chau, the organist of the dim old Liebfrauen Kirche in Halle. This man was a fine musician and taught his charge faithfully. But in three years all had been acquired that that worthy could impart. After spending a year among the prominent musicians of Berlin, and finishing his studies at the university of his native town, he accepted his first position at the Dom Kirche zur Moritzburg (the castle chapel of Moritzburg), where there was a very fine organ. This organ is still used in the chapel.

It is a long stretch of time from the boy of seventeen, playing this organ, directing the choir, writing the music for the service, and the mature man of fifty-six producing "The Messiah." Some time he spent in Berlin and Hamburg, three years in Italy, where they called him "the dear Saxon" because his music pleased them so; thence he went about 1710 to England, for which he was to renounce allegiance to "Fatherland" and where he was to perform and bequeath

to the world his life work.

Handel composed very rapidly and produced a remarkable number of operas, cantatas and oratorios. On some he made money, but lost it all in later ventures through the mismanagement and opposition of others. One day he said to a friend who had made money by selling his music, "My friend!"

"Well?"

"The next time you shall write the music and I will sell it."

The works of Handel make a

worthy list. He wrote twenty-one oratorios and many other sacred pieces; also at least thirty-nine operas and a large number of other works both instrumental and vocal.

Above all towers "The Messiah." On Christmas of every year the choral societies in England and America sing it to large audiences. After more than one hundred and fifty years, its popularity is unabated, and nothing has appeared to supersede it. Handel wrote the whole great work in the incredibly short time of twenty-three days, as he states in the original that he began it August 22, 1741, and finished it September 14th of the same year.

"The Messiah" was first given to the world in the ne v Music Hall on Fishamble street, Dublin, Ireland, in April, 1742. Handel had been invited to go to the Irish metropolis to produce some of his musical works. He accepted the invitation, and arrived in Dublin via packet (travelling was slow and dangerous in those days) the 18th of November, 1741. As recorded in “Faulkner's Journal" of that day, "the celebrated Dr. Handel arrived here in the Packet boat from Holyhead to perform his oratorios."

At once on his arrival he began to make arrangements for a series of concerts. The people of Dublin had wished him to come, and the Irish musical societies had several times performed his works. So it was from a region filled with those who were working against him that he went to a land filled with admiration for him and ready to welcome him with enthusiasm. At this time imprisonment for debt was common, and very great was the suffering brought on by this dreadful practice. Sometimes this relic of barbarism caused the death by starvation of the unhappy prisoners. The musical societies of Dublin gave their concerts almost solely for charitable purposes, prominent among

which was the raising of money to release the poor debtors by making some settlement with their creditors.

A great characteristic of Handel was his generosity. He was always ready to give aid to the unfortunate, and had done so in London many times, even when bankrupt himself. So, here in Dublin, he was ready to coöperate with others to relieve distress. A series of concerts was commenced in which he had the assistance of the Society for the Relief of Prisoners, the Philharmonic Society and the choirs of the Christ Church and St. Patrick's Cathedrals.

Two series of entertainments were given, each consisting of six concerts, the first of which took

These

place December 26, 1741. were all very successful, arousing much enthusiasm. From notices that appeared in "Faulkner's Journal," the principal newspaper of Dublin at this time, we learn that the hall was filled to overflowing at . cach concert with "a more numerous and polite audience than ever was seen upon the like occasion."

But Handel's crowning triumph, and the gift of his best work to the world, was yet to come. About two weeks before the close of the second series of six concerts, this advertisement was printed in both the "Faulkner's Journal" and the "Dublin News Letter," under date of March 23, 1742: "For the Relief of the Prisoners in the several

Gaols, and for the support of Mercer's Hospital, in Stephens St, and of the Charitable Infirmary on the Inn's Quay, on Monday the 12th of April, will be performed at the Musick Hall in Fishamble street, Mr. Handel's new Grand Oratorio, called the Messiah, in which the gentlemen of the choirs of both Cathedrals will assist, with some concertos on the organ by Mr. Handell."

This was the first time that the name of the oratorio, "The Messiah," had appeared in print. The "new Musick Hall," where the concerts took place and in which "The Messiah" was sung for the first time, was built in 1741 on the then fashionable and select Fishamble street. First used for concerts, later it was converted into a theatre, but very select. In an advertisement appeared the notice that "no one will be admitted to the boxes or pit without shoes and stockings," meaning no doubt the usual evening dress. Nowadays it is probable that few persons having shoes and stockings are accustomed to enter, for now Fishamble street is the poorest part of the city.

The advertisement of "The Messiah" resulted in so many sales of tickets that a second one appeared, asking that, for the sake of making more room in the hall, the gentlemen would not wear their swords, and that the ladies should come without hoops. We ask ourselves what must have been the size of those hoops, when we find that acceding to the request in the advertisement made it possible to seat hundred in the persons

seven

hall instead of six hundred

as

usual. Each ticket holder was en

titled to attend the the rehearsal, which took place Thursday, April 8, 1742.

On the following Tuesday, April 13th, came the first grand performance of the oratorio. By request it had been postponed one day. The papers of the day inform us that "it was allowed by the greatest judges to be the finest composition of musick that was ever heard."

as

The sum realized by this first performance of "The Messiah," given solely for relieving distress, was four hundred pounds, or about two thousand dollars. The soprano solo parts were sung by Signora Avolio, the Italian lady who had already several times assisted Handel in London. Mrs. Susannah Maria CibMrs. ber sang the contralto solos. Cibber's singing of "He was despised and rejected of men" is reported being indescribably touching. Handel afterward wrote some contralto solo parts expressly for her. The bass and tenor parts were taken by Mr. Church and Mr. Ralph Roseingrave, who appear to have been members of the Cathedral choirs. The advertisement seems to show that the chorus was of male voices only, but of the number there is no record, except that of the list of the choir at one of the Cathedrals, which numbers less than twenty men and boys. Evidently no such chorus as we think necessary now sung the oratorio of "The Messiah" the first time.

In a letter to Charles Jennens, who arranged the words of "The Messiah," Handel speaks of the aristocratic character of the audi

that had gathered at the twelve concerts already given. Probably the "most Grand, Polite, and Crowded audience" gathered to

extending of course long into the afternoon. From the advertisement and the letter to Jennens quoted, it appears that Handel played organ concertos on this occasion. The organ parts of the oratorio were played by a Mr. Maclaine. The orchestra was led by Matthew Dubourg, who had been a pupil of Handel. Here again we have no record of the make-up of this orchestra; but it is known that instrumentalists for an orchestra for another entertainment were unsuccessfully sought at this time, the reason given being that Mr. Handel had all the best players in Dublin with him.

Some idea of the feeling aroused toward "The Messiah" is gained by the comment which appeared the next morning in the three leading papers. "On Tuesday last," they said, "Mr. Handel's sacred grand oratorio 'The Messiah' was performed in the New Music Hall in Fishamble St; the best judges allowed it to be the most finished piece of music. Words are wanting to express the exquisite delight it afforded to the admiring, crowded audience. The sublime, the grand, and the tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestic, and moving words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished heart and ear.

"It is but justice to Mr. Handel that the world should know he generously gave the money arising from this grand performance to be equally shared by the Society for Relieving Prisoners, The Charitable Infirmary, and Mercer's Hospital, for which they will ever gratefully remember his name; and that the gentlemen of the two choirs, Mr. Dubourg, Mrs. Avolio, and Mrs. Cibber, who performed their parts

to admiration, acted also on the same disinterested principle, satisfied with the deserved applause of the public and the conscious pleasure of promoting such useful and extensive charity. There were above seven hundred people in the room, and the sum collected amounted to about £400 out of which £127 goes to each of the three great and pious charities."

The popularity of "The Messiah" was so great that, by request, it was repeated in the same hall on June 3d following, to another large audience. On Handel's return to England he gave it at Covent Garden in London, but cautiously called it simply "a sacred oratorio." had to overcome the prejudices of his opposers; but it won its way into the hearts of the people of that day, and has become a cherished inheritance which will be kept by all Englishmen forever.

It

"The Messiah" deserves the name of oratorio of benevolence. One has eulogized it after this fashion: "it has fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and fostered the orphan." Handel said that he wrote "The Messiah" as a tribute to the Irish people, but particularly to help in the work of the charitable societies of Dublin. The generous-hearted composer thus gave the direction of charity to his greatest work; from this it has not entirely departed. During his lifetime Handel gave "The Messiah" thirty-four times, of which number the proceeds of eleven were given to the London Foundling Hospital, in which he was always much interested After his death, it was given many times for this and similar charities.

It is stated that the Foundling Hospital alone received from the