Various

[Continued from last Volume.]

ALTHOUGH the failure of public support occasioned the abandonment first of the professional concerts, and eventually rendered it matter of prudence even in Salomon to withdraw from the field, yet the impulse which these establishments had given to musical taste, both in the profession and amongst amateurs, continued to be felt long after the immediate cause was no more. The tone of concerts, both public and private, was materially improved, and some of the best pieces of modern instrumental music were performed in orchestras where nothing beyond the overtures and concerts of Handel or Corelli had been heard before. The music, which was found on the desk, and formed the amusement of amateurs, was much superior to any thing which a few years previous had been thought within their reach; they were no longer contented with the faded productions of a past age, but excited to keep pace with the discoveries and improvements of the times in which they lived. The City Amateur Concert, called the Harmonic (mentioned in the last of these articles), arose out of and continued to keep alive this feeling, but it required a more energetic effort and more comprehensive arrangements to give it full effect.

This effort was at length made by the musical profession in London. In the early part of the year 1813, Messrs. Corri, J. B. Cramer, and Dance, met at the house of the last-named gentleman, and may be said to have laid at that meeting the foundation-stone of the PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY. To a subsequent meeting they invited twelve other professional gentlemen, and it was then determined forthwith to institute a concert for the performance, if not exclusively, chiefly, of instrumental music, in support of which the parties assembled, not only agreed to give the gratuitous aid of their united talents, but entered into a subscription to meet incidental expenses. They assumed the appellation of THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, and associated to themselves fifteen more of their professional brethren, thus augmenting their number to thirty, who were to be denominated MEMBERS of the society, and in whom alone the management of its funds, and the direction of its proceedings and concerns, were to be vested. The thirty original members of the society were—

Members of the musical profession were invited to join the society under the title of ASSOCIATES, but without having a vote, or any other participation, in the affairs or constitution of the establishment, or any privilege or advantage, except that their subscription was fixed at a lower sum than that of the public in general, and that, when any vacancies might occur in the list of MEMBERS, they were to be filled up from the ASSOCIATES by ballot. Of this class sixty-one inscribed their names in the first season. The subscription-list was filled up from the public at large; but in order to be admitted as a subscriber, it was necessary to be nominated by some member of the society, and as vacancies in the subscription-list took place, they were filled up in the same way; the number of vacancies being divided among the members, and each having an equal number of nominations to divide amongst such of his friends as were desirous of attending the performances of the society. Notwithstanding this restriction, so anxious were the amateurs to avail themselves of this opportunity of enjoying instrumental music of the first class, that the whole number the room could accommodate was nearly filled up before the first concert, and previous to the second performance many applications for subscriptions had been of necessity rejected.

The object and principle of the Philharmonic Society is thus set forth in its second fundamental law. The chief object ‘of the society is the performance, in the best style possible, of the most approved instrumental music, consisting of full pieces; concertantes for not less than three principal instruments; sestettos, quintettos, quartetts, and trios. No concerto solo or duet shall ever be performed at any of the society’s concerts; and if the directors shall think it expedient at any time to introduce vocal music with full orchestral accompaniments, it must be under the above limitations.’ Thus it appears that the performance of vocal music only entered conditionally into the original plan of the founders of the Philharmonic; nevertheless, they found it eventually advantageous, if not necessary, to admit some singing; but for several seasons it was strictly confined to the limits laid down by the above quoted law, and the performance of the singers was for the first two or three seasons gratuitous.

The direction of the concert for the first season was confided to Messrs. AYRTON, BISHOP, CLEMENTI, CORRI, J. B. CRAMER, F. CRAMER, and DANCE, and its performances commenced on Monday the 13th March, 1813; a day that will be held memorable in the history of the art. So much talent of the very highest order had never before been assembled in the same orchestra; virtuosi who could appear elsewhere only as leaders, here took in their turns the subordinate stations of ripieni violins or tenors; and such masters of their art as F. CRAMER, SALOMON, SHIELD, SPAGNOLETTI, VACCARI, VIOTTI, YANIEWICZ, &c., were to be seen vying with each other which should contribute most to the general effect of the performances. The result was such as might have been expected from the combination of such elements: yet when the orchestra was heard, its power, unity and force seemed to surprise even its projectors themselves; and if in the course of twenty years the Philharmonic Society has not appeared to improve, it is perhaps because its very first efforts were in themselves as near perfection as possible.

Every thing connected with this society is so interesting, and so united with the history of the art in England, that we feel certain it will be gratifying to our readers to peruse the bills of its performances. Those who were present at them will thank us for reviving the recollection of past pleasures, and those who were not must be interested in seeing from what sources the directors drew, and what description of music they naturalized, if they did not first introduce, in this country.

FIRST CONCERT, Monday, March 8th, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

SECOND CONCERT, Monday, March 15th, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

THIRD CONCERT, Monday, April 19th, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

FOURTH CONCERT, Monday, May 3d, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

FIFTH CONCERT, Monday, May 17th, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

SIXTH CONCERT, Monday, May 31st, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

SEVENTH CONCERT, Monday, June 14th, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

EIGHTH CONCERT, Monday, June 21st, 1813.

PART I.

PART II.

We shall continue the history of this society to the period when our own reports of it commenced, in 1823.