WeGA, Rezeptionsdokumente, Digitale Edition
author: Anonymus
source date: 13. Mai 1826
language: en
availability: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Music. New publications.

1. Oberon, or the Elf King's Oath. By Carl Marie Von Weber. Royal Harmonic Institution.

Liberal as has been the reception of this opera by the public, since its first night to the present moment, and fair and flattering as has been the analysis of its merits in nearly all the periodical journals – so long as it is thus powerfully buoyed up, it need entertain no fear of sinking. If other critics, more delighted with finding out defects than enjoying beauties, have pried into its demerits, and evinced some disappointment as to its want to effect, or of striking melody, – it is no more than what has been the fate of very many immortal works of art, which, as human productions, must be imperfect in some respects. But whatever may be said, the music of Oberon will for ever remain a profound and an elaborate work of genius, which has every thing to hope, and nothing to fear, from the progress of the art. No greater service could have been done towards making it properly understood, than is done by the publication mentioned above. In the rapid flow of sound the ear has enough to do catch the most prominent melodies only, and when these are, moreover, clothed, if not disguised, in the richness of learned harmonies, as here, many beauties will escape even the most cultivated hearers, unless they are at the same time exhibited to the eye in all their varied minute details. The arrangement in question will fully answer this purpose, and we are convinced that the whole will serve as an excellent study for the professional musician, and that the greater part will be highly interesting to the amateur. The publication contains only the first act of the opera, and we hope the other two may speedily follow.