390 Late Music Meeting at Chester. [Dec. 1, 
of Derby, once tile Thalia of English 
comedy, to whom the stage has produ¬ 
ced no equal, after a lapse of nearly 
thirty years. 
The attention and judicious arrange¬ 
ment of Col. Barnston and the commit¬ 
tee, left nothing to be desired on the 
score of management. The directors 
acted wisely in the principal point, by 
making an early engagement with Mrs. 
Salmon, who is, we believe, universally 
acknowledged by professional judgment 
and the higher order of amateurs, 
44 Queen of the Quire,” and the only 
vocalist who can set off the sterling gold 
of Handel, and the diamond glitter of 
Xtosini with equal brilliancy and effect. 
In this they afforded a striking contrast 
to the bad taste or illiberality of the 
Worcester managers at the triennial 
meeting, at which place she had no en¬ 
gagement, to the great regret of every 
genuine lover of highly cultivated ta* 
lent; since, without adverting to the 
patronage bestowed on a foreigner, 
which we hold to be an invidious topic, 
this lady is absolutely unrivalled in 
scientific accomplishments, and the 
extent and variety of her powers : we 
would by no means except the far-famed 
Catalani. Upon whose shoulders the 
blame of this omission falls, we have 
no wish to enquire, more especially as 
the triennial meetings at Worcester, 
Hereford, and Gloucester, which have 
now subsisted for nearly a century, af¬ 
ford a display of liberal spirit and mu¬ 
sical taste well worthy the imitation of 
some Boeotian choral cities that we 
could name. 
The festival was opened on Tuesday 
morning with the performance of the 
Messiah, the only one of Handers ora¬ 
torios that, from the change that has 
taken place in national taste, is now 
performed entire; and with respect even 
to this his masterpiece, selections from 
his works are generally more attractive; 
and though the church was this day 
well filled, the assemblage of company 
was the thinnest of the four days of 
meeting. We have only to remark be¬ 
tween the admirers of the old and the 
new school, that we would never wish to 
hear the Messiah without Mozart’s ac¬ 
companiments, any more than see Mac¬ 
beth without the addition of the music 
of Locke. Mr. Braham opened with 
the fine recitative of 44 Comfort ye,” 
which, it is said, has never been ade¬ 
quately given since the days of Norris. 
He sung with his usual exquisite feel?' 
ing, and throughout the whole of his 
performances, with more cliasteness 
than usual. 
Mr. Swift, a gentleman from Edin¬ 
burgh, took the counter tenor part, 
who, though gifted with a fine voice, 
• has much to learn, both in deportment 
and professional study. The Italian 
proverb, that there are a hundred re¬ 
quisites to a good singer, and that a fine 
voice has ninety-nine, will by no means 
hold good in these days of refined science 
and brilliant embellishment. To prove 
the truth of this, let any one but Mrs. 
Salmon attempt the song of 44 Rejoice 
greatly, O daughter of Sion,” and see 
how abortive will be their efforts when 
compared with her’s—the finished re¬ 
sult of laborious cultivation and ex¬ 
quisite taste. In truth, Italy has now 
put forth the most striking illustration 
of the futility of the remark, in the per¬ 
son of Madame Catalani, whose monoto¬ 
nous style never fails to tire in a festi¬ 
val of this length after the close of the 
first day, spite of her almost preterna¬ 
tural voice. 
Miss Stephens gave 44 I know that 
my Redeemer livetli ” with her usual 
pathos ; but as to musical attainments 
in general, she is just where she was 
four years ago, and her songs and bal¬ 
lads now begin to pall by constant repe¬ 
tition. 
We were here first made acquainted 
with two voices of great promise,Messrs. 
Kellner and Rolle ; their preten¬ 
sions are perhaps about equal, but, as 
successors to Bartleman, they fail most 
woefully. It is invidious to try them 
by this criterion, but the impulse is ir¬ 
resistible : Bartleman was a great actor 
as well as a great musician, which no 
one now seems sensible of, as expression 
is hardly attempted at all. 
In the evening of the second day 
(Wednesday) there was a concert, that 
presented little variety, every piece 
having been performed at least thirty 
times during last winter and spring in 
London; with singers so excellent, 
however, it is impossible not to be 
pleased, aided by such artists as Lind- 
ley and Mori, each of whom played a 
concerto. Surely Madame Camporesa 
might sometimes give us that fine scene 
of Tomelli, 44 Berenice ove set ,” which 
places her in the first rank of her pro¬ 
fession, instead of the eternal repetition 
of 44 Di piacer ; ” it is absolutely 
44 crambe repetita .” Travers’s beau¬ 
tiful colloquial duet, 44 Haste , my Nan - 
netted was sung by Mrs. Salmon and 
Mr. Kellner, and was heard for a first 
time 
