The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-25 00:00:00

NCE.

NATIONAL OPERA.

0 We have briefly remarked,in a previous number,
square, 11.,°4'
'that ,
at the .6.1",,, t there cannot exist a reasonable doubt respect-
ie Honoura-- inn
silly; from tl, 0 the physical capabilities of Englishmen to receive
.a. spencer;io, kusical instruction, or of their profiting by it to the
dre ; ar, 10 i to„ , . .
1
'awley's 11:(1,, IniTatiOn of. talent, not to be exceeded by the na-
... ; the MO' tiv •
Rushbroot,! "of any other civilized country. The few names
from Wale„ri!
hard Saul.- 'elected from a large number of worthies, ought to
Irum Dail temove scepticism from the.mind even of an infidel.
4 clidbrd, .
vi N.
composers we have only to mention Doctors
: d 111.0 w,
he MarqoJ, i) CROFT, GREEN, ARNE, DUPUIS ; Messrs
111 RCELL, TALLIS, LOCKE, TRAVERS ; and to come
isehaist'ho'Buls
p. Northa,,l . ' °Wn to our own time, Doctors ARNOLD, BOYCE,
seat iu In Ott,..
uel, Itegc°r h "Ten; Messrs. WEBER, STEVENS, ATWOOD,
mdhurst; ' roil,
r Blackout En, . BISHOP, Ric. Of the instrumentalists,
"niii4, frl: ►l6lO Stand pre-eminent in their superiority over
1, from s' th
Is, Esq. o'2, 'a most gifted individuals of any other nation,
liam isoyll', It ~,-,,
pmond, fr,47 "ill be sufficient for our purpose to enumerate the
obert Wa',:', 4kroe. ,n ,
Lm ditto, 1` - DI Messrs. LINDLEY, CRAMER, MORI, NI..
_.. ,41 , ,
k the Lonu`',, '4OLsON WILMAN MACKINTOSH, PLATT, &C. with
I. Prother , ' ) I
aterford ji' 'lost of others, including many excellent performers
amers IN!' t
from 'the l'!' .Pais the 0; I

1(i d
i lig on].
[ Indeed we might call to our aid the brilliant as.
rnblage of talent which crowded the grand orches
lril of the recent-Musical Festival at York, as wel.
l the astonishingly numerous auditories attending
'these unparalleled musical performances in the re-
ote district of Britain, and proudly say, our court-
)
ibuen cannot any longer subruit that they should
tlok in an inferior degree in mualeal acquirement or
kri, te below our continental neighbours; nay, it is
'yto an incontrovertible fact, that several of our own
ealists, Mrs. BILLINGTON; STORACE, DIEKON,
ell, Colool . 44RoN, Messrs. KELLY, BRAIIAm, and others, have
,pion, Kee ten listened to in all the chief Theatres of the con-
[r. and 31,'
:r. and M's' went with admiration. We have vocalists even
m, Russe!. ,
alien WO' IP who might undergo similar ordeal, and with as
Pjul: lie'' !eeessful results as those we have so much pride in
'lulling to. Misses STEVENS, PATON, LOVE, BtC
ay after leurs• 11. PHILLIPS SAPID G. PENSON &C. In
rhicli xv , , ,
o3' idition to, all - which, and. much more, that our
rellinetoa, ti. _
Ett.,,bie kited space must necessarily exclude, we have
the Chao- l‘v our national establishment, for the systematic
Ir. Vag i tiers of aspirants for musical fame. The recent
rblic exhibitions of its numerous,indhighly talented
tck, and
,QPils opens to our anxious anticipations a glorious
, ~,, 14°0 of the future ; for it cannot any longer re-
le Cabv.,y, in matter:of doubt, that the energy, talent, and
hurst,tl4,4 terprize that has accomplished so splendid a re-
ir"ent i°4: . t, as the performance of the Operas by the Stu-
. ), :' is of the Royal Academy of Music, will be per-
f
rain 0° •
, ie,i:
~ atoll in, even to the final accomplishment of a
'otaluesie isive superiority in our native Artists, over those
, the continent ; with an-evidently increasing taste
.e Nek. -., what is 'considered good music, will arise
vith do: 'ertand for it from. composers of our own. It is
state Or eatable therefore, to know that the Institution
$
ral siso4.- _ ,
tams at present amongst its members several in-
.
Feiviii„, idualss Whose musical productions already augur
with
ti,
highly honourable to the Institution that fosters
"civil', sir laudaide efforts. Indeed, if the compositions
the students can bear any kind of favourable corn-
( vice,. !isonwith that of their practical excellence, we may
Win. `ertaint the most ' sanguine ;hopes that our native
_:,.3
.'lll3osers will soon attain that fame, and acknow-
%%M.: rri.Lo r 1
ged superiority in the construction of Operatic
'sic, that was so remarkably evinced by the un-
-1 eight composers of tiled C our English Cathedral Music.
-, three ,nut it must be in an Opera-house of-their own,
;ere a respectable and competent jury can be as-
vell as 'l3led,'that their deeds must be tried by ; certainly
eridaYs hi either of the vast establishments called our
e
itl and itio
tbrow- AI llal Theatres. The sixpenny customer! who
Niateas, • into the upper 'regioos of these immense houses,
which ' (for the most part certainly) insensible to the
t blows
vari'" l'lllcorti of sweet sounds ;" and would just as soon
vaide. .4 their oral faculties to a Greek Oration, as to
1
e river
Sun- °,Pera of MOZART'S. The " Bonnets of Blue,'
4:: its twin-brother in vulgar inanity, " March—
.shed it . 101, Ettrick and Teviotdale," constitutes the
to dry, ?..44 and Omega of their desires in musical enjoy•
"4; ''t---all besides to them (and we fear to too large
, ano
i t of
I°Portion of even the pit critics of these theatres)
eider ~ leather and prunellaP An auditory of this de-
othera, Ption, then, can never be expected to be much
'ar/iB/e
efitted by the elaborate strains of men like Mo-
I 't.j; WEBER, Smort,or ROSSINI. Unfortunately,'
er and InWirt 'fur the music-101,41g portion of our community,,
-
WY
,lilonopoly which these overgrown establishments
~,
:tram' :14, forms an almost impregnable barrier to ordi-
hail. a 1 endeavours to ameliorate the proem degraded
fat ef-
l.ition of our National Opera; furnishing such pe-
ituttot i
clear, • 4ty inducements to vocalists, as it would be
had a '' tto blame them for availing themselves of. Nei-
vied', !ought it to excite our unqualified surprise, that
s pill-
laws ;
1 the best vocalists sacrifice their better judg-
places 't and taste to the uproarious demand that is
'llly elicited for the " sublime and beautiful"'
'ace captions we here before alluded to. Almost
ill kal
,individual, new a days, that has five and twenty
d the , • 'ads to . fee a
:ill of popular vocalist to sing whatever
:a tire 11 may be offered, and five and twenty/4(nd: to
m Iris ain the two-shilling gallery of a theatre, in order
th of
tick his enterprize, will be certain to accomplish
liti.V.'
OS ;On 44n total of his wishes. Under all these 'circum-
-1 the ees, united to other " secrets of the prison house,"
rd to II we shall 'ere long take a glance at, Opera
rush- .
't is rea
ex-
1,.g00d, honest Opera,) can never be ex-
,
atipg “11f:. led to improve or flourish in the regions of our
lonal Theatres. On this account then, ought
wed t'ecent exhibition of perfect Opera by the pupils
of 4 , le Royal ,Academy of Music, to be hailed by
• Ntl-- Y unbiassed lover of the art of Music with de-
iting
xtter I; and, we hopet hay, we have little douht, that
after ills before long, ,be considered one of the eras
wits • %sic, that Britain will proudly look back to; as
~,,t)y
lie • Point at which its sons fairly started from, to
owe 'Pete in the honourable race for fame with her
tack 'tine/gal brethren. The splendid success that
titre 'attended that most brilliant concentration of
:i',
ssional ability, so beautifully exemplified in the
lap
hi, irittpees of the London Phil-Harmonic Society,
the lions more fur the musical fame of Britain in the
rise
e of
Period it has been established, than it is pos-
the to convey an adequate conception of to general
WAS A.A. But the necessarily limited space of a mo-
.,
th~ }te sized concert-room, combined to the difficulty
and 'braining admission to theie matchless per-
und 'Thees, makes their power. of disseminating
lire
l'Possibility. The capacitieg -era Moderate sized
itly
ork Is-house, and the variety of its prices of admis-
,at, to the same, would necessarily infer an admis- 1
tht e to a large portion of- the community, who can Ime
re-. U.rom many Circumstances difficult of remedy), !
in - admission to the magnificent display presented
;td rho British Phil-Harmonic Society. Every '
kel 'hie lover of music then, we conceive, will agree
ins
is, 4.
1113 in ardently desid m
orating a coatitance of the
..- i;tonm that have so nobly distinguished the earliest
:he
ratio efforts of the Royal A eadetny of Music—
Will also coincide too in thinking (we have
,p- ' rational doubt), that the spirited proprietor of
at: tidy English Theatre, that has fearlessly pursued
1.
'kisviating course towards the permanent esta-
•e-
'tient of a letter description of mtteical drama,
•

it, Clanda'
Sir A. 814
and fan3l.l,
Nicholson;
Littled:llol
mg, KnaPP'
rle, Parker,
1, Beano!'
3ert, Jean,'
Woodford',
y,
Thuillieu
rballis, Pit„4
;ley, Neve. ,
lug, Sadler.
in, Collingh
ifes • 111110'
hil)Ot4

ligan, in various quarters o:

the United