We cannot say from which of Mozart’s works Mr. Forde has taken the melody of No. 4; it does not bear any of the very distinguishing marks of the author, though agreeable. The words, which are not quite intelligible to us, are not all adapted with the proper regard to emphasis, and the accompaniment needs much thinning. With a little alteration, this duet may be made useful to such amateur singers as are not disposed to examine too critically the poetry to which they give utterance.
- ARIETTA, ‘Torna in quell’ onda chiara,’ the words by METASTASIO, the Music composed by LORD BURGHERSH. (Lonsdale and Mills.)
- BALLAD, ‘Crabbed Age and Youth,’ composed and published as the preceding.
- BALLAD, ‘Unmindful of my sorrow,’ written by MRS. BUTTERWORTH, composed by Mrs. PHILIP MILLARD. (Monro and May.)
- BALLAD, ‘I know our dream of love is o’er,’ the melody by BEETHOVEN, the Poetry, Symphonies, and Accompaniments by J. A. WADE, Esq. (Hawes.)
- SONG, ‘The World of Change,’ the poetry by MRS. ABDY, adapted to a melody of Spohr’s, by EDWIN J. NEILSON. (Hawes.)
- SONG, ‘When the moon sheds her lustre,’ written by S. P. QUIN, ESQ., composed by ALEXANDER D. ROCHE. (Cocks and Co.)
- SONG, ‘I saw thee crop that beauteous flower,’ composed by CHARLES M’KORKELL. (Chappell.)
- CANZONET, ‘Farewell, ye green hills,’ composed by J. W. DAVISON. (Purday.)
No. 1, short and simple as it is, possesses much of that quality for which we so often sigh,—originality. Nothing can be more easy than this, for both singer and accompanyist, and it cannot fail of a circulation among those who do not take fright at a foreign language.
No. 2, we are told in a note, ‘is founded on the ancient Greek enharmonic mode, in which the 4th and 7th of the scale are omitted, as in the scale used in the Scotch melodies.’ In old Scottish airs, and, what is rather remarkable, in Chinese melodies, these intervals are rejected, but we do not wish to see the practice imitated, except, perhaps, now and then, to give—as in the present case—a tinge of antiquity to music set to ancient poetry.
No. 3 is very expressively set; but the time being marked 2/4, it appears to us that larghetto would have met the composer’s intentions better than andante, which, in four-quaver time, is quicker than the character of both words and music seems to justify.
No. 4 is the andante in B flat from Beethoven’s septet, which Mr. Wade apparently intends now to be sung much slower than it is played in its original form. He has not been very fortunate in adapting words to this; ‘one’ is not emphatic, nor is the last syllable of ‘memory,’ of ‘melody,’ and of ‘minstrelsy,’ long. Me-mo-ry, &c., will not do.