THE GERMAN OPERA.
Oen welcome visitants from Germany have reappeared, occupying a larger stage, and with an accession of vocal and instrumental strength. Drury Lane is again a theatre ; and the '" villanous rout" of French noise-makers and attitudinizers is superseded by music, properly so called. The German company of the present, as of former years, is made up of singers from different German theatres, all of whom are the servants (not, as in England, by a figure of speech) of some sovereign prince : and the comparative excellence of different companies varies according to the musical inclination, taste, and wealth of the prince or elector. The inhabitants even of the small German capitals enjoy the advantage of hearing the best operas of the country at a cheap rate ; the deficit iu the receipts of the theatre being made good from the sovereign's privy purse. The performers obtain leave of absence only by his per- mission ; and this is often granted in order to enable a duke or elector cf small income to retain an eminent singer in his service. Leave of absence to HEINEFETTER, to SCHRCEDER, or to HAITZINGER, is equiva- lent to an addition to their salaries. Thus, a German company destined for London is culled from Frankfort, Darmstadt, Mainz, or Cassel: and the same perfection is not here obtained that exists in the best-appointed German theatres, where the performers, vocal and instrumental, are under the constant and vigilant training of the same director, often a composer of high eminence. The orchestra now at Drury Lane is, in all its essential parts, German ; but it includes a large proportion of English repieni. The Mainz band, whence the German players are principally derived, is by no means one of the highest repute ; but it has the excellence common to all German' orchestras, admirable discipline.
The vocal corps comprises Madame Herstererren, Madame Scan- DIANN, HAITZINGER as principal tenor, and SESSELMAN (from Hesse Darmstadt) as principal bass. The last only comes to London a stranger. He is not of equal excellence with the other principals ; but it would be difficult to find a quartet of such. SESSELMAN has the average power and acquirement of German singers ; the others have• much more. The chorus exhibits excellent training and discipline ; and thveason commences with the prospect of a successful campaign. Three of the most popular operas have been performed this week ; and three which, exhibiting their several authors' talents and essential peculiarities of style, may fairly be ranked together-Der Freischutz,- Jessonda, and Fidelio.
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