274e Serenade written and composed in honour of the Birthday
of the
Princess Victoria.
Time was, in merry England, when the day on which a Princess came of age to reign would have been celebrated by poets and musi mans properly so called ; but gallantry and loyalty now-a days seem to claim little kindred with the Aluses. This Serenade smacks only of the shop. It is a thing got up to sell ; written, performed, and para. graphed in the newspapers, for this purpose. What is the Laureate about, that he should suffer his office to be usurped and his duty per- formed by the bard of the Surry Theatre-that he should allow the Princess VICTORIA to fall into the hands of" tile Flying Dutchman," adept and unmoved ? Mr. Ferzauts's contribution to the Serenade
is just such as might have been anticipated. Mrs. C. B. Wissosr, we presume, has volunteered her portion of it, which is by far the best.. The music is GEOltGE RODWELL'S, one of the publisher's best bands. Fortunately, the whole affair was thus saved from being an insult in- stead of a compliment to our young Princess. The music is pretty and passable, though not destined to a popularity quite so lasting as that which WILBIE and MoRLEY wrote in praise of their Queen. But those days are past, with the will and ability to imitate the men who lived in them.
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