The most remarkable concert of the week was given on
Wednesday evening, at St. James's Hall, by the Vocal Association ; a body of amateurs lately formed for the cultivation of vocal music, and of part- music especially. Their proceedings are carried on under the direction of Mr. Benedict. The principal feature of the Society is the possession of a choir, partly amateur and partly professional, who by the help of their director's skilful training, already sing together with praiseworthy correctness and good effect. The concert of Wednesday was the first of a series and its character and reception give good promise of success. The selection was entirely from the works of Mendelssohn—a dream- stance which precluded the introduction of anything approaching to novelty. It included the "Italian" symphony ; the violin concerto, (admirably played by Sainton); the posthumous finale to the unfinished opera, larely ; the overture descriptive of " The calm sea and prosperous voyage"; a pianoforte solo played by Miss Goddard ; The .First Wal- purgis Night, which occupied a whole act of the concert ; and several unaccompanied part-songs. All these things we have often heard before, and some of them to greater advantage ; but never so many of them at any one time. The strongest portions of the performance were the part- songs, which were given by the choir with considerable precision and delicacy. The weakest were the orchestral pieces ; for the instrumental band, though composed of good performers and skilfully conducted, was numerically defective, and unable to "fill" the vast expanse of the hall. The smallness of the orchestra is a fault in the construction of the building which must be remedied. The hall was full and the audience were loud in their applause. On Easter Monday evening there was, at Exeter Hall, "a great Na- tional Concert, illustrating the musical genius of the British nation." By whom it was got up, did not appear ; but, saving its exclusive na- tionality, it did not differ from the ad eaptandum monster-concerts, so often given in that place, where a crowd is drawn together by an enor- mous bill of fare, and a host of popular performers. As an illustration of the musical genius of the British nation, the concert failed signally. The genius of Purcell was illustrated by the excessively familiar "Britons strike home," and a piece of rant called "Mad Tom," which is not Pur- cell's ; the genius of Bishop by "Home, sweet home," a Sicilian melody which Bishop merely put into one of his operas; the genius of Arne by one small air in the Tempest; and the genius of Shield by one of his poorest songs, "The Wolf"; while ample room was given to the clap- trap songs of the day. The thing, indeed, would not have been worth notice, but for the flourish of trumpets with which it was announced.
The Adelphi Easter entertainment, a rechauffee of an old French opera Le Calife de Baydeid, calls for some notice under the head of Music. The original drama is pretty closely adhered to, and the greatest part of the original music is preserved, but mixed up with things taken from modern operas—an incongruous as well as needless melange, for Boiel- clieu's simple, sweet, and graceful music stood in no need of being eked out by florid bravuras and noisy modern accompaniments. The whole, however, is of a much higher order than the common run of Adelphi pieces. The subject, taken from one of the Arabian Tales is at once lively and romantio—the tale in which the Caliph Haroun Tales, in the guise of an Arab of the Desert, gains the heart of a poor girl, the daughter of a decayed merchant, whom he raises to a share of his throne, while he punishes a worthless Cadi, a rejected suitor of the damsel, who has abused his office in endeavouring to get her into his power. The piece is splendidly got up ; much more care is bestowed on the music than is usual at a theatre which does not profess to be musical; and the reception of the performance on Monday evening was so very favourable that the success of The Caliph of Bagdad is assured for the season. A remarkable impression was made by the debfit of a young lady— Miss Roden—who made her "first appearance on any stage in the character of the heroine. She is, it seems, the daughter of an eminent merchant, in one of our chief commercial towns, who was reduced to po- verty by one of those calamitous reverses so frequent of late in the mer- cantile world, and has died, leaving his children without any other re- source than the talents and exertions of the eldest daughter. She is of course a novice on the stage, though she bespeaks favour by her modesty and intelligence. But she is no novice as a singer : her musical attain- ments are so great that it is wonderful how the education of a mere ama- teur could have bestowed them. She has a pure soprano voice, sweet and flexible : her taste is delicate, her execution is clear and finished, and she sings with great feeling. It was evident, the first night, that she was conscious of her strength as well as weakness. While she seemed afraid even to walk across the stage, she was no sooner afloat on the tide of song than her terrors vanished, and her performance was free, decided, and brilliant With time and experience Miss Roden may turn out a fine aceress—but she is a fine singer already. The other principal parts are well acted and sung. Another debutant, (in London at least,) Mr. Rolfe, sustained the part of the Caliph satisfac- torily. He has a good tenor voice, and his person and manner are in his favour. Miss Mary Keeley, who grows more like her mother every day, enacts the young slave with arch vivacity, and sings some pretty music very prettily. And Mr. Paul Bedford, while he gives the true Adelphi relish to the character of the Cadi, sings with a capital bass voice and in cmusicianlike style.
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