THIS club, in furtherance of the purpose for which it was established—the cultivation of the glee—gives annually prizes for the best serious and the best cheerful glee. The prizes offered last year to be decided this, were ten pounds each, and have just been awarded. There were forty-six candidate compositions—twenty-five serious, and twenty-one cheerful—written by twenty-nine different composers, including many of the most distinguished composers of this kind of music in the kingdom. Twenty-four of the glees were sent in by authors residing in London, all of whom, with an exception or two, are eminent in the profession. Seven came from Manchester gentlemen; the remainder from Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Bristol, Hull, and Plymouth. The productions which this competition—unparalleled, we believe, for the extent and variety of the compositions—furnished, were many of them of a high order: the serious glees were particularly excellent, a large proportion of them being, in style and merit, beyond the average of such as are considered established works. The whole collection exhibited a gratifying proof that this peculiarly English branch of musical science is extensively and successfully cultivated. All the glees were, by means of frequent rehearsals, well executed by the singers. They were sung before the committee appointed to award the prizes at five successive meetings, especially held for the purpose; the last of which took place on Monday, the 21st of January, when, on opening the sealed packets containing the names and mottos of the respective authors, it appeared that the prize for the serious glee had been adjudged to Mr. Henry R. Bishop, for a four-voice glee, beginning ‘Where shall we make her grave?’ and that for the cheerful glee, by Mr. Vincent Novello, a glee also for four voices, to original words, commencing “Old May morning.” |
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