21 OCTOBER 1876, Page 24

The Messiah. Transcription for Piano. By E. Renville. (C. Boosey..)

—Had Mr. Renville been asked to mutilate the score of the great Handel, we think that be could scarcely have completed his task more effectively than in his "Transcription of the Messiah," various gems of the original work being disguised by cadences and arpeggios, in utter disregard of consecutive octaves. We can but wish that Mr. Renville had claimed the whole credit (?) of the piece, and that Handel's name might not have been desecrated by such a production.