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Oct. 4, 1851.] frtH? &e&*e t, 949 ^
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THE GAME OP SPECULATION. Seldom has a mo...
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THE SEASON OF THE SACKED HARMONIC SOCIET...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Oct. 4, 1851.] Frth? &E&*E T, 949 ^
Oct . 4 , 1851 . ] frtH ? & e &* e t , 949
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The Game Op Speculation. Seldom Has A Mo...
THE GAME OP SPECULATION . Seldom has a more unequivocal success attended the production of anew piece , than that which was achieved at tb v e Lyceum oh Thursday night , by The Game of Speculation , never more deserved success . The audience was kept throughout in a state of interest at the story , and amusement at the dialogue . The play may be called an original
translation . De Balzac wrote the comedy of Mercadet , a satire on the bourgeois trading spirit of Louis Philippe ' s regime ; Mr . " Slingsby Lawrence , " as the English writer pleases to call himself , has written a comedy with the same number of acts and the same plot , a satire on the trading speculative spirit of England . The details are altered ; the dialogueretains little trace of theFrench ; a returned partner " from India" is the incident most obviously from the French repertoire . ascribabl
The success of the piece is distinctly e to two sources . The story is capital ; instinct with a good broad verisimilitude , though not over probable in all its details . A ruined commercial gentleman has degenerated into the mere scheming adventurer , whose creditors approach him in numbers and in rage , melt under the influence of his winning ways , and become anew his moneylenders—with their eyes open ! How he talks over the bully , browbeats the shameless jobber , wheedles the " friend , " and cajoles the begging
creditor But no , we will not attempt to tell how ; and when you have seen Charles Mathews as Mr . Affable Hawk , you will know why we do not attempt it . The adventurer is almost , but not quite , a heartless schemer ; he has still in him enough stuff o' the conscience for you to sympathize with him , and you relish his successes The situations are masterly—the deceptions which turn back upon the man himself in the concurrent schemes of others , the grand blow which explodes in its own unexpected realization , are great strokes of invention .
But if the action is capital—quick , eventful , ludicrously triumphant , truthfully improbablethe dialogue is still more piquant : it is terse , fanciful , suggestive , witty . The application of incidental hits at the mercenary spirit of the time , the railway precipitancy of speculation , the selfishness , even the political hollowness—as in the Protectionist who feels so " respeciable" on playing " the farmers' friend "—told upon the audience with all the force of direct hits .
The master of the stage is Mathews—easy , cool , successful , yet not inhumanly impassible : his picture of the rake of trade is equally animated and finished . Frank Matthews made up admirably as the whining creditor : and the actors may be commended for much cooperation in their division of employments . Such is the spread of Socialism ! But the audience shared the heresy ; for they cooperated in keeping up the spirit of a first performance by a . constantly recurring and . spontaneous laughter , which filled the theatre with life . Th . II .
The Season Of The Sacked Harmonic Societ...
THE SEASON OF THE SACKED HARMONIC SOCIETY . The progress of Mimic in thin country has been most worthily exhibited in this wonderful year by the Sacred Harmonic Society , which on Friday terminated the longest and most prosperous season of its career by a splendid performance of Elijah ,-the principals being Madame Clara , Novello , Miss
h . Birch , Miss Dolby , Miss M . Williams , Messrs Sims Reeves , Whitehou . se , and Ilerr Formes . The hall , which throughout the season has been intensely crammed , on this occasion exhibited a climax of pressure and overflowed to the very doors . Throughout the evening it ivuh difficult , to repress the enthusiasm , which nt tlie close broke out into loud shouts of applause , terminating with three hearty cheers for Mr . Costn .
This extraordinary season , extraordinary for its success in many particulars , commenced on I'Yiday , November 2 [) , 1 N 50 , and comprised thirty-two performances ( not thirty-six , aw stated in the morning papers ) , ten of which-were subscription nights , and one an extra night not included in the subscription . The first performance of the season was the Messiah , which , from its overflowing audiences , was twice repented in succession . On the 2 ; ird of December , the Elijah was the worst performance ever given by the Society since the advent of Costa . It , was of Hervico , however , in sharpening the careless energies of the executive , aw ' tnc result was two consecutive performances
of the Elijah in a style which fully atoned for the former defective presentation . Israel in Egypt , produced January 30 , was performed twice , and the magnificent double choruses were rendered as they were never before heard . Saul , an oratorio which will never , we apprehend , become popular , was given on February 26 . On March 11 , Samson was revived with great success , arid was twice repeated . The subsequent performances have been one of St . Paul , and alternations of the Messiah , the Creation , and the Elijah .
During the season , the principal singers have been : —Soprani—Madame Clara Novello , Misses Birch , Catherine Hayes , Louisa Pyne , and Eliza Birch ; Contralti—Misses Dolby , M . Williams , and Madame Macfarren ; Tenori—Messrs . Sims Reeves and Lockey ; Bassi—Messrs . Stockhausen , Whitworth , Whitehouse , and Herr Formes . The return of Madame Clara Novello was most opportune , but her rentree in the Creation and Messiah was
unfortunate . Fresh from Italy , she appeared to have forgotten the chaste beauty of Oratorio Music ; and an overloading the text with meretricious ornament elicited a well-merited rebuke from all the principal journals as well as from the public . Madame Novello , like a true artist , saw the error , and in St . Paul and Elijah made ample atonement . In the latter , her pure and powerful voice and her faultless intonation rendered the Oratorio
more attractive than ever . Her delivery of " Hear ye , Israel , " and the " Holy , Holy , " was such as never before was heard within the walls of Exeterhall . We trust , for the cause of Music , Madame Novello ' s name will appear frequently in the Society ' s programmes next season . Miss Catherine Hayes made no addition to her operatic laurels in her reading of Elijah . She appears physically unequal to sustaining the principal Soprano part , and ler study showed a neglect as annoying as it was unsafe to her own reputation . Miss Louisa Pyne was successful on her only appearance in the Messiah . Madame Macfarren , who took the place of Miss M . Williams and Miss Dolby during their absence at the festivals , acquitted herself well . Mr .
Sims Reeves has done all for the Tenor part of Elijah that Madame Novello has effected in the Soprano . His delivery of " If with all your hearts , " and "Then shall the righteous shine , " is unapproachable . Herr Formes , at length , can almost sing English , though we doubt whether the people of any other country would have tolerated his learning their language in a Concert Room . Our thirst for foreigners is carried to a ridiculous absurdity , when we invoke their inferiority instead of employing the competent among our own countrymen . We have , however , now passer } the ordeal , and may rejoice in the acquisition of a voice so well suited to give effect to the German school of sacred composition .
The Messiah , though it will ever rank among the first of Oratorios , is no longer supreme ; the Elijah shares its supremacy . The twenty-six times that Mendelssohn ' s great work has been presented have only added to its popularity , aiwl it is a most gratifying evidence of the advance of musical appreciation that a work , really requiring so much acquaintance , has made such way in the hearts of the people . Next to Elijah stands the Creation , which , also , will hold its position , not only for the breadth of some of its parts and its very vocal form , but also for the imagery which it has been the fashion of some to decry . The Israel in Egypt . i . s now a stupendous performance ,
and belongs to the Sacred Harmonic , for no orchestral body has heretofore produced it so effectively . » S 7 . Paul , an earlier production in Mendelssohn ' s career , though abounding with beauties , will not , we think , ever occupy the position of the Elijah . 11 is undiamatic in form , and , therefore , isolated in its parts . The Elijah , on the contrary , is intensely dramatic . The whole scene is brought vividly before the eye , and from tin ; prophecy of famine , through its fulfilment , to the rapturous thanksgiving for the bounty of Heaven , we have an unbroken chain of events of absorbing interest . Moreover , St . Paul was never intended to be sung by so large , a body , being originally written for ; i choir of two hundred voice's .
I he audiences at Kxeter hall have , isince May , been chiefly composed of strangers from the country and foreigners . The numbers have been ho great that the hall ban on each evening been inconveniently full , and on one occasion not less than it thousand persons were denied admission . The performances at Uxeter-hall have been almost the only national entertainment presented to the foreigners who have thronged the metropolis ; and
it is satisfactory to know that in Sacred Music at least the English are allowed to possess excellence . Early in April the Committee issued , throughout London , the provinces , and t he principal continental cities , prospectuses in various languages , announcing their intention of giving these extra concerts . The result must be most gratifying , as " it is calculated that the receipts will nearly double the property which it has taken the society fifteen years to accumulate . "
The Sacred Harmonic Society commenced its labours in a very amateur style at Exeter-hall , on June 28 , 1836 , with the performance of the Messiah . The concert of Friday made the 258 th since the commencement . These performances have been attended by nearly 490 , 000 persons , and the sum of £ 35 , 000 has been paid out of the funds to vocal and instrumental performers . The position of the Society , both on account of its prosperity and the degree of efficiency to which it has now attained , involves it in new responsibilities . It is no longer an amateur body , but a Society to assert the degree of musical attainment in the metropolis . The application of art is as progressive as
artitself . What has been done by the Society will only lead to greater expectations . The baton , skill , and energy of Mr . Costa have done wonders , but there is much yet to be done . We believe the Exeter-hall chorus to be very defective in one respect , in taking up the " leads . " There are in each departmentexcept the Trebles , who deserve to be excepted—a certain number of safe men on whom the body of the chorus appears to rely . By these the lead is taken up , the others coming in gradually on the second or third beat , or even on the first beat of the succeeding bar . Thus a scrambly effect is produced and precision constantly endangered . The cause of this is to be traced to carelessness at
rehearsals . Mr . Costa may labour untiringly , but he will bring the Society no nearer perfection , until some plan can be adopted for enforcing attendance , or calling for the resignation of those whose engagements prevent their presence at rehearsal . There are numbers of competent persons anxious to join the Society , and they should not be excluded nor the progress of the Society jeopardised for the sake of those who will not take the necessary trouble to insure its efficiency . The Society has taught the people to enjoy a highly intellectual class of performance , and they will hypercritically demand the most efficient presentation of that which they have been led to appreciate .
Another procedure , fraught with bad consequences , we have observed in the performances this season- —the practice of giving some ungracious but difficult parts , written for the principals , into the hands of inferior performers . We allude particularly to the Elijah . The difficult duet , " Zion spreadeth her hands for aid "— -difficult , principally from its following the flattening Choral Recitative , " The deeps aiibrd no water , " is almost always marred by this practice . The commencement is terribly grating , the two voices seldom hitting the note purely ; and in the rest of the duet they appear to be ever tuning up to one another . This duet requires the most careful singing to make it effective , and should certainly be rendered by the
purest voices . Then the lovely trio " Lift thine eyes , " which produced such an effect when the Oratorio was first given , now always falls flat ; its sparkling quality is all gone by the withdrawal of the principal Soprano voice . The dueta and trios of Mendelssohn , especially those written for female voices , so abound with syncopating and chromatic passages , that the attempt to render them by novices must prove abortive , and only tend to mar the completeness of the performance . The exertions of Mr . lirownsniith as organist deserve much laudation . 11 is safe and discriminating taHte in the use of the organ has been apparent throughout the season ; and that which was once a complete nuisance in the Kxeter-hall performances is now rendered charmingly effective .
It ih scarcely fair to quarrel with the Society for the sameness of its performances , because ) it wits perfectly good judgment to present tho atoc . k favourites to strangers . Hut to the Sacred J Iiuinonic Society is now intrusted the effective advance of Sacred Composition in the metropolis , und the Public lias it right to expect , not only tho ]> i : rfonnance of . several works new to London , though well known in the Provinces and on the Continent , Init ulso those works by composers of the day which shall on trial bo found worthy of presentation . We will not gloom the triumph of the present by doubts of the future ; but congratulating the Society on tho huccchm of its season , look forward , with confidence , to the performances of ' 52 .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 4, 1851, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04101851/page/17/
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