The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-09-16 00:00:00

MUSICAL FESTIVAL AT DUSSELDORF.
• (From the'Musical WOW.)

MENDELSSOHN'S NI VW ORATORIO, .~'°ST. PAUL."-BY CHARLES

X LINGIOJANN.
On the 22d of May last, and the following day, the musical
festival at Dusseldorf took'plae. Its most prominent feature
was Mendelssohn's new oratorio, St. Paul, performed for the
first time, the composer's first great work in this style, and it.
fully answered the high expectations which his fame had raised.'
The text is, fig the greater part, literally scriptural, and tells,
in the simple language of the Bible, often with St. Paul's own
words, the apostle's life, from SL Stephen's martyrdom and
Paul's persecution of the Christians ; his conversion, his going
forth to the Jews and Heathens, and the persecutions he suffered,
till the moment when at last he leaves his congregatitin at
Ephesus to meet certain death.
These different elements the composition introduces to the
hearer, varied in expression, rich in'its details, whilst the whole
moves onward in strong unity. As resting points,ittoin' time to
time, the chorales come in; a glorious-feature 'of the Geiinan
oratorio, of which Bach and his'Sucl;essors have always availed
themselves with the greatest iictess.. ll,lendeksohn 'has given
them an important part in his work. They remind us of the
chorus in the Greek tragedy, pointing, like them, from the indi-
vidual occurrence to the general law, and diffusing a calmness
through the whole. So the overture itself (which, from a solemn
organlike introductien,.passes over into a broad, more and more
expanding fugue,) is based upon the principal choral of the first
part. 'l'he trombones, which forni.as it werea chorus by them-
selves, stand oat in strong relief: whilst thefugue proceeds, with
the phrases of :that choral, in canto fermo.
We hear from St. Stephen's niirtyrdom. The false witness
(a duet of two-bases in hanone,) and the.angry accusing chorus
of the people farm a wild contrast to the 'soft strains of St.
Stephen (tenor,) defetidiug him Self, exhorting the multitude,
and bewailing the fate of Jerusalem. But the Chorus of the
unrelenting people calls, "Stone trim!" 'He dies. The whole
part of St. Stephen is of the 'most touching beauty. A soft
choral is followed by a chorus in Eflat major, witleari undulating
figure in the violins, and an expressive melody in the basses;
then a Lament; touching and comforting, as becomes a martyr
who has triumphed, which presently dies away in 'a quiet ritor-
nello; when a new scene opens.
Saul is introduCed. In the spirit of persecution, he says "An-
nihilate them, 0 Lord!" But on his way to Damascus he hears
the voice from above. Only the soprani and alti, acCompanied
by wind instruments, render those unearthly sounds', in• strange
chords, coming as if from a great distance. A chorus in C
ma-
jot follows tire vision, which above all is magnititent. It begins
piano, with the drums alone, which are gradually joined by the
instruments; thus rising and swelling, it reaches the forte, where,
with all their might, the voices fall in, " Arise! let there be
light!" a call worthy of the great apostle; and an irresistible
voice goin, forth to all the world. This chorus is iminediately
succeeded by a choral of equal power and moment, " Awake !"
the same which in the overture the trombones had as a canto
fernm. Here they assist the.full swell of the congregation with
a chorus of their own. In a chord they take up and terminate
each line of the hymn according to its words: "Awake, so says
the voice of the watchman on the battlements." Fur awhile the
choral continues, and the trombones remain silent; till, near
the end, they return with increased splendour; the seventh is
added to the former chord ; and voices, orchestra, and chorus of
trombones, uniting iu one flow of harmony, bring this Piece to
a sublime conclusion.

This chorus and choral form the brightest point of the oratorio,
which mai ks the advent of the new time and the new faith, to-
gether with the vocation of the apostle.
The repentance and conversion of Paul form a soothing coun-
terpart to the last sublime chorus. He thanks the Load in pious
submission, and the chorus answers—" For the Lord hath said
it," in a strain so full of consolatiou'aud comfort that no doubt
remains of his forgiveness. The recitative. announces this.
Paul recovers his sight, is baptised, and now; as the faithful &ma-
ven; praises the Lord in firm and full reliance. A sPlendid
chorus, of the same confident character, terminates the'fint
hart.
The second part begins with a great triumphant fugue :—" The
earth is now the Lord's ;" unfolding all the.riches and mysteries
of science. This ghirious message cannot be spread far enough,
cannot be said often enough—in all the forms and variety of
expression which the art can command you rear this one prupo-
sition.

The vocation of St. Paul and Barnabas is next announced.
A duettino for two bass voices follows :L-" So are 'we now mes-
sengers in the natne'of Christ ;" simple and transparent, like
the Hymn of Pilgrims, tying the sandals under their feet for
their long journey. A chorus, six-eights—" How lovely are
the messengers of peace," resounds in pure sweetness and joy-
fulness; though it grows to a forte at the words, "Their sound
has gone out into all lands;" yet the whole retains a soft sub-
dued tone, like the gladness of the shepherds. Farther it is re-
lated bow they preached the word of God; and an aria (soprano)
sings of his grace. Up to this point all' in the second .part is
instinct with joyfulness and sunshine, like a spring of the new
faith. But the jealousy of the Jews awakens; in their stubborn
hearts, and in the austerity of their ancient law, they shout,.
"So saith the Lord; lam the Lord. They pursue St. Paul.
Another chorus begins, whispering, inquiring, with an almost
dramatic effect. "Is this not he, who, &c.," and ending; full
of wrath ; " Away with him." A choral prays for the enlight-
enment of those that walk in darkneSs. Paul addresses him-
self to the heathens. But these, after the wonder at LYstra, be-
lieve the apostles •to be gods, dud begin to adore them: "Be
gracious to us, mighty gods." And, like Jew's, are stubborn
and perverse : so the heathens sing in strains; betraying the
sensuality and voluptuousness of their mythology. The chorus
and orchestra take a peculiar character, alluting- and lovely,
but strange and illicit. The apostles, in anger, hasten among
the multitude, exhorting them to desist from their error, and, in
the apostle's own sublime words, the music tells them, "Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God ?" A 'chorus and choral
'ensue, expressive of the saute feeling; not austere like that of
the Jews; not alluring like that oitheseathens', but in thejoi-
ful and firm reliance or faith in the true doctrine.
After this a combined chorus of the JeWs and heathens, rag-
ing more wildly and fiercely than before, sets in. The worst
persecution begins; they shout, " Stone him !" but the Lerd
comforts him. A mild consoling aria (soprano) holds out the
promise : " Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown
of life ;" and a choral elevates the mind to the hope ofa brighter
futurity, and the triumph of the true light. Finally, the last
division relates how Paul, guided by the spirit, declares his in-
tention to go to' Jerusalem, to meet assured danger and a mar-
tyr's death; how he resists the entreaties of his congregation,
and, after having comforted and blessed them, leaves them fot
ever. There is no catastrophe; with the apostle's own Words
to the glory of God, and a mighty chorus concludes the whole:
Such is a hasty sketch of the work. The style in which it
was executed it would be almost impossible to define. No com-
parison with known models could assist us; for tae work has
created its own style, in the pure expression of nature and truth.
A style without effort without aiming at showy effects; with-
out invention for striking out of unheard-of harmonies, or over-
loading 'the orchestra with noise and brass. The subject itself
(the great theme of the text)is irresistibly and yet quietly
brought honie to our minds. Therefore, the whole bears the
stamp of calm grandeur and pure beauty. Hence it is always
in character; never difficult or complicated, but always flowing,
clear, and intelligible. The mastery over all the means is un-
equalled; none, either in combinations of harmony or in instrn-
mental effect, are 'excluded but they are used rfparitigly; May
as the situation requires, and as means to a higher end. 'And'
thus the composer could give himself fully and freely up to the
desi_gu of the work, which is now so vivid and transparent that
-we lose sight of every thing belonging to science, study., and
means; and the artist's pure and beautiful conception; iii its
genuine vigour and freshness, is conveyed direct to thensind of
the bearer.
SO great a work could only have been accomplished by a
composer who has, like Mendelssohn, from early youth, studied
and worked zealously and honestly, and so preeared with a rich
genius' and a pure mind, devoted years of conscientious, unre-
mitting labour, to the solution of the difficult task.
The performance of the oratorio was glorious • never did I
bear such chorus singing. The orchestra consisted of 172 per-
formers, and the chorus of 364—total 536. Of these were 106
'soprani, 60 alti, 60 tenori, 108 bassi. All these singers, with
the exception of the solo singers, were amateurs, as also the
greater number of instrumental performers. It is this eireutn-
stance which gives to the festival its peculiar excellence and
beauty. From all the neighbouring towns and the whole country
round the dilettanti were gathering, arriving in steam-boats and.
eiltiagen (diligences), and coming, not to toil at an irksome,
ill-paid task; but for a great musical field-day, full of soul and
song. All ranks and ages uniting for the one harmonious end.
I saw a venerable friend, at the green age of seventy-five, sing-
ing his tenor part in the chorus with the enthusiasm with which
'in his younger days, at Vienna, he had listened to the perfor-
mance of Mokart's Zauberflote. A party of sixty amateurs
arrived with the steam-boat from Cologne, singing songs in four
parts all the way. Add to thii love of the art,
,a the good train-
ing, well-cultivated taste, and a general knowledge of music,
and it is esiplained how they produced such an effect. You felt
the liferthe- pulsation of this music; for their hearts and their
understandings were in it. It was here, in this chorus, and in
this
_band, that public opinion resided; the audience listehed,
and enjoyed, but the amateur perforiners really constituted the
festival.
But what exertions, what patient and indefatigable rehears-
ing, before the whole reached such glorious perfection. Ad- ,1
mirable as their director, Mendelssohn was, in his unceasing.
attention; so admirable were both baud and chorus in unflag-
ging zeal and steady improvement. At the last great rehearsal,
after several hours of severe practising, Mendelssohn, had,
-during the pauses, some orchestral passages repeated ; and
amongst them the introduction to the favourite chorus in C.
He left off, but all the performers called tor the whole chorus,
and they saug it once more, with unabated fire, for their own
pleasure it not excellent, was .
always respectable,
The solo singing,
Mines. Fischer-Achten and Graban, and the tenor, Schmetzer,
from Frankfort, gave general satisfaction.
The whole oratorio lasted about two hours and a half.
Whatever applause, under the shower of flowers and ear-
lands, was, at the conclusion, bestowed upon Mendelsso'hn,
his principal reward must have been to see his conscientious
labour understood by his countrymen, and the spirit of truth
and devout feeling iu which he wrote imparted to all the per-
formers.
The second day's concert bad for its principal object Beeth-
oven's last symphony in D. In this country it is known snore
by hearsay than in reality. Those who are afraid of bringing
it in all its power before the only competent audience, that of
the Philharmonic Concerts, may learn for their encouragement
that, with a few days' severe practising, under a patient and in-
telligent director, the Dusseldorf band (brought together from
all quarters) performed it with wonderful effect and precision.
The first three movements, entirely instrumental, and instinct
with that characteristic fancy, and strange, vet rich, originality
of Beethoven, are, nevertheless, clear and intelligible through-
out, as much so as any of his latter symphonies. The last
movement, with the chorus, from the beginning of the recita-
tive, maybe less so; the mixture of the instrumental and vocal;
in a symphony, may he objected to; the voices may be thought
not to have been treated in the true choral style; we may even
consider the whole finale to be an incongruous, wild composi-
tion; but still it is Beethoven's—still it is lull of the most splen-
did ideas and passages, and the mind retains, as it were reluc-
tantly, strong and lasting impressions of this huge, gothic fabric
of sound. The work of such a master, even where we cannot
completely enter into his intentions, ought always to command
our profound respect.
The rest of the concert consisted of Mozart's " Davide Peni-
tente," and a psalm of Hendee. The former cont tins some
her fine an
beautiful choruses. Madame Fischer-Achten did full justice to
worthy d very affective part. Of Handel, something more
HDof his name might have been selected.
interest' ;as the unknown overture to 4onore.
It ap east that Beethoven wrote three overtures to the opera of
Fide ie ; firit;
know, and
viertitioe one alluded to, in C major; then one in C,
that in E, nova ror:ed at the Philharmonic concerts; and lastly
thi„ 4sec,ed with the opera. A fourth is still said
to exist; but-
one question is yes; 10 be only a sketch of the first. The
the wild eccentric one wiser' shining with a milder light than
:V. It is snore in the style of
Cherubim's best overtures
andanteer ein ,t
he middle
pct stands wit !c forms
the introduction to the sect)
hof
Übe allegro. It richly deserVes
meauperformed at the 'next
' at Dusseldorf was
Philharmonic season. The
imzovt;ilseedoorn the Tuesday
probribly the only one it ever had.
viayed;att;lirio were se-
a welcome opportunity of comparing them.