LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND THE DRAMA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6996, 19 April 1884, Page 4 (Supplement)

LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND THE DRAMA.

Tra'Old Testament Revision Company bave carried their final review as far as the end of the 100 th Psalm, . . Merely Players, by Mr. Albery, is m rehearsal at the Princess's; it is a comedy, ' yhich will precede Claudian, - • Mr. Robert Browning is said to be making arrangements with his, publishers for the Issne of a popular edition of his works. • A volume of travel sketches by William 3ime, entitled, " To and Fro," is in the press, and will b.e'isaned by Mr. Elliot Stock. . Mrs. Power O'Donoghue's new novel, " A Beggar .pn Horseback," may be expected next month.from,the house of Messrs Hurst and BlackCtt. - . • A-translation of the Book of Psalms, by the well-known scholar,, the .Rev, T. K. Gheyne, will be the next volume in . the Library." . The second instalment of Lord Lytton s ■ life of his father, being parts 111. and IV. of a work that, will comprise, six parts when completed, is not to make its appearence nntil the end pf the.present year. . Madame Nilsson's engagements in America will keep her in that country until July 1. She will probably reach. England about the middle of that month, and will sing at one concert only before the end of the season, i Madame Patti is expected in London from - the United States in June, but will probably not apptiar at Covent Garden, having been offered for her services in a short series of concerts a considerable sum, said to be no less than £1000 for each appearence. . Sterne's " Sentimental Journey " is to be illustrated by Maurice Leloir and published in Paris in the Librairie Artistique. Two hundred copies of the edition will be issued in luxurious style at £14 lis Sd and £12 10s each, the price of the ordinary copies being £2 Is Bd."

The town of Norwich, in England, has a newspaper' 170 years old—the Mercury— which was started, or is supposed to have been started, in 1714. From the year 1727 the file in the office of the proprietor is complete. Reprints of the issues in 1727 are being made. . A new one-act drama will be produeed at the Prince's; it is somewhat similar in subject to Comedy and Tragedy, though not a plagiarism of Mr. Gilbert's production, as it is founded on Tabarni, in which M. Coqulein made a great hit. The similarity of incident is, of course, quite accidental. .

■ Mr. Carl Rosa commenae3 his season of I English opera at Drury-lane Theatre at Easter. Is •is said that Balfe's Bohemian Girl is to be the opening work. One of the features of the season will be the production o£ The Pilgrims, an opera by C. Villiers Stanford, the libretto of which has been written by Mr. a'Beckett. ' One of Mr. Edmund Yates's recent notes in hia World contains a few interesting statements about Mr. Allen Thorndike Rice, the editor of the North American Review, not the least intereating being this : —" He has been very desirous to secure contributions from celebrities, and is said to have even asked for an article or two on European politics from Prince Bismarck, but, unhappily, as yet in vain." - Some time .during the coming springßand, Avery and Co., of Boston, will publish by subscription a story dealing with Mormonism, for which they predict a large sale. Having had their imprint on some 400,000 copies of Uncle Tom's, Cabin " in slavery times, they look for an approximately similar success for the new story, since it " will serve a purpose not unlike" that served by "Uncle Tom." Neither the name of this story nor the author's name is yet made public.

'' A series of theatrical reminiscences is in preparation by Dr. Westland Marston, which will include critical and in many caaes personal recollections of some recent eminent aotora. An introductory chapter will notice severalcontemporariesof Macready, whom the fame.of that celebrated actor threw into the shade, such as Vandenhoff, Samuel Buller, and Denvil: Among the more conspicuous figures will ba found Macready himself, Oharles Kemble, the elder William Farren, Mr. and Mr. Charles Kean, Phelps, Miss Cnshman, Mrs. Glover, Mra. Warner, &o. The plan of the book does not include the notice of living performers, except incidentally. The work will till two octavo volumes. Many names besides those here mentioned trill be introduced.