute
as the once celebrated Concerts of Ancient Music. Whilst
1n . the large continental cities Societies were engaged in
the
to light the glorious and wonderful inspirations of
lz!ae immortal Bach, the intelleetual and imaginative Beethoven,
2, elegant Haydn, the voluptuous Mozart, and the simple and
sublime Handel, and performing their compositions with
u_iseestras varying from three to six hundred persons, the
‘nnable exertions of the Directors of this Institution were
Confined to a dull, unvarying repetition of the least-worthy
,
ecim ens from Handel—much of the mean and contemptible of
the Neapolitan school, et hoc genus omnes. Much of this arose
from the limited genius and petrified understanding of the
late conductor, who, in our opinion, when death compelled
h
the
to resign his post, possessed no more extended views of
;17 art than he did when he first entered upon his duties, some
I.tY years since. This course of management has had its
effect upon the Subscribers, who sit throughout the evening
4 a sort of "desperate tranquillity," an appalling contrast to
the vivid and enthusiastic expression of feeling witnessed at
theZ Philharmonic and other Concerts. In our notice of the
"t Concert, it was intimated that the Magnificat of Se-
bastian Bach was intended to be performed at the meeting of
Jealerday evening. Lord Burghersh and the conductor, have
ot
a length discovered that the present farce, miscalled a re-
,earsal, utterly forbids any attempt to bring forward the extra-
7„(linary efforts master mind. The " celebrated singers
tlae Ancient Concert" (as they are termed), could no more
th.'e got through the opening of the " Gloria" with which
15 composition closes, than could they have jumped down each
„„
J'ner's throats. The chorus " °eines generationes, with its
ese fugued points, would have been one mass of confusion, and
Lo
ha't the three trumpeters would have done with the simple
tandeur of the opening movement, it passes our understand-
(43g to comprehend or imagine. It is not a little curious to
serve the use Mendelsohn has made of this movement; no
gaiteri, of the present day makes more free with Bach and
k'eethoven. The Concert of last night was under the diree-
ti
ori of Lord Burghersh, who, if it were not for some of the
~
!h excellent
which appear with his name, would be thought
excellent musician. As it is, we had much rather trust to
than Mr. Knyvett or the Archbishop, and every subscriber,
"e doubt not, will gratefully tender his Lordship the most
Ill.tleere thanks for the great and manifest improvement which
:La taken place in the management of these concerts, and
'uieh 1,7 e believe solely to be attributable to his Lordship's
ex!ertions. The vocal performers of last night were—
ipadaines Manran, Bishop, Postans, and Lacy ; Messrs.
raham, Phillips, Hawkins, Balfe, Rubini, and Knight.
There was much excelL"nt music performed. Rubini, in two
exquisitely beautiful songs ofMozart, distinguished himself,
' in some instances, we could T‘erceive he excited the tears
„l
his audience. Mozart never wrote two lovelier songs, and '
useethoven has condescended to draw ;:lerally from one of
"11'•". Lacy and 1,1 • like some
doz.. • .L.Lisses Postans sang as use.
do ell young lady singers, whose names we miB".ht
n' they have just crossed the threshold of the tem, le
d-,,ll.armony, and have everything to learn. Mrs. Bishop is
I,;',!dedly the best English singer before the public. Her
2lormance in the trio from " Don Juan," was marked by the
kSt delightful sensibility, and was perfection itself. Mrs.
Yvett may take a lesson from her in glee singing. The pure,
and subdued tone with which she went through the
Wertette of Mozart, was most praiseworthy. A Mr. Knight
permitted to exhibit himself in the great scena from the
Creation," and, from his performance, we are inclined to sup-
:Be no other Society will wish to covet the prize which the
erectors have so happily discovered. The gems of the evening
Here the two extraordinary efforts of Malibran, who, it ap-
k4a, was anxious to retrieve herself, and to obliterate all re-
uoelseences of her last appearance at these concerts. The
tie songs assigned her were the " Che faro Senza" of
all:lick' and the " 0 Salutaris" of Cherubini. As a musician
•uo Possessing the most imaginative and unbounded concep-
b,4 of the art, we have ever considered Malibran as infinitely
eyond all her contemporaries (for rivals she has none) but
d,= were utterly astonished and humbled at the divine genius
Played by her in the execution of these two compositions.
4et cadenzas were marked by the utmost finish, and the en-
harmonic change upon the German sixth, was what, we he-
llos"?' was never before attempted by a vocalist, and it appeared to
iod'hat she had been practising the Spohr-like forms of the me-
-11,1! With which De Beriot's compositions abound, and that
i;ensciously she presses them into her service. Our readers
foscarce credit us when we truly affirm that at the elose of
e Song from Cherubini, this lady made a cadenza extending
epolobC in alt to E flat on the second space in the bass cliff, a
etipass of upwards of two octaves and a half, never before
to;Ppted or executed by one person. The oldest subscribers
athere Institution were no doubt not a little astonished to hear
alkie old favourite, the air from the " Orfeo" of Gluck, so varied
elegantly sung that it appeared as novel and as fresh as if
salt tleed for the first tie, a talent which of all others is the
tendication of first-mrate genius.

In the east of this County there are two Magistrates
Z4111(1 What makes the fact we are about to state more curiously
t Ilikrkable is, they are bc,!h exceedingly unpopular—who dex-
terously play their own game at tile people's expense, when-
-Bkir there is war declared between rival factions. $o cleverly
pri to such an extent have they carried this divide et imperio
11,:eiPle, by siding each with his favourite faction, that last
to 'd‘le cpat one of them had a party of over 250 men in one day
and pit his potatoes, and the other, on a grand field day,
ihti_s9 horses to draw home his turf—all gratis. No compen-
kitir required but their Worships' countenance whenever a
ti
haPpened to be too severely touched, and legal satisfac-
resorted to.—.Linierick Star.