L'UNIONE VOCALE.
THE concluding lecture and vocal concert were given on Wednesday night; and the same diligence in the production of variety and excellence in musical composition with which the course commenced, has been manifested throughout. In illustration of some parts of the lecture, a. short selection of sacred music was introduced; containing, among other specimens of rare excellence, a AM duet of SHIELD, in the possession of Mr. PHILIPPS, and one of hishappiest efforts in that style. The other parts of the selection comprised a variety of glees, English and Italian songs, and con certed pieces, judiciously arranged, and well performed : amongst them, a fairy scene, the composition of Mr. HORNCASTLE, which deserves to be, and no doubt will be, better known. The existence of such an entertainment as the Unione Vocale will afford the means of performing compositions of our own writers, which, most absurdly, and to the manifest injury of the art, are excluded from nearly all other concerts. An undertaking of this kind, if properly directed, and supported by singers and composers of eminence, would lay a strong find deserved hold on public attention,—for we cannot conceive that all the world are content, much less anxious, to hear the same dull reiteration of pieces tsy the same singers ; and such has been the dreary monotony of the present season. Even with the limited means possessed by the entrepreneurs of this entertainment, a much greater variety of good vocal music has been performed than a score of benefit concerts have furnished. In glancing our eye over the schemes, we find, among the names of foreign composers, those Of HAYDN, MOZART, BACH, WEBER, WINTER, PARR, and PAESIELLO ; and of English, those of SHIELD, STORACE, BISHOP, STEVENS, CALLCOTT, WEBRE, HORSLEY, and ATTWOOD: and it is right to add, that, in contradistinction to many concerts, every thing has been conducted with precision and regularity. No expectations have been held out which have not been gratified, no announcements made to the eye which were not fulfilled to the ear. We trust that sufficient success has attended this very praiseworthy experiment, to induce its repetition on a more extended scale next year.
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