154 The Basso-Relievo at the New Custom House. server; nor does it appear that any was intended by the artist. A crowd of figures are presented to the eye, but it can neither understand their import nor occupation; and had it not been for the translation which is furnished by Mr. Laing, and which we have already quoted, we should have still remained in the ignorance in which we were left after nearly an hour's attentive consideration upon the terrace of the Custom-House. The eastern compartment is certainly the best; and in some of the detached parts merit is observable--for instance, in the single figure of Genius, the back of which is forcibly expressed, but the entire composition is lamentably deficient. The centre is too mechanically equipoised. Britannia is a sitting figure; behind her on each side are two standing figures; before them two recumbent ones; and on each side of these, are three seahorses. The group is devoid of nature, and strongly reminds one of the well known satire on the exploded taste in gardening: Grove nods at grove, each alley has a brother, And half the platform just reflects the other, The sister arts of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, are very feebly personified. The figure of History is good, but that of Astronomy, which the sculptor doubtless intended to be very imposing, is star-gazing in a very vulgar attitude, and seems to have borrowed the right arm of some other figure, for it is too badly set on to have ever been her own. The Muses who follow are very plain, ordinary ladies, who might as well pass for so many sempstresses as for the inspired Nine. The other side of the bas-relief is no better. Philosophy has studied so long as completely to have impairedwhatever personal charms Nature might have bestowed on him; but perhaps this is intentional: the sculptor may consider a want of grace as the characteristic mark of the votaries of philosophy; and in that case he has personified it excellently. The attitude of Chemistry is natural, and the figure is altogether well managed. Navigation is represented by a young man with a plumb-line for measuring the depth of water. This is a very imperfect appendage; the mariner's compass would have been a more perfect, and the nautilus a more poetical illustration; as it is, the line and weight may just as well be a symbol of his calling as a mason, as descriptive of the genius of navigation, the pride and prop of Britain, and the peculiar deity of this edifice. Charity is at least intelligible, for she is accompanied by charity-children; the coat [Sept. 1, and badge are perhaps a little too common-place. Faith and Hope are designed in much better taste. Temperance is nearly a copy of the figure of the same virtue in the window of New College, Oxford: but the personification of Prudence is quite beyond our reach it is a female looking attentively in a small looking-glass, and adjusting her head-dress. To have a mirror before her on such an occasion is certainly a prudent provision, but the attitude is unfortunately vague, and were the figure taken down it would make a very fit ornament for the window of a hair-dresser or looking-glass manufacturer. In the western compartment the centre group is again composed of figures which are placed in mechanical equilibrium : there are three upright figures, forming nearly parallel lines, and two on each side disposed alike. The three figures we should never have found names for, had not the description been put into our hands. The foreigners on each side, in their varied costume, conveyed to us instantly the meaning of the artist; but the three personages in the middle were still inexplicable. We guessed, but as it appears we were in error, that they were portraits of three of the commissioners who had gone on 'Change to inform the congregated merchants of the world that the Custom-House was now open for the transaction of public business. In this supposition we were confirmed by seeing one of them in a Scotch dress, as gentlemen of that nation frequently get hold of good things--such as commissioners of public offices, &c. &c. It seems, however, that these three figures are intended to represent England, Scotland, and Ireland; the one is designated, as we have hinted, by national attire, and the difference of the other two is, that one of them is clothed in what the tailors call a single-breasted coat, whilst the other has one of a more fashionable form. The mob of foreigners have little to deserve attention. The figures in other parts of the building are very common-place, both in design and execution. Britannia and a Lion, Neptune and a Sea-horse. In conclusion, we regret to be obliged to confess, that the works we have considered are entirely devoid of all that is requisite in art. They possess no sentiment; they express nothing, they are seen, and are forgotten. The material of which they are composed is artificial stone, and the process of baking, which it undergoes, frequently distorts 1818.] New Musical Publications. and injures the work; it is of a bricklike feruginous colour, and the general effect is very unpleasing. The name of the sculptor, or rather modeller, is BUBB, a gentleman only known to the world by the monument to Mr. Pitt, in Guildhall. It is a thousand pities that the performance of so great a national work should have been withheld from such men as Flaxman, Chantrey, and others, and its execution intrusted to a burner of artificial stone, whose style of design is as far inferior to theirs, as is the tasteless material in which he deals to the purest marble of Italy. INTELLIGEnce. A new silver coinage is preparing at the Mint, after the designs of the celebrated gem-engraver, Pistrucci. The reverse of the half-crown is St. George and the dragon. We have not yet seen 155 an impression, but augur most favourably from the taste and talents of the artist. We perceive, by an announcement in the Literary Gazette, that the artists of Worcester have determined on opening an annual exhibition of their works. We are heartily glad to witness the rise and establishment of such an institution in any of our provincial towns; they serve to disseminate a love for art, and are calculated to create and foster genius which may hereafter be highly honourable to the country. In this particular instance much may be expected, for many very able artists reside in that city, whose talents deserve to be exhibited in a mode more congenial to their feelings than in the mere painting of porcelain. NEW MUSIC. A Sonata for the Piano forte, with an Accompaniment for the Violin. Composed and dedicated to H. I. H. the Arch-Duke Rudolph of Austria, by L. Van Beethoven. Opera 96. To give this sonata its proper effect will require the aid of an excellent violin player, and a very steady timist at the piano-forte. And though the violin part is written over the other for the convenience of those who lack the accompaniment, yet the parts are so interwoven that it is impossible to quit one part without losing many beautiful harmonies blended with the other. This, there fore, is not a piece in which it is indifferent whether the violin accompaniment is used or not; but when two performers meet, who are perfect masters of their respective instruments, (and none other should attempt it,) the effect is grand and striking, far beyond the conception of the common jog-trot players of waltzes and quadrilles. We have seen much of Beethoven's music from foreign copies, and we trust that his masterly compositions will be sufficiently appreciated in this country to pay the expense of reprinting. Essais sur différents Caractères, pour le Piano-forte. Dédiés à Miss Marianne Brooke, par F. Kalkbrenner. Book I. Op. 34. These characteristic pieces are comprised in three numbers. The first, "Con Gracia," is all smoothness, grace, and elegance. The second, " Adagio Melancolico," is rather of a sombre cast, but possessing an infinite variety of pathos and taste. The spirited movements that follow is all science and execution, imbued with those energies peculiar to this writer, which few can equal, none surpass. 66 Pappataci! che mai sento!" Terzetto in the Opera of L'Italiana in Algeri. Composed by Signor G. Rossini. This trio is for two sopranos and a bass voice. The greater part of the opening movement is in measured recitative, which, in due time, breaks into a most spirited "Allegro," in which all the performers have enough to do. We cannot but admire the convenience of the Italian words to a song, where, if the singer is at a loss, or forgets his part, he can easily fill up the chasm with "no, no, no," or "ah! ah! ah!" or any other monosyllable. A Duet for two Performers on the Pianoforte, with an Accompaniment ad libi· tum for the Flute. Adapted from Mozart's Opera of "Il Don Giovanni," and dedicated to Misses Gorings, by F. Fiorillo. No, 2. The first air, "Il mio tesoro intanto," is elaborated in the form of what is technically termed a conversation-piece, in which each part alternately takes the subject. "Giovinette che fate all'amore," is all gaiety and good-humour, and worthy the hand who wrote it; nor does it suffer at all in the present dishing up. The next air " Deh vieni alla finistra," in a movement of, is in the penseroso style, and prepares the way for the most spirited of all spirited movements, "Fin' ch han dal vino." We have now, though somewhat irregularly, gone through the four sets of this charming music, and cannot quit them without calling the attention of all lovers of harmony to a work combining the most exquisite taste with the utmost profundity of science. 156 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, by Lord Byron. call back the roses of morn." Canzonet, the poetry by John Stewart, esq. composed by Dr. John Clarke, of Cambridge. A charming little air in the doctor's best manner that is to say, tasteful and elegant. Fantaisie Ecossaise, for the Harp, on the air " O Nanny wilt thou gang with me." Composed and respectfully dedicated to Miss Denys, by W. Henry Steil. Amid the arpeggios and sprinklings of chords in the introduction, the air now and then peeps out, as a taste of what may be expected in the next movement. This style of writing seems to have been obtained from the Proems of Cramer, and is admirably calculated to connect the different branches of a Sonata. We need not descant on the pathetic beauties of this air, but we may be allowed to say that it is peculiarly well adapted to the harp, nor can the taste and brilliancy of the variations be listened to with indifference. "Cease your Funning," with six Variations, and the Air (by way of introducduction) "The Miser thus a Shilling sees." Arranged for the Piano-forte, by T. C. Panormo. [Sept. 1, tions to it: but though we are here in complete possession of the tune as it is performed, yet the variations run so widely off the mark, that we scarcely recognize it in its evolutions. Whether the defect arises from the thema or the insufficiency of the adapter, we will not decide, but merely relate the fact. Having mentioned Dr. Arne, a little anecdote occurs, which may perhaps amuse article having, many years ago, accompanied our musical readers. The writer of this the Doctor to Cannons, the seat of the late Duke of Chandos, to assist at the performance of an oratorio in the chapel of Whitchurch, such was the throng of company that no provisions were to be procured at the duke's house. On going to the Chandos Arms, in the town of Edgeware, we made our way into the kitchen, where we found nothing but a solitary leg of mutton on the spit. This, the waiter informed us, was bespoke by a party of gentlemen. The doctor (rubbing his elbow-his usual manner) says to me, "I'll have that mutton-give me a fiddle-string." He took the fiddle-string, cut it in pieces, and privately sp inkling it over the mutton, walked out of the kitchen. Then waiting very patiently till the waiter had served it up, he heard one of the gentlemen exclaim-"Waiter! this meat is full of maggots, take it way." This was what the doctor expected, who was on the watch. "Here give it me."-" O, sir," says the waiter," you can't eat it 'tis full of maggots."--"O never mind," crys the doctor, "fiddlers have strong stomachs." bearing it away, and scraping off the fiddle strings, we made a hearty dinner on the ap We have put on our spectacles, but can find no arrangement in the introduction at all differing from that which Dr. Arne made when he adapted it for Covent Garden theatre. We are not sure whether "Cease your Funning" is well calculated for variations: a composer of whom we had recently occasion to speak, noted down the tune rather incorrectly, and made tolerable varia-parently maggoty mutton. So MONTHLY REGISTER OF LITERATURE, ART, AND SCIENCE. NEW PUBLICATIONS, WITH CRITICAL REMARKS. 1. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto the Fourth. By Lord Byron. It is by no means our intention to enter into a regular and elaborate review of this beautiful poem, but we cannot prevail upon ourselves to pass it over without enriching our pages with a few of its admirable passages. With the opinion expressed by its noble author, in his dedication, we entirely coincide, namely, that "it is the most thoughtful and comprehensive of all his compositions ;" and those who have delighted to trace the progress of the poet's mind in the earlier emanations of his genius, and compare the lofty, but varied tones of feeling by which they are so peculiarly distinguished, will peruse this portion of his writings, with a degree of interest, not often excited on such occasions. They will discover amid the many wild and inextinguishable bursts of energy with which this volume abounds, something like a yearning after the better affections of the heart; a willingness to look forward, with consoling hope, to some end or attainment, over which, "Circumstance, that un piritual god, and miscreator," can have no influence. Amid the utter wretchedness which occasionally breaks forth in this immortal lament, there is the appearance of passions subdued into mournful resignation, the soul of the "wondrous Childe," scems to have been tempered and chastened even by its own fire, "And like the plants which throw Their fragrance from the wounded part, Breathes sweetness out of woe !"* No poet was ever gifted with so * Moore. 1818.] Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, by Lord Byron. powerful a talisman for discerning the intenser passions of the heart, as Lord Byron. He reveals to us thoughts and sensations, of which we scarcely believed ourselves capable, and teaches us that we are indeed, "fearfully and wonderfully made." The following verses illustrate those mysterious associations by which the mind of man is recalled to a sense of its ills. XXIII. trace Home to its cloud this lightning of the mind, But feel the shock renewed, nor can efface The blight and blackening which it leaves behind, Which out of things familiar, undesigned, When least we deem of such, calls up to view The spectres whom no exorcism can bind, The cold-the changed-perchance the dead-anew The mourned, the loved, the lost-too many! yet how few! The following exquisite burst of patriotism will surely be thought to more than atone for the petulant allusion which Lord Byron has thought proper to make, in his dedication, to our "permanent army and suspended Habeas Corpus." VIII. 157 My hopes of being remembered in my line far These aspirations in their scope incline,——- livion, bar X. My name from out the temple where the dead Are honoured by the nations-let it be Yon sunny sea heaves brightly, and remains The odorous purple of a new-born rose, XXIX. Fill'd with the face of heaven, which from And now they change; a paler shadow strews Its mantle o'er the mountains; parting day 158 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, by Lord Byron. Dies like the dolphin, whom each pang imbues With a new colour as it gasps away, The last still loveliest, till-'tis gone and all is gray. Another proof of the poet's sense of beauty will appear in his description of the Medicean Venus. In life and death to be the mark where wrong Aimed with her poisoned arrow; but to miss. Oh, victor unsurpassed in modern song! [Sept. 1, omitted by the critics who have thought Oh Time, the beautifier of the dead, CXXXI. Amidst this wreck, where thou hast made a shrine And temple more divinely desolate, Among thy mightier offerings here are mine, Ruins of years though few, yet full of fate: If thou hast ever seen me too elate, Which shall not whelm me, let me not have Each year brings forth its millions, but how And if my voice break forth, 'tis not that long The tide of generations shall roll on, And not the whole combined and countless throng Compose a mind like thine? though all in one Condensed their scatter'd rays they would not form a sun. That conflict of wild and terrible emotions which would distract an ordinary mind almost to annihilation, Lord Byron can calmly and fearlessly contemplate, and like the rock which offers its unyielding breast to the ungovern able fury of the world of waters, remain himself unhurt amid the war of elements."-His address to Time, is perhaps the finest passage in the whole poem; and as it has been industriously now I shrink from what is suffered: let him speak Who hath beheld decline upon my brow, CXXXV. That curse shall be forgiveness.-Have I not Hear me, my mother earth! behold it |