The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-06 00:00:00

BIRMINGHAM MUSICAL FESTIVAL

THURSDAY, OCT. 5.

Saint Philip's Church was this morning crowded at the
early hour of ten o'clock ; hundreds were sent back from
the doors, yet the nave, the galleries, the stair-case, and
indeed every part—however inconvenient for sight or
sound—were thronged even to suffocation. The great
object of attraction was the " Messiah," which, though
far from a novelty to English ears, is yet the most popular
oratorio ever composed. Mr. Brahmin opened the morm
ing's performances with the recitative, " Comfort ye,
comfort ye, my people ;" and if yesterday we spoke rather
.slightingly of one or two of his most ambitious attempts,
we can on this occasion afford him unqualified Praise. Per•
haps it may be with/singing (though comparatively a me-
ehanical experiment), us it is with genius in other departs:
'ments of mind, namely, that it is restless, uncertain, and
full of inequalities; if so, Mr.
.Braham stands proudly ac-
quitted of undue negligence on the one day, or of unex-
pected excellence on the other. The chorus which fol-
lowed his air, " And the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed," was soleMnly appropriate, terminating in a full
swell of majestic harmony, that, to adopt the striking
language of Milton, was enough to "create a soul under
the ribs of. death." Mr. Bellamy sung " Thus saith the
Lord of hosts," very creditably, but the.part should have
been assigned to Brehm. Mr. Phillips, in the spirited ,
recitative, "For behold darkness shall cover the earth,"
threw an air of grandeur into his voice, more particularly
when be pronounced the word " darkness," exactly eon-
formable to the spirit of Handers conception. Indeed,
with the exception of Brehm in one or two of his choiceit
bravuras, Mr. Phillips is the most dramatic vocalist We
have--the ve—tte Kean of song! " There were shepherds abid-
ing in the fields," was assigned to Miss Stephens, -while
Miss Paton warbled "Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of
Zion!" in a manner that thrilled to the hearts of all who
heard her. Perhaps we might object to the rather bois.,
terms manner in which she gave the word " shout," ap-
plied to the daughter of Jerusalem ; but we are in no
humour to find fault, especially with the recollectiaa of
such delight yet lincernig vividly in our minds. Miss
Travis sting " Then shall the eyes of the blind be opeu-
ed," in a quiet impressive manner, with a subdued
feeling of exultation—if we may apply such a term
to her style and manner Of execution—that would have
been perfect, had she not marred it .n little by the husky
indistinctness of her tone towards the close. he se,
ot)? d a with the well-known chorus ‘tie,„
At-
tempted the touching air "He was despised and rejected
of men e' we say attempted, beeause none but a mind! of
the very keenest sensibility can do justice to the strain,
which conveys as strong an idea of afflicted Deity ag the
human mind can conceive. Miss Travis executed "He was
cut off," with the requisite tenderness, as also thesucceed-
ing air " But thou didst not leave his soul in hell," which,
however, appeared a failure, Mr. *Om, in the noble
recitative " He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to
scorn," gave unutterable energy to the word " laugh :" the
effect was electrical---instantaneous--and shows the magic
of the .human voice, .when heightened and directed by
judgment, taste, and sensibility, The Oratorio was closed
by that puniest of all choruses " Hallelu;ah ti !for the Lord
God Omnipotent reigned'," which weaigiVett With a noble
burst of melody, that rolled like a peal of distant thunder
through the church, till gallery, nave, and aisle seemed li-
terally bursting with the e c
volume of sound. Th
-
" King of kings, and lord of lords," sang by thy whole
assembled orchestra, put the seal to this s
enchant-
merit; and long after-the last eel4o , t.
Oen ceased, the feel-
ings of the spectatore, as if fascinated by some ttiliguardt
power,l remaines hushed in breathless silence in a short
time, however, this state of excitement was .'sobered;
Na-
ture resumed her usual away ; the Visitors, g'rtettp by
group; departed; and the church was once NNW fig"'
as the dead that slumbered beneath it,