LIVERPOOL FESTIVAL.

IT may seem strane-e, at the first view, that Liverpool should fall so Mr short of Norwich or Worcester in the magnitude as well as in the excellence of its arrangements for a Festival. From a p so large, so rich, so enterprising, so public-spirited as that of Liverpool, might be anticipated a triennial meeting of the highest celebrity. The engagements are always entered upon with a fear- lessness of expense, because the Festival is always sine of ample support : Liverpool of itself would supply a remunerating audi- ence to every performance; but this being the only Lancashire Festival, and Manchester being, now, next door, there is no risk whatever in the attempt. The doubt is not whether audience-can be attracted, but whether they can be seated. And yet, with all these advantages, the inceitig in this place is but a diminutive af- fair when compared with those we have ,just left. The chief canioi of this inferioi i:y must be sought in the scanty dimensions and ill-adapted construction of both the buildings in whieli the Festival is held. The eilered Music is given at St. Luke's Church ; the Evening Concerts in the Amphitheatre and we hazard but little in the conjecture, that, even of its size, the church is the very worst-constructed building in the kingdom for such a purpose. It has the quality of developing the worst parts of every instrument —the scrape of the bow more than the tone of the violin ; and of preventing the blending of voices in harmonious concert ; nu matter whose—fir all stand out apart from each other. This is the se- cond Festival which has been herd in St. Luke's Church ; and unless a better should arise, we would advise a return to St. Peter's,—a building, from its construction and dimensions, much better suited to the accommodation of a large band, and much more favourable to the propagation of sound. The managers of the Musical Festivals in this town never as- pire to give any impulse to similar undertaking's : they are con- tent to follow in the train of others, and to perform the music which has received the public sanction elsewhere. There is no sufficient reason why the schemes of Norwich and Liverpool should not be substantially the same; as few persons, the per- formers excepted, would be likely to hear both. Still we should like to see a little generous rivalry displayed at these several meetings—an emulation which should produce the best music in the best manner. But enterprise, in Liverpool, (Ices not take this direction ; for on entering the town, we again found the Last Jud„9,-ment, the Detuye, the Crea/ion, the Messiah, sonndin out in large letters on the walls. In truth, the principal interest of the Liverpool Festival centres in the Ball,—or we shoUld sp.uk more correctly in saying, that this is the Festival, to which the music is but introductory, like the act-music of a play. The Oratorios and Concerts are but the signals of preparation—a kind of gentle stimulants, ending in the climax of the Ball. Before this con- summation of enjoyment arrives, the scenes of action ale the parish-church we have described, and a shabby second-rate eques- trian theatre ; where the band is, necessarily, scanty-, and the ac- comodation mean. And so ashamed do the Liverpool people ap- pear of their Concert-room, that they prefer giving the whole band, vocal and instrumental, a hol). day on the Wednesday night. On Friday night, the spaious and magnificent Town-hall is thrown open; and the " beauty and fashion of Liverpool " seem to feel that lucre is the appropriate theatre for their display.

The Orchestra is smaller here than at Worcester, and therefore not half the strength of the 'Norwich Band: the instrumental performers, also, are less select. The Norwich Band was chiefly composed of London players, that of Worcester almost entirely—.

that of Liverpool very partially. LINDLEY, for example, was the only London violoncello. The Chorus at Liverpool is admirable; nothing can be more perfect than its discipline. The principal singers were Madame MAL I BR A N, Mrs. KNYVETT, Miss MAssoN, Miss C. NOVELL°, Messrs. HORNCASTLE, E. TAYLOR, PHILLIPS, Salto, and Signor DONZELI.I. It seems as if the male contralto voice was getting into disuse; for both at Norwich and here, the part was assigned to a female. In some cases this is a change for the better, in some for the worse.

The musical portion of the Festival began on Tuesday morn-

ino ; on which day the Church Service was perforate 1 at St. Peter's, and a sermon preached for the benefit or those charitable

institutions in the town which ate seleeted as the recipients of its profits. BOUYE's service in A was sting; and the anthems " Behold, how good and ,joyful" (Barris:111LO, "0 Lord, thou host searched me" (('tropr), and "Cod is cur hope and strength" ((i HEE NE). A. more choice collection could not La :e been made. Nettling could be in better taste than thus to afford the people of Liverpool an opportunity of hearing the finest music of the English Church, to most of whom it must he new and strange.- But it was not in good taste to introduce a band of brass instru- ments into BOWE'S Service. The music of the English Church requires no other accompaniment than the organ: very rarely

indeed is any addition to it an improvement. There is a time and a place tier every thing : and here, we venture to think, trumpets and trinnbones were out of their proper sphere. We else ques- tion the good taste of introducing any portion of Moz.vier's Re-

quiem (especially snug to the original Latin words) into the ser- vice of the English Church. We say nothing as to the propriety of inakiii:; this portion of the Catholic service part and parcel of our Protestant worship: this point may be discussed and settled at the next meeting of the Convocatiozi : we simply r(7ard it as a violation of good taste, 1.tmr which, on the present occasion, there could be no necessity.

The performance of Wednesday morning afibrds no opportunity. for remark. Its chief' features were the Usual selection from /s,:aet- in Eif.yrt, and nearly the same selection from the //o/o.ge as was given it Worcester. The latter, of course, conveyed oo plea to its auditors of the oratorio. We can supply the gaps which are oc-

casioned by similar omissions in well-known works ; ainl from

omtorios which, like Sinvi, have no story, selections may

be made with advantage; but to bring out a work whose structure is essentially dramatic in a form so mutilated, is (to apply Jonx- soN's simile) like presenting a brick as the sample of a house. The plea is, that selections please better than entire works. We doubt this statement altogether; and believe, as well as hope, that the time is arriving when time art of selection-making will fall into disuse. On looking over the other parts of the scheme, we were at first inclined to think that the Conductor' would incur the well- meri:ed reproaches of the Committee for having made up all its r la:lining portions from the shreds of old Covent Garden Oratorio-

bills, and worn-out remnants of the Ancient Concerts: but we are

now satisfied, that the musical taste of Liverpool (judging from all outward amid visible signs) is at the very lowest ebb. We had some misgiving's on this point, from the very trashy contents of a

concert-1) 11 w hid' was ostentatiously printed in the Harmonica', last month, as a triumphant proof of its highly-cultivated state: and our attendance at the evening performances of this week, whore the audience are at liberty to express their likes and dislikes, has convinced us that Sir ClEolloo SMART has here exercised his usual diseernment, a::d given the Liverpool people the very best selection in the world jbr them.

Time .illeswicrh was perforined on Thursday ; and ,,'ell, of course, so far as the absence of mistake goes, but not well when contrasted

with its performance in (lays of yore. Mere correctness will not do fur the songs of H ANDFL. They may be sung is perfect time and tune, and yet fail to excite the smallest emotion : least of all is their power developed by mere dint of lungs. The songs of HANDEL can only be great when in the hands of' great singers.

A part of the Friday morning's selection was derived from Judas Jlarrrcliuw.e• ; an oratorio more within the power of the principal sin ors Lau the Messiah, and one which, for this reason, as well as to tin .ake of variety, we should have preferred. As late ex-

perience has evinced the passibility of gett Mgsuccessfully through a festival without the eteried repetition of the same oratorio of

le ANDEL, it may he reasonably anticipated that Judav Maccabreas may be alloWed to take its turn, abounding as it does in songs of 'beauty and majestic choruses. ilunsi.Ev's Motet "God is our hope,- is a composition well worthy of finding a place in our Pro- viocial Festivals. Being f a• a double choir, there is no chance of an effective perfOrmance of it in the Metropolis. The second part of the Last Judgmoll was also given this morning. lf this min- yelled work is thus destined to mutilation, an entire act is prefer- able to a selection from the whole oratorio; for although in this case it mar be said to have commenced without a beginning, the connexien between those pieces which were performed were pre- served. It is a curious fact, that in the variety of selections which have been made front this oratorio, every portion of it has been taken in turn, although its performance, as an entire work, has been restricted to the late Festival at Norwich.

The two Evening Concerts were well attended, and the audience seemed very well satisfied with what they heard : but the songs of a higher class were evidently above their compre-

hension. " Non piu di fiori," for example, the most finished per- formance of the evening, was but coldly received; while the most vulgar, noisy, and commonplace songs, were boisterously cheered and encored. We were pleased here as well as at Worcester, to I trace the influence of the Vocal Society both in the church and the concert-room. Two Madrigals were sung by the members of the Choral Society of this town ; and, considering the novelty of the attempt, well. One omission in the schemes we are not dis- posed to pass unnoticed. They did not contain a single Glee, and only two Italian concerted pieces of sterling excellence. The school of English vocal harmony deserves something better than this at the hands of English managers and conductors, and many pieces might have been changed for the better had it been re- sorted to.

The audience were somewhat alarmed on Wednesday morning, in consequence of the supports of both the temporary galleries giving way. The performance was suspended for about half an hour, till the mischief was repaired. No accident of any kind occurred, and the only mishap was the temporary exchange of hammering and sawing for singing and playing.