SACRED HARMONY AT EXETER HALL.
THE Sacred Harmonic Society, in pursuance of what appears to be their almost undivided aim, the revival of all HANDEL'S Oratorios entire, on Friday produced his Said. The zeal, industry, and perseverance with which they pursued this object, are commendable ; and, as a matter of curiosity, the performance of each of this great master's greatest works is an event which every musician will hail with satisfaction. Whether the fame of HANDEL is increased by this indiscriminate revival of all that he wrote—of his weaknesses as well as his strength—may well be doubted. No works of art are more unequal as to the amount of talent they display than the oratorios of HANDEL. Often blazing with genius, its light is but too frequently feeble and faint : on one page is inscribed sublimity of the highest elevation, on the next only dulness and puerility. This inequality is frequently, if not mostly, to be ascribed to the poverty and feebleness of the language on which it was his fate to be employed, and to the unsuitableness of the poetry to musical expres- sion. Of ILssorses compositions it may in general be said, that as he rose with his subject, so he fell with it. His greatest works—those in which the lofty and vigorous character of his mind displays itself throughout—are written to the words of Scripture, to the sublime lan- guage of the " Te Donn," or to the poetry of DRYDEN. In his Samson, the first parts are connected with the words cf 3lusros ; the weakest are associated with the wretched additions made by sonic unknown hand to the majestic Samson Agonistes. True reverence for HANDEL, is manifested by a careful selection from what he wrote of all that is great, and therefore worthy of his reputation, and by leaving the rest in quiet repose. There is also another reason which will justify a revision of his works, in order to render their character more perfect and their performance more effective. The authors of his libretti were but unskilful workmen. The story is often badly planned, the succession of pieces injudiciously arranged. Thus, in Ju.shtta, the interest ceases with the fate of Jericho, whichinstead of terminating the first act should have ended the oratorio ; and the necessary consequence is, that the second act is weak and tiresome. HANDEI:S poets, too, were no judges of subjects, or words well fitted for musical expression : they evi- dently understood little of the opportunities which a composer wants, or of the power of musk as a language or a descriptive agent. Some- times we find long, prosy recitatives, as fit for music as a paragraph from PALEY'S Moral Philosophy ; then a string of songs, which in fact are mere rhymed couplets—devoid of passion, of beauty, sometimes of sense. hese are all wet blankets to a composer of true genius—they clog and shackle him, and keep him grovelling on their own level : they are ballast which hinder his flight, and should be cast overboard. /tor can it he denied that HANDEL designedly allowed himself to write down to the level of the vulgar of all classes. his Operas and his Oratorios furnish alike the evidence of this fact; which, however, does not rest on internal testimony. Miss Ilawiciss relates that her father (the learned musical historian) one day calling on HANDEL, the great master played him among other portions of an oratorio, an air which be had just written, and asked his opinion of it. "I think it—for you— an inferior composition," was the reply, " That is true," said HANDEL, "but it will be the most popular and profitable." Other testimony to facts of a similar kind is also on record.
But if the revision of HANDEL'S Oratorios is a needful undertaking, it is also a difficult one. HANDEL is a person to be approached with respect ; and he who undertakes such an experiment must engage in it with this feeling. He must also be thoroughly well read in his author— able to graft as well as to prune, yet still so as to preserve that unity of tone and character which is the essential characteristic of a great work. If thus revised, and strength made to supply the place of' weakness, seve- ral of HANDEL'S Oratorios might be rendered more attractive, because more perfect, than at any former period of their existence. We have entered more fully into this subject at the present moment because it seems to be the plan of the Sacred Harmonic Society to pro- ceed with the revival of all HANDEL'S Oratorios in their present form ,• which, though not a total loss, is certainly a partial waste of labour. It costs as much to supply their large orchestra with inferior music as with the best ; and although curiosity may draw a few audiences to hear these revivals, their power of attraction will soon cease : and the Society will have expended a large sum in accumulating a stock of useless plates, instead of amassing a library of permanent value and perpetual use.
S«ul, now a century old, was the next in succession of Hasnr,s's oratorios to Israel in .Egypt; and, probably because he found the want of songs in the latter a bar to its popularity, Saul is overrun with them. But although more than thirty in number, not more than three have had any permanent hold on the public attention ; and, in truth, there are few which might not have been written by a composer of far in- ferior talents. The only song in Saul which has any claim to superior excellence, is the lamentation of David for Saul and Jonathan, in which the beautiful language of the Scriptures appears to have awakened all II:ism:es genius. The strength of the oratorio resides in its choruses, which are varied in character, but uniformly worthy of their author. The majestic opening is the most popular part of Saul : but the joyous welcome of Saul and David on their return from victory—the force and vigour of " Envy, eldest-born of hell"—the variety and descriptive power of "O fatal consequence of rage !"—and the animation and grandeur of "Gird on thy sword," evince the same genius and the same skill. In the scene with Saul and the Witch of Endor, HANDEL chal- lenges comparison with PURCELL ; but, as in all similar cases, dis- advantageously. HANDEL'S scene contains some splendid passages, especially where lie has enriched them with orchestral accompaniment, with which PURCELL dispensed altogether ; but the strength of the latter is more uniformly sustained, and his power of expression more vigorous throughout.
The performance was as correct as, under the circumstances, could be expected, since the band never assemble in full force for practice, and the first night of a new oratorio is little more than a good rehearsal. The principal singers (as we must in courtesy call them) had very subordinate parts to sustain, and were quite eclipsed, almost extin- guished, by the ladies and gentlemen behind. A more profitless duty never was allotted to any set of singers than this evening devolved on Miss Buten, Mr. PHILLIPS, and Mr. BENNETT ; each of whom had to toil through a succession of songs for the most part destitute of melody or meaning. Miss Hawcs, who sustained the part of David, was alone able to make any impression on her hearers. We must be allowed to hint to this young lady—whose attention to her duty, and, in most respects, admirable style of singing, deserve the highest praise—that the frequent desire to exhibit the lower portion of her voice, at the expense of her author's text, is a fault which she would do well to correct ; and that it is not the less a fault although certain of her hearers, unaware of her new readings, applaud them. A few of the songs were omitted : we strenuously advise a more vigorous use of the pruning-knife, in mercy to the audience—and still more, in mercy to the memory of HANDEL.
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