replied, "Whichever you please, my little dears!"

It is probable that the true secret of musical description is, that music is to some extent capable of describing facts, through the medium of sensations appertaining to them, which sensations are producible also by musical combinations. Thus, for instance, an impression of liveliness or of solemnity, conveyed by music, may correspond with feelings of the same nature excited by certain objects, or certain scenes, and so the music may seem to describe such objects or scenes, whereas, in reality, it only recalls certain subjective qualities of them. Hence, if the hearer is told what the music refers to, he may probably succeed in tracing the description; but if not, he may altogether fail in divining what is intended to be described.

However this may be, there is no doubt that descriptive music may call forth much skill and talent in its composition; and, where a thorough appreciation of the æsthetic character of music exists, it may lead to results of high merit, as it has certainly done in Professor Bennett's Jubilee Overture.

The ordinary concerts of the Society have maintained the reputation of the new band. The only features requiring special mention have been the performance of Spohr's fine symphony, "Die Weihe der Töne;" a symphony by Gadé, interesting for its novelty; and a charming violin concerto by Molique, equal to a symphony in the taste and skill displayed in its orchestral structure. The latter was executed by Herr Joachim, whose marvellous violin-playing in the last two seasons has excited unbounded admiration. It is scarcely possible to conceive a more perfect treatment of this most perfect of all instruments, either in a mechanical or an intellectual point of view, than it receives under his hands.

Dr. Wylde's New Philharmonic Society, and the Musical Society, have each given their courses of concerts with success. The latter were remarkable for the revival of the first of the four overtures written by Beethoven for the opera of

"Fidelio," now scarcely known; and for a fine performance of Beethoven's Choral Symphony, a work which appears to advance in public favour, although we cannot think that what many musicians consider the eccentricities of its style become less eccentric by frequent hearing.

The cheap popular Monday Concerts of chamber music are as good and as popular as ever; the "Musical Art Union" has not been continued this year.

The Sacred Harmonic Society have given a series of Oratorios, as usual, at Exeter Hall; but have been more notorious for the part they have taken in the great musical fête of the seasonnamely, the Handel Festival, held at the Crystal Palace, on the 23d, 25th, and 27th of June. Some years ago (as mentioned in our former article) the directors of the Crystal Palace agreed, with the co-operation of the Sacred Harmonic Society, to try what would be the effect of a monster performance of some of Handel's works; the essay was first made in 1857, and the result was so satisfactory that, after a repetition in 1859, it was decided to make it periodical, under the name of the Great Triennial Handel Festival. No precedent, however, had existed for performances on so large a scale, and the experience of the two earlier trials was needed to perfect the arrangements. The orchestra, erected in 1857, at the west end of the great transept, originally held about 2,500 performers. It was then entirely open at the sides and back, and consequently much of the sound was lost. In 1859, it was enlarged, and surrounded with canvas, but still the effect was not satisfactory, and it became apparent that, in order to obtain the best results, the inclosure must be made more perfect; and accordingly, on the present occasion, the orchestra has been entirely cased round, and covered over with a concave wooden roof, acting as a reflecting sound board. It has also been further enlarged, and is now 216 feet wide, 100 feet high, and nearly as deep, from front to back, as Exeter Hall is long!

The "Selection" contained several choruses which, from their grandeur of style, were very appropriate to the occasion; among them being "Let their celestial concerts all unite," from Samson ; "Envy, eldest-born of hell," from Saul; "As from the power of sacred lays," from Dryden's Ode to St. Cecilia's Day; "Immortal Lord," from Deborah ; "Praise the Lord with harp and tongue,' from Solomon; and a fine melodial chorus from the little-known opera of Hercules.

"

The execution of the choruses was most excellent, and much better than on any former occasion. The voices were admirably in tune, and kept well together, giving a unity and precision of effect truly marvellous, considering the enormous mass of executants and the

heterogeneous nature of its component elements. The general effect was very fine, and the result of the improvements in the construction of the orchestra was fully apparent in the greater concentration of the mass of sound, and the greater distinctness with which the music was heard in the remoter parts of the building.

The solo parts were taken by Madlle. Tietjens, Madame Rudersdorff, Madame Lemmens Sherrington, Miss Parepa, Madame Sainton Dolby, Mr. Sims Reeves, Mr. Weiss, Mr. Santley, and Signor Belletti. Many of the solos were sung in masterly style; but, of course, the choruses formed the great feature of the Festival. We must, however, pay, in passing, a tribute of admiration to Madlle. Tietjens, who, to a fine and wellcultivated voice, adds the charm (somewhat rare in the present day) of singular excellence and purity of style. She deserves the greatest praise for one notable feature in her singingthat is, a determined effort to abolish the ridiculous tremolo, which has unfortunately so long been in fashion. It happened that some celebrated opera singer, we think Rubini, took a fancy to express on the stage a sentiment of deep emotion, by a peculiar trembling, or unsteadiness of the voice, which, no doubt, as done by this most accomplished artist, was an idea at once appropriate and beautiful. But unfortunately, the effect being easy to imitate, he had soon a crowd of followers, who, not being blessed with his taste and judgment, made the ornament common, and, by taking away its appropriate meaning, destroyed all its real charm. It became the custom to make the voice always tremble, even on the most ordinary occasions; a defect became exalted into a beauty, and, at length, a good steady holding note (once considered a great merit in singing) was scarcely ever heard at all. But the absurdity did not stop here; the imitation was actually taken up by instruments, and hence we have had violins, flutes, clarionets, and trumpets, whose voices are all trembling with emotion! It

will scarcely be believed that keyed instruments have been specially made on purpose to tremble, and that even many of the large organs in the Exhibition are fitted up with apparatus for this purpose! Madlle. Tietjens, however, has boldly made a stand against this absurd fashion; it is delightful to hear her full ringing notes, so steady and so clear, bringing back the old days of pure singing; and we owe her a deep debt of gratitude for what, we trust, will be the first step towards the abolition of this contemptible and unmeaning piece of fashionable folly.

The general management was excellent, and the coup d'œil afforded by the gigantic transept, so well and so gaily filled, was, even independently of the music, a great attraction. The musical arrangements were all under the direction of the Sacred Harmonic Society,

and the conductor was Mr. Costa.

The price of tickets was high, the whole transept being let in reserved. seats at two and a half guineas each for the set of three days. The number of persons attending, inclusive of the performers, was:

The Crystal Palace Directors still keep uptheir excellent ordinary concerts, under the direction of Mr. Manns, and these have been remarkable, during the present season, for the production of new English music of considerable promise.

There is yet another musical performance on a very large scale which has specially characterized the past season, and that is, the inauguration of the Great International Exhibition on the 1st of May. The desire of her Majesty's Commissioners to give as much attraction to the undertaking as possible, induced them to open the Exhibition with a State Ceremonial, in which music was made a prominent feature. They gave commissions to four composersDr. Sterndale Bennett, Monsieur Auber, Herr Meyerbeer, and Signor Verdi (representing the nations of England, France, Germany, and Italy, respectively)—for compositions to be performed at the Fête, which were all accepted with great goodwill, and carried out in each composer's best style. Three only of the compositions were, however, performed-Signor Verdi's, a meritorious cantata for tenor voice and chorus, being ignominiously put aside, an affront to the composer and his nation which was alike uncalled for and discreditable. Another slight, equally inconsiderate, was likewise offered to another of the composers, Dr. Bennett, in entrusting the conducting of his work to the second, instead of the first in command, although, fortunately, the execution did not suffer by the change.

A great orchestra was erected for the day of opening, under the East Dome, and a large body of performers was collected, numbering about 2,000 voices and 400 instrumentalists, conducted by Signor Costa. The music performed was:-The National Anthem; the three special pieces, composed for the oceasion; and Handel's Hallelujah and Amen choruses, from the "Messiah."

The special pieces were as follows:1. A grand Overture in the form of a march, composed by Meyerbeer. It consisted of three movements-the first a triumphal march, the second a sacred

march, and the third a quick step, introducing our national air of "Rule Britannia," figured and interwoven with the theme of the quick step in a most ingenious and musician-like way.

2. A Cantata, set by Dr. Bennett to an Ode expressly written for the occasion by the Poet Laureate. This is one of the happiest works of the composer we have heard, and it is to be regretted that the peculiar nature of the text will probably diminish the chance of its being heard elsewhere.

3. The third special composition performed was an Overture by Auber, which, although the composer is such a veteran, had all the freshness of his earliest compositions.

The music went very well, the instrumental portion especially so, the body of sound given out by the band being very fine. The vocal portion of Dr. Bennett's Cantata was also very effective, the composer having skilfully adapted its style to the circumstances of performance. But the Handel selection was a failure; it seemed inappropriate and wanted the organ. Indeed, the ostentatious prominence of the religious element in the fête was, we think, in very questionable taste altogether.

This season has been marked by the reappearance in London of M. Thalberg, who gave four performances of pianoforte music in the Hanover Square Rooms. Every one knows that to this accomplished musician we owe an entirely new style of music for the pianoforte, but few are aware how much the development of this style depends on a particular element of performance, namely, the delicacy, susceptibility, and expression of the touch. The essence of the Thalberg style lies, not, as is

generally supposed, in an exuberance of flourishes and roulades, but in giving a distinct and separate quality and power of tone to different parts played at the same time, as, for example, a melody and its accompaniment; and it is this idea, of distinguishing a melody among a florid assemblage of accompanying notes, that marks the school as a novel one, and has found so many imitators, from Mendelssohn downwards. In order to exhibit the extraordinary power of his touch, M. Thalberg performed, in addition to his more florid pieces, some simple melodies, from a selection which he calls "The Art of Singing on the Pianoforte," and which, certainly, under his hands, gave a degree of expression of which one would scarcely have believed the instrument capable. It would be well if, instead of dosing young ladies with such pretentious rubbish for the pianoforte as is so much at present in vogue, our teachers would impress upon them the advantage of trying to use their fingers in a manner a little more consonant with intelligence and feeling. It is a pity that M. Thalberg's concerts were so few and so exclusive, or they might possibly have done much good in turning the fashion a little in this direction. Would it not be worth while for some of our best players to take up the experiment where he has left it? It might perchance answer well.

It should also be mentioned that M. Thalberg has achieved little short of a modern miracle in inducing the sleepy old genius, Rossini, to put forth his wonderful powers of composition yet once more, in the shape of some short pianoforte pieces of much merit, to which the great pianist gave an equally meritorious interpretation.

TITTLEBAT TITMOUSE, in "Ten Thousand a Year," is not a fair specimen, nor is he a specimen at all, of the true London shopman. No such creature exists out of the teeming brain of its author-at all events, not behind the counter of a linen-draper. He would

not be tolerated there. Master and man would combine to expel him from the confraternity. Nor is the linen-draper's assistant the simpering, grimacing, bowing automaton, represented by Punch and others, who has, with malice aforethought, usurped the light work of females, appropriating to himself the easily-earned wages that should belong to attenuated spinsters and half-starved needlewomen.

The linen-draper's assistant is neither of these, but is more frequently a soft, country-bred, raw fellow, imported from the Fens of Lincolnshire, or the neighbourhood of the Peak of Derby, or, perhaps, a canny Scot, hailing from the classical locality of Dun-y-quoich. He has grown up for eighteen or twenty years in the hop-growing districts of Kent or Sussex; or, it may be, he has had his muscles developed in the bracing air of Penzance or John o' Groat's; and he has come up to town to get the provincial dust blown off, and have a modicum of knowledge of London activity and habits incorporated with the smattering of his business which he has already acquired. By far the greater proportion of young men employed in linen-drapery establishments in the City are there only for a limited time-from six months to a year, or two or three years; their intention being to return to their native place and commence business on their own account. Of course those who really work out this intention are not numerous. Many, from superior talents, acquire permanent and lucrative settlements in the metropolis; many sink into mere hacks, going from establish

ment to establishment, till they have run the whole gauntlet of the trade, and settle down as loafers about some tavern, or become helps in petty concerns, to earn as much as will keep soul and body together. And many die; not a few in the workhouse.

It is a mistake to suppose that the work of the linen-draper's assistant is light, or that it is adapted to female hands. The simple selling at the counter in some of the departments is light enough, and perhaps could be carried on by slender girls; but there are heavy lifts, and untiring application, and long hours, without the indulgence of such a luxury as a seat-which no girls are fit for, and which would be as certain to break them down as the illventilated sewing-rooms of a fashionable West-end milliner. The air in which the linen-draper's assistant lives is as unwholesome as that of the factory. The exhalations arising from the colouring matter used in the dyes of goods, and from the multifarious compounds out of which the fabrics are manufactured, are anything but fragrant, as may speedily be learnt by whoever will take the trouble to enter a linen-draper's warehouse in the morning when it is newly opened. Nor is his sleeping accommodation the most capacious. Four or half a dozen, or perhaps even a whole dozen, youths sometimes lodge together, in a dormitory situated in distant, lofty regions, at an altitude only reached by ordinary humanity in a balloon. This dormitory is cold in winter and hot in summer. From this exaltation, if he chooses to stir out of bed betimes during day-light, he may have a fine prospect of leads and slated roofs, stretching away as far as the eye can penetrate, through the fog and smoke of London. Miles upon miles of house-tops and gables in every picturesque, grotesque, quaint, plain, and ornamental fashion,