The first performance, for the " humbler classes," was on
Friday morning : we cull it a pertertnance, for in this Festival there is no rehearsal. Every singer and player is in his place, and every note of the selection is give, with more precision and attention than at many ciaicc; ts even after rehearsal. This should he un- derstood; for the public were, probablyoleceived by the misnomer, as the Abbey was very partially filled. We repeat, therefore, that there is nodillerence, as regards the duties or exertions of the baud, between the half-guinea and two guinea days. Sir GEORGE SMART (puma nal, as usual, to the minute) had assembled his troops at half pest eleven, and precisely at twelve the performance com- menced—and commenced with a display of bad taste. The Crea- tion should have been reserved for the second or third morning, being the only great modern work that is admitted into the selec- tions : but on this occasion, having discovered, when too late, that the introduction of this mated° was not the happiest or most strik- ing opening of a festival, the Directors clapt iii " Zadok the priest," by way of prelude to Chaos : and thus, immediately before the sub- Ernest effort at musical description that human genius ever per- fected, we were indulged with the clamours of the Jewish mob on the election of King Solomon. And this is intended as a compli- ment to our WILLIAM the Fourth ! Nothing could be more indecorous, more vulgar, more distasteful, than in such a place to make such an arrangement. It would have been offensive even at Drury Lane. But, if a Coronation Anthem was necessary, why not have taken Aerwoolis, for his present Majesty, instead of this, at once the most hacknied and the worst, of HANDEL'S ?
We take some credit to ourselves for the performance of Crea- tion entire. This we know, that it was, at first, intended by the managers to have indulged us only with the first act, and that the decision was reversed after our strong remonstrance on the subject. We have very little to say as to its performance ; having exhausted the subject in noticing the last Norwich Festival, where it was given as perfectly, and in some respects better—for MALIBRAN was the prima donna. One thing was sufficiently evident this morning, and every musician must have been gratified by it—that this glorious work, though driven from the concerts of London, aut1 unknown to the fashionable world, is familiar to the weavers
of Manchester, Norwich, and Leicester, and to the button-makers of Birmingham. We anticipated from such an instrumental band as we saw before us, the most finished and perfect performance of the oratorio; and we had it : but it was not a whit more perfect than the chorus-singing, and less extraordinary—for here were men gathered from all parts of the kingdom, collected from looms, factories, and forges, and meeting fir the first time, yet going through the whole of this oratorio with the nicest precision. There was not a halt or an error from beginning to end.
The principal singers were Madame CAR ADORI, Miss STEPHENS, Madame STOCKHAUSEN, and Mrs. II. R. BISHOP: Messrs. BRA- HAM, VAUGHAN, SAPID, BELLAMY, PHILLIPS, SEGUIN, and E. TAYLOR. The Messrs. Rom NSON (mentioned in a former article) are from St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and respectable performers in their way. We need not go into any detailed criticism of singers and songs, of whose merits we have so often had occasion to speak. BR AHAM maintained, his long-lasting supremacy, Again we have to tell him, that an enlightened musical foreigner, who had previously only heard his theatrical singing, and who had thence put him down as a mere noisy, vulgar bawler, was equally astonished and delighted by his pure and powerful delivery of "Total eclipse." (A similar instance fell under our notice, and was mentioned some time since, at one of the' Philharmonic con- certs.) SAPIO sung better than we had anticipated. But the purest and roost finished style and voice were produced by HOBBS. Madame STOCKHAUSEN sung " On mighty pens," very sweetly; but she failed in the energetic delivery which Mrs. DICKONS used to impart, and which, added to all her other vocal excellences, made this song her own. Taken as a whole, the principal parts of this oratorio were feeble when compared with what we have heard—when BILLINGTON or DICKONS and BARTLEMAN were BRAM AM'S associates in it. But the instrumental and choral parts never were executed more perfectly—could the united force of their efforts have been heard.
There was sonic variation from the time to which our cars have been accustomed, in several of the pieces ; and all of them changes for the better. We have now the aelvantage of an edition marked by the metronome with Hevne's own time. This was followed in many instances, as it ought to have been in all. The allegro in " The Heavens are telling" should have been faster; and the two movements of "Rolling with foaming billows " should have been in the same time—the author indicates only a change of mode, not of time. The Chorus " For ever blessed be his power," was sung much too loud: it is the distant anthem of the heavenly choir, and should be given with merely a murmur of the voices.
The printed books exhibited the improved text of this oratorio; which some of time singers. who, as ADDISON said, " usually think that sound and sense never ought to unite," refrained from using, Madame CARADORI, for instance, gave us this delectable couplet- " To shady vaults are bent the tufty groves, The tnountairi s brow iS crowned with closed wood."
Thus far of Creation. The morning's performance con- cluded with a meagre, miserable piece of patchwork, from Sam- son ; from which many—nay, most of its finest features, were excluded, and the chorus descriptive of the creation of light carefully retained—because, it is to be presumed, we bad heard another on the same subject in the course of the morning. It was just a Covent Garden selection,—" Total eclipse," " Honour and arms," the " Dead March," and "Let the bright Seraphim."
We longed for " Then round about the starry throne," " Then shall they know," and the majestic chorus which HANDEL stole
from CARIsSI " Borate, lithe Israel." Any, or all these, would have been fit employment for such a band, instead of scales which we have heard these ladies and gentlemen warble at Drury Lane and other places for twenty successive years. Having said thus much of the band, let us add, that the audience—the " humble" audience—were most attentive and well-behaved : they evidently listened with delighted ears. The Festival has excited much interest throughout the kingdom, and brought together many provincial professors of eminence. We accidentally came in for a musical gratification in consequence of this congregation of talent. After the Thursday's rehearsal, the usual morning service was performed in the choir of the Abbey; in which Mr. TURLE gratified his auditors with Titeem's majestic service, and Gumosis's incomparable " Hosanna to the Son of David." We observed the following collegiate and cathedral organists assisting in the choir, or, like ourselves, delighted listeners,—Aerwoon, St. Paul's; PADDON, Exeter; Bucx, Nor- wich; WHAL L, Lincoln; CAM I DGE, York ; JEANS, Ely ; SKEATS, Windsor; TURLE, Armagh ; besides many other professional gentlemen of pro( incial celebrity.
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