... . THE Italian opera season at Covent Garden is approaching its close, and will terminate next Saturday week, after which date the theatre will be for at least a fortnight-- probably three weeks-- in the hands of the workmen employed in fitting it for the ensuing series of Promenade Concerts. According to present arrangements, the lessee of the theatre during the autumn season-- Mr. Thomas-- is ...

... . NITA Spanish Serenade, words and music by J. L. Ximenes Y. Pena, published by C. Jefferys, 67, Berners Street, is remarkably good of its kind; but its kind belongs to a generation or two ago. Romantic love ballads, especially for male voices, are out of date. A man's love song, to stand by itself and make its mark now, must be of such powerful composition as to claim a place among the great ...

... . IRVING ACTOR AND MANAGER, A CRITICAL STUDY, by William Arclior, published by Field and Tuer, Ye Leadenhalle Presse, E. C., is the third in what the publishers call The Vellum Parchment Shilling Series of Literature. The little book under notice, u no now facta of >lr. Trvirc. dc-nN with hto r*''fl i iir?er in Hn honent, it fck11!! \\l ln'lod we wen' 1:-1-i 'rvm..r ,,,,t i,,. i,^ ...

... POPULAR CONCERTS.-- The first Popular Concert of the Twenty-fifth Season is announced for Monday evening. Mr. Arthur Chappell has prepared an excellent programme for the occasion, with Madame Norman N ...

... CRYSTAL PALACE.-- We have already described the music to be given at the opening concert for the season, and may repeat that the programme was discreetly chosen, with an eye to contrast and variety. S ...

... MESSRS. NOVELLO, EWER, AND CO.-- From hence come three arrangements of The Redemption, Charles Gounod's Sacred Trilogy, which increases in favour as we become more and more familiar with t ...

... A CONTEMPORARY religious movement has inspired the serious element of Farmer John, by George Holmes (3 vols.: Hurst and Blackett). The whole of the plot, its love story included, is developed from t ...

... I. THE cry of the Preacher, that of making books there is no end, may surely be echoed by the reviewer of Christmas literature within the next two months. The graver books come earlies ...

... eMeUSlC) RICHTER CONCERTS.-- The pre-Christmas series terminated last Saturday night. On the side of novelty they have not greatly enriched our musical répertoire. The vogue indeed, has been mainly li ...

... Messrs. W. Marshall and Co. W. M. Hutchinson, already well known as a writer of charming ballads, has composed a cantata, which shows that he has the gift of writing concerted as well as solo music. ...

... eKusic) TiT -V- ;7, yv'. OMNIUM GATHERUM.-- The new quintet in F major (Op. 88), by Johannes Brahms, to which reference was made last week, formed part of the programme on the occasion of Mr. Henry H ...

... MR. LAURENCE OLIPHANT'S return to the world of fiction is more than merely welcome, and is likely to be the leading event in the present year of that lately rather barren world. His Altiora Peto (Bl ...