An Operetta in one act, called the Musician of Venice,
the music by Signor PILATI, is one of the beat things produced at the St. James's this season. Straitens, a famous musician, who has been obliged to quit Venice for (Nursing off the daughter of u noble family, and Las moreover incurred time displeasure of the Grand Duke of Tuscany by refusing to compose a motet at his command, finds himself ut Florence without the means of leaving the city, and pursued closely by the officers of the law : in this dilemma, the Grand Duke goes to him in the disguise of a merchant ; and having got his promise to compose a piece of music, restates the composer from the vengeance of the law, and saves him also from the daggers of a couple of bravoes that had found their way into his chamber.
We have never seen Bitairam to better advantage than in this part of Stradella. lie looks, and seems to feel himself to be, the character. The earnest manner in which be speaks of his treatnient in early life by the Grand Doke—the fervid description of the feelings with which be heard one of his compositions performed, and the naïveté of his apology for being enraptured with his own productions—are the result of genuine sympathy with the assumed character. When Ile bits down to the seraphim to compose, lie seems the inspired musician, giving vent to his emotions in song : the two Bravoes might well forget their murderous t,flice. The seraphim., by the way, is not at all suited to accompany the voice—a pianoforte would have been much better. -Miss ltairseuirrn, as Bianca, the noble wife of Stradella, bus little else to do but sing ; which she does very charmingly. Signor Piaanres has no chilli's to the merit of originality; and, moreover, it is rather heavy, and deficient in diet variety of character which the firm and nature of the different pieces require.
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