Musir.
"Passion Week,"—a week associated, in the mind of every Christian entitled to the name, with the most awful and affecting events belonging to the foundation of the faith which we hold,—is preeminently the sea- son of grave thought and self-examination, and not of the pastimes and amusements of the world. Such, at least, is our opinion ; and it seems to us a small matter to sacrifice for a few days the round of gaieties in which society habitually indulges, for the sake of that calm and serious reflection of which every one of us stands so much in need. We look, therefore, upon the prevailing abstinence from dinners, and balls, and parties, the closing of the theatres, and the general suspension of public entertainments, during a week so suggestive of solemn thoughts, as being a course dictated by reason and religion, and by no means (as some hold it to be) a remnant of antiquated bigotry. During the past week, we have been present at but one musical enter- tainment—if, indeed, it can be called an entertainment—the performance of The Messiah at St. Martin's Hall under the direction of Mr. Hullah. Of Handers divine—it is scarcely too much to say, inspired work, we know what was the great Master's own feeling. On its first perform- ance, a nobleman, as was natural, paid him some compliments on the grand entertainment he had given to the public. "My Lord," said Handel, "I should be sorry if I only entertained them—I wish to make them better" And who can doubt that he has succeeded ? Is there any one, however careless and indifferent, who has listened to the sublime harmonies of the " Hallelujah " and the pathetic accents of "He was despised and rejected of men "—without having his inmost heart stirred by emotions—too fleeting, indeed—but yet tending to make him both sadder and better?
Such is the music which truly belongs to the week which is followed tomorrow by the great Festival of Easter. We shall then return to the ordinary pursuits, and pleasures, and pastimes of the world; and we may hope that their brief suspension may have given us impressions not to be immediately obliterated.
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