No. 1, from an opera now having a great run in Paris, composed by Halevy, is an excellent rondo, the air graceful and pleasing, and the amplification of it exhibiting delicacy of taste and a full knowledge of the character and capabilities of the instrument. Here we find no notes sixty-four to a bar,—no leaps of 17ths and 19ths,—no howling runs of semitones,—all is rational, and worthy of a clever, spirited writer. Let it, however, be observed, that the author of this is not Henri Herz, but his brother, who appears to have a soul for music; while his relative only shows that he has fingers and thumbs for the art. This air is named La Romeca in the opera; it is by comparison short, and though it looks easy, requires an experienced player, and one with a wide hand, the base passages continually embracing ten notes.
No. 2 is clearly a dance-tune: its rhythm of three and two bars shows that the measure is made to yield to stage action. The air is rather pretty—somewhat national in character, and the composer’s chief aim seems to have been, to make the rondo as easy to the performer as was possible, short of being rendered fit for a learner of three months’ standing.
- ‘Nel cor piu,’ arranged, with variations after the style of PAGANINI, &c. &c. &c. by JOHN PURKIS. (Purday.)
- RONDOLETTO, from the Barcarole of Marie, by HENRY KARR. (Welsh.)
THE least meritorious part of No. 1 is the title-page, which we have cut short; not, however, from any disrespect to her Majesty, our queen, whose name, ‘by special permission,’ appears on it, but because it contains much nonsense. The five variations on Paisiello’s air, ‘Nel cor piu non mi sento,’ are rather clever in contrivance, and pleasing, but let us hope that not above half of these were ever played on the organ, for semidemisemiquavers on that instrument would be as much out of character as a bravura from the pulpit. Indeed, we must say that, however well suited to the piano-forte, there is hardly a single page of this calculated for that noble piece of mechanism, the organ. If, nevertheless, the whole were ever performed on the Apollonicon, and met with the ‘unbounded applause’ which the composer—reviving a vain, childish, absurd phrase, which we hoped had been exploded—boasts of, such applause only proves what a modicum of discrimination his auditors must have brought with them into the room.
No. 2 has much to recommend it to general notice;—the barcarolle, by Herold, is a beautiful melody; it is exceedingly well worked into a rondo, by Mr. Karr; the piece is not long, shews much taste, and is well adapted to the instrument.
- SIX VARIATIONS on The Blue Bells of Scotland, composed by J. T. SURENNE. (Monro and May.)
- Air, ‘The stilly night,’ with variations, composed byJ. F. LEESON. (Dublin, Power.)
THE variations on the Blue-bells are very much like numberless other things of the kind; the composer does not seem to have even made an effort to strike out of the highway; he has followed the beaten path, and committed no offence. The only attempt at novelty is to be found in the title-page—(your title-pages are great tests of understanding)—where, in dedicating his variations to a friend, in English, he tells us, in French, that the dedicatee is an ‘élève de Bochsa!’—as if the words were untranslatable; and also as if the world cared one straw about such a piece of information.