302 THE MUSICIAN ABOUT 'TOWN. 
enunciates his words with more distinctness than he; indeed, a 
stranger to the oratorio might have followed him without the assist- 
ance of the programme. If for no other accomplishment requisite 
to complete a singer, Mr. Bennett may be listened to with advantage 
by most of our native artists, for his distinct declamation. 
Mr. Phillips was what he always is in music of this school, sensible, 
clear, and energetic. His delivery of the giant Philistine’s open- 
ing recitative, “I come not, Samson, to condole thy chance,” was a 
piece of masterly effect in singing. 
Of Mr. Atkins the less said—justly, the better ; for he was con- 
stantly out of time and tune, and occasionally out of his depth. In- 
competence with assiduity are entitled to forbearance ; but ignor- 
ance with self-complacency, who can bear? 
The choruses, upon the whole, went tolerably. ‘Then round 
about the starry throne ;” “ Fix’d in his everlasting seat ;” “To 
dust his glory” (which was beautifully expressed), and the finale, 
were all excellent; and the chorus of virgins, in dialogue with 
Dalila, was one of the most perfect specimens of unisonous singing 
from a large number of voices we ever heard. 
The oratorio of “Solomon,” with its half dozen magnificient 
double choruses, was performed on the Sth instant. The whole of 
the music for the principal character was written by Handel for a 
soprano voice, and scarcely with propriety : it was, however, even 
less judicious in the directors of the performance in the present in- 
stance to divide the airs and recitatives between a mezzo soprano 
and a baritone voice. It was preposterous to hear Miss Birch (Miss 
Wyndham was engaged to take the air) singing, “ What though I 
trace ;’ and, immediately after, Phillips delivering the recitative 
« And see, my queen.” The solo singers were Misses Birch, 
Wyndham, and Woodyatt ; Messrs. Hobbs, Alfred Novello, and 
Phillips. 
The directors of the Royal Academy having lately come to the 
resolution of appropriating one day in the week to the practice of 
classical music with the full orchestra, we had the pleasure of being 
admitted to a rehearsal of Mendelssohn’s psalm, ‘‘ As pants the 
hart ;” the first verse of which is one of the most charming choral 
movements he has hitherto produced. We may take a future op- 
portunity of giving a detailed account of the whole composition 
when it is performed at the first Academy concert, which will not 
take place till this article has gone to press. Suffice it to say, for the ~ 
present, that we were much gratified with the steady performance 
