DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

276 HALLE HALLELUJAH
the next few years, many masterpieces of chamber
music were brought forward. In 1848, the disturbances
caused by the Revolution of February
drove him, with many other Frenchmen, to
England, and within a very short time of his
arrival he made JIanchester his headfjuarters,
being made conductor of the Gentlemen's Concerts
in 1849, founding tlie St. Cecilia Society
in 1850, and conducting operas in 1854-55.
The Manchester Orchestra, with which his name
is so closely identified, was formed in connection
with the Exhibition of 1857, and gave regular
concerts from January 1858 onwards. In London
Halle was always best known and most
warmly appreciated as a pianist. He played
the solo part of Beethoven's E flat concerto at
an orchestral concert at Covent Oarden, as early
as May 12, 1848 ; and appeared in the same
season at the Musical Union. His first appearance
at the Philharmonic was on Jlarcli 15,
1852. By that time he had established, in a
very modest way, at his own house, the form
of concert which afterwards became so popular
as 'Halle's Pianoforte Recitals,' such entertainments
being at that time unknown in England.
For several years they were carried on in this
semi-private way, and in 1861 the first series
was given at St. James's Hall, with a performance
of Beethoven's sonatas, occupying eight
recitals. Tlie undertaking was so successful
that the series of sonatas, as well as the analyses
in the programmes by J. W. Davison, were
repeated for two more seasons. In these early
days of the Popular Concerts, and indeed throughout
their career, Halle was a frequent performer.
He conducted a series of operatic performances
at Her Majesty's Theatre in the winter of 1860-
1861, and fromlS68onwards conducted the Reid
Concert in Edinburgh. From 1873 to 1893 he
was conductor of the Bristol Festival, in 1S82-
1885 he conducted the Sacred Harmonic Society
in London, and the Liverpool Philharmonic
Society. In 1880, when he received the degree
of LL. D. from the University of Edinburgh, lie
gave the first performance in England of Berlioz's
' Faust ' at Manchester. He did more than any
one else in England to encourage the taste for
Berlioz's music, and especially for this work,
which was long in taking hold of the British
jiublic. On several occasions, he brought up
the Manchester Orchestra to London, with the
special object of performing important works of
Berlioz. The last three series of these concerts,
beginning in the autumns of 1889, 1890, and
1891, were so ill- supported that the eminent
conductor was obliged to abandon them. In
1888 he had received the honour of knighthood,
and in the same year married, as his second
wife, Mme. Norman Neruda, the distinguished
violinist, with whom he undertook two professional
visits to Australia in 1890 and 1891
respectively. In 1895 they went to give concerts
in South Africa. In 1893 the Royal
College of Music (Manchester) having been
founded mainly through Halle's energy, he was
appointed its first Principal. He died at his
house, Greenheys Lane, ilanchester, on Oct. 25,
1895, and was buried in the Roman Catholic
cemetery at Salford.
Those who only knew him as a pianist, and
only heard him in public, generally received
the impression that he was a cold, not to say a
dry, player ; his technique was always above
criticism, but it is only fair to say that in
public he did not always let his individuality
of temperament come out. He was often reproached
with ' classical coldness ' of style
ijy those who were not aware that a really
classical style is warmer than any other. In
private, the humour of his nature, and the
vivacity of his character, which he preserved
all his life under a somewhat solemn aspect,
gave to his performances a life and intellectual
beauty which could not be forgotten by any
who heard him then. In particular his performance
of favourite things of Chopin was
most remarkable for its complete sympathy
with the music. As a conductor, Halle was in
the first rank ; his beat was decisive, and though
his manner was free from exaggeration, he imposed
his own readings on his players with an
amount of will-force that was unsuspected by
the London public at large. He was a fine
influence in nmsical education, and it is hardly
possible to exaggerate the importance of the
work he did in this way. His compilations, a
Pianoforte School (begun 1873), and Mvsical
Librarij (begun 1876) were carefully edited.
A very interesting memoir, partly autobiographical,
was published in 1896, by his son
and daughter, C. E. Halle, the well-known
painter, and Marie Halle. It contains a reproduction
of the best portrait of Sir Charles Halle,
an oil-painting by Victor Mottez (1850). An
excellent article appeared in the Did. of Nat.
Biog. (supplement, vol. ii.), from which, together
with the memoir, many of the above facts are
taken. M.
HALLELUJAH. A Hebrew term (hoJIelu-
Jah, 'praise Jehovah ') which, like Amen, Selah,
Hosanna, etc., has been pireserved untranslated
in our Bibles. In the Latin Church the Alleluia
is sung in the ordinary service, except during
Lent. It is omitted from the Anglican Liturgy.
The Hallelujah Chorus in the 'Messiah' is
known to every one. Handel is reported to have
said that when he wrote it, ' he thought he saw
Heaven opened, and the great God Himself.'
The phrase ' For the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth' is almost identical with that to ' I will
sing . . .
' unto the Lord in ' Israel in Egypt.'
He has written other Hallelujahs or AUelujahs
though none to compare vnth this—in
' Judas
Maccalireus, ' the ' Occasional Oratorio,' and the
Coronation Anthems—one of which was afterwards
employed in ' Deborah.' For the custom