| 1. | Quartet, ‘When the ears heard,’ (Mrs. Knyvett, Terrail, Vaughan and Sale.) Chorus, ‘She delivered the poor.’ Funeral Anthem. | HANDEL. |
| 2. | Madrigal, ‘Lady, when I behold’ | WILBYE. |
| 3. | Song, ‘Lascia Amor,’ (Mr. Phillips.) Orlando. | HANDEL. |
| 4. | Chorus, ‘Righteous Heaven.’ Susanna. | HANDEL. |
| 5. | Song, ‘Lord! to thee,’ (Miss Masson.) Theodore. | HANDEL. |
| 6. | Concerto, (First Grand.) | HANDEL. |
| 7. | Glee, ‘Once upon my cheek,’ (Miss Stephens, Mrs. Knyvett, Vaughan, and Sale.) | CALCOTT. |
| 8. | Song, ‘There the brisk sparkling,’ (Mrs. Knyvett.) Choice of Hercules | HANDEL. |
| 9. | Coronation Anthem, ‘Zadok the priest’ | HANDEL. |
ACT II.
| 10. | Overture, Iphigenia | GLUCK. |
| 11. | Recit, ‘To Heaven’s Almighty King,’ (Mr. Braham) Air, ‘O liberty.’ Judas Maccabeus | HANDEL. |
| 12. | Chorus, ‘For this God.’ Quartet and Chorus, ‘And he will be.’ (Mrs. Knyvett, Terrail, Vaughan, and Phillips) | MARCELLO. |
| 13. | Recit. ‘Alas! I find,’ (Miss Stephens.) Song, ‘If guiltless blood.’ Susanna | HANDEL. |
| 14. | Duet, ‘Alma mia!’ (Vaughan and Phillips) Admetus | HANDEL. |
| 15. | Madrigal, ‘Sweet honey-sucking bees’ | WILBYE. |
| 16. | Recit, ‘He measured the waters,’ (Mr. Machin.) Air, ‘He layeth the beams.’ Redemption | HANDEL. |
| 17. | Chorus, ‘O, praise the Lord’ | LEO. |
This concert is so much beyond the average quality of the Royal Duke’s ordinary selections, that we are inclined to believe that though his, nominally, yet that the conductor may have had the chief hand in it. ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice; but the hands are the hands of Esau.’ Be this, however, as it may, if we must listen to the same music over and over again, we had rather endure the repetition of that which is good, than of mere trash, none of which can be found in the present concert. At the rehearsal on Monday, ‘Zadok the priest’ was the opening piece, and the very fine chorus, ‘Let old Timotheus,’ concluded the first act; but this last was omitted on Wednesday night, to make room for the oft-repeated movement from the Funeral Anthem, a change considerably for the worse. Miss Masson, whose first appearance we noticed in the third concert of the season of 1831, sang the song allotted to her (No. 5) very respectably; the same huskiness of voice which we then observed is still perceptible; perhaps it is only the effect of a cold; some of her tones are exceedingly good, and her expression not without feeling. The novelty of the evening was the appearance of Mr. Machin, who possesses a fine bass voice, and seems to understand what he is about. He gave his recitative and song with great propriety; we shall be glad to hear him again. We defer for the present our sentiments respecting the Madrigals (No. 2 and 15), as our limits will not allow taking up the subject here; we propose noticing them in our account of the next concert. We cannot pass over the quartet and chorus from Marcello, without recording our approbation. We believe the late conductor, as well as the present, both arranged these movements from the forty-eighth psalm; to which of the two the merit belongs of this night’s performance, we cannot say; either might be justly proud of it, and thus ‘divide the crown.’
SECOND CONCERT OF ANCIENT MUSIC,
Under the direction of Lord Burghersh, for His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge, Wednesday, March 13, 1833.
ACT I.
| 1. | Overture. Chorus, ‘How excellent thy name.’ Saul | HANDEL. |
| 2. | Song, ‘O Lord! have mercy,’ (Mr. Parry) | PERGOLESI. |
| 3. | Madrigal, ‘Die not, fond man’ | WARD. |
| 4. | Song, ‘Non vi turbate.’ (Mrs. Bishop.) Chorus, ‘Dal lieto Soggiorno.’ Alceste | GLUCK. |
| 5. | Recit. ‘Bless’d be the Lord,’ (Mrs. Knyvett.) Song, ‘What though I trace.’ Solomon | HANDEL. |
| 6. | Chorus, ‘Credo in unum Deum.’ Quartet, ‘Et incarnatus est,’ (Mrs. Bishop, Terrail, Sale, and Donzelli.) Chorus, ‘Et resurrexit’ | MOZART. |
ACT II.
| 7. | Overture. Zauberflöte | MOZART. |
| 8. | Recit. ‘And God created man.’ Creation. Air, ‘In native worth,’ (Mr. Bennett) | HAYDN. |
| 9. | Madrigal, ‘Stay, Corydon’ | WILBYE. |
| 10. | Recit. ‘Lasciate!’ (Miss Masson.) Aria, ‘Morirò! ma vendicata.’ Teseo | HANDEL. |
| 11. | Chorus, ‘Regina cœli, lætare’ | MOZART. |
| 12. | Glee, ‘Blow, blow, thou winter wind,’ (Mrs. Knyvett, Terrail, Horncastle, and Bellamy) | STEVENS. |
| 13. | Duet, ‘The Lord is a man of war.’ Israel in Egypt. (Mr. Phillips and Mr. Machin) | HANDEL. |
| 14. | Recit. ‘Ah perfida.’ Aria, ‘Và dal furor,’ (Signor Donzelli) | JOMELLI. |
| 15. | Chorus, ‘The Gods, who chosen.’ Athalia | HANDEL. |
For years past, the attempt to get up a madrigal at the Ancient Concerts was little more than a failure. Lord Fortescue was attached to this species of composition, and while his health permitted him to take an active share in the direction, madrigals were occasionally introduced, but without effect. The causes which led to this arose out of the defective system to which we have frequently alluded, and were sufficiently evident to any one possessing some experience in this style of music. In the preceding concert, two madrigals were performed, and also two in the present (Nos. 3 and 9). The conductor has adopted a new plan, which has succeeded well, thus far: there is yet ample room for improvement, which we do not despair of witnessing, if he persevere in his endeavours to accomplish. Instead of sitting before the instrument and thumping it, by way of marking the time, he quits the chair, and standing in front of the orchestra, with baton in hand, gives the time in a way to be seen by every performer. But he must not stop here: at present, the whole body of chorus-singers are employed—if, indeed, these singers were drilled in the same admirable mode that the German chorus, who performed at the Opera House last summer, were, then might a similar powerful effect be produced by the same attention to the piano and forte, the delightful crescendo and diminuendo, the beautiful precision, and the nice blending of the different voices, creating, as it were, an ensemble quite unrivalled. But as the Ancient Concert chorus is at a considerable distance from that just described, we are confident that if about four or five voices to each part were selected from the main body, comprising of course all the principal singers, the result would be highly beneficial. At present, the female singers appear to have no idea of what they are required to do; each seems determined to be heard, by singing as loud as possible, thus overpowering the other parts, the basses especially, and materially injuring the general effect. Among the altos and tenors also, there are some harsh discordant voices, which might be omitted in the selection with great advantage to the performance. We shall again revert to this subject.