Musical Reminiscences: Containing an Account of Italian Opera in England, From 1773. The Fourth Edition, Continued to the Present Time, and Including The Festival in Westminster Abbey.

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

247-8

text excerpt

[…] Mr. Braham [the most prominent amongst the vocalists] on this occasion surpassed himself, and whose perform­ance was really quite surprising. He has long been at the head of his profession as an English singer, so long, that it is marvellous he can be so still. He is now far advanced in life, and it is almost beyond my recollection when I first heard him sing as a boy. Yet he retains in their full extent all his powers, without diminution or decay. His voice is just what it was in his prime: it is become neither weak, nor husky, nor tremulous, but filled with its volume all the vast space with the finest effect. His singing too was most ex­cellent. In my first account of him, I gave him credit for the ability always to sing well, and lamented his occasional deviations from a good style. No such fault could now be found. He now sung with the most perfect taste and judgment throughout. Nothing in particular could be finer than his delivery of the very beautiful recitative in Jephthah, ‘Deeper and deeper still,’ as also of that which opens the Messiah, ‘Comfort ye my people.’

excerpt from 'Musical Reminiscences: Containing an Account of Italian Opera in England, From 1773. The Fourth Edition, Continued to the Present Time, and Including The Festival in Westminster Abbey.' pp. 247-8 (203 words)

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1448636605363