WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
The rehearsal, as it is called, of the second day's performance, was on Wednesday morning ; and the Abbey was crowded. Hundreds of auditors were unaale to catch even a glimpse of the orchestra. On this occasion, some singers who had not been engaged for the first day, made their appearance; among them Signora GRIM, Miss MASSON, Miss H. CAWSE, Miss BETTS, Miss ROMER, Messrs. HAWKINS and MACHIN, Signori Realm and Zucuan.m.
The first act was a selection. To selections, in general, we have an unconquerable aversion: they are evidences of a vitiated or ill- formed taste on the part of those who hear,. and are usually
framed by committees and conductors hem ths- necessity of yield- ing to it : but as no such motive could have operated on this occa- shm, we must regard the present one as a voluntary offering at time shrine of vulgarity and folly ; for no greater evidence of a vulgar mind can exist, than the incapacity to understand or the desire to mutilate any beautiful work of art. The Chronicle properly asks, in relation to this subject, " What should we say of the manager of a theatre, who, after bringing together a powerful company, should employ them in performing in one even- ing a selection of scenes from Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth, in place of any one of these pieces entire ?" But our managers, on this occasion, have done worse—much worse ; for (to carry on the supposed case) they have mixed up SHAKSPEARE with CONGREVE, and striven to amalgamate JONSON with SHERIDAN. Every thing in style, language, character, and age, that was discordant and dissimilar, they have grouped together by their " collective wisdom," and called it a selection. We began, like loyal subjects,. with another Coronation Anthem : after which, we heard King David lament his sins ill Italian : then, because we were to have another "Sing ye to the Lord, for he bath triumphed gloriously," in the course of the morning, BEETHOVEN'S "Gloria," adapted to these words, was given : but the shout of victory was not out of our ears, when Theodora in captivity began to claim our pity ; in vain, for a sprightly "Kyrie" of HAYDN soon drove all her sor- rows from our minds : after HANDEL and HAYDN, a composer of higher rank, even Sir JOHN STEVENSON, the Irish knight, made his appearance : then, entered II A NDEL again ; who retired that the scene might change to the Day of Judgment : but, that we should not dwell too long on so serious a subject, a rapid Latin or Italian bravura, by Gams', was designed to restore our mirth and good- humour: and the whole wound up with the Nisene Creed and its appendages. This was the general outline of the scheme : but we must look at it a little more minutely, for it is replete with matter for observation.
The Standard's fears are all realized—for we had mass upon mass. Having heard a whole oratorio of HAYDN on Tuesday, and the service of the mass having been admitted into the scheme, it might have been expected that the best of MOZART'S (unquestion- ably his Missa pro dnfunclis) would appear in the following selection. But, instead of this, a medley mass made its appear- ance—a Kyrie of HAYDN, a Gloria of BEETHOVEN, and a Credo of MOZART; and even these disjointed and severed by songs and psalm tunes; added to which, of all the Masses of MOZART, that one was selected which he wrote expressly fbr a small orchestra; so that during its performance, all the wind instruments, oboes and trumpets excepted, were silent. But the most palpable evi- dence of bad taste was the selection ofGatst's song, or rather solo, from HAYDN'S Fifth Mass. Of all the soprano songs that he has produced, probably this is precisely the one least adapted to her powers and style. The failure was deplorable ; and we only hoped that this enchanting singer would not submit to repeat an exhibi- tion so full of disappointment and humiliation. She did, how- ever, sing it on the second performance of this selection ; when the failure was (by comparison only) not so complete. Having thus disposal of the merits of the selection, as a selec- tion, let us turn to the more grateful task of narrating the manner of its performance. To a certain extent, every band, however ex- cellent, must suffer from such rapid and violent changes of style. If they feel—and they must feel in order to express- the character- istics which individually attach to every school, it is impossible to hurry from that of HANDEL to that of BEETHOVEN and instanta- neously catch inspiration from each. "The King shall rejoice" (the second best of HANDEL'S Corona- tion Anthems) was very finely brought out; and in the second movement, the strength of the semi-chorus was advantageously heard. Restart sang the beautiful air, from MOZART'S Davide Peni- tente, "A tanti affanni," with extraordinary purity and good taste: he agreeably disappointed and exceedingly delighted us. BEET- HOVEN'S" Gloria," with GARDINER'S English words, was performed (notwithstanding the usual false start at rehearsals) with amaz- ing precision, and commendable attention to pianos and fortes; the voices of Miss C. NOVELLO, MISS H. CAWSE, Mr. VAUGHAN, and Mr. E. TAYLOR blending very perfectly in the quartet. Miss STEPHENS'S voice, in "Angels ever bright," was rather too much subdued; but the expression was perfect. "0 who can tell," (Joshua) is a song which does not bear to be torn from its con- nexion: it was carried through, solely by the charming accompa niment of Wsicusgr. and LINDLEY,
Mr. Btsnoe took the Organ during this selection.
But the great feature of the morning was Israel in Egypt ; and to Sir GEORGE SMART, we doubt not belongs the credit of its in- troduction into the scheme for we remember that he had the good taste to commence his career as Director of the Oratorios with its performance. We tender him our best thanks for it, as well as for having (as we hear) resisted all attempts to serve it up in the form of a selection. It is, indeed, a gigantic work, and placc s HANDEL at the head of all the composers of his school. Populi.r it never could be; for an oratorio consisting almost entirely of choruses, and requiring an immense band to develop its meaning and intent, must be regarded rather as addressed to the learned than the multitude. We have always deprecated imperfect and feeble exhibitions of this work—they give no idea of its majesty and grandeur ; and the same feeling has urged us to claim the appropriation of the present band to its most fitting and honour- able employment, that of giving Israel in Egypt perfect and entire. We regret that several tine choruses were omitted—not to shorten the oratorio, for it was needlessly lengthened. But whence come all the interpolated recitatives ? They are not HANDEL'S. His words are all from the Old Testament ; the inter- polations are in verse: they are to be found in no printed score, nor in his manuscript ; they are not in keeping with the rest of the work, and have not a particle of his vigour. The added songs are taken from his Italian Operas, but not taken with judgment. "All human power," for instance, is a poor, feeble song; and "Wave from wave" is not much better. Such words as these, too, present a wretched contrast to the simple majesty of the Scriptural narrative- " All human power now Idling,
No herb or flower availing, Art is, to their confusion, Found but a mere delusion : Quelled by Almighty power, Magic earl aid no more."
The misconstruction of the orchestra weakened the effect of this performance more than that of the preceding day. The voices—which are, throughout, the prominent sources of grandeur in Israel in Egypt—were comparatively feeble ; while the instru- ments, which the author designed to be subsidiary, were the most powerful. We were, on this account, obliged to call imagination to our assistance, and to " piece out these imperfections with our thoughts." But HANDEL, notwithstanding, fully asserted his su- premacy; and though nearly a century has elapsed since the pro- duction of Israel in Egypt (it was composed in 1739), it remains the finest effort at choral writing that the world ever heard. The subject, though invested with terrific grandeur, presents many difficulties to a composer in detail. The plagues of frogs and lice are not the happiest subjects for musical expression ; and it is marvellous, especially in the latter, how HANDEL has avoided rendering it merely ludicrous. The plague of hail is described in the well-known chorus ; and the burst of voices pealing from side to side is perfectly terrific : but the power of the author's genius is yet more strongly felt in that which succeeds. Who did not shrink and shudder as the low and protracted moaning of the instru- ments fell on the ear, stumbling, as it were, from key to key, while the bewildered voices, alternately taking up the choral recitative, announced that "a thick darkness was over all the land ?" Not less appalling was the "Rebuke of the Red Sea ;" and the fine transition into E fiat, by the subdued and unaccompanied voices, was admirably developed by the choirs. Every portion of this series of choruses is pregnant with genius and power; the firm and confident march of the Israelites through the wilderness, and the rush and war of the waters overwhelming their enemies, stand in magnificent contrast. The last chorus, depending more than any other in the oratorio on instrumental assistance, was the most effective display of the morning. The second part is the triumphant song of Moses. Here we could have fancied ourselves part of the mighty multitude, cover- ing the shores of the Red Sea, spectators of God's work of de- struction and deliverance. We had heard the mighty roar of its waves, and beheld its surface covered with the wreck of Pharoah's proud host. We were prepared for the majestic burst of the rescued Israelites ; and already, in imagination, heard the shout of joy and triumph with which HANDEL so finely opens the second part of the oratorio—" Moses and the children of Israel sang this song unto the Lord." We anticipated the voice of the Jewish chief and his associates leading off the noble choral fugue, " I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously ;" and the response echoing from tribe to tribe, and swelling from hill to hill, until it rose into the mighty and majestic song of assembled and redeemed Israel. But this illusion was dissipated, and the enchanter's spell broken, by the omission of the chorus. This comes of oratorio-mangling. The introductory chorus is dramati- cally and musically, as well as grammatically, necessary to the business of the scene. The two preceding choruses are in C minor; then ought to follow the omitted one, in C major ; and afterwards the duet " The Lord is my strength," in A minor. Here the connecting link was, perversely, severed from the chain. Miss ROMER and Miss WOODYATT sang very creditably, though placed, by this omission, to a disadvantage. The omission of the
chorus in A minor, "Thou sentest forth thy wrath," occasioned another violation of musical propriety, by the transition from the chord of E to that of D major ; which, in its turn, was succeeded by the key of E flat, in consequence of the omission of the song ", The enemy said." The song, it may be alleged, is ineffective. Granted : but why cut out a song, though feeble, for the reten- tion of which there is an obvious reason, and interpolate others, at least equally feeble, which are, at best, useless intrusions ? The omission of the chorus "The earth swallowed them," and the succeeding duet, are not liable to the same musical objections: and we hasten to the magnificent chorus "The people shall hear," which bears more strongly the imprint of HANDEL's mighty mind than any part of the work. Genius and learning are lavished throughout the whole : great and sublime as is the conception, the execution, the tilling up, is yet more w onderful. It stands un- rivalled and alone, the master-work of choral writing. And how beautifully the air "Thou shalt bring them in" relieved the ma- jestic grandeur of its character! Then at length broke forth the song of deliverance : the voice of Miriam was heard through the countless multitude, calling on Israel to " Sing unto the Lord ;" while from side to side the chorus gathered and swelled, rolling and deepening and bursting, till it ended in the simultaneous and triumphant shout of triumph and freedom.
Such is the effect of a combined and eonnectefl perfbrmance for, with all the drawbacks to complete enjoyment arising from situation, omission, and interpolation, it occasioned a degree of mu- sical excitement and interest of which we have rarely hail expe- rience.
The performance was admirable. The time, accurately given, was strictly kept ; the effects of light and shade were perfectly developed by the band and chorus ; awl Mr. TURLE, by his judi- cious employment of the pedals, supplied, as far as it was possible, the deficiency of bass in the instruments. Equal praise is due to Mr. WEICHSEL, for the steady and powerful way in which he led the band.
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