THE MUSICIAN ABOUT TOWN. 301 
higher claims upon our admiration and consequent preference. 
Some of those in the Samson, and which it is not necessary to enu- 
merate, are doubtless perfect of their kind ; while others are avow- 
edly commonplace, if not meagre. Which of the chorusses in the 
Messiah is amenable to this detraction? In short, it is incredible 
that Handel should have hesitated between the two works; not- 
withstanding which, it is our belief that the gems in the Samson 
have never been surpassed, even by the composer himself. 
The solo singers upon the present occasion were Miss Birch, 
Miss Wyndham, Messrs. Bennett, King, J. O. Atkins, and Phillips. 
The first young lady is entitled to distinguished approbation for the 
correct and uniformly careful manner in which she sang the airs 
allotted to the part of Dalila: and this is a feature in Miss Birch’s 
professional conduct which must always secure to her the partiality 
of her audience. She at all events thinks it worth while to study 
her music before she goes into an orchestra ; and, consequently, she 
“hath her reward.” For Miss Wyndham we have felt a strong 
interest ever since we first heard her in public ; because we believe 
that she possesses great capabilities, without having had a fair 
chance to give them free scope and action. Her voice is a rich 
mezzo soprano, full, and pretty equal through all its compass, 
There is a cordial expression in its tone which at times brings a re- 
membrance of Malibran. Miss Wyndham however, has been edu- 
cated solely in the modern Italian school of music, and not well even 
in that school; and we are justified in concluding that she is not fa- 
miliar with the style of Handel, seeing that she does not sing his 
music after any rule, traditionary or rational. We can make allow- 
ance for want of due energy in her delivering that fine recitative, 
“O, change beyond report!” because she was in all respects upon 
new ground: she therefore appeared to be feeling her way ; and we 
have little doubt that this was literally the case ; hence the impres- 
sion upon her audience was, that she would come to a stand, for she 
dragged laboriously. The same defect appeared in her taking that 
serenely solemn and desponding air, “ Return, O God of Hosts,” 
which, nevertheless, she sang with a pathos and feeling of her sub- 
ject that induce us to desire earnestly of her to procure a twelve- 
month’s first-rate instruction and severe study in Italy ; for we have 
at present no English singer having her compass of voice, with its 
quality and capability of improvement. 
Mr. Bennett sang the whole of the music allotted to Samson with 
exceeding care and good judgment. We have no native singer who 
