SACRED MUSIC AT THE PHILANTHROPIC CHAPEL.
THE opportunities of hearing sacred music—in other words, music of the highest class—are so rare in London, that we were induced to hear a performance announced to take place at this chapel on Thursday morning. The singers were Mrs. KNYVETT, Miss CLARA NOVELLO, Miss MASSON, Messrs. BRAHAM, HORNCASTLE, PHILLIPS, and E. TAYLOR; and with such a force, something attractive, something really good, might have been performed. But no such feature appeared in the scheme. The concerted pieces were of the most mediocre kind—such as anthems and services by composers of no note or talent, to the entire neglect of all the great church writers of the English and foreign schools. All the' choruses, save two, would have disgraced a schoolboy ; and the songs were merely repetitions of the Oratorio stop-gaps—e. g. "Let the bright Seraphim," "The last man," " Holy, holy," and such like. In short, if the intention had been to keep all lovers of music away from the performance, a more effectual method could not have been pursued, than to make out such a programme. And such, we regret, on account of the charity, was the result.
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