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•¦ _. ^ ^^.^1 THE IEADEU .. 911 the Chan...
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Thb Commission, appointed to consider th...
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ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, DKURX-LANE. Mr. Smi...
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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.
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•¦ _. ^ ^^.^1 The Ieadeu .. 911 The Chan...
•¦ _ . ^ ^^ . ^ 1 THE IEADEU .. 911 the Channel
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Thb Commission, Appointed To Consider Th...
Thb Commission , appointed to consider the gj bject 2 SK 5 « SSSSS 55 SSMSS & r HEWS SiSSS whSe . the heat of combustion may be S 3 SSently serviceable in promoting yenta 2 SXl gas maybe free from sulphuretted hydrogen compounds and in London is so at the present t ? me " t then has little or no direct action on pictures ' Bat it has not as yet been cleansed from sufphide of carbon , which , on combustion , yields sulphurous acid gas capable of producing 22 * gxafnTof sulphuric acid per 100 cubic feet of pre-Jent London coal gas . It is not safe to permit this product of the combustion to come in contact with pictures , painted either in oil or water colours j and the Commission are emphatically of opinion that in every system of permanent gas lighting for picture or sculpture galleries , provision should be made for the effectual exclusion or withdrawal of the products of combustion from the chambers containing the works of art . " . ,, The referees , Messrs . Paraday , Hofmann , TyndaU , Redgrave , and Captain Fowke ( Royal Engineers ); , announce that they were perfectly unanimous . The value of their labours against that old bugbear , the iniurious effect , of gaslight , hurled by the obstructives against all advocates of evening exhibitions of picture collections , needs no illustration . The report of the Council of the Crystal Palace Art-Union extends to far too great length for entire re-publication here . It recites at some length the preamble and clauses of the original scheme , which has been stamped by the tasteful portion of the public as an interesting and valuable one . It appears that the amount of subscriptions has been 4 . 5101 , and that the Council have appropriated 1 , 2007 . to the purchase of works of art for distribution by lot . Both these items , it is needless to say , might have been larger had country agencies been appointed , and , indeed , may be considered as large and very encouraging in an infant concern . The prizes to be distributed at the drawing of this present year comprise paintings , works in metal , examples of ceramic statuary * of porcelain , of glass , of pottery , and of terra cotta , together with a variety of photographs . The pictures that have fceen selected are , Louis Haghe , " Choir of Santa Maria Florence" ( canvas— -5 ft . by 3 ft . 6 inches ) ; E , W , Cooke , A . R . A ., " Venice" ( canvas—1 ft . 6 in . by 1 ft . ) i Henry O'Neil , " The Flower Girl ( canvas —1 ft . 6 in . by 1 ft . 4 in . ); F . M . Craus , " Match Seller" ( panel— 1 ft . 8 in . by 1 foot 4 in . ) ; J . Playter , " A Quiet Square" ( panel—1 ft . by 2 ft . 11 in . ) ; Miss Mutrie , " Jioses" ( panel—11 in . by 9 in . ) ; Drawing by Do Noter , " The Pantry" ( 1 ft . 10 in . by 1 ft . 6 in . ) In ceramic-art , now held in such high estimation , the Council are able to direct the attention of their subscribers to an important group of works , that will bo found to exemplify in the most characteristic manner all the leading branches of this manufacture . To this class of objects the Council in determining upon the prizes have devoted especial consideration , since they have observed that its exponents amongst the presentation works have been received with marked expressions of public favour . Having been unable to obtain such examples of carving in wood as they considered to be desirable as prizes for the present year , the Council have determined to defer any selection from works of this class until another season . The Council have much pleasure in acknowledging the liberality with which they havo been met by both artists and manufacturers . To the Earl of Yarborough they are indebted for the facilities which lie afforded for the modelling of the statuetto of " the Nymph at the Bath , " from the original marble by John Gibson , R . A ., that is in his lordship ' s possession . They desire also to express their obligation to Mr . Gibson for the valuable and gratuitotis services he performed in aiding in the production of this work , bo faithfully rendered by Mr . Theed . To Mr . W . Calder Marshall , R . A ., the Council feel undor peculiar obligation for the liberal gift of the copyright of his two charming busts of" Ophelia " and " Miranda , " which have become bo deservedly popular . The Council have also the greatest satismotion in recording the high sense they entertain of the valuable services of Mr . Thomas Battam , F . S . A ., to whom the society is mainly indebted for its origin and the successful conduct of the enterprise . It is out an act of justice to the directors of the Crystal Palace Company to state , that the success which lias
attended the inauguration of tbir Art-Union has been largely dependent upon the facilities . the accommodation which they have afforded for rts working operations . Exhibition-space in one of the most important and most eligible situations in the Palace , together with secretary ' s and clerk ' s offices , store-room , and all the appliances which fere necessary , have been placed at the disposal of the Council whilst for such accommodation the directors have only received little more than the rate of the ordinary agents ? commission . Mr Morris Moore ' s hostility to H . R . H . Prince Albert has carried hiin to the length of a two-column advertisement in a morning paper now before us . Mr Moore has certainly a fair ground—as who has not—for disliking fine-art cliquism , and especially the combination , or , in his own words , conspiracy , by which he and his painted idols have been so wounded : but his tone , though not his manner ot righting himself , is objectionable , as being most unnecessarily ferocious . Mr . Moore , who arrogates such infallibility to himself , should not so savagely deny the right of private judgment even to a German Prince , who has taste , time , and money to cultivate the fine arts . Heaven has not—we venture to say . without much sympathy with either of these ( belligerents about « Raphaels , Gorreggios , and stufi — poured its choicest gifts of taste upon Morns Moore so exclusively that a wretched printer ' s error m a catalogue privately printed for almost secret circular tion , should be construed into Use majeste . ± ne Eastlake , Miindler , Wagner tribe have a perfect right and title , we imagine , to reciprocate . Mr . Moore ' s cordial hatred . So have they , if they please to print their private catalogues upside down , or from left to right , or any way so as most to displease , to worry , or to carry on war with so deadly an antagonist as Morris Moore . The whole affair interests , can injure , or can profit , such an infinitesimal portion of the public , that the two columns of clamour we allude to , even with the flavour they derive from being directed against the fine-art party at court , will not advance him who raises it in the opinion of sensible men . He has put so much vinegar into his ink that he has quite destroyed the black The whole thing is a / storm in a teapot , and a row between a lot of enthusiastic connoisseurs , who so often are more or less jealous and uncharitable , that we cannot consider Mr . Morris Moore , who evidently possesses these properties , as any verv rare bird .
Fflhentm Ami (Bntitmnmimt&. —^—
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Royal Italian Opera, Dkurx-Lane. Mr. Smi...
ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA , DKURX-LANE . Mr . Smith brought the first season of liis grand opera enterprise to a close on Saturday last . The " Vepres Siciliennes" was the solemnity of the evening , and at its welcome close a more entertaining transaction took place , in the shape of an ovation , of which the most Protean of managers was the hero . Mr . Smith in deference to a loud call , made a short and telling speech , in which lie returned thanks for public favour , past and present , gave a rapid view of his operations ; triumphantly claimed credit for good faith with the public , and , on this metallic basis , drew a bill upon the future , which we hope and doubt not w ill be duly honoured . The programme of the managerial firm of which Mr . Smith is the gorant has certainly been carried out with abnormal fidelity . The promises of Smith may be set down as being made to be kept . To the astonishment of all the musical world , not only has this been the case , but Mr . Smith avors , in spite ' ofall the ' sinister auguries to which wo have once or twice alluded in these columns , that the speculation has " pulled through" in spite of an outlay of 24 , 000 / . We may tell our readers , should any be sceptical as to these figures , that the sum mentioned must not bo far short of the payments and liabilities of the Drury-lane management on account of their opera , though some portion of it must be obviously chargeable as sunk capital outlay , against a series of seasons which may be therefore anticipated . Still , the weekly or monthly pay of such artists as Mdllo . Tietjens , Piccolomini , Guarducci , Giuglini , and Mongini , not to mention a host of minor stars , may be judged of from the recent revelations in the Graziani case , is a vast sum to make head against , before oven the vast accessories of a grand opera house are taken into consideration ; and that Mr . Smlth ' 8 enterprise has not collapsed is clear evidence of his capital and pluok , as well as of a good deal of publio support . On Easter Monday the campaign opened . It was an experiment to invite the masses , on Easter Monday , of all places in the world , to their national Dmry-lano , to hear grand opera , without a gram ot allurement in tho ehnpo of novelty or comicality . But tho experiment was made . Pretty Miss JiMto , with all her brilliancy and agagerio , was hoard to disadvantage as Amina on a stage for two Iwgo jw her povors . SIgnor Mongini was paying in taieo
notes ibr his temerity an crossing . The crowd soon appreciating these circumstances avoided the theatre . The feshionable world , regarding Smith and Smithian from their own point of view , abstained also from Drury-lane , and the fate of the affair trembled in the scale . But a realnovelty of the first water soon arrested the unfavourable current , when the attractive Guarducci made her appearance , though the " Favorita " is barren of grand opportunities for winning « the public" proper . This lady came out with Giuglini , and an excellent artist ( also a novelty ) * Sighor Fagotti , in the opera just named ; and , though at first we thought her uncertain , her fine mezzo-soprano voice , and excellent acting , not to speak of her handsome person , soon established her as a success of the first class . The nightly performance of opera demanding , ot course , a double or treble company , we were not long without the necessity for Madame Titiens , whose magnificent singingand acting Lucrezia Borgia enhanced , if possible , the general admiration of the Teutonic artist . This lady was afterwards the mamstay of the " Don Giovanni "in which , asDonnaElvira , shT utterly throws into -the shade the heroine Zerlina , however piquantiy delineated by a Piccolomini or a Balfe . But the triumph of triumphs of this imposing canlatrice was towards the seasons close in JVorma , whickwith her grand tragic power and the admirable performance of Mongini ( now in first-rate form ) as Poll g , was one of _ the completest hits of the year . We may not here enumerate all the casts of all the ^ , ° o P ^ Produced ; but of songstresses we had Madame Eorichetta Weiser in a flat failure , « D Giuramento '' of Mercadante ; Mademoiselle Sarolta de BuganowiSripretty " Traviata" from Paris ; La Guarducci , supfrb L Azucena in the « Trovatore , " Rosma in The Barber "; La Vanen as Elvira , m the •' Don" and lastly , La , Piccolomini bristling with , laurels from the newworWI as ZerUna and ¦ - ^ gggj-Among the men wereMarim , Vialetti , Beiart , Aldighieri , with others too numerous to mention . Messrs . Benedict and Arditi , have held the conductors baton , and have made all they / O " * « n unsatisfactory band . Mr , Gye . it would appear had as cleanly swept the market of orchestral talent , before the commencement of the season , as the agents of the Smith party had of vocal celebrities . Vy a mere fluke the Drury-lane management lost their very dear Graziani , and had they made some reprisals to Ssame extent from the Covent-garden ^ rchestra , they would have found them more than counterbalance the loss sustained through the absence of ^ itThSse of the opera on Saturday the « National Anthem " was sung by the whole company . The solos were gloriously taken by Madame Titiens , who has done the nation the becoming reverence of studying con amore both the music and true expression of the song . After it came Mr . Smith and the speech , towards the close of which that gentleman gave the following glimpse of the fU ! fex 7 season would find him again at his post , as zealous and strenuous in the public causeas ever-as determined that Italian opera should no longer be a monopoly , since it was now ^ time its barriers should be broken down , and the million allowed to take their places among intelligent audiences . The same magnificent company should be retained , and all Italy searched to find youthful and fresh voices , to delight and gratify the supporters of his establishment . " He concluded by itotgljs thanks to his kind patrons for past favours , ana paid a public compliment to the principal artists , the band ; chorus , and ballet , and , in fact , to all concerned in his new undertaking , for their unvaryinj attention and their unceasmg endeavours to uphold ^ isrsssisr sr ssWisksu-. wore ? ccffved with load applause , J ^ P » P « £ S SHJSsl ssassssas'lS'eassAs him by . tho ha ^ tuea of the r va < . no ^ WM ^ Mpm wish , t success , uo is «^ rcaoem 6 obligations , considerable pxaiso , for t naj ^ hJnes ? S pa ? s hisZy , to ° the uttermost shUUng , to a walk of lifoVhoro shortness of capital and orcdlt nVoboth well known ; behaves most respootably as S m « m of business , and , ^ keeping perpotuaUyopon the doors of a largo ostabUshraont , fills a large num-
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 6, 1859, page 11, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06081859/page/11/
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