5 SEPTEMBER 1846, Page 20

M U SIC.

THE BIRMINGHAM FESTIVAL.

LAST week we gave some account of the earlier part of this festival, which included its most remarkable feature, the performance of Mendelssohn's Eli- jah. The Thursday morning, as usual, was devoted to The Messiah; and, as usual also, that oratorio was by far the most attractive. The hall was lite- rally crowded to overflowing; for several hundred persons who had pur- chased tickets could not find places, and were obliged to keep their admis- sions for the following day. There is something very striking in the uni- versal reverence with which The Messiah is regarded in England. People of all descriptions flock in crowds to its performance, and listen to it, not merely with the pleasure derived from a work of art, but with the solemnity and awe belonging to an act of devotion. These effects seem to be pro- duced not only by the unparalleled greatness of the subject, but by its treatment; by the sustained grandeur of the music, its exquisite beauty, and, above all, its plainness and simplicity, which carry it home to the understanding as well as the feelings of the most unlearned among its hearers. A performance of The Messiah cannot fail in this country. At a provincial music meeting every performer—every chorus-singer—knows it by heart; and in that respect the artisans, weavers, and factory-spinners, have absolutely the advantage of the more generally skilful performers of the Metro- polis. There is some roughness—and yet less than one might expect—in the singing of these country choristers; but they are so much in earnest and sing so evidently with all their hearts, that the life and warmth of their expression make up for deficiency in refinement and polish. On this occa- sion, the choruses, though there had been no rehearsal, went with their usual vigour. Most of the solos were sung by persons from whom we have been accustomed to hear them. The opening recitative and air were given —probably for the last time—by Braham; who exhibited his unrivalled greatness of conception, and really much more power of voice and execu- tion than could have been expected. But it was greatness in decay; and, though it gives us pain to say it, we would rather preserve the memory of his past splendour than witness its wane. The two Misses Williams, who appeared for the first time, we believe, in this oratorio, sang " He shall feed his flock," and " Come unto him," and gained golden opinions by the beau- tiful simplicity of their style. The last morning performance, on Friday, was a miscellaneous selection of sacred music. There were several remarkable novelties; which, how- ever, did not produce the effect expected from them. The first was a Cantata by Moscheles, the Ninety-third Psalm ; a well-constructed and musician-like work, but evidently written, invites Minerva by a person who had ventured into a path to which he was unaccustomed, and who therefore moved timidly, and closely in the steps of his pre- decessors. Some musicians remarked that it contained a well-worked fugue; but it made no impression on anybody. Much was expected on this morning from the Italian singers. On two previous morn- ings, in order to give them employment, two or three things were awkwardly tacked to the programme, after The Creation and Elijah, each of which ought to have stood entirely alone: but on this morning their pieces formed a material part of the selection. Grisi, however, had become so hoarse that she could not sing; and Mario, as if from sympathy, was so dull and flat that we could hardly recognize Stradella's pathetic air, which he sang so beautifully at the Ancient Concerts. This air, by the way—" Pieta, Signore"—was announced in the programme as the air by which Stradella melted the hearts of the two ruffians who had come to murder him! How did the learned Committee ascertain that fact? Beet- hoven's Grand Mass in D was announced as a part of the morning's per- formance. This was incorrect, as at least one-third of the Mass, including the whole of the " Credo," was left out. But what remained occupied three-quarters of an hour; and was much more than enough, considering the manner in which it was performed and its failure in producing an effect. Of the character of the work itself we had occasion to speak at the time of its performance by the Philharmonic Society: of its execution at Birmingham we may say, that if it was bad, it could not reasonably have been expected otherwise. If the Philharmonic Society, with a compara- tively small and select instrumental and choral band were unable, in many places, to obtain precision and clearness, what could be hoped from the four hundred people assembled at a provincial festival, a large portion of whom knew nothing about it except by a scrambling rehearsal? The consequence was, that a great deal of it was mere noise and confusion; and the " Hosan- na in excelsis," in particular, was such a Dutch concert, that when, after the " Benedictus," it came to be repeated, the conductor wisely stopped, and the piece came to an abrupt termination. The audience must have been completely mystified, and have gone away fully impressed with the profundity of Beethoven's celebrated composition. There was another novelty this morning—a choral Hymn of Praise re- cently composed by Spohr. It has been published in Germany with Eng- lish as well as German words; which shows that Spohr contemplated its performance in this country, where his sacred works are already so highly valued; and we understand that when the Birmingham Committee applied to him to know which of his compositions he would choose to have per- formed at the festival, this was the piece which he mentioned. It was carefully got up, well performed, and found by every competent judge to be worthy of the great master. But it came too late in the day, after the audience had been damped by a number of unsatisfactory experiments, and certainly did not produce the effect it might have done. We hope, however, to hear it under more favourable circumstances. The Hymn was immediately preceded by a performance on the organ by Dr. Gauntlett; a thing not calculated to put the audience in the most genial humour. How this gentleman came to be put forward so prominently, is difficult to com- prehend. Of all things, a great performance on the organ is that in which mediocrity is the " most tolerable and not to be endured." If anybody played the organ on this occasion, it ought surely to have been Mendelssohn, the greatest organ-player living: if he declined playing because he declared himself unable to grapple with the enormous weight of the keys, who else could succeed better? With such a mechanical difficulty, facility and neat- ness of execution were hardly to be expected; but Dr. Ganntlett spoiled, a beautiful air of Handel by a vulgarity of style almost incohceivable, and converted a fugue of Sebastian Bach into a stunning complication of noises. The organ itself, bating this great fault, is a most superb instrument; but its immense power demands the most discreet handling, and the manner in which it was frequently played had the effect of absolutely drowning the whole orchestra and chorus.

The two evening concerts were very good. The music was well chosen for the occasion; consisting, without any absolute novelty, of the best and most successful pieces of the London season. Grisi and Mario delighted the provincials with favourite opera songs and duets. In this they were admirably aided by Miss Bassano; who, with a charming contralto voice, has turned her Italian education to excellent account; having acquired a really Italian style, without affectation or exaggeration. At one of these concerts, Mendelssohn's music of the Fairies in the Midsummer Night's Dream was performed, in the same manner as at the Philharmonic; the two Misses Williams singing the solo parts. On the first evening, Moscheles played his famous " Recollections of Ireland "; and on the second, (along with Mendelssohn,) his " Hommage a Handel "; producing in the minds of those who heard him a vivid recollection of the days when he was par excellence the pianist of Europe. Mr. Moscheles has by this time, we believe, taken his final leave of England as a residence,—making in our musical world a blank not to be soon filled up; for among his other good qualities, we ought never to forget the manner in which he con- stantly identified himself with English art and the great interest he-todk in its success. As the conductor of a musical festival he was not entirely in his element: in Handel's music, especially, he was defective in that tra- ditional knowledge which can be acquired only by long experience; and be consequently betrayed a want of the self-reliance and coolness necessary for the command of a great tuneful host.

This festival has been one of the best and most successful that haie occurred within our remembrance. Its success has been greatly owing to the presence of Mendelssohn, and the production of his new oratorio; but, independently of that, its arrangements have indicated an increase of taste and judgment on the part of its managers. The receipts are stated to have been nearly 12,0001.; of which not less than 5,0001. will be applied to the benefit of an excellent local charity, the General Hospital.