316 THE MUSICIAN ABOUT TOWN. 



Garden Theatre. Auber's opera of " Le Domino Noir," got up in 

 haste, enjoyed but a fleeting and ricketty existence. Mr. Macready 

 is not yet sufficiently the philosopher to estimate music at its full 

 moral and intellectual value. He considers an opera as useful only to 

 the tragedian, that, like the symphonies between the acts, he may 

 have breathing time, and the audience may recreate their travelled 

 spirits : but that those mysterious combinations of sound constituting 

 harmony with melody, should, according to their various character 

 and construction, act upon the gentler or fiercer of human passions, 

 be entertains, as we understand, not a shadow of belief, because (of 

 course) they make not the remotest appeal to his own senses. Con- 

 sequently, this characteristic indifference to music influenced his con- 

 duct as the interested manager of the theatre, and " Le Domino 

 Noir" was hurried before the public with as little care as would be 

 bestowed in arranging a procession in a tragedy. " The Out-post," 

 an operetta, re-written by Serle from a French drama, the music by 

 Hullah, had more care bestowed upon the bringing forward, and it 

 met with a better reception. The character of the music being prin- 

 cipally martial, it is not, we think, in Mr. Hullah's vein, whose taste 

 and tendencies are of the gentle and placid kind. If we except a 

 little straining after novelty in phrasing his motivi — especially when 

 their prevailing features are not absolutely original — he is a pure and 

 elegant melodist ; and his concerted music is usually designed and 

 conducted with freedom of manner, and in strict conformity with his 

 dramatis persona? ; while his orchestral accompaniments are rich and 

 varied in colour, and never predominant and overpowering. 



The Philharmonic Society, who naturally take the lead in the 

 metropolitan concerts, have this season strengthened their orchestra 

 with two additional violins, Messrs. Guynemere and E. W. Thomas, 

 Willy and Marshall having joined the ranks ; all valuable acquisi- 

 tions ; the veteran and respected Weichsel, with Mr. Dance, having 

 withdrawn. Dando has been transferred to the tenors ; another 

 judicious move, for he is a superb tenor player ; and that depart- 

 ment of the band has been needfully strengthened by the addition 

 of Alsept, Pensam, and J. Banister. His brother, H. J. Banister, 

 who is an honorary member, and an accomplished violoncellist, 

 should, if possible, be squeezed in, with at least one more double 

 bass. 



The first concert, which took place on the 4th March, was one of 

 the richest in selection of the season. Mozart's Jupiter and Bee- 

 thoven's Eroica were the symphonies performed. The solo perform- 



