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July 5, 1851.] 0t>t 2Ua&*t* 639
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SIGNOR ANELLI ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE ...
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Sketches From Life. By Harriet Martineat...
^ l ^ opposed to be wasting his time in dissipation ft the capital , lavishing honour on his favourites and « tpmotuouslv setting aside the old soldiers who Se saved the country ! The Moorish Chief obtains mice and proclaims a festival m order to communi" with the Count , who , however , declines leaving his walls , and sends his son Favila arid his daughter Florinda to represent him . During the preparations for the jousts a knight arrives who wears the armour and assumes the name of a famous Moorish chief , one of the Avencerrages . This is no other than the Kin * himself in the disguise of Ben Amet , whom he hid ° killed in single combat . His main object in this Setta in pursuit of Florinda
rash adventure is to enter , Avith whom he had fallen madly in love on saving her from a torrent . Florinda recognizing the deliverer to whom she had given up her heart , in one whom she believes a Moorish knighf , resolves on entering a convent—thither the King pursues her and declares at once his passion and his Christian Faith . The maiden , at this , confesses her love ; but when the King without disclosing the secret of his rank talks of insuperable obstacles to marriage , the proud Castilian maiden repulses him with such scorn and indignation , that at last , completely maddened by passion , he carries her forcibly off from the very altar . Florinda , escaping , tells the story of her terrible outrage to her father and brother ; announced etta
and Roderic being now as visiting S in his proper person , the injured three bear their wrongs to the foot of the throne , where they recognize , in their hitherto unknown betrayer and enemy , the King himself . Favila demands a combat , in which he is vanquished and wounded by the monarch , in whom , with all his faults , there is much chivalry and valour . The Count Julian now barters for revenge with Munuzza the honour which had withstood all other temptation and betrays his trust , lie has scarcely done so , when Roderic seeks him , alone and unguarded , and offers to repair his outrage by making Florinda his Queen . It is too late—for the Moors are already at the gates . The King rushes forth to head a last desperate struggle , which Florinda describes to the wounded Favila in a scene of the
same nature as that immortal one between Ivanhoe and Rebecca . Favila , however , when he hear 3 that the King is struck down , joins the desperate combat in spite of his wounds . The Moors prevail , and the scene closes on their triumph—the death of Favilathe despair of Count Julian—and the flight of Florinda with Roderic , who has escaped with life . " This story offers , as you perceive , many capital points for the decorator to seize hold of ; as a spectacle it is full of effects , and the mise en scene is both lavish and varied . " Turbans and scimitars
flash before our eyes , the Almees are prodigal of their charms , Christianity contrasts itself with Mahometanism , the Moors are alarmingly like Arabs , and the heroine lets down her back hair to exhibit her madness—what would you more ? Music , I think you said ? Suppose instead of telling you what I think of the music , I count the number of encores , and estimate the triumph , the ovation of the composer ! Beethoven never felt his heart throb to such applause when Fidelio was given ; but then , Beethoven did not understand our furores , our triumphs of three nights' duration !
lucre is no disguising the fact under bravo . s Thalherg never was a composer ; nor does Florinda give any hope- of his one day reaching the necessary height . He shows a laudable ambition not to fall into the patchwork gathered from other operas ; but in avoiding plagiarism he lias not readied originality . To be original something more is needed . Melodic invention is a thing iu uhich he in
singularly deficient . He not only shows an absence ot melody , but he does not even treat the subjects chosen in a melodic style ; he breaks up h » s phrases into one or two bars , and when not frittering the subject away , he spoils it by triviality <> 1 treatment . The overture and the sestett ( encored ) were more ambitious than successful , and the whole ot the first act was noisy , heavy , and tiresome beyond patience . The only burst of applause Was Cruvelli's singing of that
phrase—Mono sacra (< iveryine JJeyli anyc . li al Siynor , which every lover of Mendelssohn will recognize nearly note for note . The finale is catching , but trivial . In the second act the situation in very fine ; , »>» d the music : improves , though never rising to the jKMght , demanded . Cruvelli sang finely , and the ' >( : \ vil ( l ,., nH : nt of terror and surprise when tin : king muldtiiiJ y appears to her within the convent walls—Ah svyli ocehi ay nor mi sta ! flowed what an admirable actress hIih is . The < net . which followed wan pretty , and gained an e"toie , although the words li yioia celn . it . a , la yioiu d ' at / ior lti'iV " "' K ' uk
sound would be hypercritical—it never is attempted . Indeed it has only the length and the noise of a grand opera , and in those qualities it surpasses Halevy . But the deficiency of melody , not being compensated by any grandeur of instrumentation , will prevent Florinda from being popular . A word of praise to Mr . Lumley , for the really liberal style in which he conducts this theatre , must not be forgotten . It is not his fault if the operas are not chefs d ' eeuvre ; he gives them every chance and spares no money on their production . People were curious to hear Thalberg ' s opera ; Mr . Lumley has gratified the curiosity .
NOTES MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC . If you have read the foregoing paragraphs with even moderate attention , you will not wonder at my descending from the altitudes of Epic ambition to the more agreeable and facile regions of criticism . It is not so grand an occupation , perhaps , as editing a Greek PJay ( with an eye to a bishopric—that being the strange methodos , or path of transit , in Anglican Theology ) , or as building up a philosophical system bristling with hard words ; but it has its good side . If not a very severe task to the intellect—if it gain no noisy reputation , not much praise , and but a modicum of pudding—it is , at
any rate , an agreeable relaxation . W e must unbend sometimes , or else we stiffen . Pliny says that his grave friends were somewhat scandalized at his frivolity in writing verses—he , a grave man , a respectable man ! But he is not to be frowned into gravity , he openly avows his crime , and adds thereto that he is fond of the theatre , reads the satirists , is fond of a joke , a laugh , a prank , and , to sum up all in one little word , he is human , " Aliquando prceterea rideo , jocor , ludo j utque omnia innoxice remissionis geneva breviter amplectar , homo sum . " Of course be would be fond of the opera were he amongst us now .
Certain I am that he would be a constant visitor at Ella ' s Musical Union , for there he would have the perfection of a concert : exquisite music , little of it , chosen with skill and performed by first-rate executants . Much as I dread concerts in general , I delight in such musical Epicureanism as may be found there . On Tuesday we had Vieuxtemps , the great violinist , ' one really great , who plays music , not difficulties , and is far more " wonderful" when bowing the grand phrases of Beethoven than fifty Sivoris " astonishing" audiences which mistake difficulties for art . In Haydn ' s quartet
in G ( No . 81)—one of his most delightful works—Vieuxtemps gave us a " taste of his quality , " which was fully brought out in Beethoven ' s Quintet in C ( Op . 29 ) , and roused the audience to transports . His own composition , " Souvenir du Bosphore , " was remarkable for its exhibition of his masterly execution , but in itself was insignificant enough . To hear Beethoven played in a style so noble and Beethovenish , was ample compensation for the headache resulting from the intense heat ; nor should I forget to add a word of grateful praise to Halle , for his incomparable playing of Beethoven ' s charming Sonata in E Hat ( Op . 33 ) , which he gave as , perhaps , no living player could give it . Messrs . Hill , Deloffre ,
Piatti , and Webb , were the other players , and helped to give the pieces their perfection . The room was crowded , the delight genuine ; and I could not help contrasting this conceit with the fashionable concerts of the day , as an example of what I wrote last week on Art and Amusement Here was music of the highest class , performed by those who had studied it , and thoroughly enjoyed by all present . " Ethiopian Serenaders , " or a bravura sung by Sontag , would certainly have produced louder bravos—and because appealing to lower faculties , would necessarily have appealed to a larger audience—but , what does that prove ? and what effect would Beethoven produce if Vieuxtemps were assisted by the " gentlemen of the band " of some minor theatre ? Just the sort of
effect Racine produces with Kachel and her troupe You say it is all Kachel ; you would nay that Beethoven was all Vieuxtemps ! Fortunately for the lovers of music there is a public suflieient to encourage and sustain the artists who select high art as their profession . It is not so with the Drama . There is no public for the Drama as an Art ; there is only n public for the Drama as an amusement ; somewhat as if in music there wen : no public but that of Promenade Concerts ! You who love the Drama may deplore it ; bul , the fad , is beyond question . Read the pamphlet , by G . K . Toinlins , Remarks on the Present State of the I'Jtu / lish Drtunu , and , among many other curious and suggestive points , you will
find that fully proved . He is one of the men whose opinions on dramatic matters are worth listening to . I have two farces that I ought to give you an account of—Grimshaw , Bagshaw , and Bradshaw at the Haymarket , and The Fire Eater at the Olympic ; but not having been able to get to see either ( I believe I have already made the remark that I am not ubiquitous ) , I must defer it until next week : I will read Aristotle as a preparation .
Meanwhile let me say on authority , and as a bit of news , that Buckstone is irresistibly ludicrous in the " screaming farce" at the Haymarket ; and Compton is perfectly suited in the drollery at the Olympic . Also by way of news let it be added , that Farren took his benefit on Wednesday , on which occasion Helen Faucit appeared , " for that n ^ ght only , " in the Lady of Lyons . Why for that night only ? Why is this , the best of our tragic actresses , out of an engagement ? Vivian .
July 5, 1851.] 0t>T 2ua&*T* 639
July 5 , 1851 . ] 0 t > t 2 Ua &* t * 639
Signor Anelli On The Cultivation Of The ...
SIGNOR ANELLI ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE VOICE . At the Hanover-square Room ? , on Friday , Signor Anelli , late singing-master to the Princess Augusta , delivered the first of a . series of four lectures on the Art of forming and'cultivating the Voice . The method adopted by the academies of Italy has , by common consent , been acknowledged incomparably the best . Based upon natural principles , it has a progressive operation on the organs of sound , by which no hazard of destruction is incurred ; and while there is a gradual development of the faculties , the natural gifts are
augmented and improved . With merely a very partial knowledge of the principles of vocalization , we have swarms of singing masters and mistresses not only utterly unqualified for the task they undertake , but really doing a positive harm and injustice to their pupils and the cause of vocal music . Faults are hereby acquired , which it is next to impossible to eradicate , and young ladies are taught rather to emulate the screaming of a peacock than to give utterance to elegant tones breathing the intelligence of the mind . The celebrated Tosi observes— " There are now-a-days as many masters as there are professors of music in the land . All teach ! I do not mean the first rudiments
only ; that would be an affront to them . I am now speaking of those who take upon themselves the part of legislators in the most finished part of singing : should we then wonder that good taste is nearly lost ? Tin ' s mischievous pretension prevails , not only among those who can barely be said to sing , but the meanest instrumental performers , who , though they never sing , nor know
how to sing" , pretend not only to teach others the mere rudiments of the science , but to perfect them in its most abstruse principles , and they find some who are weak enough to be imposed upon . But what is yet worse , we find that instrumental performers of some ability imagine that the beautiful graces and flourishes which they execute with their nimble fingers , will have the same effect when transferred to the voice .
A lamentable mistake . The graces which would be good and proper on a violin , are very unfit for a hautboy ; and so it is with every other instrument . They have all something peculiar attached to them ; and it is a very great error , though too much the practice , for the voice—which should serve as a standard to he imitated by instruments —to he made to copy all their tricks to its own detriment . " All who are acquainted with the human voice , with the principles of singing , and with the method of practice , know that there is but one road to
success , and that the first aim must be directed to ( he cultivation of the organ of sound , on the expansion , adaptation , and form , of which , success entirel y depends . The benefit derived from thi . preliminary operation , which gives such decided advantages to the Italian method , can he obtained only by first preparing the voice , so as to enable it to produce and emit , a pure , clear , unstrained Hound , free from any modification given to it in its passage by the agency of the throat , the nose , or the mouth .
Start ing from the point , that , flu : Italian method is superior to any other , Signor Anelli announces a modified plan , by which he undertakes that students shall King with correctness , expression , and refined taste in less than half I he time usually employed . Uis method , which has the approval of the first , masters of Italy , including the celebrated Crescent ini , consists of a series of exercises writien in an elegant . sty le , and apparently well adapted for producing a clear , sonorous , and flexible
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 5, 1851, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05071851/page/19/
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