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... ader in Mendelssohn's the College can boast of more than two first tenors ?-or E flat String Quartet (Op. 44). Of this a spirited and dothese young peopleconsider it belowtheirdignitytosing expressive performance was given, though here and there in a chorus ? The programme was completed by " Herve the ensenzble was not faultless, and suggested a lack of Riel,t' a ballad for baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra, by sufficient preparation. Mr. J. A. Fuller Maitland played Mr. H. Walford Davies, an ex-scholar. It is one of the Purcell's fine Suite in G, the same master's Ground in C many works built after the model of Professor Stanford's minor, and Dr. Arne's Sonata in B flat on his famous ' Revenge. " Vigour, tunefulness, brightness, and clever double harpsichord, with which a modern " grand " descriptive writing for the orchestra are its chief could hardly compete as regards variety of tone-colour. characteristics. It cannot be said that Browning's rugged Mr. John Sandbrook, besides singing the solos in the verse " yearns for musical expression," and to musically Cavalier Songs with all requisite dash and vigour, was illustrate it might have puzzled a vastly more expealso heard in Mr. Henschel's {' Jung Dieterich," which, rienced composer than Mr. Davies. That he has done so barring some peculiarities in his pronunciation of the well with such unpromising material, and produced such a German text, he sang very finely. spirited and, on the whole, effective piece, is an achievement In consequence of the indisposition of several rnembers of which he may justly be proud. Professor Stanford of the Guild who had been announced as performers, the conducted. programme of the second Concert on the I8th ult., had to _. undergo considerable changes. A Violin and Pianoforte Sonata by Mr. Alfred Wall had to be omitted altogether. ROYAL INSTITUTION. Its place was taken by Mr. Algernon Ashton's bright Irish Dances for pianoforte duet, played by Mr. Herbert J. Sharpe DR. HUBERT PARRY'S Lectures on JS Idealism and Realism and the composer. The latter also took part, with Miss in Music " attracted large audiences, on the first three Winifred Holiday and Mr. Tennyson Werge, in Beet-Saturday afternoons of last month, to the Royal Institution. hoven's great B flat Pianoforte Trio (Op. 97), the other Idealism and Kealism were, the lecturer said, so variously concerted piece being Tschaikowsky's unsatisfactory understood that the matter could best be tested by watching String Quartet in D (Op. II), of which a fair performance the instinct of artistic humanity while developing its was given by Miss Holiday, Messrs. Wallace Sutcliffe, resources unconsciously under the influence of its love for William Ackroyd, and T. Werge. Miss Lily Thatcher, who what was beautifuI and what was consistent with the conis gifted with a sympathetic light soprano voice, sang two ditions which artistic instinct recognised as satisfactory in of Dvorak's finest songs and Mr. Willem Coenen's any particular form. The organisation of the material of " Lovely Spring " with much charm. art had proceeded for hundreds of years without the men who were organising it being the least conscious of what they were doing. No thought of artistic progress entered ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC. their heads; they acted on impulse, but the tendency of their e orts was always constant in its main direction, THERE was a surprise in store for those who attended the despite occasional aberrations and experimental deviations Chamber Concert given on the sth ult. The programme from the uniform course. They aimed at ideal art as a state announced as an extra number " There rolls the deep," from in which all the resources which artists required should be Tennyson's 4;In Memoriam,s' without naming the com-perfectlydevelopedandorganised. Indeed,ldealartmightbe poser. Speculation was naturally rife as to the latterss defined asthatartwhichwas perfectlyorganised to express identity, especially when the piece proved to be a very the thought of the artist in terms which were most comexpressive deeply-felt four-part setting of Tennyson's pletely adapted to its conditions. From the very beginning stanzas, which was received with such great and prolonged of things to the present day there had been no pause in applause that an encore had to be granted-an unprece-the endeavour to improve and enlarge the resources of art. dented occurrence at these Concerts, we believe. Since We could trace the influence of the predisposition of then Dr. C. H. H. Parry has acknowledged it as his tribute different nations, giving rise to various schools of musicto the memory of a recently-departed artist friend, and we as in the leaning of the Italian towards beauty of sound, feel great satisfaction in presenting it to our readers with the inclination of the Netherlander towards subtleties of this number as an extra supplement. That they will con-ingenious intellectual character, and the English proclivity sider it a beautiful addition to the Yepertoire of our numerous towards breezy-spring-morning-like freshness of definition. choral societies we have no doubt. On the occasion under Ah-ith Mozart and Haydn the study of design became notice it was excellently sung by Misses Ruby Shaw and predominant. The energy with which they devoted them-Morfydd Williams and Messrs. Norman Jones and Harry selves to the interest of absolute music-the music of the Dearth. Mr. Eli Hudson, avery ableflautist, took part with sonata, the symphony, the quartet-led them farther and Miss E. Gertrude King (pianoforte) in a finished performance farther away from the neighbourhood in which the possibility of Bachss E minor Sonata for fluee and pianoforte, and with of any realistic influence could come to them. Beethoven, Mr. Samuel Grimson and Mr. Edward Behr in Beethoven's with his passionate humanity, changed menss attitude long and tedious Serenade for flute, violin, and viola even towards pure instrumental music. From the first (Op 25). Miss Marie Motto led Mozart's D minor String the element of emotion was perceptible in his most Quartet with much care and intelligence, her associates characteristic work. On the heels of this new influence being Messrs. William Read, Edward Behr, and Miss followed the desire to identify the particular phase of Ethel Uhlhorn-Zillhardt. The choral class sang some of thought, and very soon the formula of dramatic music Brahms's lovely four-part songs for female voices (Op. 44), began to make its appearance in abstract instrumental but there was a strange lack of freshness and spirit about works. Passages of passionate recitative were introduced the singing. Perhaps the German text hampered the into pianoforte sonatas, and imitations of human utteryoungladies'efforts,thoughtheypronounceditremarkably ances were attempted, such as sighs, sobs, andthelike. well, forsooth. To the susceptible poetic temperament, the romantic period The orchestra distinguished itself greatly at the Concert of music would seem, of all others, the most ideal * and of the I4h ult., when Beethoven's $' Eroica " Symphony no doubt it was a period in which ideas were very much received an unusually fine interpretation. The dignity, insisted upon. Pieces provided with a programme and a pathos, and grandeur of this masterpiece of emotional name excited the interest of people whose knowledge of music were brought out in a surprising degree, while it and sympathy with the art seemed to be too limited for it was difficult to find fault on technical grounds. The other to give them pleasure, however beautiful the composer's purely orchestral piece was M. Saint-Saens's Symphonic work might be ill itself. Reviewing the mass of music poem " Phaeton," one of those very clever works in which that had been written during two hundred years, it might the French school excels. A greater contrast to this than well be asked how it was that generation after generation Brahms's Rhapsodie for contralto solo, male chorus, and of men should have expended this portentous amount of orchestra, from Goethe's " Harzreise im Winter " (Op. 53), ingenuity upon an art so evanescent as music, and what it could not be imagined. The solo was expressively sung was that prompted men to devote the little span of life by Miss Morfydd Williams, but the young gentlemen alIotted to them to the thankless task of endeavouring forming the choir did not distinguish themselves. Surely to promote the progress of art. The truth was that the