1821. 



New Music and Drama. 



279 



they lay conveniently for tiie hand, and 

 present move difficulty to (he eye than 

 they really possess in execution. The 

 publication comprises two movements ; 

 an Allegretto in two crotchets in a bar, 

 and a Presto., in three quavers in a bar ; 

 and the latter forms so happy a lelief to 

 thefirst, as toevince as mucii judgment 

 in the art of design, as the subject 

 matter exhibits of free and facile con- 

 ception. 



" The Child's wish for May," a Ballad . 

 The music from Mozart, is. 6d. 

 The chief feature of attraction in this 

 little ballad, is the appropriate sim- 

 plicity of the melody. Too many of 

 the airs of Mozart have been misap- 

 plied ; but in the present case, were the 

 great musician living, we might ima- 

 gine that he had himself intended the 

 music for the expression of the'- words 

 to which we here find it attaclied. In 

 a word, the adaptation is most happy, 

 and does much credit to the compiler. 

 " When on Lifers long shore," A Sony com- 

 posed by C. N. Smith. Is. 6d. 

 Though " fr/ien on Life's long sliore.^'' 

 is not among the airs most remarkable 

 for novelty of melody, it is far from 

 deficient in some of the real character- 

 istics of a vocal production. The ideas 

 are marked by an easy and natural con- 

 tinuity ; and the general result is, a 

 placid pleasingness of effect well con- 

 sorting with the author's meaning, and 

 greatly calculated to attract the gene- 

 rality of auditors. 



" iMte's wreath" a song composed by J. 

 Davy." \s. 6rf. 



" Love's wreath," is one of Mr. 

 Davy's prettiest vocal productions. Its 

 style is both pleasant and familiar, and 

 will, no doubt, recommend it to the at- 

 tention of the lovers of easy, unaffected 

 melody. This master's taste and sci- 

 ence are so well known, as to render 

 it almost unnecessary to say that the 

 accompaniment is effective and the bass 

 well clioseu. 



THE DRAMA. 



Whatever may be the degree of dis- 

 tress which clouds one part of the com- 

 munity, the present has been a season 

 of unusual gaiety to another part ; — for 

 whether it be that persons seek to escape 

 from cares in a theatre, or that the 

 incentives of the managers have gone 

 beyond the necessity for them, the 

 present has been a theatrical season of 

 remarkable success and brilliancy. 



The first impulse given to public 

 feeling, was created by the appearance 

 «»f Miss Wilson at Drury- Lane, where 



her powers of voice, and tasteful exe- 

 cution have drawn overflowing audi- 

 ences on every night of her apjiearance. 

 In addition to this attraction, the spirit 

 and discrimination of the managers 

 have assembled a dramatic corps, such 

 as have not appeared in various lines 

 of acting on any theatre at one time. In 

 Artaxer.ves Miss W. is supported by the 

 fascinating Vestris, by the unrivalled 

 BRAHAM,andby the respectable powers 

 of Miss Povey and Mr. IIorive ; 

 while in Love in a tillage., her chaste 

 Rosetta is aided by the same parties, and 

 also by Munden, the first comic actor 

 of his time, and by Knight and Mrs. 

 IIarlowe, who are singularly happy 

 in Hodge and aunt Deborah; nor ought 

 we to omit to name the exquisite bal- 

 lad-singer Mrs. Blano, in Madge. The 

 same perforraershaves^incebeen equally 

 successful in the charming Opera of the 

 Duenna., in which Miss Wilson's Clara, 

 as well as her Rosetta, are equal to the 

 originals of Mrs. Brown and Miss 

 Brent, whose fascinating powers we 

 are old enough to remember. The 

 public in consequence have become 

 "music-mad;" but the rage is propi- 

 tious to the proprietor, Mr. Elliston, 

 who in spite of bad times and un- 

 healthy dinner-hours, seems likely to 

 have a most productive season. 



The Opera has been opened with 

 more than usual eclat, and with 4 

 strength of company equal to any for- 

 mer seasons. 



CovENT Garden has opposed itself 

 to Drury Lane, by putting the deserved 

 favourite. Miss Stephens, into Miss 

 Wilson's parts, and playing the same 

 pieces even on the same nights. This 

 indicates, however, a poverty of origi- 

 nal resources ; but Mr. Harris is now 

 laudably engaged in restoring the text 

 of Shakespeare, and clearing his plays 

 from the fustian wiih which they have 

 been filled by Gibber and others. 



The minor theatres aid in instructing 

 and polishing the lower and burgeois 

 classes, and have been supported by 

 solid patronage. 



We must not omit to name with ap- 

 plause the exquisite solus performances 

 of Mr. Matthews at the English 

 Opera ; nor the popular and instructive 

 Lectures on Astronomy, which in the 

 present Lent, have been delivered by 

 Messrs. Walker, Lloyd, and Bart- 

 ley, indifferent theatres on Wednes- 

 days and Fridays. 



During the same season SiR George 

 Smart has conducted a series of splen- 

 did 



