THE MADRIGAL SOCIETY.
THIS association, which has existed a hundred and two years, and truly enjoys a green old age, held its anniversary festival on Thursday, in Free- mason's Hall. The meeting was exceedingly animated and agreeable : Sir ANDREW BARNARD (now the President, vice Sir JOHN ROGERS) was in the chair ; and the dinner-tables presented the usual rows of old fa- miliar faces. The pieces were well chosen, and we never heard them, in musical phrase, "go" better. The first (always of a sacred charac- ter) was tae motett " We have heard," by the father of vocal harmony, the unrivalled PALESTRINA,—one of those happy adaptations with which Dean ALDRICH enriched our cathedral music. Then we had a delicate banquet of the choicest morsels of GIBBONS, MORLEY, WILBYE, Maamizro, and other worthies of the Madrigalian age ; concluding with PoncaLes chorus, " In these delightful pleasant groves," from the Libertine—which is introduced with such charming effect in the Drury Lane performance of King Arthur : but, whether from this com- position not possessing the essential features of a madrigal, or from its being taken too slow, (a common fault in madrigal-singing,) it was com- paratively ineffective. Everybody present, members and visiters, seemed greatly to enjoy the evening's entertainment ; and the party broke up in high spirits.
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