Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-11-21

the father to allow 50 great : genius to
| follow his own inclinations. He was ac-
cordingiy allowed to study the narpsi-
posed a sacred motel each week as an ex-
ercise. After three years his teacher, an
1rganist at Halle confessed that ms pu nfa
may be divided into three periods: To the
year 1.20 It was preparatory In character;
| and Italian influence: the third was de-
voted almost entirely to oratorios-. 1t was
Just before the performance OF The
Messiah that the question as to whether
oratorios should be given with acting or
not was decided in the negative by the
Bishop of London. The decision was
the Messiah Would have lost much of
its sublime dignity by the older fashioned
stage setting. In southern Germany the
Italian influence was very much felt and
Handel for time was thoroughly i'm
bued with it. to this period belongs his
operas. He wrote much of worth and
compared with his magnificent oratorios
they are Insignificant After he was fifty
five years old, he said sacred music IS
best suited to man descending he va'e
of years. 1t would be impossible in such
brief space 10 enumerate the many inval-
liable works of either Bach or Handel, AS
composer of oratorios no one has ever
approached the sublime genius OF iande'.
At the first performance of the Messiah
the words. For the Lord omnipotent
Reigneth' so transported the audience
that they all rose to their feet. including
the King and remained standing until
the chorus was ended. custom that sur
wives to this day when the 'Halleujah
Chorus is sung. During this last period
of his life English influence is everywhere
apparent. He became a naturalized Eng
lish subject and after his death his writ
ings were given by his amenuensis TO
George III. and have remained in the Mu-
steal Library OF Buckingham Palace, OF
operas alone there are thirty-two volumes,
orarorios twenly-one volumes. besides the
concertos.- and vast number of miscel-
laneous works.
Handel never married nor was he
known to express any longing for domes-
tic life. In appearance he is said to have
been large and unwieldy" with i,, Z " .aSe
sun bursting from black cloud. lie
walked or sauntered with rocking mo-
ten -, he had a very violent temper and
is said to have become SO engaged when
the ladies of the Court of the Prince of
Wales talked during concert that ne
sometimes swore and called names. An
who persisted in singing a passage Moor
rectly out of the window and threatened
to drop her If she did not correct her
faulty rendition. But he is also recorded
as being extremely painstaking and KIND
to pupils who deserved his assistance, ana
he belonged TO society FOR relieving ds-
tresSed musicians and was one OF the
benefactors Of foundling hospital.
His tastes were simple, and he lived
wholly. for his art; his on,y other taste
being for pictures. He Went only to the
theatre and picture sales. His most glar-
ing fault was his appropriation Of not
only themes. but whole, movements from
the works Of other COMPOSERS; this seems
more ineXcusable because themes came TO
him readily. Even the Harmonious
Blacksmith was said by. some to be the
work OF another. although there seems TO
be balance of evidence that 1t was his
own. 1t is most amusing that his most
anoying rival in London, Buononcinl,
about whom the partiSanship became
so strong that a wit of the time wrote:
Some say compared to Buononclni
That Meinhcr Handel is but nnny;
Others aver, that he to Handel,
rs scarcely fit to hold a canGlS.
Strange all this difference should he
" TwiXt Iweedle dunn and lived e-dee.
He came to his downfall for inducing in
gigantic piece Of Plagiarism We must
not forget. however, that no one regarded
this mode Of acquiring melodies In the
same light that we do in this age.
Unlike Bach. to whom recognition came
100 years TOO late. Handlers mpositions
were performed as soon as they were pro-
duced. A statue CT him was also erected
at Vaux Hal! Garden. during his life time.
Like Bach. he sacrificed his eyesght on
the altar of music and IN 1872, lie became
blind from cataracts growing over his
eyes. He still continued TO preside a the
organ at the performance of his ora .orioS
ana even played concerios. lie died Good
Friday 1853.
AS to the relative merits Of the two great
artists there can fairly be no comparison.
One was everything that the other was
not. Bach's work had by far a greater
effect upon the history of music. scAu-
man said of him, The world Of music
owes almost a much TO him as religion
does to its founder He was the Father
Of modern music Before his time the
Clavier could be tuned to play in only one
key at a time. He conceived the idea
OF distributing the dissonance throughout
the octave in such way that Il would
be so small IN each Interval as not 70 be
noticeable. His Celebrated wei tempered
claVichcrd. the fit number Of which is
on our programme to-day. is from q series
OF compositions in al the keys. The
lingering also had to be revised. bringing
the thumb and little finger. the use OF
which had hitherto been Stunned into
requisition. Bach is supreme in every
thing but operas and oratorios. Handles
oratorios have never been approa hed--no
one ever wrote so beautifully for voices
His Messiah from which the vocal
selections, with one exception. are taken
to-day. was written in tweuty-four days
yet it is the realization of the highest
ideal man has yet reached in oratorio."
Handlers ideas are more quickly graspcd
and more readily understood than Bach's.
but we love Bach more and more the
longer we study him, anc his incompar-