The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-08-14 00:00:00

THE BIRMINGHAM MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

The complete programme of the Birmingham Musical
Festival has been issued, and a perusal of it will prove
highly interesting to every real lover of the " divine art."
It will be seen that each day's performance will be enriched
by compositions of imperishable fame, the beauties of
which will be displayed by artistes whose high talents
render them the fit interpreters of such glorious works.
The Tuesday morning's performance will commence with
the " National Anthem," by the principal singers and
chorus ; to be followed by Mendelssohn's sublime oratorio,
the " Elijah." Written expressly for the last festival by
the lamented composer ; brought out under his imme-
diate direction ; and its rare merits then, and since, so
amply discussed, this great work needs, now, no especial
allusion to its beauties. We must, however, remark that
the opinion we gave on its first production, that as an
oratorio, it would, like the " Messiah," maintain its place
as one of the absolute necessities in the programme of every
great festivai, bids fair to be realised. For the forthcoming
occasion, the part of the prophet, " Elijah," is assigned to
Herr Pischek, for which his rich voice and fine style of
declamation (if he can overcome our language, of which, by
the way, we are assured) so well qualify him. Madame Cas-
tellan will sing in the role of the " Widow of Zarephath,"
To Mr. Sims Reeves, now so deservedly popular, are assigned
(with one exception) the principal tenorsolos. Thisexception
is the beautiful air, " Then shall the righteous," which
will be given by Signor Mario, who has studied it espe-
cially for this occasion. The remainder of the cast is well-
arranged. We observe that between the first and second
parts, a performance on the organ will be given by our
townsman, Mr. Simms, who will thus have the first op-
portunity of displaying the great improvements made by
the alterations that have been effected in that stupendous
instrument. The scheme of the concert on the Tuesday
evening presents a perfect " embarras des richesses." It
exhibits an immense display of local talent, foremost
amongst which is that of Madame Sontag ; and promises
to the lovers of instrumental music a rare treat in such
works as Beethoven's " Pastoral Symphony," and Weber's
" Overture to Oberon," performed by a band, which a re-
ference to the list of executants will show to be the finest
ever yet assembled in England, as well as in two solos—
one on the violin by Sainton, and the other on the piano-
forte by Thalberg. The Wednesday morning's perform-
ance will open with Mendelssohn's " Athalie." This noble
work was composed at the instance of the King of Prussia,
whose classical taste had previously induced him to em-
ploy the illustrious composer to produce music for two of
the tragedies of Sophocles, " CEdipus Coloneus," and
" Antigone," the merits of which made him desire from
the same hand a similar illustration of the sublime
" Athalie " of Racine. So grand a composition requires
immense artistic resources to give it all the effect intended
by its author ; but we may now expect to hear it per-
formed in a manner worthy of the great genius displayed
in its composition. The English libretto, which closely
imitates the lyrics of Rome, and has been well written
and adapted to the music of Mendelssohn by Mr. Bar-
tholomew, will have much force added to it by the illus-
trative verses being recited by Mr. Bartley, with the novel
accompaniment of three pedal harps. This gentleman,
whose declamatory readings have been long admired, was
applied to, when our gracious Queen caused the "Athalie"
to be produced at the palace, as the person most likely to
give the best effect to this novel production for a concert-
room ; but, having left the stage for some period, he de-
clined a professional engagement, offering, however, at the
same time, his services as a private individual, which her
Majesty was pleased to accept. The forthcoming festival
being under the immediate patronage of her Majesty, and
got up in aid of the funds of a great charity, Mr. Bartley
has handsomely offered his gratuitous services also on
this occasion. The production of this peculiarly con-
structed work on so grand a scale will, we expect, cause
a great sensation in the musical world, as it is well known
that, till now, means have never been brought together
to give it in so perfect a form. The second part of this
morning's performance will consist of an excellent selection
of sacred music, introduced by a solo on the organ by the
celebrated Dr. Wesley. The Wednesday evening's per-
formance will consist of a selection admirably adapted for
the display of all the vocal celebrities engaged, as well as
for the gratification of the lovers of instrumental music by
the rendering of Mendelssohn's symphony in A minor,
Beethoven's overture to " Leonora ;" works that can only
'be heard to perfection in the rare assemblage of such a
band as will then be present. There will also be solos for
the organ and contra basso, by Mr. E. Chipp and Signor
Bottisini. We have not space to analyse at length the
remainder of this interesting programme, to which, how-
ever, we hope to refer on a future occasion ; suffice it to
say that it consists of two of Handel's masterpieces—the
" Messiah " and " Israel in Egypt;" and selections from
the words of the greatest masters, ancient and modern.
It is announced by the committee of management that
copies of the programme may be obtained by application
to their secretary, Mr. Stevens ; and that lodgings may be
secured, during the festival week, by application to Mr.
Harrison, Colmore-row, Birmingham. On the whole, the
arrangements and inducements for attendance are such as
appear to command success; and we fully anticipate that
the forthcoming meeting will surpass all preceding ones
both in attraction and success.—Birrninaharn Paper.

IRELAND.

-4-

Stamps have been granted to Mr. Duffy for his Irish
paper, the Nation.
Patrick Cormack was last week found gaily, at Galway,
of having murdered Mrs. Pendergrast, of Portuma Castle,
and robbed her of a large sum of money. He has con-
fessed, and is to be executed on the 28th instant.

At Clonmel Assizes all the parties in gaol for playing
minor parts in the insurrectionary proceedings at Bal-
lingarry were called to the bar, and informed that Go-
vernment did not mean to proceed further against them.
They were liberated on their recognizances to surrender
to judgment on due notice from the Crown.
OPEN Ant DISCUSSION.—On Thursday last the Rev.
James Rogers, curate of the parish of Tenn plenoe, near
Ken mare, and the Rev. W. Ahern, Roman Catholic curate
of that place, commenced to hold an open air discussion
on the errors of popery. The friends of popery succeeded
in creating a most unseemly disturbance, and after the
prevalence of a good deal of disorder, the police arrested
Mr. Rogers to prevent further rioting, and to put a stop
to the riotous proceedings. Father Ahern succeeded in
making his escape. As for discussion, there was none,
for Mr. Rogers was scarcely permitted to say more than a
few words, which were certainly of a conciliatory kind.
LIBERAL FLATTERY TO PAPISTS.—It is well known
that Lord Clarendon has piqued himself upon outrunning
the footsteps of all other Liberal Lords-Lieutenant in the
chase of that foolish phantom—" Conciliation"—in other
words, has pledged himself head over ears to the paltry
policy of buying truces from the natural and necessary,
enemies of a Protestant Church and state, by surrender-
ing, bit by bit, every outwork which laws or customs have
raised against their encroachtrents. Accordingly, he be-
thought himself, early in his career of a pleasing novelty,
by way of sop to the Roman Cerberus—the ascription,
namely, of ducal and lordly titles rank and precedence,
to a number of private gentlemen in black, whom it
pleases Papists to take for bishops and archbishops. See.
ing that the laws and customs of the realm ascribe such
titles and precedence to those high dignitaries whom the
law recognises as prelates of the church, Lord Clarendon
thought it but fair (so Earl Grey informs us) to place
alongside of them, on a footing of social equality, those
persons whom Romanists think proper so to recognise.
In pursuance of this " fair " and equitable adjustmett
of ecclesiastical dignities, we find that amongst those pri-
vileged persons who were officially declared to have the
entree at the Castle of Dublin, on the occasion of the
Majesty's public reception, were the Roman Catholic
primate. and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin,
in priority and precedence of the Duke of Leinstcr, the
Cabinet Ministers, her Majesty's household, the Lord
Lieutenant's household, the Lord Chief Justice of the
Queen's Bench, the Master of the Rolls, &c. Her Ma-
jesty's Lieutenant herein certainly forgot to ask himself,
what are the principles, and what is the authority, upon
which distinctions of rank and precedence are created and
exist in this or any other monarchy 1 The practical
republicanism of our day, to the mental influence of which
(paradoxical as it may sound) ministers of the crown
most of all men are, for special reasons, peculiarly liable,
cannot excuse, though it may well account for, this
strange obliviousness in the Queen's Vicegerent.