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Jan. 18, 1851.] &%9 &**** *. 67
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€nt Irts
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ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD. That is t...
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THE OLD LOVE AND THE NEW. I have just co...
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S T. M A IIT IN'S IIA L L. The third mon...
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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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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Jan. 18, 1851.] &%9 &**** *. 67
Jan . 18 , 1851 . ] & % 9 &**** * . 67
€Nt Irts
€ ht % ti * .
All That Glitters Is Not Gold. That Is T...
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD . That is the suggestive title of the new piece at the Olympic , and although the piece does not very happily illustrate the moral of its name , it runs gaily through the two acts , applauded by the laughter and the tears of an audience more enthusiastic than refined . It is , indeed , very near being a perfectly charming piece . I have little doubt its French orig inal { Le Journal d'une Fille , or some such title ) has just the grace and verisimilitude we miss in this version for one great distinction between French
vaudevillistes and most of their English adapters is , that the one know what society is , and endeavour to depict it ; whereas the other , apparently ignorant of all the usages of society , depict not what is daily enacted in our drawing-rooms and streets , but what the stage has traditionally handed down to us as the customs of certain classes : living in greenrooms and greenroom society these men get imbued with a factitious colouring which affects everything they touch , They are always scene-painting ; they rouge the cheek of truth—and that with no delicate hand—yet believe
they have given it the ruddy glow of health . The present piece is , as I said , very near being charming . It is well worth going to see ; better worth seeing than many a piece of the kind ; and if I make some reservation in my praise , it is because I really felt a regret that so pretty a piece should be hurt by such stagey treatment . The acting was excellent . Leigh Murray , in the rough , manly Stephen , was truthful , genial , and
pathetic . Mrs . Sterling threw some charming natural touches into her part , though once or twice forgetting herself , and mounting on the stilts of the tragedy Queen . Compton was immensely ludicrous in a preposterous character—and the very force of his acting only made the monstrosity of the part more apparent . Farren had little to do ; and that little not offering any scope for acting . His dress , by the way , was out of all keeping with the scene !
But I have not told you the story of the piece . Old Jasper Plum , a rich cotton spinner , has two sons , the eldest of whom , Stephen , takes a pride in the mill , and is nothing more than a rough , honest overseer to his own workmen , with whom , he is on the best of terms . His brother Frederick has a more aristocratic turn—r-hopes for a diplomatic career , and marries Lady Valeria Westendleigh . Fred is the father ' s pride ; Stephen is reproached for not having the same aristocratic aspirations . But Stephen will stick to cotton while cotton sticks to him , and actually intimates his resolution of marrying Martha Gibbs , a factory girl ! To get his father ' s consent is
not easy , but at last it is obtained on condition that Martha be for three months exposed to the temptations of fashionable life , and if she pass safely through the ordeal , Stephen is to call her wife . It appears that Lad y Valeria and Martha wore old playmates—Lady Valeria ' s mother having saved the life of Martha ' s mother . It also appears that Lady Valeria is not ardently attached to the man she is about to marry—her heart has been given elsewhere , but she marries Frederick because he is a good match . The * ' elsewhere " becomes visible in the presence of Sir Arthur Lassola , a friend of Frederick ; Murtha perceives it , and resolves to watch over her friend .
Ihis first act is excellent , not very elegantly written , hut full of" nice feeling and good situation . The extravaganco of Oompton ' a part is a blot upon it , descending below furce into ignoble buffoonery , but played by him so as to draw shouts from the multitude . The second net is improbable in structure , and intensely stagey in details ; even where the substance is tolerable this manner is invariably at fault . Martha Gibbs has passed through the ordeal successfully ; only one week more remains ; but she has seen Sir Arthur Lassels resolutely pursuing Lady Valeria with his attentions , und has drawn
upon herself the suspicion of being in love with him , by the obstinacy witli which she follows him about whenever he is with Lady Valeria . Sir Arthur being a coxcomb ( such a coxcomb ! yc gods ! such a hcducer !) thinks she is jealous of Lady Valeria , and tolling her that the Lady has promised him a rendezvous , consents to renounce that if aho , Martha , will grunt him one . To Have her friend f he consentsplaces Valeria in a hiding place , and receives Sir Arthur . Valeria thus learns his villuny , and
forthwith resolves to bestow all her affection upon her husband—which is proper , virtuouH , und conjugal of her ! But Martha thus rinks her own happiness , for the ; interview is mad *; known , and hhe is ordered to leave tho houso , unworthy to bo Stephen's wife . Alter a fow handkerchief * are moistened here , all looks bright again by Valeria ' s confession of the truth ; and ho tho " glUti-ring" virtue of tho aristocracy iH expoHod in contrast with the storling " gold " of the fuctory girl .
It was immensely successful , if the purport of the drama be not to hold the mirror up to life , and reflect every form and pressure of the age , but rather to hold the mirror up to the stage , and reflect the very form and pressure given to it there , then I see no reason why every one should not pronounce All that Glitters is not Gold a chef d ' eeuvre .
The Old Love And The New. I Have Just Co...
THE OLD LOVE AND THE NEW . I have just come from Old Drury , where they have given a very pleasant vivacious comedy in five acts , oalled Old Love and the New , and am now to jot down my impressions , reserving to myself the power of modifying them next week , if reflection and a second visit show cause . In substance it is slight enough , and by no means new . Sir Algernon Courtoun , a battered old beau , is paying desperate court to Camilla Haythorn , a lively young flirt , who is making herself as fascinating to him as possible , for the very cogent reason that she is in love with his nephew and heirCaptain Sidney Courtoun . The misfortune is
, she makes herself too fascinating . But you can t wonder at that : Mrs . Nisbett is the Camilla ! Sir Algernon , blinded by his desires , lured by her coquetry , makes her an offer of his hand and acres . She rejects him—exasperates him—and now trembles for her own fate . To keep the truth from Sir Algernon that he has a rival in his nephew , Major Stock opportunely arrives , and is made a catspaw of . The embroglio is prolonged by a series of contrivances which are not always very clearly set forth ;
but , as some amusing scenes are the result , the audience laugh and are not critical . Finally , it turns out that Sir Algernon , in the flush of youth , loved a girl whom his parents would not suffer him to marry—that he has suffered great misery from it —and the recollection of his old love makes him lenient in his judgment of the new , and , forgiving Camilla , he consents to her marriage with his nephew . While , for himself , he falls back upon his old love , who turns up in the person of Miss Trimmer , an old maid , the pivot of the comedy , and its happiest character .
Now , I must say that , with the best will in the world , I cannot see the substance of a five-act comedy in that ; and only some admirable invention in the details , or strength and variety in the characters , could mask its weakness . Unhappily , invention is not the author ' s forte ; nor has he more than a sketchy power in characterization . The construction of the piece is deficient in clearness , and the characters want " keeping . ' ' . Thus Miss Trimmer starts as a real bit of character t an old maid always doing good and speaking unpleasant truths , giving her advice most liberally , but giving her money with equal generosity . We expected great things of her ;
but instead of allowing the characters to shape the comedy , the author suffers the incidents to shape the characters , and the orig inality of Miss Trimmer ' s part disappears into commonplace sentiment . Precisely the same occurs with Sir Algernon . We have him at the outset an old dandy—a lady-killer—and we have him at last a sorrowful old gentleman who has been thirty years seeking his only love—and whom , by the way , he does not recognize when he meets her , no , not after several interviews : which in a love of thirty years seems a little incredible ? Indeed , this love part between the two old people is the marshy-ground of the p iece—all is swamped there .
The acting was capital . Anderson , as Captain Sidney , played with great spirit and naturalness ; his bit of lover ' s quarrel with Mrs . Nisbett waa charming on both sides . Mrs . Nisbett was gay and laughing in a part written for her . ( My dear Mrs . Nisbett droop your head a little , push aside those curls , while 1 whisper just one word in your oar ; only one ! Nay , turn aside those eyes , or I shan ' t have the courage ! There , that will do ; now mark : young ladies do not array themselves in low dresses ink bows in their hair in the
and short sleeves , with p middle of the day—above all things , they shun rambling about a park in that cool costume !) Mis . Toman played Miss Trimmer with ladylike quietness and great naturalness—it could not have been better . Mr . Barrett , as old Hay thorn , was bluff and hearty , though conventional ; and Kmery , Artaud , and Mrs . Walter Lacy did the most for their small parts . Mr . Cooper was sadly misplaced in a part suited for Farren ! The piece is mounted with just elegance and taste , and the success whs complete .
S T. M A Iit In's Iia L L. The Third Mon...
S T . M A IIT IN'S IIA L L . The third monthly concert of ancient and modern music , under the direction of Mr . llullah , took place on Wednenday evening . The ¦ ancient music consisted of No . 4 of 1 laiulel ' h Hautboy Concertos and the " Frost Scene" from Purci-ll ' s King Arthur . Simply as studies and exponents of the instrumental music of the time ; Mr . llullnh does well in bringing forward these dry and laboured specimens , which may even have charniH for some antique minds ; but , beyond being curiosities in their way , we know of little to recommend them , amid those rich symphonies which evidence the advanced state of tho art . The hautboy purtu were , however , beautifully treated
by Messrs . Nicholson and Horton . Purcell ' s " Frost Scene "is also an exponent of by-gone times , but the dramatic inspiration appearing throughout Purcell ' s writings makes them ever welcome . Mr . Henry Phillips delivered the bass solos magnificently . The efforts of Miss Kearns , who is a rising vocalist , were slightly marred by a carelessness of intonation . Our English female singers are sadly apt either to neglect precise intonation or to be wholly guiltless of declamatory force . Of the two , we would prefer the former , upon the principle that " a live dog is better than a dead lion ; " but there is no reason why declamatory force and precision of tone should not be found united .
The modern music of the evening was Mendelssohn ' s First Walpurgis Night and four compositions by Charles Gounod , of Paris . The Walpurgis Night terminated the concert , and was , therefore , badly placed in the programme . It was admirably given : the solos being entrusted to Miss Kent , Mr . Lockey , and Mr . Phillips . The whole effort and interest of the evening had , however , been concentrated on the four compositions of Charles Gounod . We had heard much of his celebrity as a composer . We are much pleased to be introduced to the wokrs of
vounsr writers of our dav . a thinsr far too infreauent young writers of our day , a thing far too infrequent for the interests of both art and artists . But with every disposition in ftvour of Mr . Gounod , we are bound to say that what we have yet heard will not ensure him a status above the level of mediocrity . He is essentially of the French school , but has seemingly endeavoured to redeem himself from its triviality of phrase by laboured passages which mean nothing and lead to nothing . We have , therefore , a continual promise of melody which as continually leads to disappointment : a great quantity of noise , but no breadth of harmony : an immense attempt , but no inspiration . The first chorus , " Libera me ,
Domine , " was from a Requiem . It is a series of progressive chords . ; voices and instruments proceeding with a dull uniformity . An attempt is made to break irom this by imitative instrumentation on the words "Quando cceli movendi sunt et terra , " but it almost immediately relapses into the uniform progression . There is , however , a religious tone pervading this isolated extract from the Requiem , which led us to desire some further acquaintance with the work . A motet , " Thou wilt content them , O Lord , " for two choirs , without accompaniment , followed . There is a nice phrase on the opening words , but the melody is almost instantly resigned , and the remainder of the motet is cramped and dryV A " Sanctus , "
" Hosanna , " and "Benedictus , " followed , the first meeting with an encore . The "Sanctus" is given to the tenor solo , and each phrase is repeated by the chorus . On the words " gloria tua" there is a crescendo leading to a most theatrical crash on the " Hosanna in excelsis . " Here it is not only " great organ full to trumpet , " but " orchestra full to cymbals , " every instrument being employed but the gong and the triangle . We never remember to have heard so much noise . in a concert-room . The idea—for there is , nevertheless , a manifest conception about thishas been to make it a very dramatic scena . The opening of the " Sanctus" is accompanied by a military style of instrumentation and the measured heat of the distant drum . This draws nearer and
nearer , until we have the tremendous crash of the " Hosanna , " when the army of Heaven may be considered to be passing by . The " Benedictus" is given to the soprano , accompanied on tho organ only , and repeated by the chorus , who again take up the " Hosanna" in fugue . We have here much of the disjointed phraseology of Le Prop / wte ; but even amid the glitter of the Roman Catholic ceremonial , this " Sanctus " would appear as if it came flesh from the opera—no great recommendation in ecclesiastical music . The specimens concluded with a dramatic scene from a composition called " Peter the Hermit , " consisting of n bass solo , semi-chorus , and chorus . The choruses were not marked by any vein of originality ; but tho bass solos , well rendered by Mr . Phillip * , gave the
first taste of M . Gounod ' s melodic genius . In those wo had energy and a melody which , declaimed by Henry Phillips , rejoiced the ear , hut it wan calculated also to confirm our impression that M . Gounod follows in that school which sacrifices the genius and germ of music—melody—and necks to produce » fleet upon the mind by cramped and learned writing . No composition can exist without melody . It is the true fountain of inspiration , and tho composer who would that his works should livo mast drink of it freely . M . Gounod , wo understand , is young . We would advise him to leave Franco again , sojourn in Italy , and return through Germany . After u careful study of the music of those countries , if he have any genius at all , he may yet write that which will gain him a great name .
The- executancy of the works throughout the evening was excellent . The whole chorus yield a willing obedience to Mr . Hullah ' s Mton , and we thus have a precision which enable * him to givo more real effect with his little corps than is produced by the leviathan bodies of Exeter-hall .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 18, 1851, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_18011851/page/19/
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