The "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah is traditionally played during Easter week throughout the world (and during the Christmas Season). It is also tradition to stand up and remain standing during the Hallelujah Chorus, and there is a reason behind this tradition. As it happened, George Frederick Handel, who was court composer for the King of England, had fallen on bad times with the king. His work wasn't in as much demand as before. As a consequence to this, he became depressed and listless. One day he came into his bedroom and collapsed on the bed (he was an enormously large man) when he noticed a manuscript on the night desk. He proceeded to pick it up and began to read it. As he did so, he felt a great surge of energy, and plunged totally into his manuscript. It was about the life of Christ, from the Gospels, and it had been sent to him by a poet friend (Schiller I believe, though I may be wrong on the author on the manuscript). He immediately took a pen and paper, and began to write the music to this manuscript. As fast as the ideas came to him, he wrote them on paper. The actual manuscript shows that it was composed at a ferocious speed. Handel wrote day and night, hardly sleeping or eating for some 17 days. His servant would bring him food, and it would stay untouched. At the conclusion of his creation, he collapsed, and slept for well over 24 hours straight. The end product was "The Messiah." Handel claimed that God himself dictated the music to him, and that he was brought up before the throne of the God. The cantata was played for the first night with the king of England on attendance. When the "Hallelujah Chorus" was sung by the choir, as the words "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, for He shall reign forever and ever," the king stood up in his balcony and remained standing as a sign of respect to His King. The audience was bewildered by the king's behavior, and stood with him throughout the whole Hallelujah Chorus. And this is how the tradition started. Handel claimed that "The Messiah" had been dictated to him by the Holly Spirit. He prayed that he could die on Holly Friday (or Easter, I'm not sure which of the two dates) and he did so. In London, where he's buried, there's a statue of him by his tomb, where he's holding a Bible open, and his finger is pointing to the scripture that says: "for I know that my redeemer liveth." Gabe Meruelo.
The "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah is traditionally played during Easter week throughout the world (and during the Christmas Season). It is also tradition to stand up and remain standing during the Hallelujah Chorus, and there is a reason behind this tradition. As it happened, George Frederick Handel, who was court composer for the King of England, had fallen on bad times with the king. His work wasn't in as much demand as before. As a consequence to this, he became depressed and listless. One day he came into his bedroom and collapsed on the bed (he was an enormously large man) when he noticed a manuscript on the night desk. He proceeded to pick it up and began to read it. As he did so, he felt a great surge of energy, and plunged totally into his manuscript. It was about the life of Christ, from the Gospels, and it had been sent to him by a poet friend (Schiller I believe, though I may be wrong on the author on the manuscript). He immediately took a pen and paper, and began to write the music to this manuscript. As fast as the ideas came to him, he wrote them on paper. The actual manuscript shows that it was composed at a ferocious speed. Handel wrote day and night, hardly sleeping or eating for some 17 days. His servant would bring him food, and it would stay untouched. At the conclusion of his creation, he collapsed, and slept for well over 24 hours straight. The end product was "The Messiah." Handel claimed that God himself dictated the music to him, and that he was brought up before the throne of the God. The cantata was played for the first night with the king of England on attendance. When the "Hallelujah Chorus" was sung by the choir, as the words "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, for He shall reign forever and ever," the king stood up in his balcony and remained standing as a sign of respect to His King. The audience was bewildered by the king's behavior, and stood with him throughout the whole Hallelujah Chorus. And this is how the tradition started. Handel claimed that "The Messiah" had been dictated to him by the Holly Spirit. He prayed that he could die on Holly Friday (or Easter, I'm not sure which of the two dates) and he did so. In London, where he's buried, there's a statue of him by his tomb, where he's holding a Bible open, and his finger is pointing to the scripture that says: "for I know that my redeemer liveth." Gabe Meruelo.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that Handel was miraculously cured from his depression as he concluded "the Messiah." Gabe Meruelo.
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