VOCAL.—DRAMATIC.

  1. AIR, ‘La trompette guerrière,’ dans l’opera Robert le Diable de MEYERBEER. (Chappell.)
  2. AIR, ‘Hark! the trumpet,’ ditto ditto ditto.
  3. AIR, ‘Dès qu’une amie,’ in La Bayadère, composed by AUBER. (Chappell.)
  4. BALLAD, ‘I never can forget thee,’ from the Operetta of The Fancy Ball; the Poetry by EDWARD MORTON, Esq.; composed by ALEX. LEE. (Dean.)
  5. BALLAD, ‘O! where are the joys?’ Ditto ditto ditto.
  6. BALLAD, ‘Of love beware.’ Ditto ditto ditto.

THE first and second of the above are one and the same air: it is in three movements; the two last of the bravura kind, and all requiring a voice of great compass and flexibility. The opening reminds the hearer of the most famous of all the Tyrolian airs; and there are passages in the air which at once father it on the composer of Il Crociato. The whole is energetic, and full of dramatic effect.

No. 3 was much sung here last season, by Madame Cinti, who can render almost anything agreeable. It would be thought long in the hands of singers of the second class, though there is a great deal of originality in the first movement, and considerable merit in the whole. But the latter part is certainly too much spun out, the first stanza being repeated over and over again till it becomes somewhat fatiguing. The effect of this considerably depends on action; it is therefore better suited to the stage than to concert or drawing-rooms.

The three ballads by Mr. Lee all possess a certain degree of insipid prettiness, which enables them to pass uncensured, for they exhibit no fault in composition, or in the setting of the words; while it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to discover a single original trait in any one of them. Hence they are easily understood by an audience, and give not the slightest trouble to either singer or accompanist in private.

  1. GLEE, The New-Year’s Welcome, for three voices, the words by EDWARD MORTON, Esq.; composed by T. COOKE. (Morton, late Dean.)
  2. BALLAD, ‘I’ll ne’er forget that happy hour,’ composed by Mrs. P. MILLARD. (Chappell.)
  3. ‘The little bark goes slowly on,’ the poetry by L. O. CUMMING, A.M.; the music by Mrs. GEORGE BUBB. (Duff.)
  4. SONG, ‘From thy shores, my loved Scotland,’ composed by H. R. BISHOP. (Chappell.)
  5. BALLAD, ‘Waken, O waken! my bonnie dove,’ composed by FRED. W. HORNCASTLE. (Hawes.)
  6. ODE to the memory of Sir WALTER SCOTT, ‘The Minstrel sleeps,’ written by ROBERT GILFILLAN; composed by FINLAY DUN. (Edinburgh, Paterson and Ray.)
  7. SONG, ‘Come sing to me,’ the words by Miss E. ACTON, the music by FINLAY DUN. (Paterson and Co.)
  8. BALLAD, ‘My own,’ the poetry by CHARLES SWAIN, Esq., composed by EDWIN J. NIELSON. (Purday.)
  9. SCOTCH SONG, ‘What care I for gowd and gear,’ written by WILLIAM PAUL, the music by JAMES P. CLARKE. (Glasgow, Brown.)
  10. SONG, ‘As gentle rains refresh the earth,’ written by C. V. INCLEDON, composed by T. H. SEVERN. (Hawes.)
  11. SONG, ‘You ask me for a pledge, love,’ composed by J. F. LEESON. (Goulding and Co.)
  12. BALLAD, ‘O saftly sleep, my bonnie bairn,’ poetry by LEITCH RITCHIE, Esq., composed by R. A. ROWE. (Dean.)

No. 1 is as easy to sing as it was to write. The composer certainly did not rack his brains in search of novelty when he put this glee on paper; neither, we are equally sure, did he bestow much thought of any kind on any one line of it.

No. 2 is well set, as regards accentuation, and the melody, though made up of not any uncommon phrases and cadences, is far from inelegant, and the whole is quite easy.

No. 3, meant to be descriptive of a calm followed by a storm, is not very successful. The first part may perhaps pass, but it was a great mistake to relate the fatal catastrophe in notes which described stillness and security—in a kind of da capo.

No. 4 is, we presume, one of those things which the composer has penned down after dinner, to avert a fit of somnolency; which, however, will be transferred to all who listen to this song.

No. 5 is a brisk Aubade, or morning-song, which may prove useful in ordinary cases, but has not sufficient potency to rouse the nymph who is cast into a very deep slumber. In the opening symphony, the last bar, the fifth, should be omitted; and in the first bar of page 2, the F must, of course, be sharp. Being natural a second time, in the following verse, may raise a doubt as to the author’s meaning.

To No. 6 no fault can be imputed. But though the music is good, and the verses set with great propriety, yet we expected more from so intellectual a composer, the exciting nature of the occasion being considered.

No. 7 is indebted to Haydn’s Mermaid’s Song for the commencement. The whole is airy, and quietly but well accompanied; and there is a good deal of variety in the song, just indeed such as the words required. We should be better satisfied with the symphony were the seventh and tenth bars discarded, and a pause given to the last rest in the ninth. The rhythm, in fact, requires this, or some such change, for the last bar here counts for nothing in musical prosody.

No. 8 is not equal to some of Mr. Nielson’s songs; there is nothing in it to fix attention, either in melody or accompaniment. The disjunction of the words, bars two and three, page 3, just where they ought to have been joined, is injudicious; and the error is not less in making the last syllable long in ‘companionship,’ and the first so drawlingly slow in ‘apathy.’

No. 9 is just such a cheerful melody as we can imagine a frank, independent, right-thinking Scottish lassie would sing to such words. The song has only the merit of what the schoolmen call congruity.

The composer of No. 10 has produced much better things: he has failed in this.

No. 11 shows some fancy, much enterprise, but a want of study and experience.

No. 12 has the appearance of being an imitation of Charles Smith’s popular song, but exhibits errors not to be found in the model. Between the sixth and seventh bars of page 2 are fifths which few ears will tolerate; these occurring again in the second verse. And in order to have got out of an embarrassment in which the composer evidently found himself while writing bars eight and nine, same page, he should have struck out the E

and the first D

in the treble staff. There are, nevertheless, symptoms of taste and feeling in parts of this ballad.