"Tiffin Tiffin," is usually sung as a recitative: Mr. Wesley, by the judicious accompaniment he has added, has certainly rendered the melody more effective. The author's best thanks are due to him, for having rendered this essential service, in furtherance of an undertaking so arduous as in every stage he has found it.

We think Mr. S. Wesley fully entitled to the praises thus handsomely bestowed upon him by Mr. Linley.

Although the music in Macbeth has been already very well arranged, both by Mr. Jacob the Organist, and by Mr. Stokes; yet we give the preference to the new arrangement by Mr. S. Wesley, as it is in our opinion much clearer and more effective. We should, however, have been more completely gratified, if the chorusses had heen given in four parts, as they originally stand in the score, instead of being adapted for two sopranos only and a bass. Some of the chorusses, we fear, will lose a considerable part of their effect from the change, particularly the one at page 74," We should rejoice," in which the second soprano descends repeatedly to the G in the third space below the staff, a note which very few soprano voices will be able to execute with any degree of force or effect. This remark is not made with the view of attaching the least blame to Mr. S. Wesley, as we are aware that the above adaptation was made in conformity to the rule from which Mr. Linley has not deviated in the arrangement of the chorusses contained in the Shakspeare volumes. But we cannot but regret, that Mr. Linley imposed such a rule upon himself, or that he should think it necessary to adhere to it with such absolute strictness.

In the introductory symphony, page 69, the four last measures should, we think, be marked piano; this would prevent the monotony resulting from a repetition of the same passage in the same manner, and would also give to the symphony a greater similarity of character to the following movements, several of which terminate with the same passage repeated piano.

At the words, 66 many more murders," (page 70) Mr. Wesley has very judiciously altered the accompaniment, by introducing a more florid counterpoint in the treble part; and the newlyadded running base in the next page, at the words, "Dread Horrors still

abound," produces an excellent and appropriate effect.

The little symphonies which are intended as echoes (page 79) should be marked Pianissimo, as an echo should always be softer than the sounds supposed to be echoed. We think also, that the echo should consist of exactly the same sounds or notes as those which are supposed to produce the echo; for which reason we should prefer an A added to the C and F in the treble accompaniment (last note but one of the 8th and 9th measures) as that A is found in the corresponding chord producing the echo.

The last note of the Sth bar in the second soprano should be A, not G; and the corresponding note in the vocal base should be F, not E.

The first note in the vocal base of the 4th bar, page 80, should be F, not E.

There is another trifling error by the engraver at page 88, where the last note in the vocal base, 4th bar, should be E, not C.

Mr. S. Wesley has greatly improved the effect of the chorus " Come away," (page 82) by introducing a running base accompaniment where the subject is repeated.

The three last measures of page 88, should be marked piano, for the same reasons as were assigned in our remarks on the introductory symphony.

Instead of the B flat in the base being left unaccompanied (9th measure, page 89) we should prefer the common chord added in the treble, in order to resolve the preceding discord of the imperfect fifth.

We here again repeat our opinion. that this work evinces the taste and abilities of Mr. Linley in a literary, as well as in a musical point of view. The prefaces are written with great elegance, and contain several curious, interesting, and judicious remarks. The musical department demonstrates considerable powers of invention, and of musical expression in the variety of the melodies, as well as in their appropriate adaptation to the different sentiment contained in the poetry. The accompaniments also display a degree of science and playful fancy, seldom found combined even in the most experienced musical professors; in short, we consider this classical publication fairly entitled to the patronage of every lover of Shakspeare, and we sincerely hope it will meet with the encourage. ment it so justly deserves

N

TOV. 23. "The Iron Chest." The character of Sir Edward Mortimer is an anomaly throughout; but the play is rendered delightful from the combination of music, scenery, and general effect. Sir Edward makes fame his idol, and would sacrifice his eternal welfare to preserve his name from pollution: but, exasperated by a blow, and boiling with rage, he accidentally meets his brutal antagonist alone, and stabs him to the heart. To lull suspicion, he is arraigned for the murder, and is acquitted on his simple asseveration of innocence: and so much is he idolized, that "the noisy rabble carry him triumphant home" His proud soul, how ever, revolts at the "inean lie" which preserved his reputation unstained, and he broods in secret melancholy; though his hand opens liberally to those who formerly partook of his bounty. His establishment is princely: but from being the gayest of the gay, he is inwardly a prey to the grief that consumes him. Wilford, an humble dependant on his bounty, is induced by curiosity to discover the cause of this melancholy in his adored master; and is caught by Sir Edward in the act of examining an Iron Chest; in which it afterwards appears the secret is deposited. He tells his sad tale; but binds Wilford," by every tie human or divine never to divulge" the fatal secret and shortly after meanly places some valuables in his box, not for the purpose of destroying him, but solely to invalidate his evidence, should he be tempted at any future period to accuse him. By an oversight, however, he places the very instrument with which he committed the murder, together with a confession of his guilt, among the articles; and thus by discovering his unintentional crime, also exposes his meditated purpose against Wilford.Now, when a man is tried, and acquitted, he is deemed innocent in the eye of the law, and cannot be again arraigned for the same offence. Then why trust, a peasant with this important secret? or, why keep a confession of guilt at all, as it must eventually expose him, and thus defeat the first object of his life-ambition to be thought superior to every human being? In the novel

of Caleb Williams, from which this play is taken, the characters are strongly drawn, and the attention is kept alive by a climax of incident, which it is not possible to adapt to the stage: and it is no mean compliment to say, that perhaps no person could have produced such an effect as this tout ensemble by Colman.- On Mr. Kean's indefatigable progress, we have frequently passed judgment, and occasionally with high eulogium. He is, notwithstanding, more remarkable for the art of showing off himself, than for the science of unfolding his author. In the new character of Sir Edward Mortimer, this talent is peculiarly manifest; but as we do not desire to detract from his encreased popularity we content ourselves to say, the novelty of this evening was a birth of Mr. Kean's immediate creation, and cradled not less imposingly than was the little King of Rome. Indeed this celebrated actor is a most fortunate adventurer. Had Icarus been born under his auspicious planet, the daring boy might long have wantoned on his fancy pinions.-Of Mr. Wallack's Wilford, we cannot speak too highly: it was chaste, energetic, affectionate; and we consider that he might fairly claim some portion of the vociferations which called for its repetition on Monday, and which was immediately ac-' ceded to by the manager.

Nov. 29. "Cry to-day, and laugh to-morrow." The simple title of this serio-comic afterpiece conveys a strong lesson to mankind. If persecution assail us, we look forward with hope; and an enlivening sun cheers the gloom of departing sorrow: the clouds dispersed,' we remember our griefs but as a passing dream; or, in other words, if we cry to-day, we laugh to-morrow.—We shall not enter into an analysis of this piece, as it has since been withdrawn-not that it wanted materials; for they were good but that it was deficient in combination. Could the author (Mr. Knight) in this his first attempt have given to the language and incidents some of those peculiar touches which he invariably throws into every character he assumes, this afterpiece would indeed have ranked high: mais Londres n'a pas été fait tout en un joure

DEC. 3. "Love in a Village." Miss Merry, divested of her fears, appeared to greater advantage in Rosetta, than she did in Mandane: she not only sang better, but played the part with a vivacity which delighted. The duct, Together let us range the fields, by Miss Merry and Mr. Horn, was universally encored. Dowton's Justice Woodcock was as it should be.

This

DEC. 4. "The Revenge." play was first published in the year 1721, and the stamp it then received from public taste remains unimpaired. We cannot speak of Mr. Kean's Zunga with any degree of admiration, Dr. Young has drawn the character with too much grandeur for the appropriate exhibition of its present representative. Zanga is by birth a prince, and his calmly-meditated revenge on Alonzo originates in motives so powerful as almost to give the coloring of magnanimity to the dark subtleties by which he eventually triumphs over his devoted

victim.

'Tis twice five years since that great man, (Great let me call him, for he conquer'd me,)

Made me the captive of his arm in fight. He slew my father, and threw chains o'er

me;

While I, with pious rage, pursued revenge. I then was young: he placed me near his person,

And thought me not dishonoured by his service.

One day (may that returning day be night,

The stain, the curse of each succeeding year)

For something, or for nothing, in his pride

He struck me-while I tell it, do I live? lle smote me on the cheek-I did not stab

him

That were poor revenge !—

The pious rage of the captive Prince, therefore, draws its legitimate source from his dependence on one who slew his father, deprived him of his birthright to a throne, and dishonoured his sacred person by a blow: how unlike the base-minded dastardly impulse which instigates Iago! Mr. Kean, however, does not mark the distinct progress of a lofty mind thirsting for noble revenge; but represents Zanga with all the lilleness of lago. On the contrary, when Zanga first presents himself from the extremity of the stage, mantled in the mysteries of night, and 'rapt in the still darker purposes of a famished soul secretly pining for alimentary retribu

tion; his muffled figure should not be less dignified and imperative than that of Coriolanus at the hearth of Tulius Aufidius. Mr. Kean, therefore, in the progress of Zanga's systematic malignities, wants precisely the powerful illusion which makes him so defective in Bajazet. The latter is described by Rowe with the unbounded passions of ambition, fierceness, pride, and cruelty: the impatience and tyranny of his rage must, notwithstanding, retain evidence of the pride to which he owes them; he should be fierce, but his fierceness should be awful: he should be cruel, but his cruelty should be majestic: terrific, in anger: impressive, in his scorn: when he repines, frets, rages, curses, starts, blasphemes, or reproaches, he should do ALL with a magnifi cence of agony becoming the despair of a dethroned EMPEROR. This parallel is very striking; and it will moreover extend to Mr. Kean's Othello. He, it is true, in either character, sparkles with a tinsel splendour, that plays around the fancy;-but, to captivate the judgment, a classic poet must be illustrated by classic actor; and step, and port, and gesture must accord with chaste tone and emphasis in embodying the poet's imagination. The great error attributable to Mr. Kean is, that he does not confine his genius to the species of hero to which he is best fitted by nature. He aims to shine with too many rays, and this variety detracts from his intuitive splendours.-Alonzo and Carlos are mere shadows grouped in the back ground of the painting to enforce the nobility of the advanced figure: they, nevertheless, claim talents of a superior order to keep up the general interest. When Zanga's successful villany has inflamed the Lord Alonzo's mind with burning sparks of jealousy, the agonies depicted by Mr. Rac were eloquently emblematic of the awful progress anticipated by Zanga in the following soli, loquy.

I have turn'd over the catalogue of human

woes

Which sting the heart of man, and find none equal;

It is the hydra of calamities!

Oh! Jealousy! each other passion's calm To thee, thou conflagration of the soul, Thou King of torments, thou grand counterpoise

For all the transports beauty can inspire.

Mr. Rae's every feature attuned with the vast einotion of his labouring

breast, to give convulsive energy to the evident" conflagration of his soul." He was equally successful in the bower, when alternately swayed by the contending passions of rage, of love, and of despair. We never saw the character so prominent, and the applause of the audience was reiterated by glowing bursts of mental admiration. Mr. Wallack gains ground daily: his Carlos is a chaste and meritorious effort, formed in a good school.

DEC. 5. "Lionel and Clarissa." A Miss Mangeon made her first appearance on any stage in the character of Clarissa. She is a most interesting girl, and possesses much of the sweetness of her tutor Mrs. Mountain. Her timidity was excessive-but she executed some of her allotted airs with much skill: and we doubt not, that, when she becomes more familiar with her audience, she will do credit to the pains which have evidently been bestowed upon her.

DEC. 12.

"Macbeth." We should be very glad to see a compliment paid to Mr. Kean's Macbeth by our Correspondent S. W.X.Y.; because it was on this evening an improved appearance: but we have said so much on this subject, and are so stubborn in our opinions, that we cannot offer him praise con amore, the way in which we always desire to do Mr. Kean honour. A new farce, intitled "Nota Bene" was afterwards produced-and met with a similar fate to " Cry to-day, and laugh to morrow." It was confusion confused; and, though the exertions of the performers were commensurate to the dis approbation so loudly expressed, it did not meet with paramount success.

DEC. 16. After the play of the "Iron Chest," the musical opera of "Robin Hood," was revived, but cut down to an afterpiece. The curtailments are very judicious; and, as now represented, it will doubtless prove a favorite. Mr. Knight as Little John: Mr. Harley, as Ruttekin; Miss Kelly, as Annette; and Mr. Bellamy, as Robin Hood; each supported their several characters with a pleasing vivacity; while the part of Clorinda, by Mrs. Jones, from the Cheltenham Theatre, her first appearance in London, was rapturously applauded by one of the most brilliant audiences of the season. The higher notes of this Lady are very powerful, unmixed with harshness, and her lower tones are sweet, and generally correct. Without

derogating from the varied strength of the vocal department of this house, we consider Mrs. Jones a valuable acquisition, though she evidently felt embarrassment at this her first appeal to a metropolitan audience. We hope to have frequent opportunities of witnessing this Lady's powers; as we think she possesses a combination of sweet sounds which may ultimately conduce to perfect harmony.

DEC. 17. "A new way to pay Old Debts." Massinger's dramas are decidedly the natale solum of Mr. Kean's genius; we therefore feel some surprise at his neglecting the part of Luke, in which he acquired so much reputation. Violent or subtle passions, pourtrayed as they are by this author with a broad and dashing pencil, suit the glare of colouring with which Mr. Kean exhibits them; and if neither be true to the refinements of Nature, each is true to the other. Sir Giles is a demon of wealth, rioting in a tyranny of passi ons which degrade human nature, and to an excess which bounds beyond probability. In this excess Mr. Kean is eminently successful. He clothes the character with every appropriate borror, in a way possibly never to be excelled.

DEC. 18. "Ramah Droog." We took pleasure to point out the accurate display of classic drapery and of Athenian magnificence with which Mr. Rae, the Manager, so peculiarly decorated the revival of Timon, that the Scholar might have traversed, in fancy, those splendid abodes of art and of science which are immortalized by historical record. In "Ramah Droog," we find our admiration of his correct taste and study still more extended. The pageant of the Rajah's return from hunting, is a faithful picture, to the very hem of every garment, of the luxurious appendages of Eastern royalty. The audience was electrified, and applause was reiterated throughout the whole house.-The Chelingoe of Munden was in his best style, and his exertions were crowned with the success they so deservedly merited. Johnstone's Liffey conveyed a richness peculiar to himself; and Miss Kelly's Margaret was strictly characteristic of the assumed heroine. Of the vocal department we want language to express the zeal evinced by all-and though some parts were cast more strongly than others, each received deserved applause. Miss Merry improves on

every appearance, and realizes our prognostic that she only wants familiarity with her audience, to give universal satisfaction: she frequently reminds us of the fascinating syren, Miss Stephens. Miss Mangeon's articulation is good

1816.

and, with more confidence, may do much. Mr. T. Cooke, Mr. Horn, Mr. Pyne, and Mr. G. Smith, together with the strongest chorus ever collected, formed a climax of scientific execution, perhaps never surpassed on any stage.

Nov. 26. King Richard the IIId.-Bridal of Flora

Midnight Hour.

27. Iron Chest-Ditto-Woodman's Hut.
28. New Way to pay Old Debts-Ditto-
Watch Word.

29. Guardian-Ditto-Cry to Day and Laugh
To. morrow.

50. Iron Chest-Ditto-Ditto. Dec. 2. Ditto-Ditto-Ditto.

3. Love in a Village-Ditto-Ditto.

4. Revenge-Ditto-My Spouse and I.

5. Lionel and Clarissa-Ditto-Modern An-
tiques.

6. Town and Country-Ditto-Watch Word.
7. Iron Chest-Ditto-Midnight Hour.
9. Ditto-Ditto-Who's Who.

COVENT

As Mr. Kemble is now going through the general range of his characters, there is not so much novelty at this House, and, consequently, our criticisms are very short. In our proposed "Summary" we shall make ample amends.

King John." From our earliest worship of Miss O'Neill as a pathetic actress, we have prayed that popularity might never so dazzle her ambition as to betray her into an attempted enaction either of Queen Katharine or of the Lady Constance. Of Charles Kemble's Falconbridge it is impossible to speak with adequate admiration. And yet some few years back this Gentleiman was wholly without promise. His now chaste and manly personation of several characters, however, might whisper this secret to the ear of fashionable taste that an educated mind, persevering with classic ardour, must, however slowly, attain meridian splendour, while a false pathos in utterance, however electric, must impoverish and eventually consume itself.

DEC. 10. "The Gamester." Mr. Macready appeared for the first time in the character of Beverley, the merits of which we consider to be quite out of his theatrical grasp. Miss O'Neill's Mrs. Beverley is beyond all praise: it is one of those exquisite touches of unassuming pathos that insinuates through the throbbing pulses of every heart, and wholly subdues an auditory.

Love-a-la-Mode." We were very

GARDEN.

glad to see Mr. H. Johnston after a lapse of twelve years. He originally made his London debut with much promise; and indeed, had his good person at that period been graced by a little more ease, his Douglas, and other young heroes, might have been esteemed fine acting. His expression was always very powerful; insomuch that in pantomime we never felt the absence of language. His return is marked by a singular cast of character we should never have expected from him; but, unless we mistake wonderfully, he has chosen well. As he is shortly to appear in Sir Pertinax Mec Sycophant, we wish to defer our criticism to that period. It is an effort most arduous, perhaps bordering on temerity, still we anticipate great pleasure in witnessing his performance.

DEC. 13. Love, and the ToothAche." There is nothing in this farce which at all assimilates with its title. It was certainly ALL-ATTRACTIVE, but the attraction is Grave!

"The Slave" continues to draw, as well as the horses. The quadrupeds, however, go into recess this month, as well as John Kemble. The latter loss is reconcileable we fancy; but the former would be a metropolitan disaster, if sentiment and expectation were not equally on tip-toe for the new-birth of Mr. Farley's genius in a Christmas pantomime.