... I.IU3IG. THE musical history of the year which has just closed has not been graced by many striking manifestations of productivity on the part of native musicians, but has shown a rapid growth of musical activity in all directions. New societies have been formed; some of them bringing important aid to the develop ment of progress in the culture of high art; and not only in the metropolis, but ...

... . Messes. G. Conquest and H. Spey, both well skilled m the construction of good old-fashioned pantomime, have collaborated to furnish the Surrey with its Christmas entertainment this year. The outcome of their joint labours is a piece somewhat cum- brously christened Sohtnson Crusoe, the lad rather loose Oh and the Slack man called Jfriday who kept his Douse Tidy. This handled Defoe's famous ...

... THE failure of Nadjezda at the HAYMARKET happily affords no ground for the conclusion that audiences in these days object to a bold and unconventional treatment of a serious theme. After all, evil pas ...

... THE SEASON 1886.-- Last week we printed a brief history of the past year, and we have now to give a forecast of the season on the threshold of which we stand. The operatic outlook is still clouded. No ...

... THE UNFORESEEN, by Alice O'Hanlon (3 vols., Chatto and Windus), is a decidedly interesting story, founded, we suppose, upon the theory that it is the unforeseen that always happens. In this case the ...

... FREDERICK PITMAN.-- The Apropos Gavotte, by Jessie Morison, is one of the best of the season, and has gained so much popularity as to lead to its publication in nine different forms, beginning with ...

... . MARRIOTT and WILLIAMS, 285, Oxford-street. W.-- The Organist's Album, Nos. 1 to 12, 4s. each. This important addition to the repertory of organ music comprises original compositions by Josef Trouaselle; and organ arrangements of standard works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber, Men delssohn, and Wagner. Since the introduction of the excellent chamber-organs of Mason and Hamlin, and ...

... THE IANS' CONFERENCE.-- A large number of working musicians from the provinces attended last week the first conference of the National Society of Professional Musicians. The Society was origina ...

... V AUDEY ILLE THEATRE. IT is not a very brilliant story that Mr. Derrick has to tell in his new play, Plebeians, which has taken the place of Loyal Lovers at the Vaudeville Theatre. It is a story truer to stage conven tionalities than to the life which it professes to depict, and much stronger in comic characterisation than in comedy situation. The hero of the piece is a certain Danby Cleeve, ...

... EXPANDED stories are not often, perhaps indeed very seldom, successful. An exception, however, must very decidedly be made in favour of Katharine S. Macquoid's At the Red Glove (3 vols.: Ward and Do ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. ON SOME SUBURBAN PANTOMIMES. I must confess to feeling a little, a very little, doubtful as to my capacity for criticising pan tomime. Many years ago a friend of mine engaged upon the same journal as myself wrote one. lie was a dramatic critic, but lacked the assurance though enjoying the opportunity to do justice to his own produc tion. So it fell out that the task was ...

... MESSRS. CHAPPELL AND Co.-- There is a melancholy interest attached to Hugh Conway's last song, entitled Remember Me, albeit the words cannot lay claim to originality; they have been prettily set to ...