The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-18 00:00:00

TIIE << SELECTIONS "_YESTERDAY.

The attendance yesterday of upwards of twenty-
one thousand visitors beneath the arch of the Grand
Central Transept of the Crystal Palace at Syden-
ham, evidenced in a striking manner the extraor-
dinary popularity and paramount attraction of the
Second of the three Grand Days of these Triennial
Handel Festivals—the day of the " Selections."
They are selections, as all the world knows, from
several of Handel's Oratorios, and from other works
of that Master of Masters in the divine art of
Music. Opera, Oratorio, and Cantata—Chorus
and Double Chorus—Duet and Trio—Air and
Recitative—March and Overture—alternate in
this wonderful display of the diversity, the
variety, the versatility of this astounding genius,
this Shakspere among musical composers. No marvel
is it, therefore, that while thousands throng to any one
of the grandest of these co:ossal oratorios, that yet
more thousands sbou'd crowd the Great Hall of
luminous glass and delicately-traceried iron, dedi-
cated especially t•a his memory, as immediately con-
f: onting what is now known far and wide as
the Ilandel Orchestra ! The Orchestra the
diameter of the exquisitely proportioned roof
of which is actually twice that of the dome
of St. Paul's CeViedral ! The Orchestra—the
stringed instruments in which exceed four hundred
—the entire occupants of which, counting vocalists
and instrumentalists together, number up the enor-
mous aggregate of fully four thousand souls ! That
majestic and altogether matchless Orchestra, the
central portion of which is of itself about the
grandest and most appropriate monument ever
erected in honour of a great musician—meaning the
glorious organ inscribed with the name of HANDEI„
and having also incribed, there, upon either side of
that great name, as dates worthy of being held in
ever grateful and reverential remembrance, the
year of the giant composer's birth and of his death.
Emblazoned in panels around the inner circumfer-
ence of that immense Orchestra are, among others,
the names or titles of the magnificent oratorios
from which the principal solos and choruses which
were performed yesterday had been selected—
" Saul," "Joshnt," " Samson," '' Jephtha," "De-
borah," "Solomon," " Judas Maccabeus" ! Bear-
ing in mind alone those marvellous masterpieces,
any one with an ear for music can appreciate upo❑
the instant the astonishing treat provided for them
on the Day of Selections, inure particularly when
the soloists entrusted with the task (that labour
of love), of interpreting the recitatives
and airs (in among the colossal choruses), are such
artistes as Titiens, Nillson, Kellogg, Carola, Sainton-
Dolby, and Lenemens-Sherrington, as Santley,
Cummings, and Sims Reeves. As a matter of course
the vast area was filled therefore. As a matter of
course the aggregate of visitors exceeded 21,000.
The Palace, crowded at the commencement of the
performance, namely by two o'clock in the after-
noon, remained so up to the close of this second
celebration, namely, until six o'clock in the evening.
During those four hours, nineteen grand choruses,
nineteen exquisite solos, one delicious duet, and one
crowning or culminating trio, constituted, together
with a noble overture, and an immortal march,
at once the soul and substance of yesterday's
memorable performances.

The selections from San/ led off punctually at
two o'clock the demonstration of the splendour and
diversity of the gifts of Handel's incomparable
genius as a composer. And nothing could very
well have struck more majestically the keynote, as
it were, of the whole performance, than the great
chorus of adoration " How Excellent Thy
Name !"—the antiphonal grandeur of which
hushed the immense audience at once
into an attention that, from that moment
until the close of the whole diversified perform-
ances, four hours afterwards, it may be said with
perfect truth, never for one instant flagged. After
Madame Lemmens-Sherrington's voice, clear as a
bell, had given the air, " Au infant raised," fol-
lowed immediately by the appalling semi-chorus,
" Along the monster Atheist trod," through which
the footsteps of Goliah are audible through the con-
cordant clangour of the basses, the five great choruses
followed one upon the other in rapid succession.—
rising as by a marvellous crescendo through " The
youth inspired by Thee," and " Our fainting
courage," and " How excellent Thy name,"
to the " Halleluj,th " (it is Saul, remember,
that we are still speaking of) up to the climax of
them all—one of the grandest choruses ever com-
posed by Handel, and consequently one of the
grandest ever composed by any one,--" Envy,
Eldest Born of Hell." It was at the conclusion of
that chorus that came, what according to our
notion was, of all, the great sensational performance
of the day, a day full of supreme sensations of delight
andastonihment —namely, the rendering, as it never
until yesterday hai been rendered not even at the
rehearsal of Friday last, the matchless rendering
of the pathetic, haunting, funereal " Dead March"
—the simplest and yet the sublimest burial march
ever written. It was played yesterday just abso-
lutely to perfection, and clings still to our remem-
brance with a haunting impressiveness. Madlle.
Nillson's " From mighty kings," out of "Judas
Maccabeus," and the same radiant soprano's " Wise
men, flattering," from the same oratorio, were
brought into striking contrast with Mr. Santley'e.
noble delivery, ore rotundo, in between them, of " 0
voi dell' Erebo," from " Resurrezione." Directly
after Madlle. Nilsson's second withdrawal from the
platform, came the first though not the greatest of
Mr. Sims Reeves' two great triumphs of yesterday
rendering of the recitative "Deeper and
deeper still," and of the air " Waft her angels,"
both from the pathetic pages of Jeplahah. By rea-
son actually of the exquisite refinement of his sing-
ing, our great tenor contrives somehow in the vast
aria of the Crystal Palace (admirable though the
acoustic arrangements of the auditorium are accord-
ing to their present construction) he contrives some-
how, we say, by the very perfection of his singing
(in its refinement) to militate against the effect pro-
duced upon a considerable portion of the assembled
multitude. Upon the occupants of the upper gal-
leries, the subtler beauties of his style were lost alto-
gether. The enthusiasm manifested, however, by .
those happily placed within more reasonable range
attested to those others who were less luckily situ-
ated that if distance, according to the poet, lends
enchantment to the view, there are occasions upon
which it certainly does not to the hearing.
Instead of pausing at the close of the First Part,
namely, at the conclusion of the bewitching chorus,
that chorus alternately awful, and pathetic, and ex-
ultant, "Ile saw the lovely youth," taken from
Theodora, the theme of which is the raising of the
widow's son to life—M. Costa passed on, with
a merely momentary interruption, to the Second
Part, the opening piece of which was the masterly
and varied Overture from the Occasional Oratorio.
The great chorus, " May no rash intruder,"
from Solomon, preluded, in a manner, most -effec-
tively the appearance of Madlle. Titiens, who gave
as none other could give it more brilliantly,
" Lascia ch' io pianga," from Rinaldo. And then
came Mr. Santley's grand triumph of the day, the
one only encore, his unsurpassable rendering of the
love song of the amorous giant Polyphemus, " 0,
ruddier than the cherry," from Acis and Galatea.
Often and splendidly as lie has sung it before
now, he never sang it more splendidly than he did
yesterday. And he was rewarded accordingly,
being compelled by a burst of acclamations that
there was no withstanding (even by that arch-
enemy of encores, Mr. Costa) to repeat it, as he did
in consequence repeat it—singing it again just as
splendidly, and being rewarded at its close with an-
other thundering burst of applause. " Whslre'er you
walk," from Semele, having been given excellently
well by Mr. Cumming, was capped by the sequent
chorus, " Now Love, that everlasting boy," finely ren-
dered by the four thousand musicians in the orchestra.
Then followed the delicious duet already alluded to,
" 0 lovely peace," from Judas Maccabeus, in which
Christiue Nilason's young soprano and
Madame Saintou-Dolby, still fresh though more
matured contralto, vied with each other, and, in
vying, so exquisitely harmonised. The trilling
"Sweet bird," from L' Allegro, was immediately
afterwarde given with dulcitinous effect by the

always welcome voice of Madame Lemm,.ms-50er‘
riugton, accompanied, interwoven one might 8391
with the rebec of the flute obbligato of Mr. Radcliffe'
Then at last came the pause in the day's prograinwe
after the pealing forth of the grand chorus fro",
Alexanders Feast, in which the kindred geniuses 01
Dryden ani Handel were knit together—Willa
many rend the skies." .

As a noble signal of commmcement for the
concluding portion of the day's performances
after a not unwelcome interval for refresh'
ment and chit chat, came the double chorus frc?
)eborah—" Immortal Lord"—mainly remarkathe,
for the marvellous massing together of concordant
i
sounds. Immediately upon its completion foliose'
the final selections front Judas Maccabens.. gldne
Titiens' "Pious Orgies"—Mr. Sims Reeves tog;
nificent " Sound an alarm," in the delivery
which our great tenor is simply peerless and un3Pl
proachable—and, to crown all, the choral outbll
of " We hear, we hear," which, as given yesterday'
was nothing but electrifying. Madame Saiaton-
Dolby's " What though I trace," from So/oniorli
oddly to our thinking preceded Madlle. Carol
radiant rendering of " Let the Bright Seri!.
plum," from Sanzson, made more radiant still by
Mr. Harper's trumpet obbligato—instead of that
previously mentioned air being grouped with the
other airs and choruses, selected immediately after'
wards from the same oratorio of Solomon. The
choruses were especially fine and the airs superbly
delivered, all but one of them, by Madame Saint°
Dolby. That one exceptional air being allotted to
Madle. Kellogg her one, and most lovely pet'
forwance of the day, " 0 had I Jubal's lyre."
a fitting climax to th 3 whole of these magnificell
performances of yesterday came, almost
taneously with the stroke of six o'clock in the
evening, the trio (sung by Madlle. Titiens, I\ladlle*
Carola, and Madame Sainton-Dolby), together
with its astounding chorus from Joshua, " See the
Conquering hero comes"—the indescribably
jestic effect of which we referred to in the strongest
terms we could apply to it iu our notice of lag'
Friday's Full Rehearsal. Yesterday it was give;
just as astonishingly, just as magnificently. Al 2
so the Day of the Selections came to its couclusiou't
To-morrow we have in prospect the grandesl
choral day of all—namely, the day of the Prat
in Egypt, by many regarded as Handers looter*
piece.

41 4, A,
euritar.

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, June 17.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise'
Princess Beatrice, Prince Leopold, and suite, ar
rived at the Castle this morning from Balmoral.

The Princess of Wales drove out yesterditll
attended by Viscountess Walden.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE

Colonel Milward, of the Royal Artillery, 1111°
was sent home in charge of despatches and the Pre"
sents to the Queen by General Sir R. Napier, Cosy
mander-in-Chief of the Abyssinian Expedition, sr'
rived at his residence, on Plumsted-common, 01/
Saturday last.
Brigadier-General Little, C. 8., commanding the
Cavalry in Ireland, made his inspection of the 14u`,
King's Hussars in the Curragh on Monday. rrbe
General expressed himself much pleased with the
appearance of the regiment, the precision With
which it manoeuvred, and the first-rate condition c'i
the horses. He afterwards visited the barracks at
Newbridge, and made the usual inspection of the
rooms, stables, hospital, schools, remount horses,
recruits, and regimental and troop books, the whole
of which appeared to give the General entire sails'
faction.

The annual Volunteer review by the Lord-Lieu"
tenant of the county of Kent, Viscount Sydnel'
G-.C.8., will be held this year on the 4th of 11
on Woolwich Common. The Secretary of State for
War has given his saection to her Majesty's 0:000
taking part in it, and the whole will be under ti e
command of Major-General E. C. 11Tarde, Cs'
the commandant of the garrison. There are UP,'
wards of 5,0u0 Volunteers in the county, and it i 5
expected that a large force will assemble on the CC
casion.
On rfu,sday the Ist Battalion 20th Regiment
was inspectel at Aldershot by the General ail'
inanding the brigade on the Clubhouse-green. I,ll°
regiment having marched past in a manner satis-
factory to the General were put through vatic%
battalion movements, which were performed wit
great steadiness and precision.
The Elk, 2, twin-screw (unarmoured composite;
built) gunboat, 465 tons, 120-horse power, Ps
completed in her outfit by the Portsmouth steam
reserve for her first commission, was put throtig,
cl
her light draught trial of speed over the measured
mile in stokes Bay yesterday, drawing Bft. Sin. °f
water at the stern, and 7ft. at the bows. Six NO
over the mile with the engines condensing gave he:
a mean speed of 10.069 knots per hour, and til
same number of runs non-condensing gave bet a
mean speed of 10.137 knots per hour. She is er
pected to be immediately commissioned.
The following appointments have been madeat
the Admiralty :—Commander W. S. de Kantzow t°
the Star, vice Bradshaw ; Commancier P. R. Sharrf:
of the Waterwitch, to the Lapwing, commissionl;
the officers and crew of the Waterwitch are to
turned over to the Lapwing.