Star.
London, England, 1829-07-18 00:00:00

ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE.

(Cautioned from the Seas of yesterday).
To the manager of the Lyceum (Mr. Arnold) who first
conceived the project of adding a regular English Opera to our
stational Drama, the thanks of our Literati and the public are
due ; it was a hazardous attempt that of naturalizing the music of
a Mozart, a Pasiello, a Gluck. Weber, or Rossini, with an au-
dience, whose ears for the most part were unformed. and so bog
accustomed to conceive the greatest power and beauty of harmony
coofined to a Batch ballad, a heating strain, or a sailor's ditty ; and
with whom mask still, with all its power of expression, is yet a
dead language. We nightly see crowds in the Pit receive the meet
exquisite morsels with the nausea of physic taking, while the Moll
i'-the-Waddish jolly dogs and dories who form the main strength
of our Theatres from the second tiers upwards, mocking a science
they cannot understand, vociferate their private rattans for the
edibcadoa of all hearers ; and proclaiming as imprecation or a horse
laugh, sigh for such more enlivening strains as " Carry oo," er
" Push about the jorum." To this desolating obstacle, when we
add the winter monopoly of the great Theatres to the utter eulo-
gists of the rut' English Opera, we are only surprised how that
Theatre can at all subsist.

The strong interest we take I. this estabikhnsent induced mach
pleasure in us to lora, through several indirect puffs, that a new
opera called the •• Robber's Bride" was about to be produced,
which promised fair to the Treasury of the Lyceum Theatre ; the
name of Rios the composer having lately been familiar to us on the
Continent, we were carious to amid at the representation of what
has been called his "chef d'entere." but we are *eery to say our
disappointment was he proportion to the warmth of our ezpecta-
dons; willing to give the piece a fair judgmeot, we have twice
bestowed upon It a patient bearing. This opera is entirely Cahn.
stated on the taste of the times, an extravagant and improbable
lab ilia, aiming at terrific interest, overcharged with strained
allenepta at originality, and skkening:affectadon of wildness.—The
tinewiser of Weber, engrafted so the style of Beethoven, is the cha-
racteristic of this musk ; a thorough knowledge of science is every
where eloborataly made evident, but snore absconds from every at-
tempt Rise seems eternally making to catch her in some fresh detail.
Struggling to be mew, he has only become eccentric : his music runs
constantly Into misters and ~seer mioors to an extent almost
diadem : the voice, suspended by abrupt " pasts d'invies," at
every instant, keeps the ear in continual tree. The moaning of the
who!, the creaking of a gate. the chance slur of an Instrument, and
other sounds of this description, be has, It would seem, caught up,
and embodied in the Welk of this Opera. We are often inclined
to ask whether he is not composing a cunning satire en the roman-
tic in musk? and are thoroughly convinced that barflies professed
himself hostile to Weber, and left less unobjectionable passages is
proof of =Moir, kis composition would have been considered sur-
psgly clever, and have given, perhaps, the death-blow to the
Satanic in composition. With all this, there are some passages of
real sterling beauty, and as the ear gets more accustomed to his
vagaries, we feel nu iodidgence, if not our pleasure, increase;—
Ms distributions of voice are most ingenious, and ds choruses,
though strange, are yet most effective :—that in the drat act, corn-
mewing with " La! be escapes" is of peculiar power.—Laara's
invocation is a pretty tunnel, spoiled by a fife effect, servilely ala
Weber. " Hard is my doom," and the cavatina, do honour to the
composer. The " Hillio glee" is another hint from Der Freiscbuts,
and, though very beautiful, is as much a Bacchanalian as the music
of the hundred and fourth Psalm. To sum up, the whole is a
monument of science and labour, and is calculated to remain a
favourite with the orchestra, howeveri it may fail with a less so.
phis:land audience. For the Poem translated, it appears, from
the German piece called " Die Itatiberbraut," we have only to
say, alas, poor Ries ! what composition could bear out doggerel
misery like this :
Alas! what hateful duty
Compels me to arraign
A form this bean more gladly
Would struggle to sustain.
To me these ancient towers
Of love and virtue tell;
And must this hand unhappy
Their pride, their banner, fell?
The pains the vunsik plartiniter has taken to disfigure harmony
by the =realm of his nonsense, ever contriving somehow to
make the voice rest upon a brief sound or inanity of thought, is
particularly offensive in the recitation rendered thereby absurd even
to risibility. We have no time here foe individual criticism. Sapio
as usual cackles rflout the stage like a hen in the preparatory
anxieties of incubation ; seeming quite relieved when delivered of
a song. Why does this gentleman not confine himself to simple
concert singing? Phillips still promises much for Opera, if bad
example does net sink him to a mere stick amongst the rest of the
Surrey bundle. What a pity he does not strive to correct his
mouthing and chopping of words. Miss Betts is, in this piece,
what Miss Betts is in every other—a respectable singer. and so we
present our compliments. The usual liberties are taken in the
getting up of this Opera, with our patience and common sense.
Micas on a march, are be.riblemed and bedizened like tope
tern—robbers are all dandyfied in new yellow boots—the daughter
of a respectable gentleman, in an old castle, is dressed like a
Princess at a Coronation; e 1 when disguised as a peasant, still
sticks to gew-gaws and embioidery. This profusion of tinsel and
feather is quite sickening, and, destroying illusions, weans us from
the Theatre. If Mr. Perkins would act less with all his might,
and save himself the shocking fading of his cootortimu, we could
judge better of his talents. Miss Cawse has little or nothing to
do. We cannot conclude without a word to Mr. Hawes • we
compliment him highly on the state of the orchestra under his di
ratios ; his zeal for the art is the certain pledge of much future li
eminence.

The bug postponed rowing match far a purse of sovereign,
given by the Gentlemen of the Red Hosea Club, took place yes.
terday. At titres o'clock, the following men were placed for the
grand beat :
John Mitchell Strand-last William Nadi= Lambeth
James Parisi' ......Strand-lace I Rickard Campbell Palace-yard
The distance. under the new arrangeseent, was to start from
Westminster Bridge, row through the centre arch of Battersea
Bridge. and back M the Red House. The start was very good ;
the sons went away Me a aka ; the rain descending in torrents...—
Campbell got the lead, and went sway in style, sod after a good
coated they came is thus :—Campbell Ant, Mitchell second. Neal.
ton third, and Parish fourth. The match was woo by less than
My yards. This has decided Campbell tube an uscammenly good
man, and many hundreds have changed owners.—Betting at start.
ing was Ave to four on Mitchell, mad ao taken.