LA BELLE ASSEMBLÉE;

For JUNE, 1812.

A New and Improved Series.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ILLUSTRIOUS AND DISTINGUISHED LADIES.

The Thirty-third Number.

MRS. DICKONS.

made their appearance, we find that dif ficulty was considered as the greatest beauty in their compositions, with the exception of the madrigal, which possessed much harmony when sung in parts, but was yet too simple to draw out the powers of the human voice, though sufficiently instructive of the ear in teaching it to hit the distances, and to direct the voice in their choice. But Purcell now attempted to accustom English voices to Italian trills; yet as he engrafted their difficult beauties on the unmelodious chaunts of English ditties, our singing would have been but a piece of patchwork had not Handel adopted the English manner simply, and improved it; for it is a musical fact, now well established, that Handel, though boru a German, was a true English composer, founding his best and almost immortal pieces on the English manner reduced to musical rules, whilst his imitations of the Italian school are now forgotten.

power of exciting the passions by sounds | lish composers may be said first to have which at first seem in direct opposition to that which they would express; spiriting the heart to rage by the most solemn cadences, and lulling it to the softest melan. choly by rapid chords. In all this, however, though much depended upon instrumental, yet vocal powers also bore a considerable part. Much also was performed by his quick transitions of expression, which added much to the practised flexibility of the voice; whilst the voice again was kept in tune, as we may say, by his simpler melodies where no passion was expressed, yet where taste was formed and execution practised. Succeeding composers, it has been acknowledged, have taken his style as their groundwork, so that a kind of traditional mode and manner, and even power, have been handed down through succeeding generations. It must, however, be allowed, that varieties have been introduced; indeed we recollect having heard the Italian style in music classically compared to that of Seneca in writing, where there are some beautiful starts of thought, yet the whole filled with studied elegance and unaffected affecta

tion.

If we were then to characterise the genius of the three schools, we would say that the Itakan, as established by Pergolese, excelled in the simplicity of passion; that the French was undoubtedly elegant, but nothing more; but that the characteristic of the English school, as elicited and illustrated by Handel, possessed the true sublime. For such a school then we would say the English voice is peculiarly fitted, and having practised its instructions, has at length learned to rival the execution of Italy.

In France, a peculiar style both of composing and singing has long prevailed; their music was like the ancient chaunts in their sacred worship; and its style has been adduced as an additional proof of a position apparently paradoxical, that in proportion to the cheerful or sombre disposition of the inhabitants of any country, so is the genius of their music in a strong contrast to it. To Lully, however, is France indebted for her later improvements, aided indeed much by the additional beauties invented by Ra-however, for the English school in its nameau. Yet what have they done, as it has been asked, but added noise to duliness? Yet we will not press hard upon our national rivals, but refer them to the sentiments of their own admired countryman, in Rousseau's Elvise.

That English music was not favourable to the improvement and discipline of the human voice, previous to the time of Elizabeth, we believe no one will deny who has ever heard the ditties of that period, either preserved in old collections, or even yet traditionally sung in retired parts of the kingdom. Even in that reign, when Eng

That the subject of our present biography is peculiarly fitted for a pure English singer, has long been acknowledged; not,

tive simplicity, but as now adorned with all the ornaments of art, and guided through all the intricacies of vocal harmony by the rules of musical composition, which are the same at all times and seasons, though their mode of application may, and does differ in various periods and in various countries.

Mrs. Dickous, late Miss Caroline Poole, was born about 1780, and was one of a very numerous family, her parents having ten children, of which she was the youngest but two. Her father, we believe, has not long been dead, and her mother paid

the debt of nature at Newington, in March, great and well-merited success, it is said 1807, at an advanced age. that she resolved to give up all public appearance. The reason for this we know not; but it appears that soon after she formed a matrimonial connection, being united on the 7th of August, 1800, at St. Peter's Church, Liverpool, to Mr. Peter Dickons, an opulent Yorkshire manufac

Midst the unavoidable expences arising from an extensive family establishment, it was with singular pleasure that her parents hailed the first dawning of infant genius, as her musical talents began to unfold themselves at the very early period of four years.

turer.

It has been said that this union, which for prudential reasons had been, and was still likely to be deferred, was most agreeably hastened by a lottery speculation, which brought part of the first 30,000l. prize ever drawn, into the coffers of the lovers; so that Plutus lent his aid to Cupid to lead this votary of Apollo to the temple of Hymen.

Even at that juvenile, or rather infantine æra, a considerable degree of musical cultivation seems to have taken place; for it is still remembered that she could give an astonishing degree of execution to some of the most difficult of Handel's Overtures before she was six years old. Such abilities not only promised future excellence, but imperiously demanded immediate embellishment, accordingly she was put under From this period Mrs. Dickons retired the tuition of Rauzzini, who continued to from public life some years; but the instruct her for some years, until an unhar-chances of trade having been unfortunate monious duet with Mr. Poole put a stop with Mr. Dickons, she found it prudent to his further attendance. to resume her professional situation at the Sacred Oratorios, and soon after to accept of an engagement in 1807, at Covent-Garden Theatre. It appeared on this resumption of her early pursuits, that her musical powers had lost nothing of their excellence, but were even mellowed and improved.

That her capacity for instruction must have been fully equal to her native powers, is evident from the fact of her being considered sufficiently qualified for an engagement at Vauxhall, at the early age of thirteen, where the writer of the present sheet has been often charmed, not only with the melodious harmony of her voice, but also with the prudent and circumspect attention and attendance of her parents.

Her powers as a singer were so fortunately displayed, and so favourably received at Vauxhall, that she was immediately after engaged to perform at the Concerts of Ancient Music, thereby in some measure illustrating our former position, of the fitness of English voices for English harmony; and from these she was soon called to the stage, having made her debut in Ophelia, in Hamlet, when she could scarcely be fifteen years of age. This early introduction, however, was of great use to her, and has no doubt contributed to that ease of acting which she possesses, and which is so seldom enjoyed by professed singers.

In 1795 Miss Poole received an invitation to the Dublin Theatre, which she accepted, and retained her engagement until 1797, when, notwithstanding her

On the 20th of October, 1807, Artaxerres was performed at Covent-Garden, in order to give Mrs. Dickons an opportunity of making her first re-appearance in the character of Mandane, in which she electrified the audience; nay, it was said that in the combination of great taste with powerful execution, she had even surpassed Mrs. Arne, for whom the various airs had been expressly composed. Few of the audience, however, could remember the original performer, though many had heard Miss Brent, and most had heard Mrs. Billington in The Soldier tir'd, and in the charming, yet difficult air of Let not Rage.

But it is not in sacred music alone, or in Handel's style, that Mrs. Dickons excels, for even in the airs of the Beggar's Opera she has yielded infinite delight: indeed, she became in all parts so great a favourite with the public, that when the Covent-Garden Managers proposed the introduction of foreign singers in our national Theatre, we

"You see the courtship," said my aunt. No," said my aunt, "absolutely none at "It is a very curious spectacle," said I, all; and to say the truth, Hymenæa, I "to see how nearly the great and little re- am not very sorry for it. He is, neverthesemble each other when their pursuits are less, a nobleman of very good abilities; but the same.-Who is that nobleman," said I, he wants, I am afraid, that portion of pri"who seems to be alternately moving from vate virtue and personal moral respectaone side to the other, and who does not bility, which all our late Ministers have so seem to meet with a very gracious reception eminently possessed; and which are therefrom either? How eagerly, and yet how fore considered as indispensibie in au Engproudly, he appears to be addressing him-lish Minister. He is not, in a word, a suitself to each; and with what civil and courtly coldness does he appear to be successively answered by both. Who is that nobleman, aunt?"