Still stirring, still being enjoyed 280+ years after its debut. My feeling is that very little that is currently being played will match that in 280+ years.
Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture
Posted on 12/16/2018 9:38:20 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Nothing announces the holiday season quite as gloriously as the “Hallelujah” chorus from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.
Orchestras and choirs all over the nation will be performing the famous oratorio as Christmas approaches. But when Handel wrote the work in 1741, he had a different holiday altogether in mind.
“It was actually intended for Easter week,” explains conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, who will lead the Nashville Symphony and Chorus in performances of Messiah this weekend.
The first performance of the oratorio took place in Dublin in April of 1742, with the London premiere happening the following year in March. In Europe, Guerrero says, Messiah is still likely to be performed during the Lenten season.
Performing the oratorio in December is a tradition that began in the United States over 200 years ago.
In the spring of 1815, the Handel and Haydn Society formed in Boston. The ensemble began by performing mostly church hymns, but as membership grew and singing improved, a public performance was planned for Christmas day that year.
The program for the society’s debut concert was made up of selections from oratorios that would showcase their musicianship, including the “Hallelujah” chorus from Messiah.
On Christmas day in 1818, the society gave the American premiere of Handel’s Messiah in full, and a new holiday musical tradition was born.
Scheduling the oratorio in December isn’t the only unique aspect of American Messiah performances, Guerrero says.
“In America, people stand up during the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus,” he says, adding that how the tradition began is unclear. “I’ve heard so many stories that go back to England, that the King stood up… but in reality, we really don’t know."
As the legend goes, King George II suddenly stood up during the chorus of Messiah’s London premiere in 1743. Some sources say he was so moved by the music that he found himself on his feet. Other theories aren’t as flattering: the King might have just needed a stretch due to a case of gout. Either way, when the King stood, it was considered proper etiquette for the rest of the audience to stand, too.
Regardless of origin, the tradition of standing continues, at least in America.
“Even though [the Messiah] originated in England, you go to Europe and they don’t do it,” Guerrero says. “It’s a very American thing. I’ve attended many Messiahs in Europe and it just doesn’t happen there. People just sit through the whole performance.”
In America, however, the tradition spans from coast to coast. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Nashville or Boston or Minneapolis or Houston or Eugene, Oregon,” says Guerrero. “People will stand.”
Went to a performance in a local Church on Friday and it was glorious.
Any day in the year is a good day to hear Handel’s Messiah.
Same thing for another of his large scale compositions;
one called “Fireworks”. Listen to it like a proven tonic. Fireworks can make you feel 10 feet tall and still growing. Lots of whole notes, a slowed tempo, similar to our breathing patterns. Shattering, glass breaking crescendos near the Coda (the end) too, like having a bucket of ice water thrown in your face. I guess you could say that I like it.
They truly don’t write music like they used to.
I just got through playing it....twice this morning. Always good...and we have a fab choir and organist.
ping
Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!" Random Act of Culture
Am not at all religious but I enjoy it because it is musically very enjoyable to listen to.
That music is just Heavenly.I get goosebumps every time I hear it.
We’d play the “Hallelujah” chorus on the school’s speaker system as the busses rolled away on the last day of school. Very uplifting.
bookmark
Messiah sing-in this week at Lincoln Center NYC 51st annual (Dec 19). Since the audience is the chorus you stand for every chorus on the program.
Bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
