244 New Musical Publications. ing, that he has not been unmindful of these advantages. Of this work, consisting of nearly 120 closely printed pages in quarto, with numerous Engravings, it is impossible to give more than an outline, which in this and some future numbers of our Magazine we shall endeavour to do. Rousseau says, "The genius of a real Musician makes the whole universe subservient to his art. It describes all the images of life by sounds; it causes even silence to speak, it interprets ideas by sentiments, sentiments by accents, and it excites, within the inmost recesses of the heart, all the passions it expresses." Music is the art of combining sounds in a manner agreeable to the ear. This combination may be either simultaneous or successive in the first case, it constitutes harmony; in the last, melody. With regard to its antiquity, it appears both by sacred and profane history, that music was one of the first arts known to mankind. Musical instruments were in use before the flood; for Jubal is said to be the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Gen. iv. 21. And among the Greeks, almost all the ancient philosophers wrote treatises on music, especially the disciples of Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle. We are told by Nicomachus, Macrobius, and other ancient authors, "That Pythagoras, one day meditating on the want of some rule to guide the ear, analogous to what had been used to help the other senses, chanced to pass by a blacksmith's shop, and observing that the hammers, which were four in number, sounded very harmoniously, he had them weighed, and found them to be in the proportion of 6, 8, 9, and 12. Upon this he suspended four strings, of equal length and thickness, &c. fastened weights, in the abovementioned proportions, to each of them respectively, and found that they gave the same sounds that the hammers had done, viz. the fourth, fifth, and octave, to the gravest tone; which last interval did not make part of the musical system before; for the Greeks had gone no farther than the heptachord, or seven strings, till that time." Upon this passage Dr. Burney wittily observes, that though both hammers and anvil have been swallowed by ancients and moderns, and have passed through them from one to another, with an ostrich-like digestion, upon examination and experiment it appears, that hammers of different size and weight will no more produce different tones upon the same anvil, than bows or clappers of different sizes will from the same string or bell. Indeed, both the hammers and anvils of antiquity must have been of a construction very different from those of our degenerate days, if they produced any tones that were strictly musical. Of the millions of well-organized mortals, who have passed by blacksmiths' shops since the time of Pythagoras, we believe no one was ever [Oot.1; detained by a single note, much less by an harmonious concord, from those Vulcanian' instruments. A different kind of noise, in deed, will be produced by hammers of dif ferent weights and sizes; but it seems not to be in the power of the most subtle ear to discover the least imaginable difference with respect to gravity or acuteness. But, though different noises may be produced from different bodies, in proportion to their size and solidity, and every room, chair, and table, in a house, has a particular tone, yet these noises can never be ascertained like musical notes, which depend upon reiterated and regular vibrations of the aliquot parts of a string, or other elastic body; and in windinstruments, upon the undulation of the air conveyed into a tube." Yet notwithstanding the assertion of the learned Doctor, Mr. Jones observes, "It certainly appears ridiculous, primâ facie, to suppose, that the different weights of hammers can produce a difference in sound. But do we exactly know how the anvils of the ancients were constructed? The name incus has no other meaning than its thema cudere, "to strike;" and the Greek appellation of axor signifies only, that the anvil is indefatigable in bearing the repeated strokes of the hammers. But it is not improbable that anvil is derived from ancile," a small round shield," or perhaps vice-versâ, ancile from antil. Whence we may perhaps conclude, that the axμar of the Greeks resembled in shape the round buckler with a convex surface. In this case, where is the impossibility of the anvil becoming responsive in sound to the respective weights of the hammers? This convexity might have acted like the sounding-board of an instrument. Besides, the comparison which has been adduced between hammers and anvils, and strings and bows, or clappers and bells, does not apply; for if wine-glasses, for instance, are struck against a key, a candlestick, a decanter, or any other body, they most certainly give various sounds according to their various shapes, capacities, and weights. So that the clapper of a bell in this situation is wrongly compared to the hammer; for in fact, the clapper is the anvil in motion against the steady hammer. Let us place a number of bells, each of a different sound, upon a screwshaped barrel, and let them strike successively a fixed knob of any hard substance; will they not give the same variety of sounds as if small hanımers were set to strike upon them? will they not play the part of clappers and hammers, instead of bells and anvils? The same reasoning applies to strings and bows; which last, upon experiment, will certainly and invariably emit different sounds, according to the different size and length of the cord. Dryden seems to have been of opinion that there exists a sort of chiming in the strokes of hammers upon anvils; for, in his transla 1818.] Theatres-Covent Garden, and Drury Lane. tion of the Æneid of Virgil, in book viii. v. rum, 245 best philologists, that chiming implies harmony. Therefore the sound of hammers, which striking the anvil, had anciently, if not in our degenerate days, a sort of correspondence in sound, to a well-exercised ear, might constitute musical intervals, and, consequently, ratios of harmony. It appears clearly that Pythagoras had in view the key note, its fourth, fifth, and flat seventh, in the numbers 6, 8, 9, 12, resulting from the comparative weight of the hammers, and that he came to the solution of his problem by uniting three tetrachords, and counting down from the top note to the lowest." (To be continued.) DRAMATIC REGISTER. COVENT GARDEN. Acquiring strength by the decline of its opponent, this theatre has opened under auspices so favourable, that it will be indeed the fault alone of the Manager, if he does not reap an abundant harvest in so promising a season. We are happy to bestow our meed of approbation upon the successful efforts of Mr. Farren, who has lately made his debut in Sir Peter Teazle. His talents appear to be in every respect promising, but we shall forbear from entering into any detailed criticism, until we shall have had an opportunity of seeing them more amply displayed. We could have wished that Mrs. Yates, who likewise promises to prove a valuable ornament to the Thespian School, had been prudent enough to make her entrée in a less arduous character than that of Lady Macbeth. Independently of the wide field that is here opened for the display of talent, we have an indelible impression of that character upon our minds, which any inferior acting awakens only to its own disparagement, by compelling us to draw an invidious comparison, and we cannot but exclaim, in the satirical language of Porson," Such acting will be relished, when that of Mrs. Siddons is forgotten." We shall however adopt the same course as we have proposed to do with Mr. Farren, and suspend our judgment, until Mrs. Yates, by a wider display of her general talent, shall allow us to give it with better satisfaction to ourselves and to our readers. DRURY LANE. We refer our readers to a few remarks in our criticisms upon the English Opera House, in respect of the injudicious proceedings of those Committees of management, who, totally un skilled in the art of managing themselves, have yet, with most disgusting self sufficiency and importance, undertaken to guide a machine, which from its magnitude and intricacy requires all that experience and ingenuity can effect, to keep it even in regular motion. And now, after having been tossed to and fro, and twisted and twirled into every possible shape, this ill-fated theatre must submit to the last expedient of reduced prices, a measure unasked for by the public, and as impolitic as we apprehend it to be decisive of the theatre's fate. It is no other than a desperate speculation by which it must either stand or fall; like a ruined tradesman who upon the eve of his bankruptcy endeavours to reinstate himself by underselling his competitors. Whether this last attempt to rescue the theatre from impending perdition will or will not have the effect proposed, the public are left to judge from the result. Provincial enterprizers (their first appearance on a London stage; Gentlemen and Ladies, their first appearance on any stage,) have lent their exertions to the rescue, and have drawn forth the approbation of an audience, who have felt perhaps a charitable compassion for the theatre's fate, which forbad them to discourage her last struggling effort. If these objects however fail of their lasting attraction, and the Public should become weary of their charity, the Committee must stand in a body in Brydges Street, or go out into the highways and hedges, und compel them to come in. Conceiving that the corporeal bulk of Mr. Stephen Kemble would be well calculated to sustain the weight of that odium, which the Committee are ill able to bear upon their own shoulders, they have appointed that Gentleman Stage Manager, 246 Theatres-English Opera. and profess to have committed the whole interests of the theatre into his hands. It is perhaps difficult to conceive a more arduous or ungrateful task than the one so imposed upon Mr. S. Kemble, and we fear that the anxiety and labour he will have to endure in the performance of this duty will soon deprive him of the pleasure and satisfaction of which he was once so proud, "of being able to play Falstaff without stuffing." Failing in their attempt at real attraction, the wisdom of the Committee has prompted them to adopt-artificial means of exciting the interest of the Public, by introducing a debutant, in the person of Mr. H. Kemble, whose name alone, and the relationship that he bears to a family so distinguished for Dramatic talent, might attract at least one full house, in anticipation of his probable or possible success; but the more our attention was roused, and our interest excited by such anticipations, so much the greater was our chagrin and disappointment in witnessing his lame and impotent performance of Romeo at the opening of the theatre. Such acting," says the Times, "would be dear at any price-even at a shilling," and we really must think that the reduction of price will but ill compensate for such meagre performances. It reminds us of the Bath Coach, that travelling with two horses, and reduced fares, is humorously styled, "Cheap and nasty." 66 ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE. The only novelty produced here, since our August number, which seems to demand attention, is a musical Farce in two acts, entitled Amateurs and Actors. We give a brief sketch of the plot as follows. Miss Hardacre, a young heiress (Miss Love) is carried off from Mr. Elderberry, her guardian, (Mr. Bartley) by Mr. David Dulcet (Mr. Pearman) who being one of the Amateur Actors, contrives to carry her to the playhouse, where his friend Mr. Bustle, the manager (Mr. Harley) conceals them from the guardian's pursuit, until by their marriage Mr. Dulcet gives himself the superior claim upon the fair object of his affections. Elderberry arrives shortly after them at the playhouse, and is mistaken by the manager, for an old gentleman of the name of Berry, whom he was expecting to arrive under an engagement at his theatre. The conversation between Elderberry and the manager, far from clearing up the mistake, induces the former to believe that [Oct. 1, he has unluckily strayed into a private madhouse, and a subsequent interview, with Muffincap (Mr. Wilkinson) an orphan hired from a charity school as servant, who represents himself as a person hired to look after the people in the house, strengthens his belief, which is lastly confirmed at the sight of whips, chains, padlock, and other theatrical properties in the manager's room; and upon beholding the uncouth gestures and the forlorn and ragged appearance of the strolling players, who continue to pass to and fro, and assail him with wild and fantastic exclamations in the rehearsal of their respective parts, he is wound up to such a pitch of terror, that he fancies himself actually upon the point of being murdered by the supposed lunatics. From this dilemma he is happily relieved by the appearance of his ward and Mr. Dulcet, who come before him as suppliants for his forgiveness and support. His consent is easily obtained, and the dropping of the curtain leaves the audience nothing but to unite their wishes for the future welfare of the happy pair. Fearful lest his talents for originality should either be doubted, or not duly appreciated, the author has appeared anxious to preserve himself from the accusation of plagiarism, by expressly asserting in the play bills that his production is "not taken from the French." We apprehend the caution to have been needless; for we find neither that ingenuity in the device, nor that lively spirit in the developement of it,which never fail to form the leading characteristics of a French dramatist. We do not mean however by this to detract from the merits of the production, which give rise to an admirable satire upon the injudicious and misapplied efforts of the managing (or mismanaging) Committees, to whom may fairly be attributed the downfall of Drury Lane; and we are not without our fears that this spirit of amateur managerism will go far to award a similar fate to the Italian Opera House. A happy allusion to the ejectment of a late managing member of Parliament is introduced in a conversation between Harley and a strolling player, when the latter describes an amateur directing the rehearsal of a play, when he did not understand even the technical terms, and who in all the warmth and energy of dramatic dictation, instead of saying exit P. S. bounced off the stage, exclaiming exit M. P. 1818.] New Publications, with Critical Remarks. Had Mr. Harley been inclined to pun he might have well added, "We will have no more M. P.'s." Divested of its satire this Farce has little claim to our approbation, either for its plot, its humour, or its music. In point of fact, the whole bent of our author's efforts appears to have been devoted to the idea of holding up to just contempt and ridicule the self-sufficiency of those Committees, Sub-Committees, and Special Committees, with the fatal result of whose proceedings the public have of late been much disgusted. We cannot omit this opportunity of offering to Mr. Arnold, a few hints, which we think he would do well to consider. It cannot escape notice, that in this house, expressly styled an English Opera House, and in fact the only one in the Metropolis, there is not perhaps a greater dearth of any thing than of pure and legitimate music. Scarcely an Opera, properly so called, has yet been produced. Operatic Interludes, and Musical Farces (without music) have occupied the place, where the talents of Arne, Cooke, Bishop, and many other eminent masters, might have been displayed, to the encouragement of the 247 science, the credit of the manager, and we fearlessly add, to the better satisfaction of the Public. Witness the delight of an audience assembled to listen to the Opera of Artaxerxes; witness the very extraordinary success of the Slave, Guy Mannering, the Duenna, and a thousand others that we could enumerate, of which every succeeding repetition serves only to present new beauties, hitherto undiscovered, and to encourage not more in the author than in the audience in general, a science, so universally and so justly appreciated, and for which this country has of late years imbibed a taste unknown in former ages. If in a grand national theatre the substitution of melo dramas, rope dancing, and exhibition of pageantry for the purities of the legitimate Drama, have called forth, not the severities of austere criticism, but the just indignation of all enlightened minds, so will the representation of Burlettas and Serio-comic Extravaganzas, if continued to the almost total exclusion of the more refined beauties of genuine Operas, be but ill received, at least by that part of the audience, whose approbation is at all worth cultivating. MONTHLY REGISTER OF LITERATURE, ART, AND SCIENCE. NEW PUBLICATIONS, WITH CRITICAL REMARKS. 1. Samor, Lord of the Bright City, an Heroic Poem, by the Rev. S. H. MILMAN, &c. 8vo. pp. 358. WE read Fazio, one of the best of our modern Tragedies, with considerable pleasure, and this is from the same distinguished pen. Whilst, however, we admire the beautiful imagery which is interspersed throughout Mr. Milman's poem, we cannot but notice the occasional obscurity of the language, and regret that so noble a production should have been blemished by many passages of more than common absurdity. The opening verses are no less admirable for their sentiment than for their construction. Land of my birth, O Britain! and my love, Whose air I breathe, whose earth I tread, whose tongue My song would speak, its strong and solemn tones Most proud, if I abase not. Beauteous Isle, And plenteous! what tho' in thy atmosphere Floats not the taintless luxury of light, The dazzling azure of the southern skies; Spreads stainless, and unsullied by a cloud. Though thy hills blush not with the purple vine, And softer climes excel thee in the hue And fragrance of thy summer fruits and Nor flow thy rivers over golden beds; Bear'st with a prodigal opulence; this thy Thy privilege of climate and of soil, By fall of waters under haunted shades, The aspiring and the radiant hue of fire. To attempt an analysis of the volume, in the very narrow limits to which we are no cessitated to confine ourselves, would be ab 248 New Publications, with Critical Remarks. surd; we must therefore be content to offer a few general remarks on the style and execution of the poem. The incidents upon which it is founded, refer to that very interesting period of our history, when our British ancestors sought the aid of the Saxon chicis, Hengist and Horsa, to repel the inroads of the Scots and Picts. Samor is, according to Hollinshed, the Earl of Gloucester, and the Bright City, Gloucester, formerly denominated by the Britons, Caer Gloew. Mr. Milman abounds in similes, some of them very forcible ones; but we see no reason for his spoiling a fine passage, and obscuring its sense, by introducing them in parentheses. For instance, in describing his hero, he says, wreathed Its last empurpling on the battlements) Stood Samor in the amethystine light, &c. The second book opens nobly. "Noon is ablaze in heaven, but gloom, the gloom Of the brown forest's massy vault of shade Is o'er the kings of Britain." Mr. M.'s taste seems to have been formed by the study of our early poets, and he frequently introduces their high sounding phrases, without much selection or propriety."Battailous" is a word which has been long obsolete, and "babbling," as applied to day, is senseless. The reflection of the moon on the arms of the combatants is said to cast "A glimmer which is hardly light." There is something Miltonic in this: the author had probably in his eye the "darkness visible" of our great bard. The description of morn also in the third book, is beautiful, and, without being a servile imitation, resembles, (we had almost said rivals,) some of the finest passages in "Paradise Lost." Orient the bright-haired charioteer of hea [Oct. 1, Although the greater part of Mr. Milman's poem, is in the most delightful strain of feeling and pathos, and may be said to be almost a galaxy of brilliant poetical conceptions, yet, as we have before observed, passages of singular obscurity do not unfrequently occur. In line 157, b. 6, Vortigern is seated on "Caermerdhyn's topmost palace tower," and the author tells us, "I was his soul's treasured luxury and choice, To frame out of himself and his drear stall Darl: comfortable likenesses." We envy not the monarch his luxurious employment. A prophetess is said to be "dallying, with her loose and hanging chin." The battle, also, between Malwyn and Hengist, places death in a very curious situation. "But then Began a combat, over which death seemed It seems almost invidious to notice such trifling blemishes as these, when they are so amply compensated by beauties, numerspears of the Saxon army." ous, powerful, and brilliant as the " "The Bright City" is indeed a sun of poetical excellence, from which we are unwilling to detract, by hypercritically particularizing a few of the spots which may appear upon its disc. Suffice it to observe that it is a luminary, whose lustre will not be likely to fade in the estimation of those who know how to appreciate pure and genuine poetry. We will conclude our extracts from this highly interesting volume, with an apostrophe to Britain, as patriotic and beautiful as that |