THE THEATRES.

COVENT GARDEN has kept the lead, this week, by two " revivals "- an old comedy on Monday, an opera on Wednesday—and by several "first appearances."

The performance of Artaxerxes served at once to make trial of the company's capabilities in the department of music, and to in- trod.ace a new candidate for vocal fame, in the person of Miss AUSTIN. It is the fashion with a certain class of musicians to run down the author of this celebrated opera, and to treat ARNE rather as a charlatan than a musician ; an opinion to which we can by no means subscribe, and in refutation of which it would be quite sufficient to refer to the second fact stated in the preceding sentence. Nearly a century has elapsed since Artaxerxes was first produced; during which period, almost every female singer aspiring to the highest rank of' her art has selected Mundane as the character in which to snake her most ad- vantageous appeal to the public ; and here is Miss A EsT1N, acting under the advice of an experienced master, rejecting all subsequent parts in favour of Mandane.

Artaxerxes is the only successful attempt to introduce the Opera Seria of Italy, with a rigid adherence to all its artificial and absurd rules, on the English stage. It has been asserted by shallow inquirers to have been the only attempt. This is not only a mistake, but the very reverse of the truth. CLAYTON, HYAM, GALLIARD, SCHMIDT, and the other dramatic composers who appeared between the death of Pulicm.s. and the maturity of ARNE, adopted the heroic opera of Italy as their model; and they all failed. It was, and is, a form of the lyric drama for which the English have evinced no relish: but this, again, is a strong testimony in favour of our composer's genius. It has been objected to Artaxerxes, that it is but a recasting of the fashionable Italian songs of the day ; and no doubt this is partly true. But if ARNE copied the Italian phrases and passages of the day, so did HANDEL, with more persevering and unscrupulous Ussidnity. The stock is trade with which the latter assumed the office of composer to the Italian Opera was collected in Italy. The chief difference between the two writers is, that whereas HANDF.L never changed the fashion of his stock, but continued the use of the same passages for twenty successive years, AnsE adopted those of the newest gloss. The most successful of HANDEL'S operas never attained a fiftieth part of the popularity of Artaxerxes, even though sustained by the power of the first singers is Europe, and supported by all the weight of fashionable influence. Very few of HANDEL!S operas reached a second edition ; whereas of ARNE'S the editions cannot be " reckoned up in order." ARNE had previously engrafted on his own melodious style (legiti- mate English melody) the Italian bravura. Alfred, which we regard as Isis most perfect opera, as well as Etisa, contained an admixture of such songs ; Comas, an earlier production, is wholly without them. This gave occasion to the attack of CHURCHILL, and other writers of the same stamp-

" Let Arne reverse kind Nature's first decrees, And teach even Brent a method not to please : To Britons far more noble spirits spring

From native notes, whilst Beard and Vincent sing."

As an historical record, nothing can be more false than this passage, No female singer ever more completely established herself in the opinions of the town than did 3liss BRENT in Mundane. Iu truth, this part concentrates all the various opportunities for display that an accom- plished singer can desire. In the two bravuras, " Fly, soft ideas," and

The soldier tired," AnNE successfully contended on their own ground with his greatest foreign contemporaries ; while in " If o'er the cruel tyrant Love," he poured forth those strains of native melody which re- main as fresh and fair as ever.

Yet is Artaxerxes far from a perfect opera. The words are a bald, prosaic translation of Merasr.vsso, generally supposed to have been pat together by ARNE. The story excites no interest: the performers walk on and walk off the stage without our knowing or caring why. Artaxerxes, regarded as an opera for present performance, merely con- tains materials which may be used to great advantage. To the pre- sent state of the stage—the present state of the orchestra—the present habitudes and requirements of the public ear—it is essentially unsuited, Formed upon the model of the existing Italian opera, it contains no concerted pieces except two duets, and no choruses. To supply this want, in part, BRAHAM introduced a quartet of his own ; of which it is worth while to give the words in their connexion—they will serve to show the sort of stuff which makes up the libretto of Artaxerxes. Ar- baces, accused of the murder of Darius, thus replies- " Arbaces. Appearance, I must OW11, is strong against me, But truth is on my side. I'm innocent. Artaxerxes. Pray Heaven you may ; but till the law decide,

You must remain a prisoner.

.elrbaces. Alt ! dear Itimenes, pity my hard fate!

Mv friend!

Rinwnes. I fim no traitor's friend. Adieu:" Now at this moment there happen to be four persons on the stage— Mundane and the three just named. What so natural, therefore, as to have a quartet? A quartet they accordinaly sing, and to the following words— "Mild as the moonbeams which on mountains tremble, Or sad as nightingales that mourn their loves."

Now what have these words to do with the persons on the stage, or their situation—what, in fact, have they to do with common sense? Why are they thus " mild," or why thus " sad"—or wherefore should they vent their sadness and their mildness in a series of arpeg- gios on the chord of C, relieved by a triplet descent on the scale of ditto ? Such foolery is an offence re4..lin5t the majesty of the art, and no name or time shall shield it from the contempt with which it deserves to be denounced. To the credit of Madame ArEsTrus's taste, this precious addendum was (for the first time since its introduction) discarded on Wednesday night : bat in place of' it, a modern finale to the first act, from 3lozmt.r. was given—which though good in itself, yet being altogether different in style from the criginar matter, imparted a patched and piebald effect to the whole. An admixture of concerted pieces and choruses is not all that the opera now requires : the instru- mental score, like the scores of HANDEL, is often wretchedly meagre, and wants judicious filling up. We are no advocates for thrusting every instrument in the orchestra into every song ; but there is a medium between plethora and famine. Take one of' the songs already men- tioned, "If o'er the cruel tyrant Love," which in the original is accom- panied throughout bv Ole violins in unison with the voice, and com- pare it with Pasnoe's beautiful instrumentation of the same air set to different words, and it will afford an apt illustration of what the in- strumental score of Artaxerxes might become in competent hands. The vocal score is rich in materials. It contains eight songs which we have heard, not only on the stage, but in concert-rooms, times without Lumber ; and this can he affirmed of no other English opera. We IA:neve that these materials, if properly recast, would be found to have lost none of their value : at present they are diamonds in a plated case—the original silver wash is rubbed off, awl its Poverty and mean- ness is apparent. They want to be newly and worthily set.

Much praise is due to VasTais's mallagement for the manner in which the opera is now got up. There is none of the slovenliness which usually attends the revival of old pieces. The scenery is new, beautiful, and full of local propriety; the researches of Sir R. KER PORTER among the ruins of Persepolis being the authority for the cor- rectness of the representation of the buildings and costumes of Persia m the time of Xerxes. The orchestra—that most essential feature was one of the best we have heard in an English theatre. It was suffi- ciently numerous, and well-proportioned, with a due complement of stringed instruments ; and it executed the accompaniments with preci- sion and delicacy. Something was done in the way of enriching ARNE'S score by the addition of wind instrument parts : but much more than this is necessary (as we have already observed) to render it satis- factory to a modern ear. The only objectionable thing in the orchestra was the obtrusive manner in which the recitatives were accompanied on the pianoforte, by Mr. NYS:LSD, (conductor, for the occasion of his d6but,) who not content with distinctly striking the chords so as

to guide the singer through the modulations, must needs keep flourish- ing away in long arpeggios during the whole phrase of which he had only to indicate the key—confusing, and sometimes actually drowning the voice with his unmerciful tinkling.

There is one thing which must always render the performance of Artaxerxes unsatisfactory. Our singers know nothing of the per- formance of dramatic recitative : and how should they ? they have no experience or practice in it ; and, except VESTRIS, we do not believe that any of the dramatis person se of Wednesday night ever before uttered a syllable of recitative on the stage in their lives. If, there- fore, they failed in delivering the dialogue of Artaxerxes with the freedom, force, and rapidity of impassioned speech, it is impossible to blame them for not doing what they can never have learned to do. Vssrals alone, who is equally conversant with the Italian and with the English schools, gave the recitative, in her character of Artaxerxes, with perfect propriety ; and indeed, her performance of this little part .was by fitr the most delightful thing in the opera. Miss :1FsTIN, the debutante, is a young singer of promise ; but it is evident that, as with most young English singers, her tuition has been a forcing process, and she has been prematurely brought upon the stage. In place of being educated to be a sound musician and a thorough singer, she has been trained to appear in the character of Mandune. She is indebted to nature for many good qualities, but we cannot dis- cover that she owe.s one to her musical education. She is a handsome and lady-looking girl, with a very agreeable and expressive face, and good deportment. She has intelligence and sensibility ; and her voice is naturally both sweet and powerful. But nothing has been done in the way of forming it. She has never been taught the art of what the French expressively eall filer k's sons—the quality of " linked sweetness long drawn out"—which so eminently distinguishes the Italian school, and in which our singers, generally speaking, are so deficient. Her middle tones are so beautiful, that, with a sound method, her compass of good notes might evidently have been rendered very considerable ; hut as it is, her teacher (or trainer) has made her, in the execution of his flourishes, utter a great many shrill and piercing notes which he has never taught her how to form. We do not find fault with her imper- fect delivery of the recitative, for the reason already given ; but in the airs her pronunciation is indistinct and inarticulate—another fault which she owes to her tuition. Let us at the same time add, that a very great degree of trepidation impaired her vocal powers: but even after mak- ing this allowance, we fear that she will prove another instance of good gifts prevented, by hurried and hothouse cultivation, from ever coming to maturity. It is not yet, perhaps, too late. The other principal perfOrmers were little other than dehntants. Mr. 1 Isumsos, a tenor, who performed Arbaees, has a good voice, though he impairs its general sweetness by a strange admixture of harsh notes—the result of defective method. He has much merit on the whole; amid his " Water parted from the sea" was a very charming piece of singing. Bonnam, who, we understand is an Englishman notwith- standing his Italianized name, is a good singer, and seems not unac- customed to the stage. Both in his action and singing he is energetic and forcible ; but he is exuberant, and sometimes inclined to tear a passion to tatters. The performance of Artaxerxes must always go heavily off, unless there happen to be the excitement of a BILLINGTON or a BRAHAM : and so it was on this occasion. The audience seemed weary and list- les,. unless when they were roused to approbation of some praiseworthy effort on the part of the singers. The house was excessively crowded.

Role a Wifr and Have a 117,P— the other revival at Covent Carden— will bring neither credit to the management, reputation to the company, nor money to the treasury ; notwithstanding the reception of Mr. G. VAN- DEN:10Fr, on Monday, was so flattering as to justify the repetition of the play on the following night. It is one of thase comedies of intrigue that require the very finest acting to give them due elfect, and then are worthless after all. Thc plot and characters ace of Spanish origin, but on the English stage the volatile spirit is evaporated, and a gross residuum of vice and knavery remains ; the licentious character of the incidents being neither lessened by their improbability nor redeemed by the wit and spirit of the dialogue—many passages of which were needfully suppressed. The licence of his age is the dramatist's excuse : bat it is worthy of remark, that forcible as is the writing, it has less of elegant poetry and passionate earnestness than most of the plays of I3Est2- mow and IFLETemin. The subject, in fact, was foreign to their genius, as it is to the taste of audiences in the present day and to the talent of the existing race of players. An adventurer tricking a wealthy young beauty into marriage for the sake of her possessions, by pretend- ing to be a poor simpleton who is willing to pander to her profligacy and Ins own dishonour, and an intriguing waiting-woman NVII0 dupes a shal- low coxcomb into marrying her by passing off her mistress's house for her own, are not materials for an English poet to work up jun) a serious interest.

It is supposed that Leon was chosen for the young, actor's daut be- cause the clownish disguise in the earlier scenes is calculated to cover the trepidation incidental to a first appearance : but, though the stage-situa- tion where he throws off the mask of folly and assumes the dress and air of a gentleman and the authority of a husbaad is effective, the base- ness of the deceit, which has not even love to excuse it, prevents the audience from entertaining any sympathy with the character. Mr. G.

ANDENHOPF'S personal recommendations consist in a tall and well-pro- portioned figure, a handsome-featured face, an expressive eye, a sono- rous voice, and free and even graceful action : his voice, however, is not altogether clear, nor do we think it susceptible of delicate modulation ; at least he has not yet acquired sufficient command over it. His histrionic talents may be pronounced considerable, though Hot brilliant : we per- ceived no spark of original genius ; and the promise of future excellence lies in the direction of executive skill rather than intellectual resources. The heaviness, with a tendency to coarseness, in Mr. G. VANDENHOFF'S style, study and practice may correct : an inherent deficiency of fire and refinement can never be wholly supplied, but a certain degree of anima- tion and a more elastic deportment are attainable, as well as that ease and confidence which experience of time stage alone can give. Those who

recollect CHARLES KEMBLE in his young days, will not despair of r. G. VANDENHOFF ultimately attaining proficiency in many of the same characters. His performance of Leon was deficient in spirit and energy, but great allowance must be made for the restraint and timidity of a debut : and the character, moreover, is not favourable to the display of earnestness or feeling. In his assumption of the dolt, he showed a lurking indication of the real man under the garb of folly—a point of some nicety to hit : after he has thrown off the mask, he was com- paratively tame and ineffective, though showing no lack of self-posses- sion, and determination even.

Mrs. NISBETT, as Estifania, gave an arch and sprightly gloss to the wickedness of the cunning deceiver, and entered heartily into the spirit of the scene ; but we should have preferred seeing Madame VEsTats in this character, and Mrs. NISBETT as Margarita, instead of Mrs. BROUGHAM, who is quite inadequate to 'personate the volup- tuous and imperious wanton whom Leon reduces to submission. CHARLES MATHEws, as Perez, the dupe of Estifania, -was lively and bustling, but unreal, and his gesticulation grew tiresome : his " Copper Captain" was made of copper-leaf only. BARTLEY, as the purse-proud braggart Clleafivo, swaggered and, blustered in the approved stage fashion ; though his humour, too, was all outside show, having neither depth nor richness. F. MATHEWS, as the old woman, was too mascu- line; and on the first night lie indulged in some indecent buffoonery, that, being resented, will not be repeated. MEADOWS, as the daughter, assumed a feminine look and tone of voice that had a most ludicrous effect ; indeed it was the only genuine personation in the whole per- formance. The play is got up in good style, as usual, though the scenery is not new.