—It is generally understood that the organ in the chapel of this Institution was the gift of Handel. That great musician conducted a concert of sacred music upon the opening of the chapel in 1749, and superintended the annual performance of his oratorio, "The Messiah," from 1751 to 1759. In his will he left to the charity "a fair copy of the score, and all its parts," of the same oratorio; which score is still preserved, and has furnished the editor of the new edition, lately produced by the Handel Society, with several new and important readings.
Dr. Burney, in his "Sketch of the Life of Handel," prefixed to his Account of the Commemoration, 4to., 1785, says, "The organ in the chapel of this [i.e. the Foundling] hospital was a present from Handel." But how are we to reconcile this statement with the following, which I find in the European Magazine for February, 1799:
"Handel did not give the organ to the Foundling Hospital. It was built at the expense of the charity, under the direction of Dr. Smith, the learned Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, who added demitones, &c., and some of the niceties not occurring in other organs."
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
Correction to the "Oxford Manual of Monumental Brasses."
—Permit me to correct an error in the above carefully compiled and useful manual. On p. 15. of the "Descriptive Catalogue" a brass is described, No. 32. of their collection, to "Edward Peach, 1439;" no place is mentioned in connexion with this brass. The notice should stand thus:
"1839. Edward Peach, S. Chad's (R.C.) Church, Birmingham.
[+]
"Hic jacet dmus Edwardus Peach quondam rector istius ecclesie qui obiit die Nativitatis Beate Marie Virginis Anno Domini milessimo DCCCXXXIX," &c.
The brass is so well designed and executed, that it might easily pass for an old example. By some error "sācte" has been printed for "Beate," "millessimo" for "milessimo," and "CCCC" for "DCCC" in the Oxford version of the inscription.