Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-27
O. 0 m munieatfS.
BALTIMORE. Nor. %. 1853.

F. BALTIMORE, Noe. %, 1853.
The concert of Julien was last night crowded
with delighted auditory. He is certainly the
most eminent musician in the world, for he
PLAYS upon every instrument at once. The
most skilful performers lose their identity, are
absorbed into and become rays OF the glory OF
Julien. He requires nothing but an act of
incorporation to constitute him the complete
embodiment of every musical attribute. The
appearance Of this Napoleon of the orchestra,
surrounded by the court which he has created
is impressive. Born to command-his retlnue
is composed of subjugated musicians, we all
know the "hate known only on the stage -
the mere sense of honor, which prefers starva-
ton to the degradation OF appearing in smaller
type, or less conspicuous position upon the
handful than the artist considers due to his
merit. Yet julien has overcome all this, and
now enthroned in his gilded chair of Apollo
himself-bowing like Atlas, beneath his music
stand, he governs with q riding switch these
sensitive and ambitious subjects ms Van Amberg
| does the tigers and catamounts. 1t has become
| a common remark that his concert is one vast
| instrument. To give it full effect he should
! conceal his whole orchestra with magnificent
| curtain, leaving himself surrounded with some
brilliant e1foulage as a vignette in the centre.
| He should then touch with his magic wand
the sources of melody. The whole orchestral
| effort would then seem to proceed from the
| volition of one man, and the powers OF one
| instrument The confusion of many fiddlers,
the initiation of cheeks, and the protruson
of trombones, now divides the attention, and
DESTROYS the illusion. We vary the metaphor
julien is a great painter, with all the re-
sourses of perfected sound around him.
| He lays on his tones rs painter does
his colors. With a few touches of his graceful
wand he portrays the soitness Of a graceful
landscape. The sunlight sleeps softly upon
the scene, and the brook steals melodiously
| across it. A few dashes of his vigorous brush,
and the scene is clouded with theatrical rapid
ity, and the gloom, the grandeur, and the terrors
! of the tempest, is apparent Julien is great
captain. He moves his musical divisions with
| force and precision that we can neither elude
nor resist. We hear him in the distance ike
| the gallop of the Camanche upon the soft sod
| Of the prairie, and he bursts upon the audience
| like Murat at the head of his squadrons, in the
! full display of his power, with gorgeous uni
form, floating plume, and flashing sword; and
! in the resistless charge of his power and disc-
plne, he rides down the creatures who had
mounted their hobby-horses to resist him like
| so many "demnition' little Mamelukes.
Julien has had the advantage of being born
| a humbug or a prodigy--tout lie meme chose.
| Like other conquerors, he has historiographer
who has published his rise, progress, and pres
ent state.
| In this he has unconsciousy initiated certain
of our contemporaries, who, by dint of having
their features imprinted upon the frontispiece
Of review, and filing along with it their
biography, have been ready for any emergency
of official promotion. julien has also pub
lished very curt biography of some of his
subects--the latter having been generally
exiled from some country or other for u viola
ton OF the laws laid down by the conservative,
which they hold in the same terror that others
would an ukase of the Car. The biographer
of Julien having stricken wholesome awe
into the souls of the kidskin critics, by stating
that his biography has been compiled from
European authorities, and are, therefore, not
to be controverted, goes on to state his hero
was the son Of one Of that rather mercenary
band Of Swiss who fought with such despera
ton in the night of the memorable 10th Of
August, 1898, in defence Of the ill-fated Antoi
nette, and incidentally in defence Of their
own necks and wages. Then Julien le pere
exchanged his musket for a wind instrument,
and subsidized into son of song. Withdrawing
into Italy, he became acquainted with the fu-
ture Madame Julien, and, upon semi-pro-
fessional tour into France, the hero Julien
was, in the midst of 'shail, rain, and q hor-
1 rble tempest like the grand instrumental
crash of one of his own finales avalanched
1 upon the public, and added to the census of
Sisteron. Julien was thus born prodigy.
! Even in infancy he was remarkable. He was
/ blest with an ear Of such exquisite sensbility,
that the elder Julien despared of ever teaching
him note and endowed with so extraordinary
voice that he lost it one day, like q pocket
knife, and it has never been heard of since.
| He excelled on all instruments by playing
upon them all at once; he wisely subrogated
certain folders, singers, and trumpeters, who
made the music, as we have stated, and be-
slowed upon him the renown and the control
of the pecuniary proceeds. The biographer
states that julien had risen to some eminence,
and received command of a detachment of
musicians on board sloop-ofwar. This gave
| him an opportunity to study the effect of mar
tial movements in naval action. He then
joined the army, and having by way of episode,
deserted, he retrieved his honor in manner
| equally meritorious and melodramatic, by seal
ing a fort to undergo the penalty of his offence.
| He was acquitted. He subsequently, however
| employed his military spirit with great effect
| having emptied all rival establishments in
| Paris by the superiority of his orchestra. His
|
an atrocious fencing master; notwithstanding the
remonstrance of friends, and the interference of
the police, Julien succeeded in engaging his
antagonist, and was grat6ed with thrust in
the breast 1t was given out that he was dead
and all Paris was in commotion. Suddenly
he re-appeared, pale, and with his arm in a
| sling, and carried his baton at the head of his
| division, as usual. Such an advertisement was
decisive; name, fortune, and of course, friends
| followed. Since that time his career has been
uninterrupted. He has crossed the Atlantic
and thus far captivated our principal cities,
without any other resistance save slight
| struggle with our national melodies, of which
hereafter. But he is a conqueror worthy to
be obeyed
We had listened with delight to the perfec-
ton of his orchestra, and experienced particular
| pleasures in the adagio from Beethoven, gem
which breathed the soul of devotion and har-
mony. We had reposed on the powerful and
| kohl, al nfM f1la Varr l,,l