The Harmonicon. Part the First :: GLASGOW AMATEUR SOCIETY.

GLASGOW AMATEUR SOCIETY.

To the EDITOR of the HARMONICON.

Glasgow, Aug. 12, 1833.

SIR,

As you have always taken an interest in the proceedings of provincial societies for the cultivation of music, I have thought that it might be interesting to you to hear of the existence of an association so far north as Glasgow, the object of which is the performance of the choral compositions of the great masters.

This Society has been now nearly two years established, and consists entirely of amateurs; one of its fundamental laws being the ineligibility of professional musicians as members. It is called the GLASGOW AMATEUR MUSICAL SOCIETY. I beg leave to transmit a programme of their Second Annual Concert, which took place on Wednesday evening, the 7th August, in the nave of the venerable cathedral. The admission was entirely gratuitous, by tickets issued by members of the Society, and the audience, a most respectable one, amounted to upwards of 600 in number. The orchestra, led by Mr. Andrew Thomson, was composed partly of professional gentlemen of Glasgow, and partly of the band of the 7th Hussars, now stationed here. Mr. Thomas M’Farlane, organist of St. Mary’s Episcopal Chapel, conducted, and Mrs. M’Millan, (late Miss Thomson,) of Edinburgh, took the principal soprano parts.

PROGRAMME.

Overture.
Recit. ‘Comfort ye.’ Aria, ‘Every valley,’ (Mrs. M’Millan.	curly brace	Messiah, HANDEL.
Chorus, ‘And the glory.’
——, ‘For unto us.’
——, ‘Hallelujah! for the Lord God.’
——, ‘Worthy is the Lamb.’
Solo and Chorus, ‘Luther’s Hymn.’		LUTHER.
Recit. ‘In the beginning.’ Chorus, ‘And the spirit.’ Recit. ‘And God saw.’	curly brace	Creation, HAYDN.
Aria, ‘Now vanish.’ Chorus, ‘Despairing, cursing, raging.’	curly brace	Creation, HAYDN.
Solo, ‘The marvellous works.’ (Mrs. M’Millan.) Chorus, ‘And to the ethereal vaults.’	curly brace	Creation, HAYDN.
Recit. ‘And God said.’ Aria, ‘With verdure clad.’ (Mrs. M’Millan.)
Recit. ‘And the heavenly hosts.’ Chorus, ‘Awake the harp.’
Recit. ‘In splendour bright.’
Chorus, ‘The heavens are telling.’
——, ‘Sing the Lord.’
Old Hundredth Psalm.		LUTHER.
Chorus, ‘Hallelujah to the Father.’ (Mount of Olives.)		BEETHOVEN.
Chorus, ‘Let their celestial concerts.’ (Samson.)		HANDEL.

I do not presume to take up your space by a critique on the several performances, but I cannot allow the opening recitative and aria of The Messiah, and the recitative and aria, ‘With verdure clad,’ from The Creation, as performed by Mrs. M’Millan, to pass unnoticed: the first was given with a thrilling distinctness and precision which told well in the spacious high-arched nave, while the manner in which the latter was sung was well adapted to the flowery and polished style of that most beautiful melody.

Among the choruses, ‘Hallelujah!’ from The Messiah, ‘Hallelujah to the Father,’ the beautiful chorus from Samson, ‘Let their celestial concerts,’ ‘The heavens are telling,’ ‘Worthy is the Lamb,’ and the closing chorus of the Creation, ‘Sing the Lord,’ were done with great precision, and received reiterated applause; and the whole performance was deemed by adequate judges to be highly creditable to the amateur taste of Glasgow.

AN AMATEUR.

[We are happy to hear from all quarters of the increasing number of Amateur Societies in Great Britain; but surely it is a misnomer to call this an ‘Amateur Society,’ seeing that the only performance which its members think fit to notice publicly, depended for support almost wholly, if not entirely, on professional performers.—Editor.]

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