The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-16 00:00:00

THE HANDEL Ft,NTIVAL, C.RYSZ'AL

PALACfr.

The success of the first performance, which took place
yesterday—beginning at 1 o'clock and terminating at 5
far surpassed expectation. Long previous to the com-
mencement of the oratorio a briliani company had assem-
bled, and the Crystal Palace, from end to eni—the nave
and courts and galleries, the terraces outside, and the gar-
dens beneath the terrace—was alive with visitors anxious
in anticipation of the musical_ treat to come. Before the
appointed hour the majority of the numbered pieces in the
conteal transept were occupied, and the a ljecent blocks of
seats in the north and south naves were tenanted soon
after. The galleries, more remote ant lass easy of access,
had been filled earlier, so that when the principal sing.rs
entered the orchestra, and M-. Costa (who was loudly
greeted) had taken his -place in front of thelconductor's
desk, there were not many vacant spots to dwell upon.
Not that the crowd was inconvenient. On the contrary,
the fact that her Majesty the Queen had intimated her in-
tention of presiding at the performance of " Judas Mecca-
-1N:ells" on Wednesday no doubt kept all those away who
would be likely to attend such a celebration in obedience
to fashion and an appetite for show,- rather than for love
of music and reverence for the name and memory of the
greatest of same composers. There were thousands enough
present, however, to realise everything that had been pre
dieted of the splendour of the scene. The weather was
superb, the sky unclouded as in the sunniest Italian land-
scape, and the interior of the Palace looked nothing short
of enchanting. A prospect was revealed, indee 1, which
dazzled the eye of the beholder, and suggested the idea of
•zorate gimaitio kaleidoscope, peopled with multitudinona
objects in every variety of form and colour. It is unne-
cessary to attempt a new description of a scene so closely
resembling that we endeavoured to portray in the no-
tice of Saturday's rehearsal—aad the more so since
a.hatever remains to be said will derive additional
weight and interest when embodied in the report of to-
morrow's proceedings, which, as we have stated, are to be
graced with the presence of royalty. Moreover, the first
day of the Handel Festival belongs of ri.:ht to Handel,
whose immortal "Messiah" was given in such a manner
and with such a prodigality of resources as May justly be
styled unprecedented.
Bat there was an episode of the festival,, which, in its
way, was quite as curious and unusual as the great com-
memoration itself. We mean the aspect which all the
approaches to the palace, both by road and rail, presented

as the tide of visitors gradually set in. The doors of the
building were not to open till 11, and, though oven those
who came latest were sure of their numbered seats, yet the
" early bird" maxim seemed to animate everybody. This
was particularly the case with those who came by rail. So
premature were these visitors at the station that it was
fonnd necessary to commence running the trains soon
after nine ; and from that time till the oratorio had fairly
begun there was no pause or slack of passengers. - The
railway arrangements were very good. On these great
public fetes most persons seem to come armed with the de-
termination to push and be pushed, and carry their notion
out on the first favourable opportunity. Now, if the
wuch-er.duriug public would only consent to forego this
idea they would be considerably the gainers, both in
bodily comfort end rate of progression towards the place
they wish, to reach. Eagerness may,:and often does, in-
duce four people to crowd into a place where only one can
stand with comfort; but no matter what the interest of
the spectacle, the public may depend that push as they
like they will never overcome the natural laws which,pre-
vent two persons from occur ying the- same spot at once.
If this last general principle is kept in vie., the visitors
to-morrow will get their places in the trains and paLce
both more quietly and more easily.
The road from Dulwich to the Palace yesterday had an
appearance which we can 'only expect to see agrin to-
morrow. It seemed a kind of harmonic Derby day, but
in every respect more ce derly that the mixed riotous con-
course which always mark.; t hat great equestrian saturnalia.
All the pathways and hedgerows were Heel with specta-
tors, and on the lawns outside villas were groups of seated
ladies, which gave.to the whole road the aspect of a long
fete ehampetre. At the wretched,little turnpike two stout
collectors gathered the money and had enough to do. The
Dulwich tollbar will soon be rich enough to take its place
among the institutions of the country, for it has acquired
the rare secr-t of taking much and expanding little. There
was a good deal of delay at this gate yesterday, chiefly
caused by the visitors themselves, not one in a hundred of
whom. cr their servants, were ready with the money. The
consequent fumbling fur gold or silver, with the delay of
getting change in nearly every case, caused a hindrance to
the progress of vehicles which was most annoying. The
remedy for this, however, is very simple, ant in the hands
of the visitors themselves. They know the toll fare well by
this time—let them have it ready on demand. The gate
once passed the carriages moved on rapidly, mounted police
directing all to their respective entrances, according as their
occupants had pink, green, or buff tickets. By this admi-
rable arrangement everything like confusion or hurry was
&V, Med.

Au immense crowd of people were collected outside the
building, and remained there throughout the entire per-
formances. They were certainly not tthrewarded, for dur-
ing the choruses the peal of voices seemed to swell from
the building and fill the air as though the Palace itself was
a vast organ. The Hallelujah chorus could be distinctly
heard mealy half a mile from Norwood, and its effect, as
the sound floated on the wind, now high now low, was im-
pressive beyond description, and sounded as if a nation
was at prayers.
Th change determined on at the rehearsal in the posi-
tion of the choristers, by means of which the female singers
were all brought together in front of the oreeu and were
conspicuous from every point, not only affoCled an agree-
able relief to the eye, but added materially to the effect of
the music. The different choral parts being now well ba-
lanced, the thunder of the men's voices no longer over-
powered the more mellifluous tones of their fair compa-
nions and fellow-labourers. Another desirable improve-
ment was achieved by the establishment of screens at the
back and sides of the orchestra, through which contrivance
the sound, instead of escaping into the empty galleries and
corridors in the immediate neighbourhood of that enor-
mous amphitheatre of timber, was thrown directly upon
the area devoted to the audience. Among other objects in
the orchestra that attracted general interest were a portrait,
a bust, and a full-length s atus (in maeble) of the great,
musician in whose honour this fe.itival was instituted.
The portrait, hung in front of the organ, was the one
painted from life by Demner, which Handel bequeathed
to his amanuensis, John Christoeher Setith, whose lineal
descendant, Lady Rivers, recently made a gift of it to the
Sacred Harmonic Society. It is said, on good authority,
to be one of the beat likenesses extant. The statue on the
right for which Handel sat (also in possession of the
Seer :el Harmonic S ,cietv), is by Roubillac. Horace Wal-
pole, in one of his letters, affirms that this statue laid the
foundation of Roubillau's fame in England. It was his
first great work; audit is worth noting that his last was
H .ndel's monument ie Weetruineter Abbey. A cast of it
has been forwarded by the Sacred Harmonic Society to
13erlin, for the statue to be erected at Haile (the birth-
plaee of the composer) at the centenary commemoration
in 1859, upon which a Berlinese sculptor, favoured by his
Prussian Majesty, is busily engaged. The bust on the lett
is cast from one beloneitig to the uansical collection in the
Royal Lit'rary at Berlin. The name of the artist is un-
known.
-

The "Messiah," as every one who cares for music is
aware, was composed in 1741 planned, sketched, and
completed in the miraculously brief period of 22 days,
having been commenced on the 22,1 of August and finished
ou the 12th of September ! A fortnight alter this the
first prt of " Sampson" was on F aper. Such prodi-
gious rapidity, the very elaborate character of the music
considered, would be incredible had we not the authority
of Handers own dates for the fact. This iroperish4ble
masterpiece was first performed in Dublin on the 13th of
April, 1742, with the utmost success. How this decision
of the sister isle has been stamped by the approving ver-
dict of the civilised world--how nearly a century
"an-I a
quarter has elapsed since the composition of the Mes-
siah," without robbing it of one atom of its attraltion—
how to this day, when music has made such strides and
gone through so many phases, when Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven, and Mendelssohn have lived and written an i
died, musicians and cultivated amateurs, strengthens by
the un..niinous popular opinion, still look up to it as the
greatest piece of sacred music which the art can boast, we
need hardly say insist. The solemn and impressive effect
of its performance at the unprecedented celebration yes-
terday, the devout attention, edification, and delight of the
multitude assembled to hear it, sufficiently attested that
the " Messiah" was not a work for yesterday, to-day, or
tomorrow, but for all time—one of those inspirations of
genius for which we can only account by attributing them
to a higher source than that of simple human agency.
Through its means Handel has not only been a beacon to
the worshippers of art, but a benefactor to his spe des—
since it bas fed charities acid promoted the objects of true
religion, bed les charming and refinieg the world by its
wealth of musical beauty, for upwards of a century. There
is no parallel for it in any other artistic form through which
mortal gifts and ingenuity have been manifested.
The performance, as we have suggested, was wonder.
fully successful. The greatest effects, it may readily be
imagined, the extent and pecularities of the arena being
taken into consideration, were produced by the choruses,
of which the " Messiah" affords so astonishing a variety.
All of these " went" more or less well, while some sur-
passed in grandeur of tone, precision and unanimity any-
thing we cant all to mind. The most irreproachable were
naturally those in which the occurrence of florid passages is
least frequent, and broad and massive harmony is the pro-
minent characteristic. The very first chorus, " And the
glory of the Lord," at once disclosed the signal advan-
tage gained by the new disposition of the female
voices.w The trebles more particularly, which at times
were scarcely audible during rehearsal, now came out with
penetrating cleasness. " And He shall purify the sons of
Levi" is one of those choral pieces abounding in florid di-
visions, and here there was a good deal of occasional un-
steadiness, especially (strange enough, their depth and
solidity of tone considered) among the basses, which,
swinging to and fro, were only prevented from going
astray by the marvellous decision of Mr. Costa's beat.
" For unto us a child is born" was perfect. Mr. Costa
(calculating, no doubt, from the experience of Saturday's
rehearsal) discarded the " pianissimo" at the commence-
ment ; and thus the advent of the Messiah was declared in
accents of becoming exultation. The grand burst—" Wo-
nderful, Counsellor"—lost nothing by this, but rathergained,
since s, moment's reflection must convince any one of the
absurdity of uttering the preceding words—" His name
shall be called" in a tone scarcely audible, while the close
of the annunciation—" Wonderful, Counsellor"—the name
itself—is shouted with the utmost possible loudness. The
audience, moved to enthusiam by so fine a performance,
redemanded it obstreperously • and their applause con-
tinued until the pastoral symphony had been played half
way through ; but the conductor was inexorable, and re-
solutely declined to interrupt the course of the oratorio,
for which he is entitled to the thanks of all discreet per.
_ sons. After " His yoke is easy" the orohestra dispersod,