Musa.
" The season" at Her Majesty's Theatre terminated last Saturday night, with the usual formality of singing our loyal song, absurdly called the National Anthem. The "cheap nights " have been going on during this week, and with great success, as may well be supposed : for the town is still full, and people are crowding to every part of the house, eager to enjoy the entertainments which, a week before, cost thrice the money.
Covent Garden gives no sign of closing. As we mentioned last week, Zatnpa and Don Giovanni yet remain to be produced. In regard to this opera there is an ominous announcement; " The alterations on the 91111111C by M. Atari." Alterations on the music of Don Giovanni ! What alterations ? and who is M. Alexi, who dares to make them ? The first question is easily answered on looking at the intended cast of the opera. The character of Don Giovanni, which belongs to a baritone, is to be performed by Signor Mario, a tenor ; and the part of Leporello, belonging to a bass, is to be taken by Signor Ronconi, whose voice (such as it is) is a baritone. So that the music of Mozart, in the greatest of his works, is to be transposed, altered, and " cooked," in order to suit the voices of these two gentlemen. As to the second question—M. Alari is a singing- master and a composer in a small way, who, we are told, has undertaken a job with which Mr. Costa, in the right spirit of an artist, refused to- have anything to do. It may be said that we should not prejudge the matter, but wait till we hear the performance. But the text of a great poet, or a great musician, is a sacred thing ; and the notes of Mozart are no more to be tampered with than the words of Shakspeare. It matters not how deftly M. Alari may have plied his cobbler-craft—it is not the less a gross desecration, to be reprobated by every lover of the purity of art. It is probable that Mario will look and act the noble voluptuary better than any one else whom we now have. But that does not matter. If Mario is, by the nature of his voice, disqualified from singing the superb music of the part, he should leave it alone as he has always done till now ; and we shall be content with inferior acting while we hear the music sung according to the text of the composer.
Yorkshire is to have a great Musical Festival this season, in a place eminently fitted for such a thing—the large, busy, wealthy, and very musical town of Leeds. The people of Leeds have just completed a new Town-hall, one of the noblest edifices of the kind in England ; and it is there that this music-meeting (the first in that town) is to be held. All the preliminary arrangements are now made. The first step was the nomination of Dr. Sterndale Bennett, the music-professor of Cambridge, as the conductor ; and it is with his advice and assistance that the plan of the festival has been formed and the engagements made with the per- formers. The festival begins on Tuesday the 7th of September, and ends on Friday the 10th. The principal singers are—Madame Clara Novello, Mrs. Sunderland, (a lady of high local repute), Madame Weiss, Made- moiselle Piccolomini, Miss Dolby, Miss Palmer, Madame Alboni, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Cooper, Signor Giuglini, Mr. Weiss, Mr. Winn, Mr. Smalley, Signor Rossi, and Signor Vialetti. Miss Arabella Goddard is engaged as pianist ; and the organists are Mr. Henry Smart and Mr. Spark of Leeds. The instrumental band, 100 strong, will, we under- stand, include the whole band of the Philharmonic Society, of which Dr. Bennett is the conductor ; and a large and powerful chorus has been selected chiefly from the different towns in the West Riding. At the morning performances the following sacred works will be given : The Messiah, Israel in Egypt, Eljjah, The Seasons, The rassions-Iftisik of Bach, The Mount of Olives, and the Stabat Mater of Rossini. As usual at the provincial music-meetings, there will be miscellaneous concerts in tae evening ; at one of which a new Cantata, entitled " The May Queen," by Professor Bennett, is to be performed for the first time.
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