The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-02-16 00:00:00

GEORGE 1101.1)E,N'S CONCER,T.

On Tuesday evening last, this einwert, which has been for
stone time announced to the public, took place at the Theatre
Itoyal. We have rarely attended a concert .:norelniltiantly at-
teotted or which gave greater satisfaction. It we may form any
opinion from the crueli:,- of the audience in encoring almost
every piece, we .hoard say it was much delighted. Every part
of the house was qutte•full, and the boxes were hued with many
of the principal families of the town. The mayor also, accion-
pained by a large party of ti tends, honoured the performance
with his presence. The concert opened with a grand symphony
iu C, from Beethoven, which went tiff rather tamely. The
syinvhony, though distinguished by a continuous succession of
ti,,,eet melodies, has in it few striking passages. The -piece
which succeeded, a madrigal by Benet, quite enchanted the
audience, and put it into a good humour for the evening. The
chorus singers of Liverpool, under the able superintendence of
Mr. George Holden, have long been noted. In the present
piece, the effect which they produced by their great precision as
to time, and the beautiful chords they struck, was charming.
The hues

" With sug'red gloses among these roses,
Fa la la la. fa la la Is,
was given with strikingly beautiful effect. The next piece, a
recitative and aria, by Mozart, train the opera of 'The Mar-
riage of Figaro," introduced Miss Bruce. This lady possesses
a voice of great sweetness, but not of much power, and she is
greatly deficient in articulation.: It is rarely that we ever ad-
mired an ltadan Song when sung by au Englishwoman; it is
out of their proper province, and their voices ill accord with
the style of.musit., which is better adapted to brilliant vivacity
of style and manner and the stuffier voice of the Italians. This
piece passed off rattle, tamely Mr. Machin next was intro-
duced, and sang a scour, "T!te Battle of Hohenlinden," by C.
Smith. It is almost unnecessary to add our 'need of approba-
thth to the long list of to;inirers of MI:. Machin's singing. Ile
is possessed of a splendid bass voice, which he knows well how
to use, lie is rising rapidly in reputation, and blots fair to ap-
proach the pinnacle of the vocalists of the kingdom. He sung
this scena splendidly,' At the commencement of the second verse,
"But Linden saw another sight,
When the drum beat at dead of night,
Commencing, tires of death to liiht
The darkness of her scenery!"
The effect he produced was quite thrilling; and at the conclusion,
•

"And every turf beneath their feet
Shall be a soldier's sepulchre!" •

he gave one of those splendid deep bass perorations tot which he
is distinguished, and left the stage amidst tumultuous applause.
Mrs. Allred Shaw then appeared, and sung a Recitative ed Aria,
by Rossini, from the opera of " Italians in Algein." She sang
it very sweetly, and her peculiar toned voice contrasted well
with Miss Bruce's. Her articulation was beautifully distinct.
Then followed a duetio from Rossiiii's opera of " lI Barbiere
di Sivigha," by Mr. Machin and Miss Bruce, which was spirit-
edly and well sung, and met with an encore. Miss Bruce
proved-upon the audience much in this piece. The next was a
song by Mr. Walton,
Love unperceived, with cautious art,
Steals seductive o'er the heart—
Hangs
on the sense with witching wiles,
Deluding most, when most he smiles.
Then who would love?"
This pretty simple melody, he sang with great sweetness. It is
well fitted to Mr. Walton's voice, whit h is a tenor of much
sweetness, but not of great power. Ile was encored; and
flout this time, the audience, which 'appeared to have been
growing warm in musical enthusiasm, in suite of the cold area-
ti e, would not suffer a song to pass without an encore. The next

piece was a trio by Cimarosa, from " 11 matinhunio segrettle,
which was to introduce Mrs. Hiles, along with Nitss Bruce, and
Mrs. Alfred Shaw, That lady, however, we understand, owing
to a domestic affliction, did tint attend, and her place was sup-
plied by Mrs. Brand. This piece passed off veil well, but Mts.
Brand was nervous. Mr. M4einu, next sang a beautiful ballad
by Knight,
" She wore a wreath of roses the night that first we met."

which he sang exquisitely', and met t%dh a rapturous encore.
Mr. Brown next appeared, and plotql a grand fantasia the
introdut lug the Irish air " Savo.uineen Deehsh." His

execution, and inodulutien of lone i u this sweet instrument, was
splendid ; the audience was quite delighted. The nexi, piece in-
. . •

!winced the audience to a new, and verykauttlut ins lumen!,
he cornet a piston, whit h has lately been invented, possessing

. . .
a very twatitiluilv modulated ineilow tone, very sithoar to the.
French horn, which was played by Mr. l'bonipson. as on ac-
companiment to Mrs. Allied Snow, in the beautilut ballad
commencing

" The light of other days is faded,
And all their glory's past-"
'his was enchantingly sung, and the instrumental accompani-
listened to %%ill, toeatliless aiteution. We have no

mbi, that when this beautiful instrimielit becomes more• kbow it,

hal it will let info vet) general use. Without the drHi~ult of
roducisig a lone, which us the great draw back sits Ilse tingle,
possei.bea all wols a noicli solles, and mellower

lune, and IS a (1E44011111 acoat,panintent to the plan() loile. A
few of then, are to be seen at the Ittoso. shops, at 111 r. Thom p-
sun's. in I,onoon-road, aunt 6toilh's, 11l Lord-siteet,
A march &It'd CIiCIEUS, twin Beefhaven, coneltntett first part.

'the sectool pair or nail with d grand °cerium from '•
lis 11l roid • Miss truce then exquisitely saw, an Irish ballad,
'• Kate Kearney," to which she was euco,t d, In tfie ballads,
ant pieces- which the most de..5,e; gy
es. t
w
was a Scotch air, bv Mrs. Allied Sha, Johnnie
noun'," whiru ',tat, sung woh much taste, though she (*annul sing
wish a &well Wtu.st speaking of these ballads, all
the evident 8,01,1i1010a, anti pleasure ah,ch they gave to all, we
cannot but regret that a vile fashion wi•l stlt k into the hands it
our English sweet songstresses ahyll ingbut their native bal-
lads, in which only, they isatosillty. as well as really excel. We
think the pleasure of hearing an Italian tine piece of music is,
with the greateSt majotity at least, fully enuntetballanced by
being deprived of its proper 4ccompanintent of expi ession, and
feeling. A number of Italian lines' often barbarously phi-
nouneed, and at best, understood but by a tithe of the audience,
and ihat imperfectly, add neither expi essinti nor feeling to the
music, which is lett for effect on its own unaided powers. We
imagine this is a part of that wreiched taste. which, formerly,
was dismiss uaiversal, but which. we 11,4. is now dying a way, of
adinising every thing but what was Eit!,/O.h, and despising every
tuing that was so, In 'conclusion. eta can only add, !nut the
conceit passed off extremely well, and appeared to give great,
and general satisfaction:.

THIRD SOIREE AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTIO.i.

The third of these delightful and rational assemblages was
held on Wednesday evening last. It bas beets our pleasiffi,
task on the occasions or the former soli e,s, to speak tavouraolZ
of them, we feel it doubly incumbent upon us so to notice the
one held on Wednesday evening List; fur a more brilliant,
crowded, and fashionabie aSsemolage, and a scene of mote
complete and rat usual enjoyment we have rarely witnessed.
The t.ritie was in, eves y respect superior to those which have
preceded it; ant that degree of tameness and approach to
ennui which, in a stigiit degree, was perceptible in the last. was
tio where to he tonna in the present one. We have heard much
of " the Lancashire Wiithes"—perhaps inure than we have
seen of them; the soirée at Wednesday evening, however, has
con vi used us that this title of the tatr daughters of Lancashire
has not taken its rise in poetic !Jitney only; to never did we
behold so numerous a collocation, or so gi eat a maj,iisty of
lovely and bewitching faces. Expel ientia duel is a proverb not
the less true for being somewhat musty; soil the committee
have evidently protitted much by
,the experience they have oo
tallied from tile former soirees. principal entrance and the
passages leading to the lecture room, were relieved from their
former sombre appearance, by a brilliant light thrown through
stained glass placed ovei the statue. The museum was enriched
by numerous accessions; the most rensaikabie and curious of
whicn were a number of toy at autographs horn the time of
Henry VIII. doss to that of William t V., int:mil:mg also the
autographs of tnany of the Fiench reigning Caudle • during the
last two centuries, each aulogiapn n.iving a small engraved
likeness of the patty attached to it. The whole formed a vrty
curious and valoah a col, eetton. Souse of the noes bearing
royal signatures, were very amusing. On anyther stand was
exhibited the jaw lit a shut k of immense size, finely preserved;
and near it a Ave' amulet, of most curious, win kinauship, in
whicli was enclosed a complete copy of the Koran. A number
of beautiful Mosaic paintrags, were also hung about. The room
up mails was rendeted more attractive by collection o'
Vert, splendid etchings, front many of the stanuard pictures of
thel
est masters. Another very pleasing Improvement consist-
ed in the swelling notes of a Set aphine, placed at the lisp of toe
staircase, mid which was played miring the greater part of the
evening. Wm. Wallace Curti..., Esq. acted as pleSltiellt lit the
evening. 'Toe Mayor, accompanied by a large parts, honoured
the soiree with his presence ; and a number of that august body,
the Liverpool Town Council, were to be observed here and
there.

As eight o'clock arrived the company began to pour down to
the lecturedroom, which was, with the exception of a few seats
in the gallery, soon tilted in every pail.
The Pub.siohNT iu opernog the philosophical part of the
evennig's entertainment, said tie shoual lot be ginity tat the
had taste of describing the advantages of these suite:es alter
what his predecessors had stated but shoual at once introduce
Jr. Wins,,trile3 to them. who would read to Ineni the essay for
tile evening, on "the wive-tillages of the cultivation of the title
arts." Tins was a subject to which Alf. Vtinistaritey had de-
voted a great poi ion or ills lite, and in w he had attained
,onsioerahie proficiency' and a hignly cultivated taste (ap-
plause.)
. WINSTANLET Said in bringing forward the preseil
paper, it was on:y Lis wish to Wake himself useful, and unt
from any fueling of vanity. He had watched the 'lse anal pro.'
of the LliS iu Liverpool for the last quarter of a century, anti he
was happy tat say that they were now mole prospering than
'they ever were. 'This was a sign of the advancing rethieine.tt
of tile town. The rclinenh-nt of the•peopte had ever kept pace
with the, progress of the arts. Ile was cauviticed that the
apathy %lath was generally found to exist towards the tide'
dots, was to be tweed 10 a wain ut knowledge of the history of
painting; and he was stile ilia( any one who would sit (Moo for
a tew hours to study the art, wout.i lee! delighted on rising, to
find that he had obtained a knawiedge of what were the heri-
nes of paintings, and at being able to distinguish a tine paint-
ing from the spiti Mos productions Mien placed lielote the pub-
lic. num the earliest ages of inankiiid the arts hail heel) pro-
minent in the promo:ion of religion and Could any
one view the tea ritic painting of "The Last Judgement," by
the divine Angelo. without tieing col:mit:ea of Its I"'"eal4i
elicits MI Inc human min t. Noi was at pos.title to he ti;itid to
its efferts ii practuring [Hannay by setting (anti the evils of
vice, nor of its influence 1)11 the affections, lay handing down the
likeness of at pall rill or a child. The nits were" of na tarty:
the% acre like the glorious sun of heaven, which d,trused its
light over a.l. 11, should commence Input the revival of paint-
ing in Italy—but first he would explain what w..ti meant by the
revival of —On the &cline tof the early pmt.'s of
Greece and 'tome, the arts der tined also. Antiquarians, how-
ever, were of opinion that the art at' painting was never iost ;
that the light tat the art was never wholly extinguished doting
eentuties of daikness aid obscurity, but emitted a feeble ray.
About the sixth century the mosaic style of pai ing came into
vogue. There were to this day, in many parts of Italy, paintings
of the Matlimas of a vary early alas, some of which were said lir
posses's miraculous parr. The, principal artists cif that day
were :he Greek's. Several of the paintings. to which miracti
loos power was attributed, were said to be painted by. St. '
Luke the Evaugelist ; but this was incorrect, as they were
khoatu In be the paintings of an artist of the 10th century
named Lucca, who, bring of a devout turn of mind, liecanie
a monk. HIM died in the odour of sanctity, and his works are
much sought after. So late as the twelfth century, the Greek
anists, assisted by those at Italy, continued to ornament our
churches with mesate wink Stain after this period, the Italians
emancipated themsekes 1111111 the hard thy al% e of the Greek
painteis, and that has been touted the revival of the arts in
Italy. Firon this period, the graceful flawing outline tat' the
1 all m school began to he jilt rod tired, Alt.NV.i hen traced the' pro-
gio.s of the art:step ti) step, from this its earl) infancy down to its
fulness ut power at the end of the fifteenth century. 'Mato of the
early pain' tugs were of peculiar shapes, which it w.as difficult to
ace,iiiit for, excep.ing trout the fact of their being given aspre-
sents at marriages. Some of the old paintings cure walks of
having beeu nailed to caskets. I'6dr-custom arose anoingst the
Greeks, and Was folloatal even naw in Switzei laud; and were
eu4 a custour prevalent in Eirgland at ibis) time, it would be