The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-12-05
COMING MUSICAL TREAT

hear II again. And each year there
are recruits to the audience from
those who have not heard II before. A
larger audience than any previous
year will no doubt be present at the
coming rendering of the great ora
torio. and for their benefit we give
below a sketch OF the composer and
some interesting facts concerning
this masterpiece Of music.
The Story of the Messiah
For more than one hundred and
sixty years men have delighted TO
honor the name OF George Frederick
Handel. lie was not only one Of the
worlds greatest composers but a
great and noble character. His best
works are the sacred oratorios and
thousands OF people have been made
better and nobler by hearing his
music.
Handel had been invited to visit
Dublin by the Lord Lieutenant Of
Ireland and wishing TO give the Irish
people, whom he called "a generous
and polite nation" something new,
he composed the Messiah, and, incred-
ible as II seems, this tremendous ora
torio was written in "a days.
1t is said that. when Handel was
writing that part of his Messiah.
"He was despIsed and rejected of
men, a friend. coming TO his room,
found him in tears and shaken with
emotion. He so lived in this scene
that It's pathos and sorrow possessed
him, and thus he was able to make
other people enter into II. too. A
young woman walked slowly away
from rendering OF the Messiah"
with such an awed face that her COM
panion said, That Hallelujah Chorus
was grand wasn't itT' "Oh. II wasn't
that that took hold of me so. 1t was.
He was despised and rejected Of
men, a man OF sorrow and acquainted
with grief | could see 1t all-the
buffeting and shifting and derision.
IL never was so real and SO awful as
today. Such a Savior. despised and re-
jected OF men!"
He was enthusiastically received
In ireland and Sc great was the de-
mand for the tickets for the first per-
Torrance that, ladies were requested
to come without hoops and gentle
men without swords thereby afford
ing seating capacity for hundred
more people than otherwise could be
accommodated.
Handel was so generous that he ar
ranged with the director that the en-
tire proceeds should go to three chari-
ties. The MERGERS Hospital" THE
Charitable Infirmary" and the SO
ciety for Relieving Prisoners in Goal
from Debt
The first performance took place
April 18th. l7l2. and was a success
from the beginning. Great as was
the first success OF the Messiah, who,
unless Il was the composer himself.
could have foreseen the wonderful
mower for good which II was TO be-
comet It's influence has steadily wild
ened and increased throughout the
years. and will doubtless continue
until the masses OF the people shall
know IL and love II.
In most places where II has been
heard many times. the people who
hear 1t most frequently are the most
eager to hear It again. II 80 grows
on one that he looks forward from
J year to year to It's rendering with an
tlcipation.
when complimented by Lord Kinou
upon tho wonderful entertainment
. he had given the people, Handel, re-
piled My Lord. should be sorry II
J | have only entertained them; l
wish to make them better"
On being asked what were his feel
ings when he wrote the "Hallelujah
, Chorus Handel replied, 81 thought ]
saw all Heaven before me and the
great God Himself"
Handel directed the Messiah thirty
| four times himself.
! Some time before his death Handel
. became blind. a sad fate which has
come to a number of famous musi-
clans. Stll he continued to conduct
his great oratorios at the organ.
He had many times expressed
wish that he might die on Good FRI
day. On Good friday, '1779, he died
and his body was laid to rest In
Westminster Abbey, where. not long
afterwards, was placed a statue OF
the great composer looking upward
|, On a table beside him lies an unfin-
| ished score OF the Messiah and In
his hand is pen resting on the
. ~rrUS SN nvAIr