426 Fine Arts. 



tonishing musical powers possessed by NicolinIj 

 Farinelli, Gabrielli, Carestini, Gtardinij 

 RuBiNELLT, Marchesi, and a multitude of others^ 

 has long pervaded the civilized world. 



The year 1784 was rendered a memorable era in 

 the annals of music, by the splendid and magnifi- 

 cent manner in which the birth and genius of Han- 

 del were celebrated in Westminster Abbey, and 

 the Pantheon, under the immediate auspices of the 

 King and Queen of Great-Britain, and the other 

 most dignified personages in the kingdom. This 

 commemoration has been since established as an 

 annual musical festival, for charitable purposes.'" 

 The number and excellence of the performers en- 

 gaged in this commemoration, and the style of the 

 music exhibited by them, may be safely pronounced 

 to have exceeded every thing of the kind of which 

 the history of the art gives us any account/ 



architecture. 



In this art the last century presents little which, 

 by the attentive inquirer, can be considered as re- 

 markable. Many noble specimens of architecture 

 have been produced during this period, but proba- 

 bly few if any of these are equal to some of the 

 productions of former times. There appear to be 

 two circumstances in the architectural history of 

 the eighteenth century, in which it differs from 

 that of preceding ages. 



The first is, that the Public buildings erected 

 (during this period will be found, in general, less 

 gra.nd and massy than those of son:ie former periods. 



LUSIC, 



te Encyclopedia Britannic^, art. IWu 



y In 1784 this commemoration was celebrated by 500 voices and instni- 

 ments; in 1785, by 616; in 1786, by 741 ; m 1787, by 806. These per- 

 formers were, in general, of the very first class, collected from every part 

 of Europe. 



