brown in the accessories of their stable. Defect of solidity appears, in the large drawing of a white dog, My Friend Fox (294).—Mr. F. Smallfield has many sketches of contradictory and, to the critic who has to define his rank in Art, baffling sorts; here and there shines a gleam of true feeling, here and there a trace of genuine craft, yet both are marred, the one by occasional carelessness, the other by frequent bad taste.-Mr. S. P. Jackson continues his studies of sea-coasts and rivers with success. Streetley on the Thames (13), a greyish evening effect, is a little chalky, but very delicate. Kynance Cove (55) is also rather chalky, but renders the atmosphere admirably; the sea and rocks are well painted. Several other studies, taken in the neighbourhood of the Lizard and Land's End, are worthy of the notice of the visitor.

Among the most admirable examples here are those of Mr. A. Hunt; and all of them deserve careful study. They are works of Art, in which a loving spirit has led the painter directly to nature. View in Ross-shire (80) is a beautiful picture of a river spreading in a wide channel, in moorland, with mountains in the distance: the sky is full of learning. Study for the Large Drawing of a Rainbow in Dolwydden Valley (157) is executed in sepia, and thus gives the chiaroscuro and light and shade of the picture without its colour. Equally admirable and honourable to the artistic spirit of the painter is Llandecwyn (166), also in sepia, and a superbly wrought study, which is remarkable for its atmospheric truth. View near Loch Corruisk (176), should be noted for its own sake. Peatbog at the Head of Loch Maree (202) displays a noble sense of the magnitude and richness of the subject, so that one is enchanted by it. A rough path leads over a moor to the greater waste of a mountain-side clad in green of diverse and splendid hues; further off are summits in purple and grey; all below a sky which is saturated with light. Many other examples enhance the reputation of this painter, great as it is.-At least equally acceptable to the artist and lover of nature with those by Mr. Hunt are the pictures which Mr. Dodgson contributes: no member has so distinctly advanced in skill as this painter. He deals broadly with nature, selects his elements from her stores, and combines them with that powerful sense of Art which is never so well seen in English water-colour painting as in the productions of that great master, David Cox. Every touch is balanced and studied, yet the whole is subservient to truth. On the Lyn, North Devon (91), is perfect; so too is River Scenery (106); Ludgate Hill (123), shows how the same principles are applied to diverse subjects: this is only less admirable than the first-named drawing. Study, Larpool (164), for grouping of the elements of rock, water and foliage, is not, in its way, to be surpassed. Here simplicity has become grandeur by masterly treatment. Study, on the Lyn (174) is a gem of vigorous painting. Note also Evening on the Lyn (370)-Mr. G. P. Boyce renders Nature in a manner which has little in common with that of Mr. A. Hunt, still less with that of Mr. Dodgson; yet he also is a powerful painter. Cottage and Barn at Holmbury, Surrey (122) shows an old redbrick house, with redder tiles, deep in lush foliage and dewy air. An Old Fortified House in Northumberland, two Sketches (233) depict a building of stone, with brick chimneys, and are delicious to the eye of the lover of broad effects and delicate greys. Farm-House at South Stoke, Oxfordshire (300) may be said to be, for the first time in our knowledge of the artist's works, a little painty; nevertheless, it is of a high order. Probably the most admirable of Mr. Boyce's pictures here is that exquisitely-drawn, vividly-coloured triumph of foreshortening, In the Roman Dyke at Dorchester, Autumn (338): this shows the slightly curving lines of the great earthwork with the flat way between them clad in the gloriously-hued herbage of autumn, without a tree to mark the distances. Dependent on the drawing, modelling and toning of a wonderful multitude of details for its perspective effect and solidity, this work is as masterly as Mr. Dodgson's studies; it

is even more brilliant than they and those of Mr. A. Hunt are; intensely literal, it is hardly less grand.-Mr. F. Powell's coast scenes remain to be noticed among the works of Fine Art here. Harbour at the Head of Loch Scavaig (18), with a sky of brass-like tint; this picture of a lake and hills, with a cascade falling from one to the other, is very delicately graded and truly drawn and coloured. Three drawings, No. 76, are so many gems, of which, on the whole, we prefer the first, Inverkip on the Clyde. Carrick Castle, Loch Goil (160) is exquisite. A Gale (378) takes us out at sea, and is a marvel of fine drawing of

waves.

PROF. RUSKIN ON SCULPTURE. THE Course of lectures which Prof. Ruskin is delivering in Oxford during the present term, is on the subject of Sculpture. After an introductory lecture on the 'Division of the Arts,' he commenced the series by explaining the influence of imagination on sculpture.

To the full development of the creative imagination three things are necessary. First of all, Mimicry, beginning with the rough outline of the reindeer sketched on the flat surface of the bone with a flint chip; in its early stage drawing no distinction between painting and sculpture, but accentuating the one by the other. Thus in some of the Egyptian monuments we find the outline of the painted figures marked by the graver's tool.

But it is not long before the mimetic instinct outgrows itself, and Art proceeds from the object of sight to objects of imagination, from the real to the ideal; it seeks to bring the Immortals out of the clouds to dwell among men; it endeavours to represent the unseen. Hence the second necessary to the development of sculpture is Idolatry, the desire for the companionship of the invisible powers, and the wish to do them honour. This idolizing instinct appears in all the best Pagan sculpture it is not personality which is given to the gods-it is rather interpretation of their attributes. There is no image of the sun because he himself is seen by men.

This idolatry cannot be directed aright without a third requisite, viz. Discipline. The heart of the nation must be set on the discovery of equal law.

They must be desirous of equity, order, and wholesome restraint. We see in Greek sculpture a natural effort to discover the nature of justice, as we see in the Tuscan a similar effort to discover the nature of justification. Thus it is that truth and decision is imported into all its acts, and that the things imitated are chosen for nothing except their pure beauty.

In the degeneracy of Sculpture, a fourth characteristic has a tendency to manifest itself, viz. Lust. It may be that in Pagan times this element appeared during the golden age of sculpture in the Phallic worship; but now it is a mark of weakness and degeneracy, and the Art which admits it is not far off from its decline and death.

The Greeks have taught us for ever what is the proper object of Sculpture. It represents wisdom and skill combined with strength. The owl of Minerva was considered by the best men of all ages as the type of the spirit of wisdom. It is found in Venetian and Florentine Art; it sits by the side of St. John the Baptist, and is present at the martyrdom of saints. Hephaestus, again, represents the agricultural workman, together with the physical character of fire. The birth of Athene from the head of Zeus, cleft by Hephaestus's axe, is the birth of wisdom through the agency of manual labour.

In Sculpture, everything must tell of life; mere physical power is not enough, necessary as it is to Sculpture; it must be physical power in action, and combined with intellectual force. Dress and armour must always be introduced as subsidiary to action. An Athenian invariably employs it to exhibit the beauty of the action of the body; a Florentine to conceal the body, but to exhibit mental emotion. We see this especially in Michael Angelo. It is a distinct sign of decadence in Sculpture when dress and armour are represented for their own sake.

Fine-Art Gossip.

THE private view of the Winter Exhibition of the Society of British Artists takes place to-day (Saturday); the gallery will be opened to the public on Monday next.

THE Society of Painters in Water Colours gives notice that in future the elections of Associates to the body will take place in March. The third Monday in March is the day appointed for receiving the drawings of candidates.

THE proposition made by Mrs. Brown, of May Fair, has been declined. This lady offered 50,000l. to induce the Metropolitan Board of Works to abandon that plan for widening Park Lane, which has so frightened the five residents in Hamilton Place. As it is the result of strenuous fighting, during more than five years, with all sorts of open and occult influences, from the stringent antagonism and bold defiance of public opinion that characterize the Office of Woods and Forests, to the action of more excusable appeals to self-interest, it would have been a strange dereliction of duty if the Board had done more than express its "regret that it is not in a position to accept the offer." It was stated to the Board that it would cost the metropolis 30,000l. additional if this temptation were yielded to, and 50,000l. to get rid of the contracts which had been entered into. If it is worth while to offer so large a sum as 50,000l. to preserve the privacy of five houses, and retain for private use that small piece of public land which now serves as a garden at the

north end of Hamilton Place, one cannot but wonder what must be the value of Hamilton Place itself: one might suggest an inquiry to this effect; also on what terms this property was let by the Office of Woods and Forests. Meanwhile, a noble opening, which would be, morally and physically, beneficial to thousands, presents itself to Mrs. Brown's generous feelings and magnificent_public_ spirit. Within sight of May Fair is the Haymarket, at the top of which is an unsavoury street leading

north it is desired to connect this street with Poland Street, on the south side of Oxford Street, and make a channel, not only for trade, but for light and air. It is estimated that just 50,0002

would suffice for this work.

A new picture, by Cima da Conegliano, has been added to the National Gallery, and numbered 816; it represents the Incredulity of St. Thomas.' Christ, half-draped in white, and wearing a cruciform nimbus, stands in the centre of the Apostles and exposes his side to the doubting disciple; the other followers look on with differing expressions. This picture is painted, after the early Venetian manner, with a great deal of brilliancy, firmness, learning, and characteristic attention to chiaroscuro. It has the luminous look of the school of the time of the life of the artist, who died in 1517; it is signed on a scroll which lies on the floor in front of the figures. The scene is as characteristic of the school as the other features of the picture are; it consists of a large hall, paved with squares of diverse-coloured marbles, with two openings in the wall behind and above the heads of the figures; through these we discern the landscape which is so common and so charming in such examples. This is a very fine specimen of the power and learning of the painter, who is thus fairly represented in the Gallery.

MR. C. DRURY FORTNUM informs us that he has received a letter from a friend in Rome, in which he says: "This morning (Nov. 21st) the regular and total excavation of the Forum has been commenced, as well as that of the adjacent monuments. We have 300,000 francs and 200 good workmen, Signor Rosa has the direction, and has immediately proposed a general plan for the excavation of all our care rovine." First, we begin with the Forum Romanum; then we shall attack the Palatine, the Forum of Augustus, &c.-Siste contento? He also tells us that Padre Malooly has made a rare discovery at San Clemente-a Mithreum perfectly intact, built probably at the time of Julian, in hatred of Christianity, at the side of the apse of the Basi

lica of Constantine. The mosaic roof is in imitation of a cavern. The altare is there, the sacred stone (cos), an ara with the usual mystic bas-relief; a statue of Mithras; niches for the Genii; the division for the initiated, &c. Near Genzano the remains of the Temple of Diana Nemorensis, with many inscriptions, have been brought to light: one of these contains the whole inventory of the objects of the sacristy (di sacristia), a most interesting document, which affords precious details of the worship of that deity.

MUSIC

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY. Exeter Hall.-Conductor. Sir MICHAEL COSTA.-FRIDAY WEEK, December 16.-In celebration of the Centenary of the Birth of the Composer, Beethoven's MASS in C and MOUNT OF OLIVES will be performed. Tickets, 33, 59., and 108. 6d., now ready at No. 6, Exeter Hall.

NOTE.-The position of the few stalls not taken up by last year's subscribers may now be seen, and subscriptions at once received for them, entitling to double tickets for the above performance.

The Annual Christmas Performances of The Messiah' on the 23rd and 30th December. Tickets now ready.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

THE association of amateurs who first assembled in Gray's Inn Lane to practise choral singing, little imagined that it would, in course of time, assume the proportions of a National Institution. If a foreigner visits this country during the season of the Sacred Harmonic Society, the first place he goes to, either spontaneously or by invitation, is Exeter Hall. He is astounded-be he a Spohr or a Mendelssohn, a Berlioz or a Meyerbeer-by the notification that once in a fortnight there is gathered an orchestra of over 700 performers to execute the oratorios of Handel, and the works of other master-minds who have written sacred music. Even in Rhineland, it can only be once in three years such a gathering can be mustered: and, setting aside the professional members, instrumental and vocal, of this vast assemblage, it is indeed remarkable that amateur choralists and players, from all classes of the community, can be thus collected to do homage to mighty Music, rendered in its highest forms. The early workers of this Society are yearly diminishing-for it is the thirtyeighth season which is now progressing. The heaviest losses ever sustained were those of Mr. Harrison and Mr. Bowley, the former the President, the latter the Treasurer; their deaths only took place in August last. Mr. Brewer, the Honorary Secretary for so many years, is now the President; his old post being filled by Mr. Puttick; whilst Mr. D. Hill, one of the original Committee, officiates as Treasurer. Without underrating the services rendered by Mr. Surman, the first conductor, it is musical history to record that the Society has taken its high position since the wielding of the baton, in 1848, by Sir Michael Costa, Without his directing head and hand, there never could have been the Handelian Festivals at the Crystal Palace; those grand gatherings having sprung from the training of the metropolitan choirs at the Sacred Harmonic Society. How the Exeter Hall executants have yearly gained in confidence and certainty was exemplified fully at the performance of Handel's 'Judas Maccabeus,' at the opening concert of the 25th ult., one of the oratorios which has the advantage of Sir M. Costa's admirable accompaniments, which are never overdone, are often picturesque, and are generally imbued with the Handelian spirit. The choralists were generally in good cue; they are not, as in the early days, mere shouting and screaming machines, but they sing with a keen sense of dramatic feeling, and are quite susceptible as to the conductor's vivid colouring of the score: his beat to them is as intelligible as if the directions were given in spoken words. The Judas Maccabeus' is always attractive for the vigour and variety of the choral writing -now sacred, then secular; for Handel, as an oratorio composer, is as thoroughly dramatic as in his early operas-in his scenes of the earth, earthy, and devotional when he soars to sacred situations. The solos were sustained by Madame Vanzini, who is quite anti-Handelian in her style; Miss Vinta, who sang unaffectedly and

with excellent effect; Madame Patey, with her magnificent voice; Mr. Vernon Rigby, a very vigorous tenor, who is gaining ground rapidly; Mr. Montem Smith, a most serviceable artist, whether as principal in an emergency or as second tenor habitually; and Signor Foli, whose organ is better than his method. Mr. James Coward, of the Crystal Palace, is again at his post as organist. On the 16th of December (the eve of Beethoven's birthday), his Mass in c and 'The Mount of Olives' will be performed for the centenary celebration. Madame Viardot is engaged to sing in the Christmas performances of 'The Messiah."

MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS.

THE six string quartetts marked Op. 18, have been executed consecutively by the same players in three successive concerts: namely, Madame NormanNeruda, Messrs. Ries, Zerbini, and Piatti. These early works of Beethoven have essentially the Mozartian type. The programme of the 28th ult. contained the Sonata in A flat, Op. 24, for pianoforte, and the Sonata in A minor, Op. 23, for piano and violin. Of the 35 pianoforte Sonatas of Beethoven, Op. 26 is one of the most interesting, containing as it does, the funeral march; it was admirably played by Madame Arabella Goddard, the allegro final movement being re-demanded. Associated with Madame Norman-Neruda the A minor Sonata could not fail to excite more than ordinary interest, and the two ladies were quite equal to the task of realizing the composer's intentions. Herr Stockhausen sang four of Beethoven's songs,-the 'Andenken' and 'Abendlied,' and 'Der Abend' and 'O köstliche Zeit,' the latter accompanied by Madame Norman-Neruda and Signor Piatti on the violin and violoncello, the former by Mr. Benedict on the pianoforte. In the singing of the Lieder of Beethoven and Schubert, the German basso is unrivalled in accent and expression. He is heard in such works to infinitely greater advantage than when he sings through a full orchestra. This was exemplified at the Crystal Palace last Saturday, when he gave Schubert's 'Wanderer,' cleverly scored by Herr Hiller, of Cologne, but the effect of it is finer with the pianoforte alone.

BEETHOVEN'S 'RUINS OF ATHENS.' SCHINDLER, in his life of Beethoven, makes but slight allusion to the music to 'Die Ruinen von Athen.' He merely states that the work was composed in 1812, for the opening of the new theatre in Pesth, and that it was revived on the 3rd of October, 1822, the birthday of the Emperor Francis, for the opening of the new theatre in the "Josephstadt." It appears that Kotzebue wrote the original libretto in 1812, and that it was executed on the 9th of February in that year at the inauguration of the new theatre in Pesth, and in honour of King Stephen. In 1822 Carl Meusel supplied a new text adapted to the atmosphere of the Austrian capital, in honour of the Emperor. Looking at this music, it is pretty palpable that "A plague on both your houses" must have been Beethoven's notion in setting such miserable twaddle. The composer despised equally the adulation of King and Emperor, and his operatic experience with 'Fidelio' had disgusted him with theatrical manifestations. He produced King Stephen' on the same evening as 'The Ruins of Athens.' Despite the weakness of the greater portion of these two Hungarian musical dramas, there are gems in both worthy of the genius of Beethoven. It would, therefore, have been better if, at their ninth Beethoven Commemoration, on the 26th ult., the Crystal Palace directors had confined their selection from 'The Ruins of Athens' to the Chorus of Dervishes, the Turkish March, and to the Interlude of Wind Music, three capital numbers, all of which were re-demanded with energy. The overture is the weakest of the weak; the choruses and the parts for chief singers almost contemptible when associated with such a name as that of Beethoven. Was he displaying his caustic humour in showing his strength in the

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Oriental strains? Did he feel thorough contempt, with his strong republican opinions, for the then non-emancipated Greece? Was it his keen sense of boredom in having to glorify King and Emperor Be the theory what it may, he has assuredly treated very scurvily Minerva, Mercury, Thalia, Melpomene, the Greeks, and the great characters of the German drama. Aliquando dormitat Homerus," exclaims poor Herr Schindler, "the friend of Beethoven," when he tries to find excuses for his idol. But a deus ex machina was found in later times in England. The late Mr. Bartholomew, who concocted the book of Elijah' out of Krummacher's life of the Prophet for Mendelssohn, came to the rescue of Beethoven's reputation. Musical amateurs may recollect that on the 5th of March, 1846, there was produced at the Princess's Theatre, then under the management of the late Mr. Maddox, a dramatic masque, called 'The Ruins of Athens,' which was not only written and adapted to the music of Beethoven, as was modestly announced, but Handel and Mendelssohn were put in requisition, together with gleanings from Rowe and Shakspeare, two airs and some orchestral tunes of Beethoven being also interpolated. King Stephen and the Emperor Francis were cruelly immolated by the British poet, who, with equal remorse, sacrificed all the German celebrities. Minerva, Mercury, and the two Greek slaves were retained, being associated with Prospero, Macbeth, Witches, and a Janizary Captain. This Bartholomew massacre was completed by a marvellous change of scene from the Acropolis to the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England in London, where Minerva and Mercury invoked the statue of the Duke of Wellington in blank verse; the poet, however, returning to Apollo and the Muses, to enable Minerva and Mercury, in Rowe's language, to compliment and crown the statue of Shakspeare; and in this tableau the Masque ended. The supreme joke in this extraor dinary adaptation was, that whilst invoking Wellington's monument, the Greeks had achieved their freedom; they were no longer under Ottoman rule. The Masque was, of course, received with continuous merriment; it was laughed out of court. At the Crystal Palace, Mr. Bartholomew's concertwords were used; if there was no merriment, it was only perhaps because it is difficult to laugh and yawn at the same time. No wonder the Dance of Dervishes, and the other Turkish pieces were felt as a sensible relief to the Greek aspirations. The Kaaba was more respected than Jove's temple; and Alborak was more respected than great Apollo.

The second tribute to Beethoven was Op. 61, the only concerto he ever wrote for the violin; it was composed for Herr Clement, and was played by him in Vienna in 1806. The task of executing the fiddle part in this stupendous concerto was assigned to Madame Norman-Neruda, a lady who has certainly distinguished herself nobly in playing upon an instrument which, when competing with a full orchestra, requires the muscular bowarm and iron fingers of a man. It is not in the grand concerto that the marvellous ability of Madame Norman-Neruda is recognized; but her delicate, refined, and finished style was naturally manifested in the larghetto, one of Beethoven's loveliest inspirations.

VIARDOT, GOUNOD AND FAure. UNDER ordinary circumstances, the paragraph in last week's Athenæum referring to the Refugees Benevolent Fund might have sufficed; but the rule exempting Charity Concerts from criticism must be departed from, when we take into con sideration the exceptional interest and attraction of the programme of the 24th ult. in St. James's Hall, under the direction of Mr. Benedict and Signor Randegger. Those who were present on the occasion will record it as a red-letter evening, rendered memorable by the appearance of Madame Viardot, M. Faure and M. Gounod. To mention these three names specially cannot be mistaken as intending any slight to the other artists who gave their services, and whose names have been mentioned in these columns; but Madame Viardot's return here to resume her professional

career; the advent of M. Faure and M. Gounod, not in the midst of the fashionable season, but in the foggy and dreary month of November,-are unprecedented events in musical annals, and were evidently regarded as such by the large auditory, which indulged in enthusiastic demonstrations as each artistic celebrity appeared on the orchestral platform. It was M. Faure who came first, to sing Rossini's superb scena from the 'Siege of Corinth, Qu'à ma voix.' At the words, "Respectez ces palais, ces prodiges des arts," and, again

6

Sans les arts, frères de la gloire,

Il n'est point d'immortalité,

delivered in M. Faure's noble style, the hall rang with cheers. The great French basso was succceded by Madame Viardot, who sang another à propos air, as it were-Rossini's patriotic Pensa alla Patria,' from the 'Italiana in Algeria.' How describe the furore provoked by the grandeur of her delivery of the recitative-by her marvellous compass in the cabaletta? Her voice is fresher than it was ten years since; in the lower notes it is decidedly richer and more sonorous. That her vocalization is such a marvel arises from the indomitable will that she displays in battling with nature, which has not endowed her with a fine organ. With her, the singing is of the heart and intellect; the voice itself is but secondary. When she has to execute one of those daring scales which she alone can invent, and in which she has to attack high notes, the effect on the ear is harsh and grating for the moment, but in the next instant there emanate thrilling tones which touch the heart. The upper part of her register she absolutely drags out, by sheer courage, and quite irrespective of the physical difficulties she has to contend with. Her glorious sister Malibran excepted, no artiste can be cited who has exercised such a potent spell over an auditory, no vocalists gifted with the most sympathetic of organs, and no singers possessing the faculty of florid execution to the most brilliant degree, can be quoted who have such dramatic powers as Madame Viardot. Of every style of art she is a consummate mistress; in the delivery of any gradation of sound she has never been approached; and thus it is that in the portrayal of varied emotions, she enlists the sympathies so irresistibly. In the 'Pensa alla Patria' she exhibited an elevation of style and power of declamation that raised the words to a national import, as if some patriot was striving to rouse his country to a supreme effort. In the subsequent scena from Gluck's < Orphée,' "J'ai perdu mon Euridice," the vocalization was of another order of excellence; herein the passionate appeals of Orpheus for his lost spouse were rendered with such acute sensibility, that the emotions of many of the listeners were conveyed more by sympathetic tears than by the ordinary tokens of applause. When M. Gounod accompanied M. Faure in two of his songs, 'Le Vallon,' and Au Printemps,' both composer and singer had ample reason to be gratified with English enthusiasm. And Miss Thackeray, one of the committee of the Refugees' Fund, contributed her appeal in its aid, by a fanciful preface to the book of words, Notes from a Fog, November, 1870, replete with earnest and sympathetic feeling, the concluding words of which convey the hint for future support: "Once more the mists are closing, the music is over, the stars are no longer shining; only the poor wanderers are with us still." The stars of the St. James's Hall shone, however, to some purpose, for more than 500l. was realized by

this memorable concert.

AUBER'S FRA DIAVOLO.'

THE three-act opera, by Auber, 'Fra Diavolo,' was produced at the Salle Favart, in Paris, in 1829, the year after 'La Muette' (Masaniello). The late Mr. Rophino Lacey-who had a knack of adapting foreign works by a strange process of blending several operas together, and who concocted that extraordinary compound of Rossini and Handel, by arranging the 'Moïse' of the former and the 'Israel in Egypt' of the latter for

Covent Garden, with a splendid mise-en-scène illustrating the miracles-acted fairly enough with 'Fra Diavolo.' His English version was brought out at Covent Garden, on the 3rd of November, 1831, and it has kept its position in the répertoire ever since. In the original cast were Miss Romer and Miss Cawse, Mr. Braham, Messrs. G. Penson, Wilson, Morley, G. Stansbury, and Reynoldson, not one of whom survives. In subsequent casts, Mr. Wilson (the Scotch vocalist) was popular in 'Fra Diavolo,' and it has also been a favourite part of Mr. Sims Reeves. When the Royal Italian Opera was given, in the Lyceum, after the destruction by fire of Covent Garden, an Italian adapta. tion was mounted with great success-the lamented Madame Bosio (Zerlina), Mdlle. Marai (Lady Pamela), Gardoni (Fra Diavolo), Ronconi (the English lord), and the late M. Zelger and Tagliafico, the two subaltern brigands. In the following seasons Madame Carvalho was heard as Zerlina and Naudin as Fra Diavolo, with Ciampi as Lord Allcash. The mention of these casts to the regular Opera frequenters will afford some idea of the present cast at the Gaiety: Madame Florence Lancia as Zerlina; Miss A. Tremaine, Lady Allcash; Mr. Santley, Fra Diavolo; Mr. C. Lyall, Lord Allcash; Mr. A. Byron, Lorenzo; and Messrs. Stoyle and A. Cook, the two robbers. The execution may satisfy those hearers who have never heard 'Fra Diavolo' before. Singularly enough, the artistic result is much the same as in 'Zampa': the success of the singing falls to Mr. Santley; that of the acting to Mr. Charles Lyall. The transfer of the tenor part to the register of the baritone in no way affected the ensemble; in the serenade tenors were wont to use the head-notes freely, but, this solo excepted, Mr. Santley's vocalization is quite as great as in 'Zampa.' Mario was for some seasons announced for Fra Diavolo, but shrank from the music because he considered it better adapted for a strong, or rather baritone, tenor. The scena of the Brigand Chief was subtly declaimed and sung by Mr. Santley. His acting was neither better nor worse than that of the ordinary run of English singers, who rely implicitly on their stage manager for action and accent in the dialogue, not being gifted with the power of "creating" characters. A mechanical and conventional mode of delivering the spoken text is the result of the system. As in 'Zampa,' the stage accessories exhibit care and intelligence in the mounting; for the first time the characters are really dressed in the Neapolitan costumes of the period. The representative of Lady Allcash was a solitary exception; she had a very low dress for a lady who has stepped out of her travelling-carriage into the courtyard of the

inn of Terracina; as she was so décolletée it is no wonder the open air affected so sadly her intonation. Mr. Lyall has not copied servilely the inimitable Ronconi. His make-up is excellent, and his facial expression is quite telling, yet he does not resort to caricature. The music of Zerlina is not suited for Madame Florence Lancia; after Madame Carvalho and Mdlle. Pauline Lucca, it is difficult to follow, but there has been no vocalist as yet, native or foreign, who ever equalled the late Miss Emma Romer, who made her debut on the stage as Zerlina in 1831.

ST. CECILIA.

SHOULD a second edition of Mr. Husk's pleasant book on Cecilian Odes and Celebrations appear, some additions will have to be made of interest, and one (impossible as it may seem) of no ordinary comicality. This presents itself in the form of a new Hymn of the Saint, which was recently, I am apprised, brought forward at a Conversazione on sacred music" by a Rev. Roman Catholic gentleman, S. J. For reasons of courtesy I forbear from printing the lecturer's full name. Further, not appreciating burlesque verses-in which, whether gravely or gaily, sacred names are introduced, and momentous themes set forth-I will not give the entire astounding lyric, which, I suppose, was sung, after having been set by some anonymous composer, in all its original sublimity and daring. But here are five stanzas from the new hymn :

To be grave for a moment-there is no theme on which certain dogmatists have been more acrimoniously eloquent than the presumptuous and illiterate vulgarity of many of the words formerly accepted and sung in strenuous congregational chorus, by the earlier bodies of Dissenters. These have altogether vanished from their Hymnals, together with the old-may it not be said, jolly?tunes, which were pressed into the service of the Tabernacle on Rowland Hill's principle. The change in this respect during the last fifty years has been as remarkable, as it must be acceptable to every person of reverential mind, be his colour of creed what it may. What, then, is to be said when a member of a religious body-among whose boasts formerly was the possession of refinement and learningshall venture, in this nineteenth century of oursand in the heart of our modern Babylon-to promulgate, under serious pretexts, such trash as the above! H. F. C.

Musical Gossip.

THE cheap autumnal season of Italian Opera at Covent Garden will close on the 10th inst. The opera-buffa season at the Lyceum will be commenced in the first week of the New Year.

HANDEL'S 'Messiah' was performed at St. James's Hall on Wednesday night, conducted by Mr. Henry Leslie, with Fräulein Tietjens, Madame Trebelli-Bettini, Mr. Sims Reeves and Signor Foli as principal singers.

THE Austrian Military Band of the "8th Regiment Royal Imperial Red Hussars announce to give two concerts in the Hanover Square Rooms, the first on Thursday last.

THE death of Signor Ferrari, one of the Professors of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, and a Director of the Philharmonic Society, is announced; he sang some years since at concerts; his voice was a baritone-bass of no great power, but he was a good musician.

THE Liverpool Philharmonic Society has given a concert in honour of Beethoven; the 'Egmont' and Fidelio ' Overtures, the Symphony in c minor, the choral pianoforte Fantasia and Moonlight Sonata were the works selected. Madame Arabella Goddard was the pianiste, and Mr. Benedict conducted.-At a late Concert a first appearance as a singer was "put in " (to adopt the law phrase) by Mrs. Weldon,- -a lady favourably known in our London circles as an amateur, and who has recently been studying for "the profession," we believe, under the guidance of Mr. Benedict.

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As many mistakes are abroad, which may, without due care, pass into historical blunders, and as the relatives of the great composer are allowing time to go by and erroneous tales to pass for truths, this may be the place to repeat that the original singers in Elijah,' on its production in Birmingham, A.D. 1846, were Herr Staudigl (the protagonist), Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Bassano, Miss Hawes, the Misses Williams; Messrs. Hobbs, Lockey, Phillips and Machin; further, that the oratorio, though enthusiastically received (there were only eight encores!)