THE MUSICIAN ABOUT TOAVN. 



321 



former has a grander style of delivery. It is needless to say that 

 Doehler's exhibition was succeeded by a storm of applause. 



Mons. Auguste Pott, a distinguished violinist, and a pupil, we 

 believe, of Lipinski, also made his debut in this country upon the 

 same evening. He performed his master's • concerto in B minor. 

 Mr. Pott is, we should suppose, almost without a rival in the mas- 

 tery of the difficulties on his own instrument ; for the coolness with 

 which he executed his double stops, sixths, octaves, and tenths, was 

 as remarkable as were his neatness and precision. The quality ot 

 his tone is inferior to that of De Beriot, but, we should think, 

 greater in power ; while in grace and delicacy of expression he is 

 unquestionably inferior to that enchanting artist. On this same 

 evening was performed, for the first time, an overture by Mr. Guy- 

 nemer, an associate of the Society, entitled " The Exiles." By se- 

 lecting this composition, and rejecting Mr. Potter's overture to 

 " The Tempest," a composition by Kalliwoda, one also by Midler, 

 an overture by Lindpairtter, and another by Onslow, the directors 

 have placed themselves in the awkward dilemma of having preferred 

 a composition greatly inferior to any of those named, and conse- 

 quently that they are incompetent judges of merit, or that a spirit 

 of intrigue and favouritism has arisen, and been allowed to prevail, 

 in the council of direction. Suffice it to say that " The Exiles" 

 ought never to have been heard after the trial-night of the Society ; 

 for it was not 'worthy of the author, who is a musician of real 

 ability, and an accomplished violinist. 



Spohr's grand characteristic symphony, "Die weihe der Tone," 

 formed the principal novelty of the seventh concert. Haydn's Letter 

 V. opened the second act. The former is a musical illustration of 

 Pfieffer's poem, the "Ode to Sound," wherein the musician has, in 

 almost every movement, overlaid his subject, and constantly repeated 

 himself. Subjects from his operas, from the " Jessonda," and 

 " Azor and Zenuira," floated before us like theses ramified into 

 elaborate disquisitions. And indeed, to speak the honest truth, in 

 scarcely more than one instance could we realize the author's inten- 

 tion, although a translation of the poem accompanied the pro- 

 gramme of the concert. Not only, also, has the composer mystified 

 his subject to the hearer, Wit to the performers he has needlessly 

 laboured to accumulate difficulty upon difficulty ; so that it would 

 be a positive wonder to hear it executed correctly. Mr. Potter, the 

 conductor, did his best, but how he was to direct an orchestra in a 

 movement composed in triple, dual, and monal time, it were hard to 

 imagine. Here, therefore, the wind instruments were all abroad, 

 vou. VIII., no. xxiv. 41 



