Every year for as long as I can remember since I've been married to Rick, we've attended an annual production of Handel's Messiah. We usually attend a performance at the beginning of the Christmas season and it really helps us get in the Christmas spirit and remember the reason for the season.
We've attended the production at the LDS tabernacle on Temple Square, at Abravanel Hall and at the Provo tabernacle. This year we saw the production with Dave and Courtney at Abravanel Hall on Sunday night, performed by the Utah Symphony. Wow. It is always so moving and brings tears to our eyes. We have a CD copy of the performance and we love to listen to it throughout the Christmas season.
In case you many not be aware, all the the words for Handel's Messiah come from scripture. Here is the text for the entire production if you want to treat yourself and read through it.
In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus. Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries.
If you want to learn more about how Handel came to write the production, read here.
"What did happen is that upon Handel's reading of God's word he was overcome in his spirit by its power and began to write "MESSIAH" in his study beginning, August 22nd, 1741. Several sources close to him [2] record that Handel was so caught up in God's Spirit during the three weeks that it took him to write "MESSIAH", that he actually locked himself within his study, refusing food [3] and writing music amid periods of crying and moaning in that same Spirit. Handel's servant testified:
"He was praying, or he was weeping, or he was staring into eternity" -late summer, 1741
Another servant's testimony is that at the end of this three week period Handel burst out of his study with tears in his eyes and the MESSIAH script in his hand declaring, that he had a great vision, and had seen God seated upon His throne;
"I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with his Company of Angels."
"He was praying, or he was weeping, or he was staring into eternity" -late summer, 1741
Another servant's testimony is that at the end of this three week period Handel burst out of his study with tears in his eyes and the MESSIAH script in his hand declaring, that he had a great vision, and had seen God seated upon His throne;
"I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with his Company of Angels."
2 comments:
Thanks for the post, Vonnie. There is no better music on earth than Messiah, and no better subject for the music than the Lord. It is better than, and like no other music.
Could I recommend the book "hallelujah" by J. Scott Featherstone? It's about how Handel came to write the Messiah. It is soooo good. It's a novel, but has all the facts I believe. I really love it. I may need to read it again. What a great tradition you have.
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