"The Rose of Sharon," a dramatic oratorio founded on the Song of Solomon, the words selected from the Scriptures and arranged by Joseph Bennett, was first brought out at the Norwich Festival, England, Oct. 16, 1884, under the direction of the composer, and was subsequently performed in London by the Sacred Harmonic Society. Its first performance in Scotland took place at Glasgow, Dec. 8, 1885, under the auspices of the Glasgow Choral Union, Madame Albani, Miss Hilda Wilson, Mr. Edward Lloyd, and Mr. Watkins Mills being the principal vocalists. One notice of this performance says: "The enthusiastic reception of the work on this occasion was beyond all description; the composer was recalled after each part with cheers that must have made his heart leap with delight." At the first performance at Norwich he was showered with flowers by the chorus, while the whole audience rose and greeted him with prolonged cheering. In speaking of the text, its compiler says:-- "In adopting for the purposes of this oratorio a reading of the 'Song of Songs' upon which Ewald and Renan substantially agree, the compiler of the libretto favored no controversial opinion. He simply saw in the ingenious commentaries of the learned Hebraists suggestions for a story of unconquerable love, capable of expression in the language of the Bible. "For the arrangement of incident the compiler is alone responsible. In some respects it departs widely from the original poem,--which opens, for example, in Jerusalem,--and gives only in narrative the events that occupy part one of the oratorio. "In taking a story from a canonical book of Holy Scripture, the compiler could not ignore its spiritual significance. He has, therefore, introduced a prologue suggesting the parabolic character of the drama, and an epilogue which points its moral."