Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Account of the First Edinburgh Musical Festival, held between the 30th October and 5th November, 1815

FIRST PERFORMANCE. 29
Oratorio of the Messiah, or on any of the pieces
performed at the Edinburgh Musical Festival,
which have come under Dr Bumey's review.
However, to satisfy the curiosity of my read-
ers, I shall quote such of his remarks as ap-
ply to the pieces performed to-day. His cri-
ticisms upon the Messiah will be found in the
Appendix. As Dr Buiney's work is now ex-
tremely scarce, these quotations will be the
more acceptable.
Overture to Esther.
" The first movement of this grave and ma-
jestic Overture has always astonished me, by
the simplicity of its modulation ; which, though
almost rigorously confined to the diatonic in-
tervals and harmony of the key, is never mo-
notonous in its effects. And the first bar of
the melody, though so often repeated by the
two violins, is so grateful and pleasing as to be
always welcome to the ear.
" All the movements of this admirable Over-
ture first appeared in Handel's Trios, as did
many of those he introduced afterwards in his
Organ Concertos ; and he might with more
truth have said of those trios, Condo et compono
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