brated and beautiful city, he proceeded to Milan, and thence to Genoa, where he performed with Marchesi in the opera of Lodoiska thirty nights successively. In this piece they sung a beautiful duet, which excited such a furore, as the Italians term it, that the audience insisted on their coming forward three several times to receive their applause. At this place he was induced to prolong his stay, for the advantage of receiving instructions in composition from the highly ingenious and able Maestro Isola, of the taste of whose school he has since given such pleasing samples. Every fact, in evidence of honorary attention, adds to the character to which it appertains, and is worthy the biographer's notice it ought not therefore to be omitted, that Marchesi, when Mr. Braham first met that great and distinguished singer at Milan, expressed his regret that his advanced age prevented him the pleasure of accompanying him through Italy. General Massena obliged him and Storace to perform in an opera; and the Florentines, in a letter addressed to him, acknowledged the superior claims produced by England to the palm in vocal performance, in Mrs. Billington, Signora Storace, and himself: nor should it be forgotten that the siege of Genoa having taken place while Mr. Braham and Storace were in that city, their professional talents ranked so high in the general estimation as to command, amidst all the horrors and outrages of a furious political warfare, perfect security and respect. At Genoa Mr. Braham received advantageous of fers from the operatical managers at Naples; but the distracted distracted state of that country little according with the mental composure of mind.necessary to that improvement which formed the grand object of his travels, he declined their acceptance, and shaped his course to Leghorn, where he received the most flattering attention from Lord Nelson. With that naval hero he and Storace had once the honour to dine, on board the Foudroyant, and there to sing to the queen of Naples, who visited the ship on purpose to hear them. From Leghorn they went to Venice, where they sung in a new opera composed by Cimaroso. That great musician and real genius was engaged by the theatre of the Fenice to write an opera expressly for the display of their extraordinary powers, for which purpose he came from Naples. When Mr. Braham was introduced to him, he intimated his high opinion of his vocal abilities, by saying he would compose for him such a scena as had never yet been heard in Vcnice and this was his last composition; for he kept his word and died, poisoned, as was suspected, by a rival composer, impatient of his high and wellmerited fame. From Venice Mr. Braham went to Trieste, and thence to Hamburgh, at each of which places the plaudits he received kept pace with his high deserts, and demonstrated the taste of his crowded and gratified audiences. His growing fame on the continent reached England, and while he was at the last-mentioned city he received various solicitations for his return to London. Among these were offers from Mr. Harris, the pro prietor prietor of Covent-garden theatre, of such a nature as to induce him to forego other pending engagements, especially with the theatres of Milan and Vienna. At length he left Hamburgh for London, where, with Signora Storace, he arrived early in the winter of 1801. Both these celebrated singers engaged themselves with Mr. Harris; but whether the proprietor finding himself for a while sufficiently strong by the acquisition of Mrs. Billington, who in the preceding summer had returned to England from a continental tour, chose to reserve his other novelties; or that these attractive performers waited for the preparation of a new opera, in which they were to make their first appearance at his theatre; whichever of these was the cause, during the early part of the season they were at Bath, and did not shew themselves on the Coventgarden boards till after Christmas, when they took their parts in a new opera, written by Mr. Prince Hoare, and called " Chains of the Heart," the music composed by Mr. Mazzinghi and Mr. Reeve. Mr. Braham even in the first strain of his first song evinced all his reported improvement, both in his style of expression and the adjustment of his voice. His cadences were rich, graceful, and highly artificial; his tones more firm, yet more mellow and interesting, than when he left England; and his accent clearer and more impressive; his roulades were given with an encreased ease and volatility; his portamento was commanding, and his register or compass, which most happily blended the voce di testa with the voce di petto, was considerably extended both above and below. He He consequently acquitted himself as much to the delight as surprize of his audience; and if any thing could have secured the opera from that oblivion into which, after languishing on the stage a few nights, it was doomed to sink, it would have been Mr. Braham's exquisite vociferation, and Signora Storace's fine comic acting. "Chains of the Heart" having failed of its expected attractions, a new opera written by Mr. T. Dibden, called "the Cabinet," was immediately put into preparation, and the production of the music committed to that excellent dramatic composer, Mr. Shield. But that gentleman, having for some reason, in rather a late stage of the business, declined the task, the pres sure for time did not admit of any single composer's undertaking it; the different songs were accordingly distributed to a variety of hands; and Mr. Braham produced his own, as also some of those sung by Signora Storace. The success of this opera induced the manager to again resort to various masters for the production of operatical music; and " Family Quarrels," another piece by the same author, was supplied, though not with equal success, from the same multifarious sources. During the season to which we allude, applications were made to Mr. Braham, from Germany and Italy; but Mr. Harris's offers, and the superior pleasure of gratifying an English audience, predominated, and induced his stay in this country. Previous to the close of last season, he entered into a new contract with Mr. Harris, and after fulfilling some provincial engage ments, ments, will again make his appearance at Coventgarden. Having traced Mr. Braham in his professional carcer from the first discovery of his vocal talents to the present moment, we have only to add that, without intending to attach more importance than it possesses, to an art which claiming none of the higher powers of the mind, and only contributing to our amusement, cannot be ranked with efforts of mental dignity and moral usefulness, we have endeavoured to do justice to an individual whose prominent abilities have been thought to render him worthy a place among the public characters of his country, and to whose exertions every musical amateur owes a real and refined gratification. MR. ANGERSTEIN. IN every commercial country its traders deserve a high degree of consideration, and Great Britain is, in a great measure, indebted for her present wealth, prosperity, and grandeur, to the zeal, spirit, and enterprize of her merchants. We are accordingly happy to introduce occasionally such characters as raise the esteem of our nation in foreign parts, while they render themselves revered and respected at home by their public and private virtues. John Julius Angerstein was born in Petersburgh in 1735. He is descended from a respectable family, and came over to England about 1749, under the patronage of the late Andrew Thompson, Esq. an eminent Russia merchant, who lived long enough to celebrate the fiftieth year of a successful partnership. Сс 1803-1804. It |