Critical Response
After the second version of Abimelech ran at the Covent-Garden, a reviewer in The Theatrical Review claimed that the oratorio was changed "greatly for the better". Another review in The Theatrical Review claimed that Abimelech was "a very pleasing Oratorio, though there is great sameness in the songs, but the chorusses are masterly and grand". Later, Thomas Busby claimed that "the applause obtained by this his second oratorical production, established the reputation of its composer ".
The Monthly Review and Critical Review ignored Abimelech, which prompted Arthur Sherbo, a later critic, to claim that they "were kind to Smart and Arnold" for their silence. Another later critic, Moira Dearnley, said, "devotion and human relationships is uneasy, not to say ridiculous." Another critic, Frances Anderson, puts it bluntly: "it was not reprinted and seemed of mediocre quality". However, this turned out to be untrue.
Read more about this topic: Abimelech (oratorio)
Famous quotes containing the words critical and/or response:
“Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writing by the necessity of maintaining the professional standing of the critic.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“The truth is that literature, particularly fiction, is not the pure medium we sometimes assume it to be. Response to it is affected by things other than its own intrinsic quality; by a curiosity or lack of it about the people it deals with, their outlook, their way of life.”
—Vance Palmer (1885–1959)