The latest concert of Mr. Knoop, in our sister city, was given on Friday, the 12th inst., being a postponement from Monday, the 8th. This postponement was fatal to the gratification of the audience, in a considerable degree; for, apart from Mr. Knoop's performance, and the general attraction of the concert, it had been announced that Mad'lle Zahn Spohr, a daughter of the great violinist and composer, Spohr, was to sing on the occasion. In the interim of the postponement, the lady took cold, and was not able to appear; the room was filled, and much disappointment ensued. Some misunderstanding has arisen on the subject, but we do not undertake to set the matter at rest.

The party, consisting of Mad'lle Borghese, Signors Antognini, Voisel, and Statuti, still remain in New York, but whether they will proceed to Havana, as we understand was at first intended, or they will accept engagements for winter opera in New York, as report partly assigns to them, we do not yet definitely learn. As a body, they are assuredly a strong force, and, all other circumstances permitting, we could imagine their doing a very prudent thing to adopt the latter course. Whether New York be fashionably or tastefully musical, such vocalists as they, will be successful. Should they visit Boston, their talents will be candidly appreciated, and, in short, we cannot doubt that a winter's campaign, of this sort, would be encouraged to the full extent of its deserts.

The veteran, Braham, has been giving three Soirees Musicales, at the Astor House, and at the Stuyvesant Institute, and has been received with most rapturous applause. In these Soirees, he has been the presiding genius, the sole attraction. He has given many of those airs for which he has long been celebrated, and, in fact, seems to have in a measure renovated his youth. There is no denying him the praise of a most splendid middle voice, although some of his upper notes are decayed; and, whilst we regret that which has been the besetting fault of his whole professional life, namely, the overloading of his text with tinsel, protracted, unconnected cadence, there is much left of that magnificent volume of tone, in which he was - Braham. It is much to be regretted, although it is too late to be amended, that the ornaments of the great vocalist are like the tawdry lace of a drummajor's coat;-showy, but without intrinsic value.

CONCERTS.

Since our last report we have had a number of very interesting concerts, and it was very pleasing to observe that, while they offered extraordinary artistic enjoyinents, they were graced and appreciated by numerous audiences. To be sure, this appreciation extended more to what was surprising and unexpected, than to what was purely beautiful. The harmonies and pizzicatos on the violin; the high bursts of powerful tones and roulades of the voice; the hands shooting like rockets through the air and pouncing down upon the intended notes, or throwing out, entertwined in each other, a brilliant spray of small notes on the piano forte; all these things excited the greatest applause, and more unpretending beauties were often overlooked. But this is generally the case in mixed audiences; and if so in Europe, how much more so here, where we have far less opportunity of hearing exquisite performances; let us hope that the success of those eminent performers who have visited us now, may induce other really eminent artists to do the same thing. May the moments, that we hear their strains, pass by ever so rapidly, the strains themselves, if our mind hears them, continue to live in our mind, and the enjoyment of art, however transiently its exhibition flits by, is a lasting one. And, although we may suffer the artists to carry away from our shores bags of gold, yet we do not suffer by it, unless by our own fault, for they must leave a progress in art behind them as their work, and by-and-by raise a spirit for high art, creative and executive, in our own sons and daughters, and art stands surely next to religion among the means given to mankind for real happiness.

But to come to details of what has been offered to us. We have to speak of three most eminent performers: Mrs. Sutton, vocal, and Mr. Nagel and Miss Sloman, instrumental.

We do not hesitate to rank Mrs. Sutton among the best singers whom we have heard here, not so much on account of her preeminent natural talents, as on account of the most excellent cultivation which she has given her voice. The lower and middle range of her tones is exquisitely beautiful, while the highest notes are somewhat sharp and thin. Her style of singing is the richest Italian style, yet she does not overload with ornaments; and they are always in good taste and succeed in execution. Her intonation is of a bold and spotless

purity; and her crescendo and decrescendo, her swelling of the voice in its evenness, in preserving the purity of the tone all the time (a most rare beauty) is perfect. For a proof of the beauty of her ornamented singing we would refer to the Air, "Una voce poco fa," as she sung it, and for her wise and chaste restriction in ornamenting we would refer to the andante, in Mercadante's Scena, which we altogether consider as her most masterly performance, and a rare gem of beauty. We cannot help noticing and recommending her way of opening the mouth; the most difficult passages do not distort it, but it is kept evenly and calmly opened, the voice passing always out even and flowing.

Mr. Nagel is decidedly by far the best violin player that has visited us. The beauty, grace, and ease of his bowing cannot be surpassed. It is most beautiful to behold, while at the same time it gives to his tone great variety and finish. And these we would designate as his greatest beauties - the perfect purity, the roundness and evenness of his notes, the delicacy of his expression, and beyond all, as just mentioned, his bowing. The greatest leaps from the lower notes up to the highest are with promptness and boldness undertaken; and wherever his finger touches, the tone is yielded in most sonorous purity; this certainty and accuracy, and not the beauty of his instrument alone, makes his harmonics ring like the purest crystals. Then his passages over the extent of the instrument, his figures are like pearls strung together, so round aud even; this and the delicacy of his expression we admired particularly in the variations on Swedish Airs, played by him a vere good composition in which that in eighths and that in triplets were gems in this respect; while the boldness of his touch and bowing shone particularly in his own Concerto and that of Kalliwoda. Mr. Nagel's tone on the violin is more delicate than grand or full, and in the simple, unadorned adagio therefore, he does not produce his best effects, nay, even leaves somewhat cold; and this defect being easier found out, than the delicate beauties, with which his performances are studded, he is often not appreciated to his full merits as performer. We have heard it even said, that he had studied only the few pieces which he played here, and had played them since the last ten or fifteen years and none other. Now this, firstly, cannot be founded on fact, for so perfect bowing cannot be acquired by the mere study of a few solos . but only by systematic study of the instrument; and, secondly, even if it were true, it is but a slight reproach, for the study of solo pieces,

such as he played, and so as to enable him to play them in the way in which he did it, must of necessity give him a great power over the instrument also for other compositions.

a

The third eminent artist, whom we have to mention at this time, is Miss Sloman. Hers also is an extraordinary appearance young girl, competing with the best pianoforte players, whom we have ever heard here; venturing in public on Thalberg's and other compositions, which Rakeman and Kossowsky have played before her, and doing so without making a failure of it. We notice in her playing three things, which have particularly struck us; her great physical power-she played in one evening five or six pieces; each requiring great physical strength, and she played them all vigorously and energetically; her beautiful chromatic runs — and her exquisite trills; both being very even, and the latter especially so, when the little finger plays a different melody, while the others are occupied with the shake. We have marked her performance as an extraordinary one; and so it most certainly is, yet we cannot deny, that the motion of her arms and fingers sometimes exceeds the limits of grace, and that in her passages notes are often slipped or brought out indistinctly, which only her great dexterity and presence of mind make less conspicuous. Great elasticity is another trait in her playing, particularly observable in the beautifully light and springing manner in which she performed the Finale of Herz's variations; yet, on the whole, in refinement and finish of her playing she does not equal Rakeman, nor in fire Kossowsky. But she is yet very young, and if she would, for some years more, put herself under the instruction of some of the first European masters, we have no doubt that she will shine among the first female pianoforte players in Europe, at a time when there are several ladies who have successfully entered the lists, contending with the greatest artists for the palm of art; we instance Lerpoldine Blahetka, and, still more, Clara Wieck.

We shall not speak this time of those who have assisted at the concerts, since we shall probably have, in the course of the winter, opportunity to speak more fully about them.

THE MUSICAL MAGAZINE.

NOS. LXXVI. LXXVII. AND LXXVIII.

BOSTON, SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1842.

THE ORGANIST AND THE DOCTOR.

[DIALOGUE TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF FR. ROCHLITZ FOR THE MUSICAL MAGAZINE.]

Doctor. Ah, good morning, my old friend, what do you bring me? Organist. My honored master and patron, I do not bring anything; I have given a lesson to your good daughter, and have waited here afterwards to expect your coming in. I wish to speak a word with you.

D. I am afraid you have been obliged to wait a good while. In the present Carneval time a man of my profession can hardly get through his round of visits in the morning. The ladies dance and the gentlemen eat away their health. I hope you are not sick also. O. I cannot dance and have nothing particular to feast upon. No I am very well.

D. So much the better. Come into my study; sit down. Well, now say what is it that you want?

D. Well, what is it? You look troubled, and I have always been accustomed to see you cheerful, and of an even, contented temper. Out with it, what is the matter?