Sept. 23, 1876.] THE MUSICAL WORLD.

643

for the inevitable custom of separating “ He shall feed His flock” OCCASIONAL NOTES.
and “ Come unto H im ” into two divisions, one for soprano,
the other for contralto, and the curtailment of the second A fter the production of Lalla Boukh, a musician ill-naturedly
part of “ The trumpet shall sound,” would have been remarked of Felicien D avid: “ W ill he never get off his cam el?”
heard, as the phrase is, “ in its integrity,” and no one the worse for The observation was repeated to Felicien, who quietly remarked :
it. All the leading vocalists contributed their aid : Mdlle Tietjens “ W e cannot all ride on donkey-back.”
and Mdme Edith Wynne dividing the soprano music ; Mdme Tre-
belli and Miss Enriquez the contralto ; Messrs Maybrick and Lewis T he following musical works were first produced in the month of
Thomas the bass ; the whole of the tenor part devolving upon Mr September: on the 16th, 1820, at Milan, II Barliere di Sixfglia, by
Cummings, who has thus with artistic zeal and genuine ability acted Rossini; on the 17th, 1759, at Paris, L'Huxtre et les Plaideurs, by
the very responsible part of substitute for Mr Sims Reeves during Philidor; on the 18th, 1813, at Milan, Ernesto e Palmira, by P.
the Festival, besides doing what was originally put down for C. Guglielmi; on the 19th, 1846, at Berlin, Struensee, by Meyer­
him, both in the mornings at the Cathedral and the evenings at the beer ; on the 20th, 1818, at Dresden, the “ Jubel-Ouverture,” by
Shire Hall. Into particulars it is as unnecessary to enter as it C. M. von W eber; and on the 21st, 1751, at Paris, La Guirlande,
would be to speak in detail about the various achievements of the
chorus, in a task so familiar to every one of the singers as that pre­ by Rameau.
sented by the Messiah. The oratorio was devoutly listened to from “ T h er e ’s a good time coming,” it appears, for dramatic art in
beginning to end ; and, after the hour’s interval for refreshment, Prussia. According to the National Zeitung, the Prussian Govern­
which followed the chorus, “ He is the King of Glory,” the audience ment, besides collecting information with respect to the stage in
returned to the Cathedral, as eager for what was yet to come as for France and England, intends consulting the leading authors and
that which had already been heard. What impression the magni­ managers of Germany as to how far a High School for Dramatic
ficent “ Hallelujah,” and the equally magnificent “ Worthy is the
Lamb,” with its overwhelming “ Amen,” fitting peroration to an A rt, and its support by tbe State, would be desirable. I t will,
unequalled masterpiece, created in such a place, and under such cir­ also, ask their opinion as to the conditions on which such an
cumstances, may be easily understood. Finis coronat opus ! establishment should be based.
The collection after the oratorio to-day was £406 Os. 7d. The
attendance was 2,089. O ne morning, Cherubini saw Habeneck enter his study, at the
-------o------- Paris Conservatory, with strong marks of agitation in his face.
“ W hy, what is the matter with you, Habeneck ? ” he inquired.
B E L L IN I'S REMAINS.
I “ I am the bearer of a sad piece of news, sir,” was the answer,
A t eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Friday the loth inst., the j “ Our celebrated professor of the oboe, poor Brod, died this
mortal remains of Bellini were officially delivered up to the morning !” “ Did he, though—there was not much volume in his
members of the Committee, despatched by the town of Catania, tone,” observed Cherubini very resignedly, and this was the whole
to carry them back to the composer’s birthplace. Pere-Lachaise of his funeral oration on the deceased virtuoso.
was not crowded. Only a few invitations had been issued, as the
Committee had not been long in Paris. There were two or three According to the Vienna Neue Freie Presse, H err Hans von
hundred persons present, among them being the Prefect of the Billow, after having been robbed by a wicked secretary, in
Seine, the Prefect of Police, MM. Vaueorbeil, Perrin, Carvalho, America, of all he possessed, is now in a private lunatic asylum,
L. Escudier, Muzio, J. Barbier, G. Gottrau, L£on and Ludovic near London. The Berlin Echo, on the other hand, asserts that
Halevy, Joncieres—the only French composer who thought it the H err is at present residing at Godesberg, a charming place on
worth while to attend, and he is a journalist and critic as well as the Rhine ; that he is in the enjoyment of perfect health, mental
a musician—Delahaye and Retz, representing the Opera and the and bodily ; and that he has invested his Transatlantic savings,
Conservatory, respectively, a few members of the Press, and a 100,000 marks, very advantageously and safely. W ho shall
certain number of Italians resident in P a ris; outside the cemetery, decide when journals disagree ?
however, some two or three thousand sight-seers had collected.
The first thing to be done was to verify the identity of the A Musical F estival is being organised at Vise, a town in
body. Though the latter was embalmed, the features of the 1 Belgium. The Managing Committee have issued a circular, in
Deceased had in forty-one years become irrecognisable, and the which they sa y : “ We hope that the exceptionally picturesque
ceremony of verification was a mere legal form. W hen it had situation of our little town, and its European reputation fo r the
been gone through, the coffin was closed and placed in a magnifi­ excellent preparation o f geese, will induce a large number of Vocal
cent outer coffin of cedar-wood, covered with red velvet, and Societies, who have not as yet notified their intention of being
ornamented with an inscription, a cross and four handles, the cross present, to accept the invitation we have sent them.” Geese and
and handles being of massive silver. After the usual prayers, the Music! Well, the geese once saved the Capitol. W ho knows
Marquis di San Giuliano, who spoke in French, delivered an what they may do for the Vis5 Festival ?
address, thanking France for the way in which she received
Bellini in 1835. Signori Curro and Ardizzoni then made speeches H err F orkel tells us in his life of the great composer that,
in Italian to the same effect, MM. Escudier, Grimaldi, and Michel when Divine Bervice was not being celebrated, Bach would often 1 e
Masson (the last representing the Society of Dramatic Authors requested by visitors to play on the organ. If he complied with
and Composers) pronounced a few touching words, which found an the request, he used to execute in all the various kinds of organ
echo in the hearts of those around, among whom was remarked, composition whatever subject he selected, so that it always remained
weeping bitterly, Bellini’s old friend, Sig. Francesco Florimo. the ground work of the performance, even if he played without
The tomb, henceforth empty, has borne since the loth inst. a intermission for two hours or more. First he used the theme for
second inscription referring to the ceremony which took place on a prelude and fugue with all the stops. Then he showed his skill
th at day. I t runs th u s :— “ Catania, Grata alia Franeia, Nel in using the stops for a trio, a quartet, &c., always upon the same
richiamare, le Ceneri illustn, Questa Lapide pose, 15 Settembre, subject. Afterwards followed psalm tunes (chorales), the melody
1876 ” (“ Catania, Grateful to France, When recalling the of which was intermingled in the most diversified manner with
illustrious Ashes, Placed this Stone, The loth September, 1876,*') the original subject, in three or four parts. Finally, the conclusion
By noon everything was over, and the Catanian Committee left was made by a fugue with all the stops, in which another treatm ent
with their precious charge for Italy. The Italian papers state only of the first subject predominated, or else one, or according to
th at the Municipality of Catania have had a gold medal struck for its nature two others were mixed with it. This is the art which
presentation to the City of Paris. On one side is the portrait of old Reinkin, of Hamburg, considered already lost in his time, but
Bellini, and, on the other, the inscrixjtion :— “ A Parigi, per le which, as he afterwards found, not only lived in John Sebastian
restituite Ceneri, Catania riconoscente ” (“ To Paris, Catania, Bach, but had attained through him the highest degree of per­
grateful fo r the restitution o f the ashes o f Bellini ”).— La Gazette fection.
Music ale.
P esth.—The German Theatre will open on the 1st October, under
H am bu rgh . —The performance of Beethoven's Fidelia lias afforded Herr Albin Swoboda, a manager of long experience. One of the
Mdlle Mahlknecht an opportunity for especially distinguishing earliest novelties will probably be Herr Richard Wiierst’s coirng
herself as the heroine. i opera of Fo.uhlas,
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