310 M U f 
was, however, during his lucid intervals, a very great and 
expreffive performer in the ferious ftyle. 
Mrs. Billingt'on, after diftinguifhing herfeif in child¬ 
hood as a neat and expreffive performer on the piano-forte, 
appeared all at once in 1786 as a fweet and captivating 
finger. In emulation of Mara and other great bravura- 
fingers, (lie at firft too frequently attempted paffages of 
difficulty ; afterwards, however, lb greatly was (he im¬ 
proved, that no fongfeemed too high or too rapid for her 
execution. The natural tone of her voice i9 lo exqui- 
fitely fweet, her knowledge of mufic fo confiderable, her 
(hake fo true, her doles and embellilhments fo various, 
her expreffions fo fine, that only envy or apathy could 
hear her without delight. We believe that ihe has now 
declined public exhibition, and has retired to Venice with 
her feconff hufoand, whole name we do not know. 
Mr. Braham, an Englifh jew, firft appeared, when a 
boy, at the Royalty Theatre, about the year 1784. He 
was then under the inftruftion of Leoni, the original Don 
Carlos in the Duenna, and a celebrated finger. Mr. 
Braham, however, was advifed, a few years after, to feek 
for better mailers in Italy, which advice he very judici- 
oufiy took; and the confequence was, that, on his return 
to England in 1792, he at once (like Mrs. Billington) 
took precedence of all the lingers he found here. This 
country has, perhaps, never produced a vocal performer 
of Rich extenfive powers as Mr. Braham. To a voice 
of the higheft capabilities, he unites a deep and ex¬ 
tenfive knowledge of muiic, which gives him an eafy 
and complete command over the refources of his art. 
His powers, fo far from being, like thole of the raoft 
celebrated contemporary vocal performers, confined to a 
particular line, are of fuch a widely-comprehenfive na¬ 
ture, as to enable him to do juftice to every fpecies of 
compolltion, from the fimpie ballad to the moll refined 
and fcientific effort of mufical (kill. Previous to his 
appearance on a Britilh ftage, it might be laid, that 
the Italian performers had obtained (at leaft in pub¬ 
lic opinion) a monopoly of thofe delicate and difficult 
touches' of the voice, which are now become familiar, 
and can be employed, in lome degree, by almoft every 
member of a mufical club, who alpires to the fame of 
giving pleafure to his companions. This ornamental ftyle 
will, perhaps, in time, come into difrepute, and give way 
to that unambitious and bewitching fimplicity, which 
conllituted the great charm in the linging of our ancef- 
tors. If Mr. Braham has any fault, it is a too great fond- 
nefs for ornament; and, confidering the amazing power 
and extent of his voice, we cannot much wonder that it 
fhould be fo. In faft, he lays it on with fo much profu- 
fion, that, at times, it is no eafy matter to recognize the 
air in which he is engaged. But yet, however we might 
prefer a more unambitious ftyle, it is difficult not to 
applaud, even without deriving great pleafure from, a 
voice of fuch aftonilhing compafs and fweetnefs. Mr. 
Braham, as an aftor, leems, like moll vocal performers, to 
go through his part with the mod lazy indifference; but, 
the moment he begins to fmg, he appears ftrongly to feel, 
and expreffes with great power, the fentiments conveyed 
in the poetry of the piece. There is one excellence in 
which he is unrivalled, and that is,in conveying the words 
to the ear of his audience. Both Mrs. Billington and Mr. 
Braham have been engaged as firft lingers at the opera- 
houfe. The eftabliffiment of thele two Englifti fingers 
at the head of a foreign corps of artifts may be confidered 
as a triumph to our national feelings. 
Madame Graffini, who had exhibited her vocal powers 
in Paris with extraordinary applaufe, arrived in Lon¬ 
don in 1805, where Hie excited uncommon admiration. 
She appeared in Zaire, where the difplay of her powers 
pot only pleafed, but aftonifhed, when it was confidered 
that the compafs of her voice did not exceed eight or ten 
potes. 
The year following, madame Catalan! divided the pub¬ 
lic attention with Graffini. This eminent performer is a 
i I c. 
native of Sinigaglia in Italy, where her father was a finger 
of the comic order. She was educated in a convent. The 
virtuous impreffions Ihe there received have continued 
ever lince invariably to influence her condnft. Her 
father foon difcovered the excellence and the value of 
her vocal powers, which were firft exhibited on the pro¬ 
vincial theatres of Italy. He foon carried her to Spain, 
where Ihe attained very high celebrity. It was there her 
hulband, M.de Valabregue, firft paid his addreffes to her ; 
and it was not till after a perfeverance of feven months 
that he at laft obtained her confent to unite her fortunes 
with his. Her hefitation proceeded from the reluctance 
of her father, at once to be deprived of his daughter, 
and of the very great emolument which Ihe brought him. 
M. de Valabregue had been an officer in the French army- 
under Moreau. From Spain, madame Catalani (for Ihe 
has retained her father’s name) proceeded to Portugal, 
where Ihe accepted an engagement to come to London. 
She travelled through France; and at Paris appeared at an 
occalional concert, where her fame was fo great, that the 
ufual price of admiffion was trebled. She particularly at- 
trafted the*attention of that extraordinary man who then 
held the imperial fceptre of the continent of Europe. 
He ordered her a penjion, (its value is about 30I. per an¬ 
num;) and it was with much difficulty, and only through 
The interference of the Britilh ambalfador (the earl of 
Lauderdale) then at Paris, that (lie was permitted to 
leave that capital, and proceed on her journey. In the 
dramatic muiic of the opera, this linger is far fuperior to 
any performer ever heard in this country. Her voice is 
equal to the mod difficult execution, while her counte¬ 
nance is interefting, her geftures graceful, and her perfon 
elegant. Her eafy and clear articulation are particularly 
ftriking : her tones are full and liquid : her cadenzas are 
appropriate and mafterly. She has a praftice of rapidly 
defcending in half notes, which has excited admiration 
chiefly by its entire novelty. The clearnefs and rapidity 
difplayed by her in chromatic paffages excite allonilh- 
ment; and lhc combines mellowQefs with diltinftnefs, a 
high qualification which Mara firft taught us to appreciate. 
The ftate of mufical compolltion among us at the 
prefent day, is a fubjeft on which much nvifunder- 
ltanding has prevailed. Nothing is more common than 
to hear people very loud in difpraifing all modern, 
and extolling all ancient, muiic, who would be utterly 
unable to reliffi, or even to tolerate, a piece in the real 
ancient ftyle. Solidity is certainly not the charafteriftic of 
modern mufic: but is it more that of modern literature? 
or can we wonder that, when the demand for novelty is 
fo great, the efforts to anfwer that demand fliould be fo nu¬ 
merous ; or that, when novelty alone is fo lure, as it now 
is, of creating an intereft, we find it moll frequently unaa*. 
companied by any quality of more fterling value ? Be- 
fides, when we compare the modern with the ancient 
mufic, we are apt to take the one in the mafs, while we 
pollefs the other in a ftate of great refinement. We for¬ 
get the reams of former days which have long been de¬ 
voted to oblivion, and think only of the feleftion which 
the tafte of lucceeding years has deemed worthy of being 
handed down to us. Unfair as this may appear, fuch is 
the fort of comparifon generally made. But, in truth, 
this art never flourilhed more than in the days which 
have not yet paffed away. Whatever may be the merits 
of Corelli and Handel, (and we a>'e difpofed to admit 
them to be very tranlcendent,) we can fcarcely confent 
to place thofe mailers higher than many of the great com- 
polers who have lived, or who ftill live, in our own days. 
Hadyn, Mozart, Storace, Cook, and Arnold, are but' 
lately gone; and Beethoven, Winter, Atwood, and 
Crotch, yet remain to prove that mufical fcience and, 
tafte are tar from extinft. We do not forget that Callcot 
is alio a living compofer; and we would willingly bellow 
onr mite of praife on his truly original and delightful 
works; but it is painful to refleft on his excellencies, iu 
the melancholy ftate of eclipfe in which they are under- 
ftood 
