The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-26 00:00:00

GLOUCESTER MUSICAL
FESTIVAL.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24.—Yesterday was devoted to the
rehearsal of such parts of the sacred music as were
least familiar to the band, especially Mendelssohn's
" Hymn of Praise," and the oratorio of Samson, as
performed fer the first time at the last Norwich festi-
val. The orchestra is erected in the nave, and not,
as formerly, in the choir of the Cathedral—an ar-
rangement which facilitates the construction of one
which is capable of holding 300 performers. Its chief
defects are, that it springs from too great an eleva-
tion, and rises at too obtuse an angle. The principal
singers are too much elevated, and the chorus is only
partially visible or audible. These defects admit of
easy remedy on a future occasion. The band and
chorus are strong, and also select. We observe the
principal stringed and wind instruments of the Opera
band, and the chorus is well balanced and effective.

This morning the festival commenced, and about
half-past ten the streets began to be thronged with
well-dressed groups, bending their way to the Cathe-
dral. The usual morning service is performed, com-
mencing always with the overture to Esther. The
same Te Deum is uniformly sung, and the pieces in-
troduced into the service never vary. Dr. Boyce's
anthem, " Blessed is he," and one (and always the
same) of Handel's Coronation anthems. We ven-
ture to think that it would be advisable to vary this
arrangement, if not altogether to change the charac-
ter of the performance, for such it almost is. The
cathedral service of the Church of England is so per-
fect in all its parts, so incapable of addition or sub-
traction without injury, and contains such a store
of music, unrivalled when regarded with reference to
its design, that it needs no orchestral aid. The re-
sponses, this morning given by 150 voices, and the
chant, were the most impressive part of the entire
service. In Catholic countries the assistance of an
orchestra is needed for the performance of most mo-
dern masses ; but into the cathedral service of Pro-
testant England it is an unwelcome intrusion. This
morning the antiphonal character of the chant (its
essence and prime attribute) was not retained. This
is a needless sacrifice of propriety. We covet the
cathedral service in all its purity and all its grandeur;
once in the year we would make a welcome pil-
grimage to Gloucester, Worcester, or Hereford, to
hear it so performed, and we believe that a crowd of
pilgrims would congregate for a like purpose. Let
the responses be those of Tallis, unequalled as they
are for sublimity ; let Clarke, or Blow, or Boyce con-
tribute the service ; and Purcell and Croft each his
anthem. What higher musical treat can be offered
to any audience than the anthems—" Who hath be-
lieved our report," " My heart is inditing," " 0 give
thanks," or " 0 God, thou has cast us out," of Pur-
cell, or Croft's " Sing unto God," " Praise the Lord,
omy soul," or " God is gone up." The public at-
tention is increasingly drawn to the cathedral ser-
vice ; and we believe that such an opportunity as the
present one, in which all its glorious musical attri-
butes would be fully revealed, multitudes would
eagerly seek. What sort of idea, for example, have
the inhabitants of this place of these ? The daily
service of its cathedral is performed by three male
voices only, in addition to the boys. Its essential fea-
ture is therefore lost; and for the choral grandeur of
Gibbons, Farrant, and Aldrich, we have only a miser-
able burlesque. Such a performance of the morning
service as we have suggested would display all its
beauty and majesty, while it would preserve intact
and inviolate its sacred character, which is now some-
thing between a performance and an act of devotion.
It would be in strict keeping with the character of
the building, and in due accordance with the feelings
of the audience—it would be simply a yearly resto-
ration of the cathedral service—the substance instead
of the shadow. On the ground of policy we suggest
this alteration. A repetition of the same pieces, year
by year, will hardly avail to draw a yearly crowd. In
point of fact they fail to do so. But such a perform-
ance of the morning service as we have suggested
would be indeed a novelty, and how far a probably
attractive one, let the crowds who yearly watch
for the return of the Purcell commemoration, and
throng the walls of Westminster Abbey, testify.
We have assigned the reason why our cathedral
music caw. of be heard. It was written for " a full
voiced choir," and not for a choir of one voice to a
part. The knowledge of the greater and sublimer
portion of it, as a necessary consequence, is fading out
of sight. The true style of its performance will be
lost also. A yearly opportunity is offered in these
cathedrals at least of preserving and perpetuating
this. The lay clerks and minor canons of the three
choirs are all present at these meetings, and is there
one of them who would not benefit by hearing Hobbs's
admirable reading of Purcell, derived by him, doubt-
less, from early association with Bartleman ? The
dignataries of cathedrals would also learn a salutary
lesson. They would learn the musical value of the
libraries of their respective churches, they would wit-
ness the power of their contents in exciting the devo-
tional feelings, and they would, it is to be hoped, aim
at the constant improvement of their choirs, in order
to restore to the cathedral service its matchless gran-
deur and unspeakable value.
To return from this vision of the future to the
reality of the past. The Cathedral was respectably
attended, but the gallery only was filled. The nave
was half empty. Any criticism on a work so well
known and so often performed as the " Te Deum for
the victory at Dettingen" would be altogether super-
fluous. The performers evinced their familiarity with
their work by the correct manner in which they
went through it.
TUESDAY EYENING.—It is not the custom here to
throng to the first night's concert, and accordingly
the room was not more than half filled. The selec-

tion3 at these concerts, it must be confessed, usually
exhibit little musical attraction ; that of to-night
ought to have bad more than the rest, for the first act
consisted of the best pieces from Adis and Galatea
very well performed. Manvers was the best Acis we
have heard for many years.
The second act was almost a succession of what we
suppose are termed popular ballads, interspersed with
a song of Rossini and another of Donizetti. The fa-
vourites with the audience were a Gipsy duet by the
Misses Williams, and " Where the bee sucks," by
Miss Barrett, both of which were encored.
Lindley played one of his concertos in his usual
style, and with his accustomed success.

DAHLIA Snow.—Yesterday one of the best dahlia
shows of the season took place at the Bazaar, Baker-
street, Portman-square. The exhibitors comprised the
chief growers in the country, and the flowers were ar-
ranged in five classes, there being prizes in all. The first
prize of 51. in the first, or nurserymen's class, of 24
blooms for subscribers of five guineas, was awarded to
Mr. Brown, of Slough ; the second to Mr. Keynes, of
Salisbury ; the third to Mr. Girling, of Stow-market ;
and the fourth to Mr. Bragg, of Slough.
PROPERTY TAX ON DIVIDENDEL—By an Act which
was passed on the 19th July last, the dividends payable
on the 10th October next, are exempted from the pay-
ment of the Property-tax. The title of the statute
explains its object, and has reference to the transfer of
the Three per Cents:—" An Act to exempt from the
payment of Property Tax, the dividends on certain
annuities of three pounds ten shillings per centum per
annum, payable for the quarter of the year ending the
10th October, 1844." It is declared that no deduction
shall be made on the payment of the dividends mentioned
on the three pounds ten shillings per cent., under the
Act for the transfer of the dividends into the three pounds
five shillings and the new Three per Cents., to such
parties holding the same, as shall not have notified, or
shall not notify within the period prescribed by the Act,
their dissent to the conversion, and in case of any sub-
sequent dissent within the period allowed, a deduction
shall be made for the Property-tax whenever such prin-
cipal shall be paid to them.
A CHANGE INDEED I—The large and beautiful
chandelier which had graced the banquetting-room of
the Cork Mayoralty-house during the old corporate
regime, was purchased on Tuesday, for the use of the
Franciscan Church (Broad-lane) in this city. It cost
originally 501., but was knocked down at the auction for
51.155,--Cork Examiner.