The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 26, 1842.

MEMOIR OP M. CHERUBINI.
This venerable and celebrated composer, whose
name was known and idolized wherever music
has either cultivators or admirers,—who was
distinguished as a composer, profound as a
theorist, and practised as a teacher of his art, has
been struck, we. regret to say, at the advanced
age of eighty-two, from the proud eminence
which he occupied' in the musical world—a
world which would be inconsolable at his loss,
but for the rich and elassical treasures which he
has bequeathed it in his works.
Luigi Cherubini was born at Florence, on the
Bth of September, 1760. At the early age of
nine years he began to learn a course of musical
composition, under Bartholomew Felici and his
son Alexander, distinguished composers, well
known at the end of the eighteenth century.
At their death be passed to study under the
direction of Bizzarri and Castrucci; under whom
his progress was such, that,lat the precocious age
of thirteen he had composed and executed at
Florence a mass and intermediate piece of ser-
vice, and before he was eighteen had presented,
with equal success, musical works to the church
and theatre.
In 1778, the Grand-duke Tuscany, Leopold 11.,
whose taste rendered him the friend and Miecenas
of artists, granted Cherubini a pension, which
enabled the young musician to travel to Bou-
logne, where the celebrated Sarti resided, and
under whom he desired to finish his studies.
Sarti took a great liking to his young eleve—he
paid particular attention to his progress—fortified
him especially in that in which he afterwards
shone, viz., the science of counterpoint and the
idealisms of musical style, and more especially in
the composition of higher operas.
After four years' study under Sarti, Cherubini
came in 1784 to London, and continued to reside
here for two years, during which time were
brought out his two operas of " La Finta Princi-
pessa" and "Giulio Sabino." After returning to
Paris in 1786, be travelled from thence to Turin,
where,in 1788,he producedhis opera of "Iphigenia
in Aulis." On his return to France he composed for
the Royal Academy of Music the opera of" De-
mophoon," and was at the saine,"period author of
various detached pieces which were played among
the Italian operas enacted at Paris at the time
by the excellent buffas who were there during
1790, and successive years. To this day, older
dilettanti remember with what a rich degree of
enthusiasm they applauded the admirable quar-
tette of " Cara, da voi dipende," introduced into
the opera of the " Happy Travellers."
After some preparation, Cherubini gave to the
world his grand opera of "Lodoiska," which was
first performed incl79l, at the French Theatre
Feydeau. This work was an epoch in the life of
the author, and in the history of the science. It
developed a new species of style; remarkable
for the union which it produced of all the powers
of the orchestral instruments, and at the same
time the fullest and most magnificent chants.
"Elisa," " Medea," and " Les Deux Journees,"
with other compositions of a less elevated
standard, but which were equally remarkable for
the genius and science displayed by the author,
followed " Lodoiska" at intervals. It was the
composition of " Les Deux Journees" that
enabled Juliet, the most inimitable of French
actors, to develope his fine talents as a come-
dian, and Madame Scio her enchanting playing,
full of soul, and enhanced by her beautiful voice.
The success which Cherubini obtained in his
adopted country caused his reputation to spread
speedily to Germany, where his works were
represented with sustained success. In 1805 he
travelled to Vienna, and at the Imperial Theatre
produced his opera of " Faniska. ' On his re-
turn to Paris in 1806, lie delivered himself up
again to composition, and his chief production
was a mass for three voices, which is noted for
the very happy combination produced in an
union of the ancient and modern styles.
On the organisation of the Conservatory of
Music at Paris, during the Republic, he was
named one of the five Presidents, and so con-
tinued till 1840. During this period he was
said to be author of many of the excellent studies
published by this Institution.
This Conservatory of Music, over which he
presided, was, before the Restoration, known by
the name of the " Ecole Royal de usique et
de Declamation." It is a school under the di-
rection of the superintendent of the King's
Menus Plaisirs. This term, say French jokers,
is a barbarous denomination which ought to be
changed, and if it be insisted on that there must
be pleasures designated by an epithet, they ought
not to be called the Menus Plalsirs, but the
Nobles Plaisirs, of the King. The fine arts arc
above the hunting and barking of dogs; and are
surely on a par with the singing of sirens and the
muses. It is needless to say that under M. Che-
rubini's teaching, many fine instrumentalists
have been turned out.
Cherubini's style may be denominated the
mixed style, scientific enough to have received
its education in Vienna, but yet tinged by the
more melodious qualities which adorn the com-
positions of equally favoured natives of Italy.
Cherubini's intention in his music is chiefly to
produce sweet and expressive pleasure; and it
seems as if the composer in his pieces, carried
away by the novelties and unexpected beauty of
his conceptions, sought no other means ofattrac-
tion than what might flow from so inexhausti-
ble a source. In his overture to "Anacreon,"
regarded as one of the finest instrumental pieces
written since the days of Haydn, there is a no-
velty of melody, an elegance and brilliancy of
effect, which fails not to rivet the most inatten-
tive; none bears more strongly indications of the
elegant mind of its author. Cherubini's tact ap-
peared to lie in that ingenious distribution of
particular detached passages to the several in-
struments he employed, a power which so much
His compound melodies
may
titounsphed Mozart.raetiscdea rsseemssometimes confused,
but those who have any insight into theory,
know their true beauty. His overture to " Des
Abencerrages," though the least attractive of
any he has written, contains many passages of
sound and fine modulation, several melodious
streaks of light, which beautifully protrude upon
the hearer. His " Benedictus" is a very choice
piece, and his canone " Perfida Clori," a sweet
graceful specimen of this species of composition
which is fast verging to decay among us, al-
though in days of yore, a great musician thought
it no hardship to sit for hours and days together
to obtain the solution of this difficult musical
problem.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.
GLOBE.—A custom appears to prevail in many of
the Union workhouses of turning out inmates who it
is alleged have no on the particular parish where
they have asked for relief—a practice to which we
should see no objection, if it were acted on with the
intention of transferring paupers to the place that
ought to be charged with the burden of supporting
them. Instead of this, however, destitute creatures
are thrust out of the doors of a workhouse merely
to enter those of a prison ; for, finding parochial
relief refused to them, they have no alternative but
to transfer themselves to gaol by committing some
small offence which entitles them to a short period of
imprisonment. By this system the Houses of Cor-
rection are becoming inconveniently crowded with
criminals in spite of themselves—persons who can
get supported with less difficulty as delinquents than
as mere paupers, and thus the gaols are becoming, as
it were, refuges for the destitute who are driven
from the workhouses. Besides the immorality that is
occasioned by the obligation under which the poor are
often placed of committing an offence, in order to ob-
tain the food which is due to their necessity alone, the
system we are alluding to is unfair towards the payers
of the county rates, who are saddled with a burden
that ought to be borne by the contributors to the poor
rate. in addition to this, the individuals who are ac-
cidentally selected to have their windows broken—one
of the most usual ways adopted by desperate persons for
obtaining an entrance to prison—have strong reason to
complain, as well as those who are subjected to the loss
of their property by thefts committed with the view
of gaining for their perpetrators the support that the
parish authorities withhold from them. It should
also be remembered that habits of robbery and vio-
lence, commenced from motives of want, are likely to
grow on those who practise them, and who thus be-
come confirmed enemies of society, and reckless vio-
lators of the rights of property. It is time that some
better course should be adopted than that by which
parsimony of the poor rates appears to be paramount
to every consideration of morality, humanity, and
justice, all of which are indiscriminately sacrificed
that the " parish" may be relieved as much as possible
of the burdens that press upon it.
STANDARD.--:-This day is the second of the two
sacred anniversaries upon which we have been always
accustomed to claim for ourselves an exemption from
the necessity of prosecuting political controversy;
an exemption in which, as we gratefully remem-
ber, our readers have never failed to indulge us.
The time, we trust, is not distant, when upon such
solemn occasions, the publication of newspapers
will be altogether prohibited by public feeling. We
think we see an approach to such a consumma-
tion in the; growing limitation of Sunday journals.
Meanwhile we adhere to our rule. If we could de-
viate from it, there are considerations connected
with the day which might be shown to have an
important bearing upon the subject which now
properly engrosses public attention. Why is the
duty of " preaching the Gospel to the poor"
so imperfectly discharged ? Why are so many of
our fellow-citizens—for whose spiritual welfare we
are as deeply responsible as for their temporal
happiness—deprived of the opportunity of conse-
crating this day to prayer, and praise, and gratitude
to Him, whose sacrifice for us this day commemo-
rates ? Why, alas, are so many without even the dis-
position ? The answer has been, because the finances
of the State will not afford the cost of extending the
means of religious worship. Is this a sufficient
answer from the nation which Heaven has blessed
with more wealth, more abundant wealth, than
was ever lavished upon a people ? We are
told that our resources must be reserved for
war, and that to call them forth for the
works of peace and mercy, and preparations that are
the preservatives of peace, is forbidden. Is this ra-
tional—is it Christian ?Is it not, in truth, saying
that tile goods which the Almighty has bestowed
upon us are confided for the destruction, not
for the preservation of our fellow creatures ? It
is known that Sir Robert Inglis has a motion to
bring before Parliament for the extension of
the means of religious instruction ; but how can
this motion succeed if the revenues of the country
are to remain crippled, as they have been ? Who
can say that he seriously intends to promote the ob-
ject of such a motion, when he withholds the neces-
sary instrument for its promotion ? We trust that,
many will think seriously of this. The first income
tax ever imposed in England (it was 600 years ago)
was imposed for the service of religion—so false is
the pretence that it has always been a war tax. But
we are sure that we have said enough upon this point,
and we have said more than we intended.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF
PROSECUTION.