The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-24
Last Day Of the Handel Festival.

From the LONDON Times June IS
Yesterday pei ormance Of Israel in Egyp brought ri
umpbaDty TO end what be styled without fear OF
contradiction the grandest musical festival projected
Nearly 900 present than either the pre-
cedpg days; and yet The most perfect order
tanned from frat to lasta fact must be alo we'd not
less creosbe to the vast assembly itself than 10 the gen
temep who undertook the post Of Stewards" and who
may here be complmented for the zeal efficiency and
variable ro,eness with which they fulfilled ;her duties
aided by thu well BODY of police d.
recon Superintendent Payne entirely satisfactory
werc the preliminary arrangements, that at the com
mencement OF the second part o. the oraoro all the bar
rieIs Withdrawn, and puNlc generally admitted
to any vacant place and this without involving the slight
est disturbance indeed any Inconvenience wha.ever
In the morning the greatest excitement prevailed, IL
being pretty well sscertaned that Israel in Egypt
the last day Of the festival combined would attract
much larger number TO the Crystal Palace thar had yet
attended The doors 10 open at the usual hour
eeven--but q little alter ten such multitude had
rived by road and railway thai the pressure on the vnr
barriers began TO create dsquetude and it found
advisable TO remove them before the appointed time At
bapass ten the majority OF tue halfgolnea
eo and shortly after the stalls the galleries aud other
departments occupied With such rapidly that the
central trAnsept became animated were by magic.
Long before the began the eye could scarcely
travel hey the dense mass OF human beings that
countered in almost every direction from the gal
leres that seem to touch the roof When the Prince Con
sort and bis distinguished party entered the royal box,
situated in the centre the lower gallery exactly oppo
site the conductors chsrthe coup all complete
and no words can possibly describe its magnidcence
The audience, q 600 number and the multitude
of singers and players who left scarcely nook unappro
prsted the enormous orchestra, were standing and
the cheers that greeted the usrous were near
ly hearty and unanimous If her Majesty the Queen
w6ose absence nv was universally s,sgree had been
formed soos By Madame Novello) the loyal dsmoustra
tons were renewed; and, this indispensable ceremonial
disposed Of the commencement OF Handels colossal mas
terpece WIS awaited in decorous silence Soon the
familiar voice Of Mr. Sims Reeves heard in the rect
tstive disclosing how the new King over Egypt which
burdens (here is no overture TO 'Israe in Egypt')
and thus was inaugurated with impressive eGe,t
one Of the most truly marvellous performances
listened to- AS most ofthe choruses in srae two
choirs ('doube choruses choruses eight paris)
alterations in the distribution of the various depart
ments-trebes Tor sopranos) altos, tenors and BASES
were necessary The result Of which set forth the ades of
the chorus with much more picturesque effect They
in the mdst Of that huge dark Of menhauging as
it were like necklace round the organ The rstchorus
despair of the oppressed nation, 'whose cry up
TO God"-and in which, by the simple reiteration
of the word "sighed' to different harmony, Handel
attaps the very heigh. of psthos-gave an excellent
augury Of what was TO COME and foreshadowed a Sc
RES OF choral displays wholly unparalleled With the
exception of single air for conralto-"rheir land
brought forth irogs' admirably sung by Miss
Dolby)-and another recitative for tenor, in which
the Divine masdase is revealed to Moses and Aaron,
the rest OF the first part Of IErae musical read
aware consists Of uni Interrupted succession OF
choruses, rising above the other in sublimity as
ed narration Of the plaques inflicted on the Egyptians
and the miracles through means which the destruction
Of Pharaoh and his host and the deverance of the chosen
people accomplished The why Handel allud-
ed to the plague Of frogs in colo, instead of chorus
seems evident. The subject too mean, the one
hand; and the other, the of flies and lice and
locusts had 10 be illustrated Immediately after. How
speDdidly this is done IN the double chorus-"He spake
the word and there ali manner of fes &c"-need
hardly be insisted The barbarous custom dating
Handel's own day-wnen "lsrael' was a faiure--of
nterpoa.ing airs. and duets from operas and
Of "Israel in Egypt has happily been abolished.
We hear the composition it was originally
words can do justice to the effect OF the ohorses yester
Gay. "They oathed TO drink Of the river, mastery
ueue, in which strange chromatc intervals, amid
fusion Of elaborate harmony, are, with wonderful sk,
made subserven TO roetica expression Of the disgust
with which the Egyptians reject the water mraculousy
ed an embodiment of the fearful plague of insects ale
gave them hailstones," miraculous combination Of sim
piciiy and power; he smoe all the frs. of Egypt
ard not to proong the catalogue !he choruses recspu
atrg the departure OF the lsraetes laden vito silver
and gold; the delight Of the Egyptians at being
rid OF their tormentors; the passage through tue
Red Sea; the pursuit. Of Pharaoh and his host with
their destruction; and, finally, the with which
the people are inspired by such manifestations OF
Almighty power, were one and all delivered with o
strength precision and msgn6cence of effect for which
amount OF praise would be excessive To single one
two from the rest as the eliminating points ths very
Gne performance may point to the "aailstonc'
chorus, and she rebuked the Red Sea-" In the former
(which RS in 1857 encored In storm of entbusissm1
the passage Fire mingled with tho hail ran along upo
the ground Zone OF the mos, vivid examples OF aandes
descriptive genus) came out with force sharpness
nothing short of prodgous In the last the to the
rebuke, "And ii was dried up" and the tremendous
climax, But the waters overwhelmed their enemies in
which, win oDsuhae lteraton, We are reminded that
Not one of them left !" were equally i'm prcssye
raising the interest of the audience to the hshest pitch
and epgendering mingled feeling OF astonisbment
delight.
Alter all this choral thunder might have been Thought
that nothing else would follow With advantage but Han
del ipexhaustbe, and Moses Song of Praise--whcn
though composed FIRST forms the second part Of the
toro-s a. full Of beauty and variety, powerful, and
sublime as anything that has been described. Although
this second part interpreted with fairs and duets the
choruses as in the FIRST constitute its conspicuous
feature Ihey are chiefly, is scarcely necessary to
say, recaptnaton of the miracles previously referred
to, accompanied by aposrophes the wisdom great
with "Thy right bnnd o Lord is become elorious in
power'-two or the most stupendous Of the whole
and at the same time two OF the most familiar
would produce an extraordinary effect no one
doubted. With less confidence, and, indeed (thc
experience OF 1857 borne in mind), some mis-
givnGs, amateurs looked forward TO "With the bast
OF Thy nostrls," and The people shall hear" which
though masterpieces Of coutrivsncs and expression,
much than NJ