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A few evenings since, I assisted at a Members' Concert in Piccadilly,
where a very fair exhibition of Amateur Musical talent was displayed by
the "Strolling Players." The vocal part of the entertainment was
especially good, thanks to the really charming singing of the Misses
AGNES JANSON and HAMLIN. The geniuses in the Orchestra who are for all
time, and any tune, managed occasionally to get a little out of hand in
spite of Mr. NORFOLK MEGONE'S earnest conductorship. Taken all round,
"The First Members' Concert" was so good that I should not have the
smallest objection to attending the Second.
_The Ancient Mariner_ with Mr. J. F. BARNETT'S brilliant music at St.
James's Hall last Thursday night, held entranced a large audience which
listened "like a three ears child" ("Had I three ears I'd hear thee,"
says _Macbeth_. Did COLERIDGE write SHAKSPEARE?--however, this has
nothing much to do with the _cantata_, and so on we goes again)--so "the
Mariner hath his Will" (which is almost conclusive evidence that
COLERIDGE'S _Mariner_ was written by WILL SHAKSPEARE) and we were all
delighted. I hadn't a book. Who was ALBERT ROSS that the _Mariner_ shot?
Madame PATEY sang "_O Sleep, it is a Genteel Thing!_" (I think these
were the words) with great feeling and expression. Beautiful idea,
"sleep a genteel thing!" Somebody told me I was wrong, and that the poet
wrote, "_O Sleep, it is a Gentle Thing!_" which anybody could have said,
without being a poet. So I prefer my own version. The recitative
(SANTLEY) and chorus (Everybody), about "the coming wind did roar," and
something (I didn't catch what) was "like a sledge," and "the Moon was
on its side and then upon its edge," which sounds just what a harvest
moon would do after a good day's harvesting, were excellent.
Then followed Mr. C. V. STANFORD'S Symphony in F Minor, "_The Irish_" as
my neighbour informed me, to which I replied, "Oh, indeed!" and
appeared, as I hope, much interested; though what he meant I haven't the
smallest idea. Who was my neighbour?--a very learned person who kept on
drawing my attention to the excellent instrumentation, and the admirable
use which the Composer had made of his "strings"--I didn't see that he
had any "strings," but I said, "Ah, yes,"--his "Wood-wind and Horns."
"Just observe his horns!" said my neighbour enthusiastically. He spoke
of Mr. C. V. STANFORD as if he were drawing the portrait of Ancient
Nicholas, as portrayed by CRUIKSHANK when illustrating _The Lay of S.
Médard_, in the _Ingoldsby Legends_. A Composer with Strings, Wood-wind
("comest thou with blasts from----" &c., as BACONSPEARE hath it) and
"horns" is the man to write a _cantata_ entitled "Herne the Hunter," and
I am not at all sure that there isn't a _Herne_ already in existence,
and that that Herne isn't His'n. After a pause (during which the
orchestra continued playing) my neighbour begged me to notice that now
the theme was, "Remember the glories of O'BRIEN the Brave," but at this
point not wishing to enter into a political discussion which might have
landed me in the police-station, I courteously, but firmly, wished him
good night, and having signified to everybody generally the extreme
pleasure I had derived from the entertainment provided by the Messrs.
NOVELLO AND EWER, I gracefully withdrew, and am, No Fellow, but Ewers
truly, THE CRICKET ON THE HARP.
P.S.--_À propos_ of music, I cannot refrain from mentioning the
gathering of the _élite_ who recently collected together to do honour to
the talents of Mrs. DUTTON COOK. Madame ALBANI was in great force, and
the fair _bénéficiaire_ played with her customary grace and artistic
feeling, eliciting the invariable result of unbounded applause. It is to
be greatly regretted that the Public have not the opportunity of hearing
Mrs. DUTTON COOK more frequently. She is certainly in the first rank of
pianists and a sound musician.
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"I hear," said Mrs. RAM, "that the Princess CHRISTIAN has written about
the _Margarine of Baireuth_. I like to hear of Royalty interesting
themselves in such matters. However," she added, "of course, they know
which side their Bread's buttered, and like the butter, whether at home
or abroad--that is, here or at Baireuth--to be of the very best. So do
I."
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