t "taken on."
Sullivan's splendid ditty "Love laid his sleepless head," though sung by
Mr. Edward Lloyd all over the country, did not make a hit, whilst the
more trivial ballad "Sweet-hearts" became a boom and a property. At
least, I remember being told that after Sullivan had been receiving good
royalties from this song for years, the publishers offered him L1,000
for his rights.

I am afraid I have been guilty of a digression, but I will recall my
wandering steps. I have mentioned the Birmingham Festival of 1885, which
marked a new order--I might almost say a new epoch--in the history of
the Birmingham Musical Festivals. For the first time for very many years
Costa was no longer seen at the conductor's desk, and his place was
taken by Richter. Costa conducted the Birmingham triennial performances
for about half a century, and although it was sad to miss his face in
1885, he had done his work.

In 1882--the last Festival in which he took part--it was painful to
witness his efforts to conduct the performances. He was partly
paralysed, and his baton, I believe, had to be fastened to his hand
because he could not grasp it. Further, he was becoming deaf, and the
result was that the loud brass instruments were allowed to become too
blatant and obtrusive. Costa was a good man in his day, and he did good
work. He was very autocratic, even despotic, but he introduced two good
things into the orchestra--order and punctuality. With all his ability,
tact, and nerve, it must, however, be admitted that his style of
conducting was rough and ready compared with the art, care, and skill
that mark musical conductorship of the present day.

With Richter's appearance as conductor, some important changes and
reforms were effected in the orchestral arrangements of the Festival.
For one thing, the band was cut down in number. This, it was said, was
in consequence of Richter's opinion that the balance of power was
disturbed by too great a preponderance of string tone, but it is just
possible that economy was considered when the change was made. Anyway,
in 1885 there were over twenty stringed instruments less than in
Costa's last year, 1882.

This alteration was a notable one, and regrettable in some ways. The
extra large string band that Costa would have made the Birmingham
Festival orchestra something very special, and the result was some
striking effects not heard elsewhere. Nowhere now do we hear that _tour
de force_ which was almost