GLEANINGS.
Heaves: re—Hummers musical character is not to be estimated en- tirely from his pianoforte playing, which, to those who are fathiliar with Kalkbrenner, Cramer, and Moscheles, presents no very remarkable feature. He has less brilliancy than Kalkbrenner, less energy than Moscheles, and less smoothness and sestenuto than Cramer. But then he possesses more of these qualities taken together, than any one of these distinguished rivals ; and his performance is thus, on the whole, more masterly than that of any of then[. We doubt, however, if it is, on this account, more delightful ; fur, in the fine arts, tire possession of one beauty, in the highest degree, is generally found to produce greater effects than a combination of qualities which make up even a larger amount of excellence. When enchanted by the delicacy and tenderness with which Cramer sings upon his instrument, we feel no want of force or brilliancy ; and we should be sad losers were he to barter any por- tion of his own peculiar charm for even a more than corresponding share of those qualities in which, critically speaking, he may be said to be deficient. Take from Claude a part of his exquisite clearness and repose, and make it up by an infusion of Salyator Rosa's wildness, and will this form an artist as charming as Claude, or as impressive as Rosa ? —As a composer, Hummel ranks much higher than any of his rivals. His music is of the school of Mozart—profound in its construction, but clear, graceful, and melodious ; and many of his finest compositions are so free from the fashionable difficulties of pianoforte music, that they are quite within the reach of well-educated amateurs. The drudgery of a professional life in London (from which persons of equal rank in music, on the Continent, seem to he free) has prevented Cramer and 3Ioscheles from doing justice to their talents for composition ; thought they have both done enough to show how great those talents are. Cramer's earlier sonatas—when he wrote more for fame, and less for profit, than he does now—are among the most exquisite pro. dilutions for his instruments; and Mosebeles, 'besides several concertos of grew; excellence, has lately composed a trio (performed at his own concert, and since published) which may take its place beside those of Beethoven. But, on the whole, the compositions of these masters are much inferior to those of Hummel. He has, too, distinguished himself as a vocal and dramatic composer. His " Mathilde von Guise " is mouth esteemed on the Continent ; and deserves to be so, if we may judge from detached scenes which have been performed here. We are informed that he has brought to London an opera in manuscript, for the purpose of being adapted to English words and performed at one of our theatres. —Metropolitan Magazine, No. II. PAGAN ixr.—" He is a man of eccentric character and irregular habits.
Though generally resident at Turin, he has no fixed engagement ; but, as occasion may require, makes a trading voyage thorough the principal cities of Italy, and can always procure a theatre upon the condition of equal participation in the receipts. Many stories are told of the means by which he has acquired his astonishing style ; such as his haying been imprisoned ten years with no other resource—and the like. But, how- ever this may be, his powers over the violin are most extraordinary. Paganini's eri'ormance bears the stamp of time eccentricity of his cha- racter. As to mechanism, it is quite perfect ; his tone and the thrilling intonation of his double stops are electric ; his bow moves as if it were part of lihnsell, and endued with :le and feeling ; his staccato is more strongly marked than I ever knew, and, in the smoother passages, there is a glassiness, if one may so say, which gives you time notion of the per- fection of finish, and the highest refinement a practice. Though, in general, there is an ambition to display his own talents, by an excess Of ornament, yet he can, if he will, play with simplicity and pathos, and then his power over the passions is equal to that of any orator or actor." —Matthews's Diary of an Invalid.
i.N.UCTURNAL TELEORAPIIS.—Within these few days, M. de Courettes, a French gentleman, has arrived in London, from Paris, with the view of obtaining the adoption of a system of nocturnal telegraphs. The chief improvement is a new and more simple alphabet, or set of signs, by which greater rapidity is obtained. A lamp is fixed on the top of a post, to be erected at the proper elevation ; round this fixed lamp an- other is made to revolve, at the end of a moveable beam. A sufficient number of distinct positions may be thus obtained with rapidity. The distance between one station and another of a diurnal telegraph, is usually between eight or ten miles ; but a nocturnal one may be at in- tervals of eighteen miles. The first outlay of capital for the establish- ment of a telegraph, to serve for both night and day, in France, is cal- culated at about 801. for each station ; in England the expense would be somewhat greater ; and it could be worked for 1001. a year. SINGULAR OPERATION.—The astonishing number of 950 plum- stones were last week extracted from the body of a woman, in Wilms- low, named Ann Pearson, by Mr. Moore, the surgeon of that place ; having, it is supposed, lain in the alimentary canal from the time of her first pregnancy, ten years ago. She had laboured under great bodily affliction during the whole of that period ; and her complaint bad, up to the time of this occurrence, baffled the skill and penetration of all the medical and surgical gentlemen who had been in attendance upon her. —Belfast News Letter.
No Fun, no STEAM.—The Earl of Clare, who proceeded in August
last by way of Alexandria and Cosseir to assume the Government of Bombay, has been detained at Jiddah, on the western coast of Arabia, waiting a supply of feel for the Hugh Lindsay steamer, upwards of seven weeks ! His Lordship expected to leave Jiddah on the 23d of
February. • . _
Previous page
