THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ANCIENT CONCERTS.

Tuts is a subject to which we have promised to recur. During the season, we contented ourselves with an occasional glance at the general conduct of the establishment, without attempting the hopelessand heartless labour of a detailed criticism on each separate concert. And, to say truth, we have no liking for the task we have now undertaken : it is an unthankful, an unpleasant office, to blame, and especially to blame where we would fain commend. But the question now comes to this—shall Ancient Music be abandoned to its fate; or shall an effort be made to restore it to its proper rank, and to give it the hold which it ought to have, and which it may be made to have, upon the public favour?

The Concerts of Ancient Music were once the centre around which all that was excellent in music, and all that was splendid in rank and fashion, assembled. The first professional talent was sure to be engaged—the choicest music to be iierformed • while the Sovereign, at the head of a long train of his nobles, graced the room by his frequent presence. To the rich stores of HANDEL, GRAUN, JONIELLI, PERCOLES!, and the other great foreign masters, were added the works of our own PURCELL, CROFT, GIBBONS, and their successors; and an abundant variety of compositions was thus furnished to the subscribers. The list of candidates for admission was always full to overflowing, and persons of the highest rank were compelled to wait until some vacancy could procure them the enviable distinction of attendirg these concerts. There was a spirit of activity, of zeal, of good jaste pervading the establishment—it had every symptom of vigour and health. It must be allowed that a degree of aristoeratical and exclusive feeling pervaded the management. The Concerts of the noble Directors were something like their patents of nobility—excellence alone would find no admission there, it must have the marks of antiquity also. But this was no bar to their constant and boundless variety. The line of demarcation was wide enough to include ahmot everything that a classical ear would most delight in, while each succeeding year was extending the chcle whence their choice could be made. The Conductor was placed in a situation possessing every possible advantage,—unlike the man who, at his own risk, with scanty means and a scanty library, undertakes a series of concerts or oratorios ; who is often obliged to abandon 11w production of music which his own taste would lead him to admire, on account of the cost of eelting it up, or to sacrifice his own judgment to that of the galleries f Covent Garden. 'lime Conductor of the Ancient Concerts stinals, as it were, in the midst of a well-stocked arseeal, filled with the weapons and engines of all ages. Instead of the scanty library of an individual, he posnesses the aecuniulated collection of more than half a eon t my, comprising eve! y variety of goof I vocal aunt instrumental ez ( salon, up to a certain date. This is his magazino—then as tohis troops, they used to be the first among the iirst. Talent of this rank was the only passport into the orchestra of the Aimient Concert ; but, if the only passport, it was a sure (me. No sineer cr player will:out it could get in, but no singer or player with it could he kept out. If there was the aristocracy of rank in the room, there was also the aristocracy of talent in the band.

The permanence mid the wealthy character of the establishment still clear a thousand difficulties from the path of the Conductor, which must surround and entangle that of his fellows. Other concerts have a brief and experimental existence, and everything is maneged in reference to it. Expenses must be curtailed, shifts must be made, and nothing can be undertaken except with a view to immediate profit. The Conductor of the Ancimit Concert, on the contrary, has only to regard the fame and character of the establishment. He is forbidden (or he ought to be) by its very constitution from inserting anything merely ephemeral in its library. Time must have set its seal upon every note which enters there. Hence his course is easy and obvious. He has the means of every kind at his command, and by a diligent and judicious employment of them, he knows that he is increasing the valuable property of his employers, while he is at the same time establishing his own reputation, and improving the musical taste of the public. His Orchestra, too; is not cally excellent, but obedient. They all know the terms of admission, and they either comply with them, or keep out. There arc no whims or caprices to humour—no mutinies to quell—no opposing claims to reconcile. Every individual must be present: not for half an hour—not just to sing one air, which for that purpose must be put in a certain place; but for tlw whole evening. No excuse, but illness, is allowed. Whether a performer has little to do or much, there he must be during the whole concert. And no one is either so great or so insignificant to be exempt from this rule.

Thus all conspires to render the Conductor's task easy. He has everything to aid, nothing to perplex or harass him in any way. The

power of carrying the highest branch of his art to perfection is within

his reach, and that without a single anxious feeling about the result. With him it is impossible to gather barren laurels. He may increase

his reputation, or he may not ; but of his salary he is sure. -Under

such circumstances, tin subscribers expect, and the public expect, that an individual placed on an eminence so commanding, and pos sessed of such ample " appliances and means to hoot," should bring to their employment such industry and research as would render the Concert of Ancient Music a school for the performance of whatever is most excellent in that peculiar department of the art which it professes to cultivate. How far this just expectation has been fulfilled, it will be our present duty to inquire ; and to this end we have carefully looked over the books of the late season.

The first extraordinary fact that strikes us, is the absence of the illustrious name of HAYDN. Not because he is a modern, for we find CIMAROSA; ZINGARELLI, and Mom co, (MILLICO!)—but not Haynx—not HAYDN, whose sacred music, almost unknown in England, invites, as it were, the peculiar attention of n band so eminently

fitted to do justice to it ; and who, in days when the Ancient Concert

was a substance and not a sindow, was there an enraptured auditor of the compositions of his immortal predecessor HANDEL. Not a single spark from the genius of this great man was allowed to shed its light over the fading splendour. But if not HAYDN, we had HAYES ; and we presume, that, in the ears of the Directors and their Con ductor, one Oxford Doctor was as good as another. Who could hesitate which to choose—the " Cum Sancto Spiritu" of the former, or the " Wind gentle evergreen" of the latter ?

But if HAYDN was excluded, it may be said 1.11e bills contained the names of HANDEL, MOZART, PURCELL, CROFT, MARCELLO, IVEDDE, CALLcor, Sze. True, and now let us see what ie:e was made of

them. It would be a strange Concert of Ancient Music in which the compositions of Hasmai. did net form a prominent feature. Admit

ting, as we do, the great intrinsic excellence of many, if not of most of his compositions which are to be found in the last year's bills, it is obvious to the most careless observer, that such only were selected as had been heard a thousand times before in that room, and that there was no attempt to step one line out of the beaten track : in a word, the bills were evidently made, not from an examination of HANDEL'S scores, but from the old books of the Concerts ;—a task to which Mr. MALLETT, their printer, would have been fully as competent as any other person. But it may be said, it would be difficult to vary the selations from HANDEL without having recourse to compositions of inferior merit. This position, which is the mere excuse of idleness or ignorance, we wholly deny. Such compositions the bills do contain; witness the choruses of " Flush'd with conquest," and "The Gods who chosen blessings," to the exclusion of those of the first rank. But there is no need to take up with anything second-rate from HANDEL. To go no further, do the twelve Chandos Anthems contain nothing worthy the Ancient Concert ? Then as to the company in which HANDEL is placed, nothing can show greater carelessness or bad taste. ASHLEY used to be abused for the strange medley of his Oratorio bills, but the Directors and Conductor of the Ancient Concerts are now not a whit behind him. There is no attempt at arrangement or classification ; a sacred chorus and an opera song follow in immediate succession.

And now for PURCELL,—PURCELL, whose music used to form one of the most characteristic features of these Concerts. We look in vain for those pieces which bear the stamp of his genius ; and find nothing in their place but his most commonplace and vulgar writing, —" Fear no danger," "Come if you dare," and "Britons strike home ;" instead of" Let the dreadful engines," "From silent shades," and "From rosy bowers." . Of his sacred music not a note was heard throughout the season.

Equally absurd was the choice from MOZART. The list of his sacred music performed during the season was—one chorus only from all his Masses, one ditto from the Requiem, followed by the Benedictus torn from its proper connexion, and two Motetts ! This is all of sacred music that MOZART was thought worthy to furnish for twelve concerts. True, we had many pieces from his operas ; but we don't go to the Ancient Concerts to hear MOZART'S operas—the King's Theatre is their appropriate dwellingplace—there we can, and there we do hear them. The only place in which his sacred music can be effectively performed in London, is at the Ancient Concerts ; yet there it is almost discarded. There is a degree of perverseness and folly in such conduct, for which no:'palliation can be found.

4s. The same fatuous imbecility selects "St. Matthew's Tune" as a specimen of the majestic CROFT; while " There is a river," and "With songs I will celebrate," are chosen from MARCELL0,—to the neglect of those of his Psalms which display the" inimitabile franchezza, sublimita c chiarezza di stile," for which he was so justly celebrated. It produces the "Forgive blest shade" of Dr. CALLCOT, and neglects " 0 snatch me swift," " Queen of the valley," and the other of his first-rate glees : it passes by the Madrigals of MORLEY, GIBI3ONS, BATESON, and WEELKES, and contents itself with the " Since first I saw" of FORD. From the rich store of WEBBE'S Glees it can find nothing but the thousand times repeated "Discord, dire sister," and " Swiftly ;" while " Hark the lark,' is all that Dr. CO ORE can supply. The Glees which are introduced at these Concerts are, for the most part, not deserving the name. They are not glees. The Conductor, in default of being able to produce an original composition, seizes upon some well-known melody, and having with ruthless hand distorted and mangled it, calls it a glee. Such are the "Rich and rare," "Let not rage," Sec. &c., with which we were indulged during the late season. Nay even poor SHIELD'S "0 happy fair," was not suffered to escape the infliction of Mr. GREATOREX'S powers of arrangement. It will hardly be believed that there were only eight glees sung during the whole season : instead of which, as the critic in the Harmonicon observed," we had sleepy songs changed into still sleepier glees, and three part glees metamorphosed into grand choruses."

[To be concluded in our next Number.]