should not have included among "The Beauties of Purcell," the fine bass song, "Return, revolting rebels[1],"—This song deserves to be better known: it has infinitely more merit than the air Dr. C. has inserted from the Birthday Ode.
Great praise is due to the person who revised the plates: they are uncommonly correct. One slight error only has fallen under our observation; it is the third bar of page 121, where there is a sharp wanting to the G in the vocal part.
The best pieces in this fine collection, are the following:—The whole of the frost scene from King Arthur, but particularly the bass solo, "What pow'r art thou?" Also the bass songs, "Let the dreadful engines,"—"Ye twice ten hundred deities,"—"Thy genius, lo!" the cantata, "From silent shades;" the two duets, "Hark, my Davidear,"—"Were I to choose," and the songs, "I attempt from love's sickness,"—"Fairest isle," and "Come unto these yellow sands."
The former pieces are principalinarkable for their bold origiality, their scientific, yet natural modulation; the latter for their unaffected expression, their simple, yet elegant melodies; and the whole of them for the wonderful adaptation of the music to the words. It is this last characteristic that constitutes the principal charm of Purcell's compositions; it is this which places him so for above the ephemeral composers of the presest day, whose trifling, unmeaning melodies are equally adapted to one set of words, as to another[2].
Upon the whole, we congratulate the admirers of Purcell upon the acquisition of this purified edition of their favourite author. The defects we have pointed out may be easily rectified in the second edition; and we sincerely wish Dr. Clarke may meet the encouragement he so well deserves, for the care, assiduity, and skill he has manifested in the completion of so arduous an undertaking.
"Mamma miaa:" a favourite Italian Air, with twelve variations for the piano-forte, by T. Latonr, Pianiste to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales.
We have heard that, Mr. Latour is a brilliant, showy performer on the piano-forte, but he has very slender pretensions to the name of composer. We should have been surprised at meeting with the following passage (which occurs repeatedly in the fifth variation) even in the first production of an amateur, much less in the work of a professor who styles himself pianiste to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales.
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- ↑ Vide Orp. second edition, page 88, book II.
- ↑ It is , fact, that a great part of the music of "The Travellers" was written by Mr. Corn, and afterwards given to Mr. Cherry to adapt to such words as would correspond to the accent and rythm of the different melodies.
When operas are thus manufactured, what can the public expect, but verses without poetry, and music without meaning?
