8 MAY 1841, Page 13

THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

THE nerves of the Philharmonic Directors always relax with the commencement of May : if they are ever braced and vigorous, it is in winter. The scheme of the fifth concert shows an entire falling back upon old resources, and announces the determination to "take things quietly" for the rest of the season. The Times appears to have taken these concerts up, and evinces a very earnest desire to restore them to public favour ; but, to use its own language in reference to Lord JOHN RvsSELL'S Corn-monopoly agitation, "it won't do." The thing is too far gone in a decline ; the disease has paralyzed every energy, and death must ensue. The printed list of subscribers is a melancholy but unerring symptom of approaching dissolution. Instead of six hundred subscribers, only three hundred and sixty-five appear—scarcely half the number required to pay the expenses of the concerts. All the summer friends of the Philharmonic are gone : those who were attracted to the room because it was sure to be crowded—those who were eager to subscribe because admission was a favour, have taken their departure, and almost half the list is now made up of members of the profession and their families.

This was the scheme of Monday night's concert— Sinfonia, (No. 9,) composed for the Phillwmonic Society, terminating with SCHILLER'S " Ode to Jev." Principal singers, Miss BIRCH. MIAS M. B. Hawrs, Mr. nouns, and Mr. PHILLIPS, with chorus BEETHOVEN. ACT Overture. .Jubilee C. M. VON WEnss. Cantata, Miss BIRCH, "Non tamer." with PiauoforteObligato, Mr. MOSCHELES MOZART. Solo, Flute, K. Mans (his first appearance.) Air. Mr. PHILLIPS." 0 God have mercy (Saint Pouf). MENDELSSOHNBARTHOLDY. Trio, Two Violoncellos and Contra Basso, Messrs. LINDLEY,

Lucas, and DRAOONETT CORELLI. Cavatina, Miss M. B. HawEs, " From the ruins' topmost

tower" (Der VO/Opyr) MARSCHNER. Overture, ZOOM/Aire MOZART.

Leader, Mr. LODER—Conductor, Mr. MOSCHELES.

Our opinion of BEETHOVEN'S Choral Sinfonia has been more than once given. To the great and manifold beauties of the early movements no musical ear can be insensible; they are worthy to be associated with the brightest thoughts and most vigorous efforts of their author's genius ; but the absurdity of the last and longest is more palpable every time we hear it. And such must be the case with a composition which opposes every principle upon which vocal or instrumental writing is founded, and outrages all the conclusions which experience and even common sense have established ; which gives recitative—that is speech—to an instrument; which accompanies or rather overwhelms a singer with a bass drum, triangle and cymbals, (not a sound of Honns's voice could be heard) ; which jumbles together passages so uncouth that no vocal skill or power can render them tolerable, and, converufig the human voice into a mere noisy instrument, finds its employment in the protracted screaming and shouting of a chorus. We have often asked, but always in vain, of the pretended admirers of this sinfonia in all its parts, what was its author's design ? In the absence not only of information but even of conjecture, we incline to the opinion of one of its author's countrymen, that the sinfonia, being written for England, was intended in its conclusion to satirize the well-known love of the natives for noise. The Germans are generally content to take the really beautiful parts of the composition, leaving to us the luxury of the uproar and clamour with which it terminates. As one proof how totally we are in the dark about BEETHOvEN'S design, the long recitative (we must use the absurd expression) which he has directed to he played by all the violoncellos and double-basses was thought on Monday night to be too outrageous, and DRAGONETTI was directed to perform it alone. Why ? There is nothing more absurd in fifty instruments mimicking recitative than one. There is no merit in the thought, nor is there any thing to be revealed by a new method of displaying it. Originality, to be worth any thins, must include two elements—it is not enough that the effect be novel, It must also be good. If Miss 13incu and Mr. PHILLIPS bad sung the pianoforte accompaniment of "Non temer," and MoseuELEs played the voice part, it would have been as original as DRAGONETTI'S recitative, and not at all a more preposterous exhibition. As a match to the noisiest Sinfonia, we had the noisiest Overture ; after which the band had a respite. We have often suggested the performance of MOZART'S charming Cantata ; and at last it came. MISS BIRCH'S singing was respectable, and the accompaniment by MOSCHELES every thing that could be desired. PHILLIPS'S song, of which the best passages are parodied from PERGOLESI, is but a heavy affair. Miss HAWES sang with excellent taste and feeling the best song in MARSCH • NER'S well-known opera. The only novelty of the evening was the Flute Concerto of AL Doi:us, the brother of Madame DORUS GRAS. On an instrument of such limited power and capability as the flute, not much is to be done in the way of concerto-playing ; but M. Donee completely satisfied our expectations. His tone is exceedingly pure and sweet, and his execution the very perfection of neatness.