SIR,-As the Choir has been for some time regarded as one of the regular institutions of the School, perhaps you will find space in your columns for one or two suggestions from one who was formerly a member of that body, and who has its interests at heart. At present it appears to me to labour under one great disadvantage, and that is the large number of trebles. It is this overwhelming array in the two lower rows of the choir which strikes strangers so forcibly when they come to our chapel service, and their only surprise is that we sing as well as we do. A moment's reflection will convince anyone that it is almost impossible for such a host of trebles to sing together when the majority of them are in blissful ignorance of the mere rudiments of music. It is going on the supposition that in singing quantity can make up for quality,-truly a grevious fallacy! What I would suggest, then, is that we should return to the old system of having only one row of trebles on each side. Surely, out of our large number, there will be no difficulty in keeping up to the mark the small staff of sixteen voices. There are besides several obvious advantages which would attend this change. It would be easier for the organist to train a smaller number; there would be a better chance of the singing going together in Chapel, and it would enable the other parts to make themselves heard. By all means have as many supernumeraries as possible, from whose ranks the choir could be filled up as vacancies occur, and whose assistance in the concert would be very valuable. Lastly, the practice on Saturday nights might be reserved for the choir proper, while on the other evenings the supernumeraries could attend. This arrangement would give some slight relief to the choir. master, whose patients must be sorely tried as it is three times a week, and would enable him to make sure of the trebles having their full number on Sunday by appointing one or two, as the case may be, from the supernumeraries to take

To the Editor of the Marlburian.

SIR,-It was with feelings of no small regret that I noticed, in No, 3 of your magazine, an article, which, to say the least of it, tended greatly to diminish the respectability of my character. I refer to that one headed "Is C. House Haunted ?" I am not, I confess, so much vexed at my being made so public as at the thought of your ever permitting such a paper to figure in your pages.

The story, though slightly exaggerated, is, in all its phases, perfectly true, and I can explain it all. However, I am not going to do anything at all of the sort just yet, so you need not expect it; but this, I think I must, in justice to myself, say, that it was not my fault so much as my misfortune that I so terrified those two young collegians.

Moreover, I beg you will allow me to warn all future writers for the "Marlburian " never to venture on such a grave subject again if they do not wish to incur the vengeance dire of my fellow-spirits and myself.

I remain, Sir, yours respectfully

"THE GHOST IN C. HOUSE." P.S.-Should you ever wish for the history of my days on earth, though I cannot promise anything very interesting, I will do my best to write my first autobiography.

FRIDAY, NOV. 24th.-At this meeting, Foreign Insects formed the staple of the exhibitions; indeed no meeting of the present half-year has been more exclusively Entomological.

The President exhibited a box of Brazilian Moths; J. Pole, a box of French Lepidoptera; and A Marshall, a box of Butterflies from the gold coast of Africa.

The paper was read by W. W. Dayman, on "The habits and homes of the British Lepidoptera ;" and after the Paper, notice was given that a standing subscription had been opened to defray the expenses of a cabinet for containing the " College Collection of Butterflies and Moths." Subscriptions will be received by the Secretary from any Marlburian-Pest Present.

Football.

or

FOURTH DAY.-Fortune favoured the Old House throughout, Bourdillon obtained a touch-down for it straight behind the New House goal, from which, however, he failed to kick a goal. Other good tries were made by Peters, &c.

FIFTH DAY-The game began this day also with a dazzling sun in the eyes of the New House players, who, however, succeeded in driving the ball across the ground. A goal was kicked for the New House by Head, who thus terminated the match in its favour.

MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE v. BLACKHEATH.

It wos a bewtyfull da: a jentle brees wos bloin' ovur the vurdunt prary, and the Sun shonn brite ovur the assembulled sno-wite multitood, who lept for goy and thursted for the cumbit. (This is sarkasm).

A large excavashun havin bin made in the ground, a borl wos placed thereon, wich wos propeld by extranyus applicashun from the to of Hervey. It soon became apparient that the jente Zephur wos indispoged to warft the spherricle body in the direcshun of the opposit gole. Notwith standin these orkud propensitis of the annimle, Morlburra suxeedid wunder. fly, oanly havin to kic out every too minnits. And the ennermy did not take advarntidge of the jentle Zeffur to kic a gole, tho Skot and Harborge eech acheeved a tuch-down. Aftur chandgin ovur, wicy wercy, Morlburra, by the aid of the Zeffur, got a tuch-down by Napyur, but the gole wos missd.

Among the Blakheeth filibusters Messrs. Alington and Booth, and Messrs. Pattersun, Boil, Skot, &c., plaid like buffyloes. For Morlburra the play of Burd and Monningtun wos A 1, The grownd wos so hard that noboddy got durty (impromptu goak).

They dined arterwuds without quarrilling.

(Signed) A. WARD,

NOTICE

THE OLD v. THE NEW HOUSE.

FIRST DAY.-The game began with a blazing sun in the face of the New House, whose back-players could scarcely on that account see the ball. Fortune was accordingly in the favour of the old House until T. P. Monnington kicked a goal for them, when, on changing sides, she changed also, and bestowed her smiles on their opponents, more especially on B. Williams, whose drop-kicks were the theme of universal admiration. One of them almost obtained a goal.

SECOND DAY.-The advantage still appeared to remain with the New House; Money succeeded in kicking a goal for it, and several very good tries were made. We must not forget, however, Connell's touch-down for the Old House after a splendid run, and two others obtained by Messrs. Allington and Booth, too far down, however, to be of much service.

THIRD DAY.-Hervey dropped a good goal after about a quarter-of-an-hour for the New House. On changing sides, however, the advantage seemed to be with the Old House, who continued to keep their opponents somewhat close to their goals.

TO OLD AND PRESENT MARLBURIANS. During the Christmas Vacation there will be a football Match between Marlburians and Rugbeians. The match will take place at Richmond, on Saturday the 13th of January, 1866. Any old or present Marlburian wishing to play may obtain further particulars by writing to-J. J. Sewell, Esq., 6, New Square, Lincoln's Inn, London.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. We have received" Eccentricity,' ""The Eve of Culloden," "The Soul's Desire,"-" Great Cry and little Wool."

This is the last number of the "Marlburian" that will be issued this Half-year.

Printed by CHARLES PERKINS, "Times Office, Waterloo House, High Street, Marlborough, Wilts.

No. 7.

THE LATE CONCERT.

THE CONCERT has grown to be an established institu tion among us. Whether we care for music or not,

we all care for the Concert. It is one of those undertakings which from a small and unpretentious beginning develop into a sound and prosperous growth; and it has already grown to be some years older than most members of the School.

The Concert has not wanted its due share of public notice. It is now yearly reported in the Times, and will, in all likelihood, continue to appear there with the other reports of well-known School festivities. Unless I mistake the object and uses of The Marlburian, it will be worth while to occupy a few lines of its space, not with repeating a chronicled account of what is familiar to us all, but in reviewing the late Concert a little more stringently than could well be done in any other paper. For, however well managed a thing may be, there is always room for improvement, and an institution such as this of ours should never be allowed to stand still. We had among us, on Dec. 18th last, a practical musician of real genius and acknowledged power, as well as a learned amateur. One would be glad to think that if they attend next Christmas, they may find, not only is roughness of execution smoothed down, but radical faults of plan and arrangement in part or in whole removed. To begin with the first thing that occurs-a homely but not unnecessary suggestion. It is to strangers a deeply interesting sight to watch the whole School picturesquely grouped as

Price 3D.

they are in the foreground of the large audience. But it is not so interesting to take a more minute and less cursory view, and to discover here and there a boy with abnormally long legs, and a pitiful half-foot or so of space to dispose them in. Suppose him to have been knocking about all day till he can hardly keep his eyes open, to have "got down in exam," to know that he must have lost his promotion, and to care no more for music than I do for the last new variation on "Home, Sweet Home," and you will admit that his case is a hard one. A very slight reform in the arrangement of seats would prevent cases of distress such as this, and we can surely contrive to pay all proper attention to our guests and seat our own society comfortably as well.

Passing on to the music a good many considerations occur to the mind, and it is hard to know where precisely to begin. I think we may fairly congratulate ourselves, and give congratulations and thanks too to Mr. Bambridge on the successful way in which the chorus-singing was managed last time. I am quite sure that our London critics did not regard the choruses as the worst feature in the concert. The modulation of voice (in the trebles and altos most conspicuously, of course) told a tale of long, laborious, and most creditable practice. The remark was made several times during the evening that the selection of these pieces was rather same in character-that there was a little monotony in the choice. I cannot quite agree with that criticism. With the sort of vocal material at our command, and the difficulties that stand in the way of practice, it would rather seem to

be a sensible and judicious plan to let the choruses in any one concert be designedly much of a piece. But then they should be varied next time. Let us have one good musical colouring at a time, and not a motley; but don't let the same colour be produced concert after concert.

What are we to say about instrumental solos? If we must speak our minds, they should be reduced to a minimum, as indeed they nearly were last December. Mr. Bambridge's solo is always welcome; but we may surely ask whether, as there is but one opinion about his great facility of execution, he will not eventually prove to have a soul above variations? What are

variations? Are they music proper? or are they not rather the tinsel, the make-believe, the veneering of music? To be sure there is the great and important consideration that they are popular-they go downthey answer to the musical market,-they are in request in the drawing room. There is this attraction about many modern variations, that they create a positive "sensation." True, it is a sensation that has little or nothing to do with music. It is much more nearly allied to the sensation of seeing Blondin go over the rope. You see the musican start on his daring liberties with the original air-and at the 5th or 6th variation they grow to be something appalling -and you ask yourself, will he ever get through the feat? Will he break down at that "run" that must come at its proper place in the performance? "Yes, he will." "No, he won't." And so one goes on through painful vacillations of feelings until there comes the end, not of a musical performance, but of an ingenious announcement that Mr. So-and-So is remarkably nimble with his fingers. This is pretty much what variations have come to; and the Marlborough Concert is, or should be, a little above this sort of thing. It is not a mere drawing-room performance; it does not effect "sensation;" and, for my own part I cannot doubt that a short selection from Beethoven, Mozart, or Haydn, with or without stringed accompaniment, and performed as Mr. Bambridge is so well able to perform, would be a most suitable pianoforte feature in our Concert, and as popular as any variations extant.

The admirable voices and nearly perfect singing of Mr. Plater and Mr. Duckworth make it a difficult task to speak of them in any but terms of the highest praise. Not only so, but they are friends of the school,

and of the concert, so old and so well-tried, that criticism of any sort may possibly seem out of place. Criticism of the right kind is, however, the truest sign of appreciation; and I hope that the few remarks made here with some diffidence may be accepted in no other light. Mr. Plater, in singing the Leiderkreis before the very large and not very scientific audience in the Upper School, undoubtedly performed a difficult and arduous task. But can such a song, by any stretch of imagination be regarded as suitable for a school concert? It may be suggested that there are always, at our concerts, a fair number of persons really fond of the best and highest kind of singing, and real judges of it. There is always a large enough element of popular music it may be said; and these people should have at least one or two pieces pitched at the level of their higher taste. Without going into the question whether, even assuming this much, the Leiderkreis was well chosen, let it be suggested in reply that the principal part of the pleasure of connoisseurs at a school concert really arises from sympathy -sympathy with an audience not to be fallen in with everyday, an audience always ready to bestow enthusiastic praise, and firmly resolved (if possible) not to be bored, or at all events not to show that it is bored. The most accomplished amateur who sings at Marlborough would do wisely to bear this in mind. The more classical music we can have the better, beyond question; and no one values more than we do what Mr. Plater and Mr. Duckworth have done towards keeping up a high standard at our Saturnalia But, forgetting for a moment (what it is not easy to forget) the surprising skill and power with which both these gentlemen acquitted themselves, we cannot surpress the conviction that a much more suitable musical selection,-looking at the School itself and at the great bulk of the general audience—might have been made. May we be permitted to entertain the belief that Mr. Duckworth in an English ballad (numbers of us will remember with delight his "Bid me to live," for instance) is greater even than in an Italian canzonetta?

Any remarks on the Concert of 1865 would be incomplete without some mention of the Carmen Marlburiense, then produced for the first time. The Carmen itself is well understood to be the work of a lato master who would not willingly yield to anyone in hearty attachment to Marlborough. I am not

qualified to speak of this composition in detail, but the opinion has been, I think, quite unanimous that it sums up happily and pointedly all that it is desirable to say in a song of the kind. It is sincerely to be hoped that it may live and live long. But to bring this about it becomes a serious question whether the music should not be reconsidered. M. Schulthes has produced a very clever and capital bit of writing, and the chorus is admitted to be popular and effective. About the verse-portion, however, there is room for more doubt, though at this very moment I hear the tune whistled through the passages of C. House. The School will (we feel sure) be satisfied that this subject will receive consideration in the proper quarter, and that the Carmen will not be left unwed to a more successful strain, should the present setting on further trial fail of thorough success.

Waiving the onerous and dangerous task of more minute and special remark on individual performers now in the School, I will wind up with wishing that Marlborough may never want its Concert, nor the Concert its Marlburian for an "honest chronicler."

HOUSE MATCHES.

A short time before the commencement of the present foot-ball season, considerable discussion took place on the question of house matches, and letters appeared on both sides of the question in the Marlburian. The point at issue was as to whether house matches should continue to be played after the old manner or by house twenties as at Rugby. The conservative party gained the day, the general feeling of the school seeming to be against the change. A rule however was passed to prevent the absurdity of two houses playing for five successive days, and at the end not knowing which had beaten. This was effected by a decree that touch-downs should count towards the game, and at the end of the five day's play, the house that could show the greatest number of goals and touch-downs should be regarded as winning, even though not obtaining the three goals formerly requisite.

The absence of all official information renders a detailed account of the various house matches impossible, and in any case to be impartial on such a theme would be difficult. They began, perhaps, earlier and with greater vigour than usual, but this did not prevent their dragging on a weary length to the end of the half. Mr. Mullins' house again entering the

lists with their old opponents of Mr. Gilmore's; Mr. Macdonald's and Mr. Beesley's played respectively Mr. Thompson's and Mr. Sowerby's.

All the games were well contested throughout, the forward play of Mr. Mullins', though they made a bad start on the first day, making up for their opponents' superiority in back players. The only decisive event during the whole match was a good goal of Monnington's, who thus secured the victory for the red. Mr. Macdonald's and Mr. Thompson's played for four days with varied success, at the end of which time Mr. Macdonald's had two goals to show against Mr. Thompson's, while Mr. Beesley kicked a goal for his house, but could not prevent Mr. Sowerby's scoring two, though neither of these matches were played out.

And now we might take the opportunity of asking ourselves whether we are really satisfied with the present system of house matches, whether it is so perfect that we might not give the advocates of house twenties a fair trial. There seems little chance of foot-ball this half, but if the weather should change it would be well to try the experiment. A house match as played by picked twenties might easily be decided in one day's play, and this is no small argument in favour of the plan, as it would make it possible to decide the relative merits of all the houses, and settle their claims to superiority. And here we might suggest in passing another change, namely, that the matches should be arranged by drawing lots instead of the traditionary feuds. Again, an improvement would soon be noticed in the style of play, now in danger of degenerating into an unmeaning scuffle in which brute strength goes for everything, and greater numbers would be induced to play regularly from the desire all would naturally feel of being chosen to represent their house. Against these undoubted advantages the only answer brought is the senti. mental fear of hurting the feelings of those who would not be chosen to play for their house twenties, an argument that would hold equally well against the formation of a school twenty or forty, and in fact no argument at all, as small fellows would only have to wait for their turn, and no compunctions need be felt for those who could play but won't. Let us hope then that this half, if an opportunity presents itself, or in any case during the course of next half, a fair trial will be given to the new plan, and the experiment tried of making house matches an interesting game, instead of the unmeaning mob of big and small boys that they at present too aften are. A. A.