... . has recently been banished from the metropolis, so far as concerns our concert rooms, the only recent concerts cf any importance having been the closing Ballad Concert at St. James's Hall on Saturday last, the annual performance of The Messiah by the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on Monday last, and the London Symphony Concert on Wednesday last at St. James's Hall. The Saturday Popular ...

... . Tally-Ho, the amusing little piece so popular at St. George's Hall, by reason both of its pretty music and amusing dialogue, is now followed by a new sketch, by Mr. Corney Grain, of Our Servants' Ball. This is a subject exactly in the line of the tuneful humorist, who finds in it abundant opportunities, not only for caricature, but for accurate delineation of strongly marked character. Mr. ...

... DRAMA. CRITERION THEATRE. The play by Dr. Harry Lobb, produced at a recent Criterion matinée under the title Wyllard's Weird, turned out to be founded upon Miss Braddon's novel of the same name rather than an exact adaptation of that romance. The original story, it will be remembered, opened with a sensational acci dent or crime on the railway in the West of England, the victim being a young ...

... . MR. ARTHUR CHAPPELL has found it expedient to march with the times, and to recognise the fact that we now dine at the hour at which our forefathers used to sup. Accordingly, he has announce that the Monday Popular Concerts, with which his name has long been honourably associated, will henceforth commence at 8.30, instead of 8.0 p.m., and will end at 10.30 p.m. The first concert under this ...

... . Partners, the new play by Mr. Buchanan which is Mr. Beerbohm Tree's second important production at the Hay market, proves to be a drama less powerful than had been anticipated from its origin in Fromont Jeune et Risler Ainé. M. Daudet's novel, it will be recollected, is a tragedy of home life, relieved in its gloom by Dickens-like studies of character humor ous and pathetic. Its heroine, ...

... . THE directors of the Crystal Palace are busy with prepara tions for a national musical festival of great importance, the Triennial Handel Festival which will take place at the Palace next June. Engagements have already been made with Mmes. Albani, Valleria, and Nordica; Mmes. Patey and Trebelli; Mr. Edward Lloyd and Mr. Santley, and Mr. August Manns will again conduct. The directors announce ...

... . THE annual conference of this society was held last week-- for the first time-- in London, and lasted four days. On the opening clay the chair was taken by Lord Mayor De Keyser, who made some sensible remarks on the need of better musical teaching in this country, a need which the society proposes to meet by examinations of teachers, and the granting of certi ficates the possession of which ...

... MUSIC. ROYALTY THEATRE. AMONGST the many opera-bouffes composed by Jacques Offenbach his Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein occupies the highest place. In other works by this fertile composer more copious sores of melody may be found, as, for instance, in his Gene de Brabant and his Orphée aux Enfers, but in La Grande Duchesse he found the most piquant of his libretti, and fitted it with vocal ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. FRANKENSTEIN. THE accompanying illustration must be the excuse for my beginning this article with a reference to the sacred lamp of burlesque-- good old lamp, as Mr. Lonnen would observe, This now venerable article has been somewhat sorely battered in its day, but has of late been so well furbished up and re lacquered, that it would appear to have taken a new lease of ...

... . Frankenstein, wlucn now goes as smoothly and merrily as the most critical patrons of Gaiety burlesque could wish, was pre ceded ou Monday by lot 49, a new farce neatly ada-.ted from the German of Von Moser by Mr. W. J. Fisher. The title of this amusing trifle lias reference to a pet dog, with which, at an auction, Mr. Horace Newlove's newly married wife has fallen in love. Unknown to her ...

... MUSIC. CRYSTAL PALACE CONCERTS. THESE valuable concerts will be resumed on Saturday, Feb ruary 11th. The prospectus of the ten remaining concerts has been forwarded by the directors, and shows on unabated desire to maintain those characteristics which have gained for the Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts world-wide renown: ex cellence of execution, due reverence for classic art, liberal re ...

... . THE late Mr. Palgrave Simpson's skilful adaptation of the cunningly constructed Pattes de Mouche of M. Sardou is so firmly established in the répertoire of the St. James's company, that familiar though it is, it could not possibly be left out of the present series of farewell revivals. The reasons for its popu larity are not far to seek. In The first place A Scrap of 'Paper overcomes with ...