has at his command the greatest variety of expressions of the bow. Of all living artists, no one has evinced such consummate skill in this particular as Dragonetti. Although his instrument, the double bass, is a giant among violins, he has so conquered its unwieldiness, and destroyed its roughness, that in the middle of the thunder he creates, he can chain you by the exquisite softness of his bow! A singular taste is shown in the manner in which he approaches a note, the effect of which is heard before he actually strikes it. Nor is this all, the manner in which he sustains and quits it is equally tasteful and expressive. His extraordinary powers are more strikingly shown in his single accompaniment of the voice-then we hear the pianissimo of his lower notes, which fill the mind with depth and vastness.* The eminent violinists, just enumerated, are all of the Viotti school, except Cramer. Viotti was the first who entered scientifically upon the study of the bow, and so far transcended the knowledge of his master, Pugnani, that his style formed a new era in the art of playing the violin. At the commencement of the French revolution he left that country for England, and continued the

* The musical parties at Devonshire House are seldom entertained with a performance of more than four professors at the same time. A Sontag, Moscheles at the piano-forte, Puzzi on the horn, and Dragonetti at the double bass. No doubt a delightful quartetto, full of rich and beautiful effects. In this singular combination, his Grace not only shows his taste in the art, but that he knows how to get the cream, without the parade and bustle of an orchestra.

delight and admiration of the British public till the year 1798, when he was ordered to quit the country, on the supposition that he was in league with the republican government. He departed for Holland, but not till after his school was fully established.

We now come to speak of a second era, distinguished by a manner of treating the instrument much more extraordinary than any we have mentioned. Of this style we know no more than has been imparted to us by that finished violinist De Beriot. This young artist possesses a truth of intonation, and mastery of the bow, greatly exceeding every other performer that has visited this country. But we doubt, even with such talents, whether he would have gained so high a portion of public favor, had it not been for a novelty which he has caught from the celebrated Paganini. The extraordinary performance of the latter is said to have had its origin in the following circumstances. During the revolutionary war in Italy, less fortunate than Viotti, Paganini was seized as a suspected person, or, as some have it, for the murder of his inamorata, and thrown into prison, where he was confined in a dungeon for some years. Having a

Frederick the Great, who was a skilful flute player, acquired his talent in a similar way. Having disobeyed the injunction of his tyrannical father, in marrying the daughter of Count Le Catt, he was upon the point of being executed with the Count, when he was rescued by the populace from the scaffold, and his sentence commuted into some years' imprisonment in a dark cell. In this place he learnt the fife of a boy who had access to him. When he ascended the throne, he placed

violin with one string only, by incessant practice he acquired an execution, so truly astonishing, as to enable him to play more upon this single string than others could play upon four. His powers in accompanying the voice are so great, that his tones are not to be distinguished from those of the singer. A German writer, who has heard him, speaks of his performance as being fiend-like; and he attributes his unaccountable effect to a new mode of tuning the instrument. Paganini, however, has just arrived in this country. He was accompanied by his favorite pupil Oury, who, for the honor of England, is likely to become one of the most powerful and graceful performers upon the violin this country has ever produced. He made his appearance at the Opera-House, June 3d, 1831; but the exhibition of his talent so infinitely surpassed the power of language to express, or even imagination to conceive, that we prefer giving the following enthusiastic sketch, written at the moment, to convey an idea of the marvellous impression he made upon the audience, rather than attempt a more sober description:

'I placed myself at the Opera door two hours and a half before the concert began; presently the crowd of musicians and violinists filled the Colonnade to suffocation, all anxious to get the front seat, because they had to pay for their places, Paganini

Graun at the head of his music, who composed a flute concerto for his majesty, to play on every evening throughout the year.

not giving a single ticket away. The concert opened with Beethoven's Second Sinfony, admirably performed by the Philharmonic band; after which Lablache sung Largo al Factotum,' with much applause, and was encored. A breathless silence then ensued, and every eye was watching the entré of this extraordinary violinist, and as he glided from the side scenes to the front of the stage an involuntary cheering burst from every part of the house, many rising from their seats to view the spectre, during the thunder of this unprecedented cheering his gaunt and extraordinary appearance being more like that of a devotee about to suffer martyrdom, than one to delight you with his art. With the tip of his bow he set off the orchestra in a grand military movement, with a force and vivacity as surprising as it was new. At the termination of this introduction he commenced with a soft streamy note of celestial quality; and with three or four whips of his bow elicited points of sound as bright as the stars. A scream of astonishment and delight burst from the audience at the novelty of this effect. Immediately execution followed that was equally indescribable, in which were intermingled tones more than human, which seemed to be wrung from the deepest anguish of a broken heart. After this the audience were enraptured by a lively strain, in which was heard, commingled with the tones of the instrument, those of the voice, with the pizzicato of the guitar, forming a compound of exquisite

beauty. If it were possible to aim at a description of his manner, we should say that you would take the violin to be a wild animal which he is endeavoring to quiet in his bosom, and which he occasionally, fiend-like, lashes with his bow; this he dashes upon the strings as you would whip with a walking switch, tearing from the creature the most horrid as well as delightful tones.

'He has long legs and arms, and the hands in his playing often assume the attitude of prayer, with the fingers pointed upwards. The highest notes (contrary to every thing we have learnt) are produced as the hand recedes from the bridge, overturning all our previous notions of the art. During these effects a book caught fire upon one of the desks, which burnt for some time unobserved by the musicians, who could neither see nor hear, though repeatedly called to by the audience, any thing but the feats of this wonderful performer.

'Some few pieces were played by the orchestra that gave some repose to the admiring audience. He then entered upon his celebrated performance of the single string, introducing the air of "Nel cor più sento" (Hope told a flattering tale,) in which he imparted a tone so "plaintive and desolate, that the heart was torn by it;" in the midst of this he was so outré-so comic-as to occasion the loudest bursts of laughter. This feat was uproariously encored. He then retired to put on the three other strings, and ended this miraculous performance