New-York tribune., 1902-12-21
THE NEW EDITION OF 1.-THE MESSIAH"
HANDELS CHRLSTM4S OR4TORIO REVISED By PROF
PkOCI-SONE NEU1 READING.S DLSCTLSSED-4
FfC-SIHILE FROM THE fITTOGB 4ptz SCORE

ChrlStnaStide perfo
Handels Messiah by the Oratorio Society rex.
Friday afternoon and Saturday evening Nr ErsrL
Damrosch VIII make use of the new edition of the
orator1o prepared by DIR. Ebenezer Prout and pub
lished few months ago by Novello & Co. of Lon
don The work of revision has occlpied the editor
for long time and fruitful tonic of discussion
5ust now in England where the devotion to oratorio
implanted N the people by the composer of 1.-The
Messiah" himself. has developed a Handel cult
quite without parallel in the other musical coun-
tries Of the world. The NeU-Yorl, rerfor,,,,,eo -.
the new score will. it seems be the second in his
tory; at least up TO the present time the only
record that has come 10 hand is of a performance
November u in Queens Hail. London under the
erection of Dr. Prout. This performance called in
tert.sting associations mind 1t was given under
the auspices Of the Royal Society of Musicians
which was already three years old in 1741 when the
oratorio was composed. and to which Handel by his
will left the 4 900. Dr. Prout the editor
and conductor. is professor Of music in the Uni
versity of Dublin. the city first heard The
Messiah" nearly one hundred and sixty years ago
The details of this performance are receiving a
thorough discussion in the musical Journals of
Great Britain than the Nepe-Yor5 performance is
likely to receive for various reasons chief of which
are these two; American music journals more
concerned with advertising than and the pro-
fessional and amateur musicians of America have a
less reverent attitude toward Handel than their
British cousins. The substitution omission of a
dot after note the filling up of chord the en-
lloyment of instrument more or less in the
OF the cganse or pianlSSnO into
a piano do not matters of vital concern to
many Of those WHO perform The Messiah" and are
looked upon with indifference by the overwhelming
majority of those who listen The annual Christ
1nastide performance of the oratorio in New York
is all intents and purposes religious rather
than artistic function
Nevertheless efforts have been made here for
years to enhance the effectiveness Of the oratorio
Mr. Theodore Thomas was wont to double the wood
wind choir of his orchestra. and he also made use
Of Tofoar Erarz add rf'S instr
mental parts which have been used for a century
the world over. Mr.. Walter Damrosch, in 1SSS,
used oboes. four clarinets. four bassoons and
four comets in his band. built up basis of ten
first violins. Four years later tried the expert
ment of which the foremost champion to-day is
Sir Frederick Bridge who sticks to his in
spite of all the arguments Of expediency and next
month viii again conduct the Royal Choral Society
through a performance with Handers original ac-
compartments" Now. a matter of fact, nobody
in existence knows what ''Handers original
compartments We're; but that is a story which
may be reserved for future telling. Mr.. Damrosch
in 1882 gave Handel festival in commemoration of
the 150th anniversary OF the first performance of
The Messiah" He tried the experiment of restor
ing the original Handelian Instrumentation as far
as possible" He eliminated Mozart's wood-wind
and parts from the and restored the
original trumpet and drum parts: then he rein
forced the strings with oboes and bassoons and
filed out the harmonies with the organ. The con-
fusion which had to prevail in relation to
nearly every feature of the performance of The
Messiah the license exercised by English festival
conductors adding organ peals and brass orna-
Irents wherever they felt like producing crashing
elects the corruption Of the text peroetuated from
lie time of the original publications; the discovery
lhat the Mozart score had been sophisticated be-
ore it published; the insuff1cency of Mozarts
compartments. especially in several Of the solo
.lumbers: dissatisfaction with some Of the har-
monies instrumental effects arbitrarily intro
4uced by Mozart; the revolution which has
taken place in the numerical relationship
between chorus and band since Handers day;
the change in the quality Of tone IN
some Of the instruments and in the skill of the
players: the disappearance of the harpschord with
which Handel used to fill the harmonies in his
accoapaniment In a, manner now lost; the growth
# tie organ-these and other considerations have
long cried for a working edition of
tire score of the oratorio. Dr. Prout's edition was
issued TO cry It is pre-eInnentiy prac-
ticabIe edition. The professor, whose scholarship
is unassailable, has maintained a reVerent att-
tude toward Handel, and also Mozart; but he has