MR. ADAMS'S LECTURES ON MUSIC:
Fr has not been our fortune to attend these preleetions ; but we subjoin an account of them addressed to us by a friend,---who proves his devotion to the science, by expressing a wish that Lent could be ordained, by statute or otherwise, "to come oftener than once a year," because in this season the musical appetite is nou- rished by the mortification of the carnal.
"Seeing that fiddling and fasting thus go hand in hand, Mr.' ADAMS has chosen this, period for giving a series of musical .lectures, at the Apollonicon Rooms. This gentleman is eminently_ qualified for such a task', from his exterisiiie knowledge of the theory arid practice-of music. His first lecture was on the Italian School, with illustrations from the earliest masters—Coimu, LEO, CLAIR, PERGOLESI; 8.:C..; a review' of the opera:composers of the latter part of the eighteenth century ; and concluding with a notice of the works of ROSSINI, in which, while due credit wasziven to his merits, the glaring defects of that popular com- poser were unhesitatingly pointed out. The performance of.thevverture to Tancredi was exceedingly brilliant. • "The second lecture was given on Thursday, and treated of the German School. Here we were introduced to the works of that giant in harmony SEBASTIAN BACH ; and afterwards to those of HAYDN, MOZART, BEET- HOVEN, and WEBER. Mr. ADAMS played various pieces from these au- thors; but the Overture to the Zvi:Ger/tote—the overture of overtures— was that which afforded the highest treat to .the audience. Those who know what the overture is, can have no idea of the masterly manner in which Mr. ADAMS contrives to give expression to the various parts of the score on a single instrument. His pedal playing is excellent " The German school was ranked by the lecturer above that of the Italian, both for melody and harmony. In the course of his observations, Mr. ADAMS very happily characterized the modern pianoforte music, which is now the rage, as a series of hops, skips, and Jumps ; or, with a few stolen ideas smothered in a mess of unmeaning notes, resembling a Turkish plum-pudding, which, although it contained the proper ingre- dients, had not been put into the pudding-bag, so that it presented no- thing but dabs of paste swimming in greasy water."
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