31Insir.
The visit of the " Orpheonists" to London and their performances at the Crystal Palace, have formed the chief subject of musical curiosity and interest this week. The " Orpheon " is a choral society, or rather an aggregate of choral societies, founded about fifteen years ago, num- bering at present above 40,000 members, and spread over a large extent of France, especially the Southern Departments. It is well known to every one at all acquainted with musical history, that, until the pre- sent time, choral music has never been cultivated in France. The style of music made use of in the services of the Church has not led to the growth of a race of ecclesiastical composers ; and it is not too much to say that there has not been a single French musician of this class who has gained celebrity. One Frenehmatl, the late M. Wilhem, made strenuous efforts to give an impulse to choral singing, and, for a time, was apparently so successful, that our Mr. Mullah was induced to study his method of popular instruction, and to introduce it into this country. In France, Wilhem and his labours are entirely forgotten • while in England, through Mr. Mullah, they have brought forth good fruit, and assisted the vast progress which choral music has made in England. An obscure provincial organist but as the event has shown, a man of extraordinary ability and energy, M. Delaporte, struck with the immense results which Wilhem's labours might have had in France, determined to continuo them ; and, after a long course of persevering toil, and many disappointments, succeeded in esta- blishing a few small societies in different quarters, which were united tin- der the general name of the " Orpheon ;" and this aggregate society has now grown to the magnitude we have mentioned. Its present condition is thus described in the Prospectus of the Crystal Palace Festival : "Senators, Prefects, Mayors, Deputies, Generals, Priests, and titular and honorary members of the various associations. Eight hundred societies exist in the French territory, and number more than 40,000 Orpheonista, while more than 200,000 persona have spontaneously grouped them- selves around this gigantic work." Thia last phrase is a little obscure; but the vast magnitude of the association is sufficiently apparent. The 3000 persons who came to London for this Festival are a se- lect body of the best singers of the various societies, and are conse- quently natives of every part of France, and, hire the members of out own provincial Choral Societies, belong to the most respectable portion of the industrial, chums. They are mostly young men, very well dressed, according to their station, full of their national vivacity, polite, good humoured, and, altogether pleasant specimens of the classes to which they belong. They have come to England entirely with a view to fraternize with their English brethren in the love of art, and at their own expense. They were exposed, it appears, to great in- conveniences and hardship as their first arrival ; but these desagrements arose from the fault'of their own countryman, the commissioner whom they had sent before, to provide for their proper accommodation—a duty which he seems to have blundered or neglected. But this was but a slight and passing cloud; not affecting the friendly intercourse which has prevailed between the people of London and their foreign guests.
The performances at the Crystal Palace took place on Monday, Tues- day, and Thursday ; and there is another today, by way of farewell. They were invited to a performance, given to them exclusively, at Exeter Hall last night, by the Sacred Harmonic Society, when they must have acquired some new ideas as to choral music, as it is practised in England. Their own performances at the Crystal Palace have been exceedingly pleasant, and deserving of their success. Their repertoire was very limited—some eight or ten pieces, which they sang at every concert. They were of a light and popular kind—not choruses in our acceptation, but part-songs, or harmonized airs, the chorus being little more than a sort of refrain, or burden. But the airs were so pretty—the harmonies, though simple, so perfectly pure—the singing so full of precision, re- finement,-variety of expression, spirit, and national character, that they gave universal and unqualified delight.
The visit, altogether, has been an auspicious one. It has certainly led to a considerable increase of acquaintance between the people of two great nations whose chief interest it is to live in friendship; and—as will. always happen—increase of acquaintance has led to increase of Cordiality.
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