CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL
CONTENTS
THE MUSICAL SEASON.
THE TALLOW-TREE OF CHINA.
THE TOLLMAN'S STORY.
CARDINAL MEZZOFANTI.
CURIOSITIES OF POSTHUMOUS CHARITY.
LABOUR STANDS ON GOLDEN FEET.
LORD ROSSE'S DISCOVERIES.
SOUTH-AFRICAN REPTILES.
LINES.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF EXTREME MINUTENESS.
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'SINFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,' 'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
| No. 436. New Series. | SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1852. | Price 1½d. |
THE MUSICAL SEASON.
'The English are not a musical people.' The dictum long stoodunquestioned, and, in general estimation, unquestionable. All theworld had agreed upon it. There could be no two opinions: we had nonational airs; no national taste; no national appreciation of sweetsounds; musically, we were blocks! At length, however, the creed beganto be called in question—were we so very insensible? If so,considering the amount of music actually listened to every year inLondon and the provinces, we were strangely given to an amusementwhich yielded us no pleasure; we were continually imposing onourselves the direst and dreariest of tasks; we were tormentingourselves with symphonies, and lacerating our patience with sonatasand rondos. What was the motive? Hypocrisy was very generallyassigned. We only affected to love music. It was intellectual,spiritual, in all respects creditable to our moral nature, to be ableto appreciate Mozart and Beethoven, and so we set up for connoisseurs,and martyrised ourselves that Europe might think us musical. Is theremore truth in this theory than the other? Hypocrisy is not generallyso lasting as the musical fervour has proved itself to be. A fashionis the affair of a season; a mania goes as it came; but regularly andsteadily, for many years back, has musical appreciation beenprogressing, and as regularly have the opportunities for hearing goodmusic of all kinds been extending.
Take up a daily newspaper, published any time between April andAugust, and range your eye down the third or fourth column of thefirst page—what an endless array of announcements of music, vocal andinstrumental! Music for the classicists; music for the crowd;symphonies and sonatas; ballads and polkas; harmonic societies; choralsocieties; melodists' clubs; glee clubs;