15 NOVEMBER 1845, Page 19

The Easter Morning; a Sacred Cantata for three Solo Voices

and Chorus. Translated from the German of Tieck, and respectfully dedicated to the Choral Harnwnists Society, by W. Bartholomew, Esq. The Musk by the Chevalier S. Neukomm.

This production, an old and established favourite in Germany, is here introduced to the notice of the English choral amateur in an effective ver- sion. The genius and poetical character of the subject are well appreciated in England, from the sympathy we possess in general with religious feel- ings, old usages, and customs; but the full force of the Easter Morning Cantata is to be felt only by the mind imbued with German prejudices and habits. We associate it with Goethe; in the charming opening of whose Faust the simple Easter Hymn from the voices of children, suddenly break- ing in on the sceptical midnight reveries of the hero, forms one of the most Powerful and affecting incidents ever conceived by dramatist. We mingle with the crowd as it flows beyond the city-gate to enjoy the early sunshine of the year—to see the " old Winter" with his back turned, trooping off deliberately, stream and streamiet freed from his icy chains. Spell- bound by the poet, we see a motley crowd of townspeople, professors, stu- dents, mistresses, maid-servants, and the rest of the rabble rout of a Ger- man holyday; some smoking, others laughing, philosophizing, or love- making; with skittles, beer, ham, and sausages in the distance, and pro- bably a dance at night by way of wind-up. Most of these people (students and professors excepted) will have been at church, and now devote them-

selves with light hearts and clear consciences to those enjoyments which form the usual appendix to their theological observances.

These are the German notions of the celebration of the Easter festival; and somewhat of this pleasing, cheerful, and genial spirit, pervades Nen- komm's Cantata; which is, in our opinion, one of his most agreeable per- formances. It is characterized by the same good qualities which distill• guished his earlier productions in this country, and obtained for them well-merited favourable opinion. We recur with pleasurable feelings to the impression which his first Symphony at the Philharmonic and his first Septet for wind-instruments produced. There was a freedom and an un- affected simplicity in his mode of writing, that would have rendered his compositions ever welcome had the musicsellers not overstocked the market with them. Never profoundly learned and original in his harmonies like Mendelssohn, or impassioned and striking in his effects like Spohr, Neu- kornm still possesses a pen too useful in the general purposes of compo. sition and for the increase of current novelties, to be entirely laid aside. It gratifies us to welcome his appearance in the field of English music once more, and to estimate his talent at its just value; while we would forget the injustice of which he has some right to complain in our country, first in having been unduly exalted, and then as much neglected.

Among the pleasing features of this production we may place the sooth- ing introductory chorale, " Soft winds flying through the meadows," and the soprano solo No. 2, which introduces a simple and cheerful chorus on the Resurrection. These movements are short, clear, and well adapted for in- strumental and choral effect. The trio for treble voices, " Round these death-mounts let us wander," is beautiful in its union of affecting wordy and simple melody. Many solos for voices of different character occur; and towards the conclusion there is an agreeable round and spirited fugue. The little German poem, descriptive of national feelings on the recur- rence of this early festival of the year, is altogether treated by the musician in a congenial spirit; and the efforts of the two conjoined produce a pic- ture very attractive to those who relish simplicity and character.