CURISTCHURCH MUSICAL SOCIETY.

Press, Volume IV, Issue 489, 24 May 1864, Page 2

CURISTCHURCH MUSICAL SOCIETY.

The performance of a large selection of tne sojus and choruses from the Messiah by the Canterbury Musical Society, last night, was very modest.y cahed " \ Kchearsal.'" The whole Oratorio is to be performed, we understand, as joon as the Town 11 sill is completed. In noticing the performance of last night, we shall recollect this, and direct our criticism solely to those points in which the performance may be improved. ' Once for all, however, we may say with the iuo*t perfect truth, that in promising the public, us we ventured to do yesterday, the greatest musical treat that had yet been enjoyed in Canterbury, we said no more than the truth. We will first dismiss the solos in a few words, lne position in which thr- conductor was placed concealed the *010 silvers from three-fourths of the audience and the immediate neighbourhood of the glass chandelier a few feet in front, rendered it impossible that any voice coitld be properly heard.. The introduction of the vile and vulgar tones of an harmonium helped to spoil almost every song during the evening. The harmonium has acquired a character for sweetness in Church music from beiug contrasted with the rude and untaught strains of country village choirs. Introduced amongst stringed instruments and contrasted with cultivated voices, its tones assume the character of a solemn and ecclesiastical bagpipe. It was unfortunately fiddled with last night to the intense misery of every "musical ear, and the concealment of much*of the more delicate accompaniments designed by the composer. It was very well played by Mr. Waddington; but it had no business there at all, except to add volume to the loud passages of the chorus. We may say in one word that the only song of the evening which" displayed any of the higher comprehension of Handel's music was the opening recitative " Comfort ye my people," sung by the llev. Sir. Wilson. The air " Every valley " was a little beyond the powers of a voice which l.as lost much of its pliancy since we last heard it, but still retains the full power of rendering in passages of less mechanical dilliculty the refined and cultivated taste of the singer, 'and his full comprehension of the noblest subjects of his art. For the oilier singers we can only say that we heard fine voices, some intelligence and acquaintance with music, but a total want of deep study and comprehension of what the composer was aiming at. "We ought however to notice that the diiiicult song " Why do the Nations," was sung with admirable correctness, although the voice of the silver was scarcely of sufficient calibre to dominate over the accompaniment, which no delicacy of play- | ing can render other than formidable to the singer. °Of the choruses we can speak in very different ! terms. Not one went what could be called badly. Throughout, the basses and tenors, though apparently sufficiently numerous, did not take their proper place* in the chorus. The altos, on the other hand, though absurdly few in number, made up for deficiency of strength by preciscness in singing. It seemed to us that several of the tenors and basses were hardly singing at all, or merely occasionally following the lead of others. This will never make a chorus. On the whole, the best choruses of the evening were "Their sound is gone out," perhaps arising from the fact that the bass runs so much upon high notes as to restore it in this case to its proper weight in the chorus. "He trusted in God" and " Lift up your heads" both suffered severely from the want of body in the basses and tenors, whilst the choruses of "By man came also " and " Even so hi Christ " were greatly deficient in spirit in sill the parts, which was the more provoking as the quartettes were exquisitely sung. In hardly a single chorus was the slui t made by all the voices together clear and sharp, indicating that many are not up in the time, but rely on others to set them going. The only mode in which a conductor can correct this error is by insisting on his chorus practising occasionally without the leading voices. In every case the adagio phrase at the conclusion of such choruses as " The glory of the Lord" and the "Hallelujah" and " Worthy is the Lamb" -were taken lazily and ineffectively, instead of being wrought into almost the most prominent features of the composition. " Turning from the chorus to the band, the overture was by no means so effective as we had anticipated from the rehearsals, and a long pause which took place after the overture, before taking up the opening chords of " Comfort ye " was most painful to those who have been accustomed to regard the two as parts of. the same subject in accordance with the obvious intention of the composer. The same objection may be made throughout the whole performance. There may be reasons which compel a moments delay between successive pieces, but the Messiah is not properly understood until they can be dispensed with. The pastoral symphony to our ear was wanting in that delicacy of feeling which was intended by the composer to be descriptive of the silent flocks and wearied shepherds sleeping on the plains of Palestine. It was taken too loud, and rather too fast, and did not sufficiently indicate—what is the key to the whole composition —repose. On the other hand the accompaniment to "He was despised" was most exquisitely rendered, and had it not been iuterfcrred with every now and then by the groaning of the harmonium, would have been perfect. In conclusion we may say that a great triumph ha 3 been achieved, mainly because it is a promise of much higher perfection. The best of the choruses sung last night — and some were really well sung —may be improved, but to arrive at any high perfection great self-sacrifice is indispensable. The chorus must submit to attend with absolute regularity at the rehearsals orabandon all hope of singing Handel as it ought to be sung. There is nothing so disheartening to those who really do sacrillce a good deal to a work like this, as to find all their labor destroyed by the imperfection of others who have neglected to atteud regularly. The band, too, has a great deal to learn in the higher points of expression, especially in waiting upon a singer, so as to add to instead of destroying the expression which lie is endeavouring to throw into the song. One word about the audience. The majority were evidently too well acquainted with the custom at oratorios to interrupt the proceedings by applause, but, on the other hand, wo were surprised to perceive the old habit of rising during the performance of the Hallelujah Chorus neglected. When this great master-piece of musical art was first performed in Westminster Abbey, the whole assembly rose as one man when the passage ''For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth," sung—(by the way, it was taken too fast last night)—and this great homage to Handel's geniii3 lias been perpetuated ever since by the audience rising during the performance of that chorus. Let us not abandon it in Canterbury. Our notice of this performance ia not very complimentary : and, judged of by ordinary noticers, by no means so much so as the performance really deserved —perhaps, however, it may not be the less useful on that account.

Priscess , Theatke—The performance last evening commenced with a very slight but amusing little play called " Miriam." The etory is a simple one. Miriam West, an orphau girl of humble rank in life, ia adopted by a benevolent rich old lady, who on her death leaves Miriam all her estate, hoping by that means to bring about a marriage with her nephew, Bernard Reynolds, which she lias long had much at heart. Miriam finds this will accidentally a few hours before the old lady's death, and loving Bernard, and not wishing to take the property away from him, she destroys it. A certain brother of the same old lady, who had gone to the bad, had been transported, and was supposed to be dead, turns up, and with the assistance of a pettifogging lawyer's

clerk, Biles, gets possession of the estate as his sister's heir. Miriam retires to a lodging, which it so happens had been formerly occupied by JJiU-s, who had left his boxes behind him as security for his rent. Miriam recollects that Biles hud formerly, in a fit of expiration against his employer, and when rather the worse for br.p.ulv, said in her hearing something about a will which Miss Wilkin's had had drawn up by his old master, and which he had witnessed ; she finds a key which opens one of the boxes, and of course discovers the will, by means of which the convict is kicked out and the rightful owner regains possession. Bernard, who has been uiiceremoneoiijly dismissed by his former love, on the loss of his money, has learnt to recognise the superiority of Miriam, and the play concludes with the union which the old lady haJ taken such singular means to ensure. The whoie play is too slight to call for or stand much criticism, nor have the actors, except Mr. Hall as liilcs, much scope for the display of their abilities. All the parts were very well done, especially that of Bernard by Mr. Manly, who acted with unusual ease and vivacity. His only fault is a deficiency in by play and the nnnutiie of acting, her perfection in which "renders Miss. Ait ken's performances so delightful to witness even in the smallest part. Mr. Hall's get up aud acting as Biles was the most comical thing we have seen for a long time. The afterpiece was that absurdly funny farce Whitebait at Greenwich. We cannot attempt to describe it, any one who wants to know what it is like had better go and get Mr. Hall to show them this evening. To-night we are to have a repetition of the Celleen Bawn, and to-morrow a great sensation play, Uncle Tom's Cabin. .