PETERSFIELD.
CONCERT.—Mr. Randall's ‟Grand Vocal Concert” came off on Wednesday last, but we are sorry to say the performance did not realise our expectations, though in justice to Herr Hartmann, we feel bound to acknowledge that his performance on the piano-forte was worthy of at least a decent instrument, as he is evidently a proficient in his art, but could not do himself justice, compelled as he was to hammer away at a miserable, dyspeptic old ‟grand,” which, we should imagine, had its existence some time in the antedeluvian ages, and has certainly lost a claim even to the name of a piano-forte. Mr. Randall sang exceedingly well, especially ‟Man the life boat!” and ‟How beautiful is the Sea!” and his performance altogether elicited several encores and repeated applause; but in his descriptive song he ought to have remembered that (his audience not being composed entirely of the class who would frequent the gallery of a second-rate theatre) he should have dispensed with language unsuited to ‟ears polite.” As to Mr. Hart, we have no doubt he has possessed a very good voice, but he appears to have lost it and his teeth at the same time—the latter loss may, perhaps account for the former; this, however, is a misfortune rather than a fault, and we have no doubt he did his best. Mr. Hudspeth’s comicalities were amusing enough, but not always comme il faut; the low character of his songs, being anything but a compliment to his audience. We cannot help expressing our regret at the result of this concert, fearing that it must damage the cause of music in Petersfield, and this is the greater pity as we had hoped that a growing taste for this delightful art was beginning to manifest itself amongst us. The dissatisfaction and annoyance felt by the more respectable part of the audience was apparent from the fact that the greater number of them left long before the performance was concluded.