THE NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

THE Norwich Festival, as is very well known, is an event in the miudeal annals of the country, in consequence of its association with the filit performance or the revival of some of the finest productions of art. It is, in fact, an association of the gentlemen of Norfolk for the advance- ment of musical knowledge and taste. No charity depends upon its re- sult; but its profits are always divided among the principal charities of the county, at the pleasure of the associated guarantees. This, how- ever, is but an incident, and not the main object of the Festival; for which a Choral Society of two hundred and fifty members is kept in re- gular practice, and a standing Committee to regulate its affairs, and for which, as soon as one triennial celebration has terminated, the Con- ductor receives instructions to commence the task of preparation for another. Thus the affair is carried on, not only systematically, but in a liberal and proper spirit ; the love and advancement of art being the principle and object which is aimed at, and accomplished. Fortunate would it be if a similar spirit were visible in other parts of the king- dom, and if the Norwich Festival had many rivals, instead of being without one. We came here not to record the repetition of what has already earned Metropolitan fame, or to listen for the hundredth time to the performance of the same oratorio, but to learn the inexhaustible riches of the art, the endless fertility of its resources, the infinite va- riety of its powers, the wide extent of its domain—to be made to feel how much those who have spent a life in its service have yet to learn, not merely of what is, as to date, new, but what stores of musical wealth yet remain buried, and need the operation of such a festival as this to unearth them. Thanks, therefore, especial thanks, to the men of Nor- folk, for their liberal, high-minded, and effective patronage of art. The outline of the Festival presents, as heretofore, three works of three great masters, each admirable of its kind, and each worthy of association with the other—HArna's Creation, SPOHR'S Fall of Babylon, HANDEL'S Samson. These masters deserve the epithet we have given them, for each has his own character and language : when we quit these, we come to the race of copyists—we descend. Other composers of similar eminence, doubtless, there are, but not in this style. We may regret that PURCELL, MOZART, GRAUN, and BEETHOVEN, (771e Mount of Olives is a scene, not an oratorio,) were not oratorio-writers—they have each left us enough to excite the wish that they had accomplished this the highest style of composition ; but we can only measure Hamm, HAYDN, and SPOHR against those who have attempted it ; and though in Germany, in Italy, and in England their name is legion, these three stand alone. And there is little in common to them, thus regarded, but the name: the majesty of HANDEL, the grace of Heyntl, the tenderness of SPOHR, are the indications of their nature—they could neither he acquired nor discarded. Second-rate composers copy without detection, but plagiarisms by HAYDN or SPOHR would be discovered at a glance : those of HANDEL are detected by the few who have made his works their study—the multitude, who know no better, take every thing that bears his name to be his. With HANDEL, therefore, the scrutiny must be closer—his style, originally copied, was undeviatingly adhered to. Some of his celebrated contemporaries followed the changing musical phraseology of the time, but he was "quails ab iucepto." HANDEL is an impersonation of the school of Italy from the time of CARISSIMI to that of STEFFA.NL He was its pupil—and he was their equal. No higher praise need be awarded him. The three great ora- torio-writers, then, properly range side by side, and occupy a prominent station in the scheme of the Norwich Festival.

We have on former occasions described the arrangements, which render these performances superior to those of every other music meet- ing. The same arrangements have been adopted on the present occasion ; and their results were as remarkable as heretofore. The entire Band consisted of four hundred performers. The Chorus com- prised 268 voices ; divided into 80 Trebles, 50 Altos, 64 Tenors, and 74 Basses : the Instrumental performers were 116 in number ; 42 Violins, 20 Violas, 10 Violoncellos, 10 Double Basses, with a due proportion of the other instruments which belong to an orchestra. The chorus was composed almost entirely of singers belonging to the town and neigh- bourhood, while the instrumentalists were the elite of the Metropolis. The veteran FRANcOIS CRAMER, whom we were happy to see in undi- minished strength and vigour, was the Leader ; Mr. TURLE, of West- minster Abbey, was the Organist ; and the Conductor of the whole was Professor TAYLOR.

After the two general rehearsals of Monday and Tuesday mornings, the Festival began, on .yuesday evening, with a miscellaneous concert. The audience, though not crowded, was numerous, and had a brilliant appearance. The arrangement of a miscellaneous concert, at a Pro- vincial Festival, is in a great measure beyond the control of the con- ductor: he must make sacrifices of his own tastes and predilections to those of the public and of the performers. A provincial public desires to hear the fashionable novelties of the last London season ; and the singers will insist on being permitted to show themselves, as they think, to the best advantage. The programmes of these concerts, therefore, in the best-regulated festivals, will necessarily exhibit specimens of the vulgar and the frivolous ; but a conductor may show his taste and intel- ligence by introducing features of a higher order. Several remarkable instances of this appeared in the plan of the concert of Tuesday even- ing; and these, passing over the trivialities, we shall very briefly notice.

BEETHOVEN'S " Sinfonia Pastorale" was as well performed as we ever heard it at the Philharmonic. It is unquestionably, as the book of the concert has it, "the most extraordinary display in existence of the descriptive power of music "; but, as musical description is always vague, and requires something to guide the most lively imagination, the

conductor had inserted in the book an excellent precis of the com- poser's design, which rendered every part of the wonderful work clearly intelligible. This precaution certainly heightened the pleasure of the

audience, if we may judge from the applause—much greater than .what is usually bestowed on a long instrumental composition—with which it was received. A very novel effect, in the storm, was produced by Mr. TURLE'S bold but masterly use of the great pedal-pipes of the organ. We were never so fully aware of the grandeur of our "National Hymn" till we heard it given by this mighty host of performers : the whole choral band was assembled, (a thing done in evening concerts nowhere but at Norwich,) and when they all burst out in one gigantic

roar, the harmonious thunder was overpowering. The Septett and Chorus from Sroascs's Pirates, which concluded the first part. had an effect which even the composer himself could not have imagined, his means baying been limited to the petty chorus of Drury Lane Theatre. A similar remark may be made as to the grand finale of La Ck- sustaza di Tito : we now, for the first time, heard the voice of a whole people, roused to enthusiasm by the generosity of a beloved monarch. We have become familiar with immense choral masses in sacred music; but this application of them to secular and dramatic music, (where they ore as much wanted, but have not hitherto been obtained,) is quite a new source of pleasure, for which we are indebted to the conductor of the Norwich Festival.

The performance of Wednesday morning consisted of The Creation, -preceded by a short selection of sacred pieces. The first of these was HANDEL'S Anthem, "My heart is inditing," composed for the corona- tion of GEORGE the Second. It is a noble work, not less remarkable for the grace and beauty of some of its parts than for the grandeur of others. The verse, for solo voices, "Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women," is of enchanting loveliness, and yet never descends from the greatness of the ecclesiastical style. The Anthem by PURCELL, "0 give thanks," which followed HANDEL'S, but not immediately, brought into comparison those two illustrious musicians ; and, if we were impressed by the majesty and beauty of the great German, we were more deeply affected by the tenderness and pathos of the English composer. The air, " Amplius lava me," by CIAMPI, a writer of the middle of the last century, is a fine speci- men of the Italian style of that period ; and displayed to advan- tage Miss HAWES'S deep contralto voice and musicianlike firmness of execution. Rununt—who had been received with great applause the evening before, when he sang some of his favourite Opera ditties— now gave the air from ROSSINI'S Stabat Mater which he lately sang so cfen at the Opera-house ; and the duet for soprano and contralto, in the same piece, was sung by Madame CARADORI and Mademoiselle PACINI: SO the Norwich people have had the satisfaction of hearing a -tart of this much-talked-of composition.

The Creation was, from first to last, a magnificent performance. Due attention was paid to the dramatic structure of the piece, by making each singer the representative of one of the characters. The three Angels were personated by Madame CAnaimer, Hoses, and PHILLIPS ; BALER was Adam, and Miss RAINFORTH Eve. There is no use at this time of day in commenting on the character of this great work—the " monumentum tere perennius " erected to his own memory by its il- lustrious author. With all its faults—its musical mimicries sometimes approaching to a joke, its frequent reminiscences of the theatre, and its occasional over-familiarity of style—it is an edifice built on a rock, which will withstand the attacks of time ; and we can imagine our pos- terity regarding it still more highly than ourselves, when its hues shall be darkened by age, and its form become associated with ideas of vene- rable antiquity. It probably never before produced a stronger impres- sion on an audience than it did on this occasion. We cannot justly praise parts of the performance, without praising every part; and there- fore we shall say, and say truly, that it was performed with a complete- ness and an uniformity of excellence which we have never heard equalled. We cannot, however, pass over the efforts of the Prima Donna, CARADORI; who, during the whole of an arduous day, sang with her whole heart and soul, though (as it appeared to us from her unusual i aleness) at the expense of bodily suffering.

The anticipation of The Fall of Babylon produced universal excite- ment in Norwich on Thursday morning, and nothing could be more animated than the appearance of the streets. The hall was crowded in every corner within a quarter of an hour after the doors were opened. Before the performance began, Mr. TAYLOR addressed the audience in the name of the Committee, and said, that he regretted, for the first time, that the hall was not sufficiently large to hold the company ; that many persons were uncomfortably situated by the excessive crowd ; and that all who felt their situation so unpleasant as to induce a wish to leave the hall, should have tickets of admission given them to either of the remaining performances they might prefer. We know not to what extent this permission was acted on ; but the room, during the perform- ance, remained, to our feeling, most delightfully crowded.

Before we enter on the musical merits of the new Oratorio, it will be necessary to describe it as a drama.* The term " oratorio " it has been the custom in this country often to employ very loosely, and to dignify any sacred composition of little more than the length of an anthem an "oratorio." The Tod Jesu of Gnaust is not and is not called an oratorio ; neither is the Davide Penitente of MOZART. They are sacred compositions on a given subject, but they want the charac- teristic of an oratorio ; they have no dramatic action. Passages of Scripture detailing a series of detached events, set to music and bound up in a volume, do not constitute an oratorio ; and Dr. TYE'S version of the first twelve chapters of the Acts of the Apostles has just as good a claim to the title as MENDELSSOHN'S Paul. An oratorio is a musical drama, subject to the laws of dramatic writing; of which the various scenes ought to be capable of being realized to the hearer's imagination by the aid of music. The skilful musician will select those subjects on which he can render his art available ; all others he will avoid. The painter will do the same. The painter must fix on a single moment of a single event. He cannot, for example, bring before the mind's eye the entire scene of the destruction of Pharoah's host—the safe and tranquil march of Israel through the deep—the rush and roar of the flood—the wreck of chariots and horsemen—the shores pet:tiled with the delivered Jews—the single voice of Miriam echoing through the silent and awe-stricken crowd and their exulting and thrilling response. But this the musician can do, and this Ilesiner.. has done. Wherever as an oratorio-writer he has failed, the cause is clearly and distinctly traceable to the fault of his libretto—to the unfitness of its subject for bis use—to its want of dramatic action—to the poverty of its ideas, or Preen a note to the English translation we learn, that the poem was first written, by Professor Tay Lon, in English; then translated into German, for the purpose of being set to music by Dr. SPOOR; then translated a second time. "The German translator having in most of the pieces altered the ori- ginal metre, the present libretto is of necessity conformed to his version, and even the metrical errors are unavoidably retained. Of the original poem, little more in fact remains than the settee and the echemet" to the meanness of its language. He never understood the art o making a piquant dish out of a kid glove. When his subject aroused him he girded on his armour, when it became somniferous he vent to sleep. His strength was equal to his need, and he never wasted it when there was no need.

The Fall of Babylon is evidently laid out with due regard to drama- tic propriety, and with a correct knowledge of the requirements of a musician. There is strict connexion and perfect sequence in the story, and yet abundant variety. Three great nations occupy the scene ; at the head of whom stand Daniel, Cyrus, and Belshazzar. The nations are no less distinguished by character than the individuals. The theme of the Jews is, first, their longing after Zion, their deep humiliation, and their impatience tinder an idolatrous bondage : hope succeeds, and is eventually changed into pious confidence and triumphant gratulation. The Persian attitude is uniformly warlike ; and that of the Babylonians voluptuous. These circumstances are favourable to a musician. He has not (as some have often fruitlessly attempted) to rack his brain in order to give variety to a repetition of sentiments which differ only in words, or to descend from the dignity of sacred history to some im- pertinent and mawkish love-story. In The Fall of Babylon, the simple events of the Old Testament narrative, cast into a dramatic form, give the composer all that he wants. There is no violation—as in Joshua, Jephtha, Susanna—of decency and good taste; no unseemly interpola- tion or unnecessary addition.

The story is thus conducted. "By the waters of Babylon" the Jews mourn their captive and degraded state; and Daniel implores the pardon and aid of Jehovah—" Remember, Lord, what thou bast laid upon us ; our inheritance thou bast given to strangers. Return unto thy servants, and their strength do them renew as in time of old." The scene changes to the Persian camp ; where Cyrus announces the Divine command—" Thee have I chosen my will to execute, that all the world may acknowledge I am the Lord ' His response is at first that of prompt and willing obedience, and then of proud defiance to Babylon- " Haughty Babylon, Heaven's vengeance Like the thunderbolt shall fall!

Children of your Maker's care, Hail the hour of freedom near !"

His appeal to his army is thus answered- " Proud monarch, arise I prepare for the fight ; The sword of the Mode is uplifted to smite!

Aloud thy crimes for vengeance call, The lightning gleams—the bolt shall fall!"

The repose of domestic life succeeds; and a Jewish mother, captive in Babylon, watching her sleeping child, implores for him the care and blessing of Jehovah— - " May Zion's God his watchful care extend, His arm of power outstretched o'er thee, And to thy fathers' land restore thee, There in his courts with joy to bend!"

She receives from the lips of her husband the welcome tidings that "their holy prophet hath announced the long-delayed redemption of Israel"; and their voices unite in praise to Israel's God. Again the scene returns to the Persian army; which now overhangs Babylon; and Cyrus for the first time gazes upon the mighty city stretched out below in the tranquillity of conscious strength- " Great queen of cities, do I gaze upon thee, Throned in might, in majesty, and beauty, Thy massy walls to heaven uprear'd,

Thy hundred gates, thy towers that seem to frown

Defiance." "At man's unaided power Well may'st thou laugh. But God, The God of Israel, thy doom bath now decreed : He hath said, 'The day approacheth, yea the hour Is nigh, that I, the Lord, will visit thee!' " The exultation of the Persian soldiers at the approaching conflict breaks into the following chorus- " Raise aloft the Persian banner, Wave on high the faulehion bright! Vengeance, Babylon, awaits thee, Cyrus dares thee to the fight !" The prayers and thanksgivings of the Jews for their promised deliver- ance succeed. These comprize a chorus, trio, song, and the chorus which concludes the act- "' Come down, and in the dust be humbled,' saith the Lord. My hand is outstretched against thee, the sword of vengeance shall overtake thee, thou shalt be desolate for ever. Babylon shall fall, her foundations shall be de- stroyed, and her walls into dust shall crumble!' This is the wrath of God!"

The second act introduces us to Babylon. We enter the palace-hall of Belshazzar, thronged with his nobles and blazing with beauty. The shout of revelry rings through the hall, and the bacchanalian orgies are followed by the idolatrous rites of the priests of Bel : the voluptuous dance succeeds, and the cup of sensual enjoyment is filled to the brim. At this moment of intoxication is heard the distant chorus of the Jews- " Arise, 0 Lord, array'd in terror, 0 thou to whom creation bows !

Shall idol gods thy name usurping, Receive thy creatures' impious vows?

"Shall rebel mortals dare deny thee, Whose power the universe sustains, Shall Babylon's proud king defy thee, And Abraham's sons retain in chains?"

Belshazzar, maddened with rage and wine, commands the vessels of Jehovah's temple to be brought in The vain remonstrance of Nicotris succeeds ; and the multitude again shout the praises of their gods and their king. The drama thus proceeds —

Bels haz zar. "Pill me to the brim the massy goblet!

Ye vanquished slaves, ye vassal Hebrews, where Is now your God ? Say, why delays the power Ye call so mighty? Let him appear, his name to vindicate! Ha! what meteor before my startled sight appears ? What power directs that hand, beneath whose touch Leaps out a dazzling flame? My joints are all Unloosed, and my strength is gone Horrible vision, glaring on my sight, Reveal your dark intent,"

The Scripture narrative, almoit in the words of the wred historian, follows ; and the doom of Babylon's monarch is announced by Daniel. The prophetic warning is received by Belshazzar, with haughty derision— "I scorn thy empty menace, and 1 mock

Thy false predictions. Our city's strength Derides the Taunted power of Cyrus: Long as Euphrates rolls his mighty flood Belshazzar King of Babylon shall reign."

At this moment a distant march-like sound just breaks upon the ear ; and before it approaches near enough to assume the distinctness of perfect melody, a messenger announces the entrance of the Persian army into the city. Irs march is now distinctly heard ; and another messenger has scarcely warned Belshazzar that Cyrus is at his palace- gates, when the shout of the Persian army rings through the palace. Here the action of the drama terminates. Daniel announces the res- toration of his countrymen ; who hail their deliverance with appro- priate song and chorus. The Fall of Babylon is the most perfect specimen of the sacred mu- sical drama, or oratorio in the proper sense of the word, with which we are acquainted. Its incidents are so few and simple as to be perfectly intelligible in performance, without the aid of theatrical action and

spectacle; its subject is grand, and calculated to inspire religions awe ; its moral is impressive ; its interest rises to a climax of great intensity ; and its language is lofty, poetical, and harmonious. If it has been sur- passed, this has been only done, as far as we know, by MILTON'S

Samson Agonistes,—a poem which, though not written expressly for music, was the work of a preeminently musical mind; and its musical capabilities have been strikingly developed by HANDEL. As a musical work, The Fall of Babylon may be similarly cha- racterized. We do not know that it contains greater beauties than The Last Judgment or The Crucifixion; but perhaps, considered as dramatic music, it has derived from its association with a poem such as we have described, a higher degree of excellence than either of those previous works.

It opens with a piece of instrumental music, the principal feature of

which is a warlike strain suggesting the idea of the Persian assault on the proud Assyrian city. This leads into a chorus of Jews, bewailing their captivity, and imploring the Almighty to deliver them from bondage. This chorus, in C minor, is of a subdued character, and indicative of the affliction ; while it exhibits SPOIER'S unrivalled power of making the use of chromatic intervals, consistent with the utmost simplicity of effect, yet conducive to the strongest expression. In the very first two bars, the stream of descending semitones must sound to the most unlearned ear as the very cry of grief and supplication. Many people, who judge of music by the eye, are startled by the aspect of SPORR'S sharps and flats, without being able to discover that these mysterious hieroglyphics indicate the most simple and natural inflec- tions of feeling and passion. Daniel joins the sorrowing group, and, in a recitative and air—beautifully given by HOBBS—adds his lamenta- tions and prayers to those of his suffering countrymen. This air, which is in the pathetic key of A flat, has several remarkable fea- tures, particularly a change of measure, and an enharmonic transition, of inestimable value to the young musician, as showing how the re- sources of art ought to be rendered subservient to its poetry. The speech of the inspired prophet changes the mood of his audience; and the chorus, "The lion roused from slumber" gives utterance to the impetuosity of their feelings. Its expression is wild and terrible : it is less a prayer to the Almighty than a desperate cry for succour. And thus the scene (as it may be called) closes on the captive Israelites.

The scene now changes to the Persian camp. A strain of martial

music is heard, which introduces the announcement by Cyrus of the Divine command, and the answer of his army to his appeal. This is embodied in a magnificent movement, consisting of a solo by Cyrus, responded to and accompanied by a chorus of Persian soldiers—a movement of singular breadth and energy. The voices cease ; but the strain is prolonged by the orchestra, at first in the same spirit, but the ear of the listener is gradually led through a series of changes, pro- ducing an effect similar to that of a change of scenery in a theatre upon the eye, till we are transported once more into the beleaguered city, and into the chamber of the Jewish mother, watching her sleeping child. We have already mentioned this scene as a dramatic feature of the work : as a musical feature it is exquisite; and tears were drawn from many eyes "albeit unused to the melting mood," by the sweet simpli- city of Miss RAINFORTH'S accents. The air" Dear child of bondage," which she sang so charmingly, is one of the richest gems of modern music.

The subsequent chorus of Jews, " Lard before thy footstool bending," is full of beauties, which cannot be intelligibly described without a re- ference to the musical notes. It presents, at first sight, various diffi- culties; which, however, we can assure amateur performers, are more apparent than real. Of this sort is the seeming puzzle of different parts moving simultaneously, being written with different signatures

of time ; for while one part is marked another is marked 77. The execution of this, however, is not difficult, as the time, in all the parts, is really the same, and they might all have been written in the same manner. There are cases in which this puzzle has been intro- duced for an evident purpose,—as in the masquerade-scene in Don Gio- vanni, where three groups are introduced dancing at the same time a minuet, a quadrille, and a waltz, and MOZART has most ingeniously introduced three orchestras playing at the same time tunes in three totally different measures : but in the case before us the puzzle appears wholly gratuitous and unnecessary. A recitative by Daniel, "The day approacheth "—which was delivered with fine elocution and expression by Mr. Honns—was followed by a terzetto of the two Israelitish women and the Israelitish man. (beautifully sung by Madame Caaanoni, Miss RAI-mum, and Mr. Yousio,) which will unquestionably find its way not only into concert-rooms but into every private circle where good MUSIC IS performed. The same thing may be said of the air which follows, " No longer shall Judea's children wander." It has a wild simplicity, breathing as it were the air of the Swiss or Tyrolese moun- tains, and perhaps from this feature expresses so well the intense feel- ing of home-sickness conveyed by the words. Nothing could be more beautiful than the manner in which its liquid tones flowed from the lips of CA-Ration. There is then a " Hallelujah " chorus of the Jews, in anticipation of the fall of Babylon and their own deliverance; which is

carried on at first with great simplicity, in plain counterpoint, till a subject of fugue is given out by the basses, and treated with consum- mate skill ; terminating the first act with grand and powerftd effect. The music at the banquet of the Babylonian Monarch is finely in keeping with the subject. It is a " royal feast; "—the greatest monarch of the earth is holding a high festival, surrounded by all the splendour and beauty of his voluptuous court. The festive strains of the revel- lers partake of the character of the scene ; joyous, graceful, and flow- ing; glowing with life and spirit ; but free from every modern or thea- trical association, and filling the mind with gorgeous images of Eastern grandeur. Its effect in producing such impressions is heightened by its absolute originality, the richness of the harmonies, the novelty of the modulations, and the delicious variety of "sounds and sweet airs" breathed by the instruments. Altogether, we consider this bacchanalian scene—in which a musician of less than the highest powers might have compromised the dignity of the subject by falling into frivolity or commonplace—one of the most remarkable specimens of SPona's genius. It is in the midst of a beautiful chorus of women, in two parts, that the distant chorus of the Jews is heard ; consisting of male voices, and completing the four vocal parts. In thus bringing into contrast the simultaneous expression of opposite feelings, the composer has done his part ; but the effect was imperfectly realized in the performance : nor do we think it possible to realize it unless by separating the opposite groups in such a manner that the sounds uttered by each should distinctly proceed from two different places. Belshazzar's burst of haughty indignation is conveyed in a piece of recitative, vigorously delivered by Mr. BALFE. The dialogue

• which follows—the alarmed remonstrances of Nicotris, the self-willed obstinacy of the King, and the adulation of the priests and courtiers— is in the highest degree dramatic: every note is pregnant with mean- ing. When the King exclaims, "Let him appear, his name to vindi- cate!" the fatal writing on the wall responds to his daring. The sudden terror and confusion caused by its appearance are described by a startling transition, and a succession of wild and agitated sounds ; which, having a key to explain their meaning, powerfully assist the imagination. Daniel is then introduced, and the dialogue is carried on for a consider- able time in recitative : but this, though unexceptionable in point of com- position, cannot receive its full effect from the performers without the aid of dramatic situation and action. The distant march of the Persians is heard, and a soldier rushes in, exclaimieg that the foe is at hand. The martial sounds wax louder and louder, and are blended with the triumphant shouts of the Persian soldiers and the delivered Israelites ; forming a simply-constructed but broad and effective chorus. Cyrus now appears ; and the air in which he moralizes on the instability of human greatness, and expresses devout submission to the will of Heaven, is the principal feature of his part. This air, in the key of D five flats, with two enharmonic transitions into sharp keys, equally smooth and effective, is in a calm and persuasive strain ; and was given with great propriety by PHILLIPS. The chorus, "Lord, thy arm bath been up- lifted," is a fagot°, intermingled with long-drawn notes, in seven real parts, breathed pianissimo, and producing the most ravishing harmony. Daniel then describes, as in a vision, the future glories of the chosen nation. This is an air with concertante accompaniments by the princi- pal solo instruments, beautifully imagined and delicately executed. There was another charming air, charmingly sung by CARADORI; and a grand choral fugue, in which the composer has made a noble use of the resources of counterpoint, terminated the whole.

What we have said renders it almost unnecessary to add any general observation on the performance of this sublime work. Its difficulties of every kind are immense ; yet, in listening to it, we could hardly per- ceive that any difficulty existed. The host of voices and instruments moved with the unity and precision of a single performer ; and the at- tention paid to all the lights and shades, all the minutiae of expression and effect, were the natural fruits of careful study and discipline. The absence of the illustrious composer from the Festival is, on many ac- counts, deeply to be regretted ; but had he been present, his work could not have been executed better than it was under the direction of Pro- fessor TAYLOR: and the manner of its reception was the greatest triumph that SPOHR has yet obtained in England.

Of the final performance, yesterday morning—when the oratorio of Samson was crowned with the fullest success—we must defer all notice till next week ; as well as the few remarks which are due to the concerts of Wednesday and Thursday, and some reflections on the influence of such a Festival in the present state of music in England.