The Manchester Examiner. — 1848-03-18 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

WETHERBEE'S LECTURES ON MUSIC.—ATHEILEUM. This gentleman commenced a course of three lectures on vocal melody at the above institution, on Tuesday evening last, to a very numerous audience. As this course is much the same as that which he delivered lately at the Royal Institution here, and which was reported at considerable length in our columns, we mean in this notice to confine ourselves more to the illustrations than to the subject matter of his lectures. The lecturer, who was labouring under a severe cold, commenced his remarks by a few observations on musical taste and the means of forming it. He then entered upon the especial subject of the night's lecture, the vocal melody of the oratorio. Stradella was one of the earliest writers of this style of composition, and sang the music which he wrote so well, that on one occasion two assassins, who had been hired to murder him, were so melted by the sweetness and expression of his voice, that they not only were turned from their purpose, but warned him of his danger. The lecturer here sang the air that had this soothing effect; it is entitled, "Aria di chiesa," or a Song of the Church, beginning "Pieta Signore!" It is a beautiful melody, very flowing in style, and was sung with great taste. Contrasting the German school with the Italian, he would now give one from the greatest of all oratorio writers,—Handel. In this song (" The trumpet shall sound") the melody proceeded by sudden leaps and starts, totally different from the soft flowing style of the preceding illustration. Not that Handel could not write pathetically,but that the song showed how intimately connected were the words with the music in Handel's compositions. The fine song of Pergolesi's, "0, Lord, have mercy upon me," was his next illustration. This song was written by the composer at a time when he was almost dying of consumption, which condition of body gave to all his compositions, written during this time, a tinge of melancholy, though some of his finest works were written at this period of his life. The next illustration was from Ilaydn's oratorio of the Creation, which the lecturer prefaced by a very graphic and accurate description of the difference between the compositions of Handel and Haydn. The former put forth a gigantic shadowy ideal of another world, the latter depicted the world we live in with the most vivid intensity, and clothed in the brightest hues. In Haydn you have delightful conversations, first of angels, afterwards of mortals, all of exquisite beauty and richness of harmony; in Handel you have no duets or trios, it is either the soul addressing itself singly to the universe, or the voice of all humanity praising the Lord Jehovah. The illustration selected was that powerfully graphic recitative wherein the creation of animals is related, concluding with the air "Now heaven in fullest glory shone." The next illustration was from the Fall of Zion, by Paesiello, and was intended to show the style of Italian melody in his time, which was florid in the extreme; indeed this air is quite dramatic, and might be transplanted to the stage very beneficially to the cause of sacred music. The lecturer, however, explained that the warm blood of the natives of the south of Europe caused them to give expression to their ideas in music more passionately than the cold-blooded inhabitants of these northern climes could understand. He next sang the air, "Pro Peccatis," from Rossini's Stabat Mater. He did not, however, give this so effectively as his other illustra. tions, probably being fatigued with his previous exertions, added to the effects of his cold. The two next illustrations also, one from Sophr's Crucifixion, and the other from Mendelssohn's Elijah, "0 rest in the Lord," were rather deficient in expression; and we do not wonder at this being the case, when we consider the difficulty of lecturing and singing for an hour and a half without intermission. It would be better to divide it. The illustrations were ably accompanied by Mr, D. W. Banks.