Overture to Der Freyschutz, arranged for three Flutes, with Violoncello Accompaniment (ad lib); by M. Holst, No. 1, of Operatic Overtures.

Favourite Airs from Der Freyschutz, arranged as Duets for two Flutes; by C. N. Weiss. T. Lindsay.

Select Airs from Der Freyschutz, arranged for the Flute; by W. Card. Lavenu and Co.

The Incantation Scene in Der Freyschutz, arranged for Harp and Piano Forte, with Flute and Violoncello Accompaniments (ad lib); by N. C. Bochsa. Boosey and Co.

Overture to Euryanthe, arranged for two Performers on the Piano Forte, with Accompaniments for Flute and Violoncello (ad lib); by W. Watts. Birchall and Co.

Overture to Abon Hassan, arranged for the Piano Forte, with Accompaniments (ad lib), for Flute (or Violin) and Violoncello. Book 17, of Rossini's favourite Airs, for Harp and Piano Forte, with Accompaniments for Flute and Violoncello (ad lib); by N. C. Bochsa. Chappell and Co.

Overture to Il Turco in Italia, for Harp and Piano Forte, with Accompaniments for Flute and Violoncello; by N. C. Bochsa. No. 6, of Crouch's Select Movements.

Seven Books of a Selection of National and Popular Airs, arranged in a familiar style for the Harp; by T. P. Chipp. J. Power.

Nos. 11 and 12, of Les Petits Amusemens for the Piano Forte; by J. Calkin. Chappell and Co.

A Selection of the most admired of Moore's Irish and National Melodies, published singly. J. Power.

THE YORK FESTIVAL.

THIS, the most splendid of English music meetings, is to commence on the week beginning with Tuesday, the 15th of September, and unless traversed by accidents which no human caution can foresee or prevent, its magnificence will be unparalleled in the annals of provincial meetings. Ever since the last, the minds of its supporters have been upon the stretch, and their activity unbounded, to render the preparations for the next as complete as possible. Such energy commands success. The first and greatest instance is to be found in the erection of the spacious and superb room in which the evening concerts are to be held. As the knowledge of such an example of public spirit cannot be too widely diffused, we shall make our record of the transaction in the words of Mr. Crosse, the very able historian of the late York Festival.

"In the course of the spring of 1824 the ground adjoining the western wall of the Assembly Rooms, with a front towards Finklestreet, was offered for sale; and, at a meeting of several members of the Yorkshire Literary and Philosophical Society, held at the house of the President, the Rev. W. V. Vernon, Canon Residentiary, it was considered to be an extremely eligible situation both for the purposes of the society and for a concert-room, and was ultimately purchased for the sum of £2100, which, after subsequently determining not to combine the two objects together, was, by the purchase of some necessary portions of adjoining property, increased to the sum of £2570, in the whole, for the site, including a respectable hotel, which it will not be requisite to remove, at least for the present.

"About this time the enquiries as to the probability of another Festival, and the period at which it would be held, became both numerous and urgent; and, after much deliberation, arising from the desire to avoid the too early repetition on the one hand, and a delay which might damp the ardour of the public on the other, it was resolved-the permission of the Dean and Chapter having previously been liberally granted-that the second Festival should be held in September, 1825, leaving the time at which such meet

ings should be periodically held in future-in case of permission for the use of the Minster continuing to be granted by its guardians to be hereafter determined upon, according to circumstances. The Festival was therefore announced, accompanied with the statement that the receipts of the morning services would be appropriated, after payment of the expences, in aid of the funds of the Infirmaries of York, Leeds, Hull, and Sheffield, and that the receipts from the evening concerts and balls would be applied towards defraying the cost of the new concert-room; the surplus, if any, to be likewise divided amongst the four charities. It was then determined that, after the whole of the cost of the land and building should be defrayed, the concert-room should be vested in the Archbishop of York, the Dean of York, and the Lord Mayor of York respectively, for the time being, in trust for the equal benefit of the York County Hospital, and the Infirmaries of Leeds, Hull, and Sheffield, on all occasions of grand musical performances in the Minster, with power to the trustees, if the use of the Minster should at any time be refused for such performances, to allow of a festival or other musical performances in the room, and to apply the profits exclusively to the York County Hospital; and with further power to the trustees to use the room, in the interval between such grand musical performances, for such other purposes as they shall think proper, for the benefit of the York County Hospital. It was also resolved, that a guarantee fund should be formed, as in 1823, to cover any eventual loss; no part of the sums subscribed to be called for, except in the case of such deficiency; and, in that case, each subscriber to contribute pro rata of his subscription. This fund amounts at present, (January, 1825,) to the sum of £2980. It was commenced by his Grace the Archbishop, with a subscription of £300, and comprises those of the Corporations of York and Hull, and of Messrs. Raper, Swann, and Co. for £500, each, with various others of £200, £100, £50, &c. from upwards of eighty of the patrons, committee, and other gentlemen of the county.

"The requisite preparations having been made by the architects and others, with whom a contract had been entered into, the building was commenced in the month of July, on the foundation stone of which was engraved the following inscription:

VOL. VII. NO. XXVI.-JUNE, 1825.

THIS FIRST STONE
OF A CONCERT-ROOM,

FOR

THE YORKSHIRE MUSICAL FESTIVALS,

WAS LAID, THE 28TH OF JULY, 1824,

IN THE 5TH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF KING GEORGE II.

BY THE

RIGHT HON. WILLIAM DUNSLAY,
LORD MAYOR.

ATKINSON and SHARP,

Architects.

"Previous to the ceremony of laying the stone being performed, the company present, among whom were many ladies, and several Members of the committee of management, were addressed, in the unavoidable absence of the Chairman, J. L. Raper, Esq. by the Rev. W. H. Dixon, Prebendary of Ripon, in a feeling and judicious speech; after which the Lord Mayor made some appropriate observations, and concluded by proposing three times three cheers to the success of the undertaking, which was heartily complied with; the Minster bells at the same time, upon a signal given by the bugle, striking up a merry peal in honour of the occasion. After the business was concluded, the workmen had a handsome treat provided for them; and the Committee, the Lord Mayor, and other friends to the undertaking, dined together at the Black Swan, the Rev. W. H. Dixon in the chair, when the various patrons of the Yorkshire Festival were duly and harmoniously remembered.

"The great room is 110 feet by 40; the concert-room 95 feet (including 8 feet curve in the orchestra) by 60; and its height 45 feet. The orchestra will accommodate 144 performers; and the ground floor and the gallery together will be seated for 2000 persons."

We may next turn to the arrangements in the Minster. It is 'intended to place the instrumental band under the tower, and the vocal to the westward of the pillars which separate the tower and the nave. The vocal performers will extend into the side aisles, thus being brought forward from under the vortex of the tower, an accession of power will be gained, and the effect it is conceived will be highly favourable to the solo singers. Plans for boarding up the transepts and the tower have been agitated, but the results are questionable, and we do not learn that any thing conclu

sive has yet been resolved upon. Nothing could be more smooth or finely blended than the instruments and voices at the last meeting. At the same time the vastitude of the place absorbing such an immense body of sound, seemed to reduce the power even of so numerous an orchestra. To remove this drawback and heighten the effects, notwithstanding the difficulties to be surmounted, the pitch of the organ has been raised something more than one-third of a tone, and its power and brilliancy augmented by adding to the pressure upon the bellows. These improvements, together with the addition of one hundred and thirty performers, or nearly one fourth, to the band, which is to number six hundred, will it is presumed increase the volume of sound to the extent required for the most perfect effects.

In the mean while the choral societies have been sedulously cultivated in different towns-all the chorusses intended to be done have been distributed-and Mr. White, of Leeds, has undertaken to attend in rotation a course of practice allotted to all the societies during the next two months. Thus an uniformity will. be given to the parts, that will render their combination as a whole more facile and secure. The general rehearsals at York on the previous days will be increased, and the consolidation of the whole cemented. Nothing can be more judiciously arranged.

It is determined, we find, that the opening on Tuesday morning at the Minster, shall be the Gloria Patri from Handel's Jubilate in D, omitting the introductory symphony, so that the full eclat of the entire band shall be heard at once. And as the choral parts. are those to which the public must principally look for peculiar sublimity in these performances, many chorusses not performed last time are to be selected. Among them are