h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Handel's 'Messiah': the first 250 years - A691463
Author: Belshazzar, Keeper of The Writing On The Wall and All Graffiti - U188050

Written to fit into a 'Messiah'-shaped hole in the Guide.

Hi, Belshazzar!

I really like this one - it gives a really nice view of what is one of the great musical classics.

A few comments:
I think it would be worth mentioning that the Duke of Devonshire who invited Handel to Dublin was the Lord-Lieutenant, (in other words the King's representative in Ireland whose seat at Dublin Castle was the centre of Irish society.)

I am a bit uneasy about your description of classical music over the last 250 years 'which during this period has broadened from the sole province of the elite into the recreation of all sorts of ordinary people.' I think it was only in the 20th century that classical music was seen as the preserve of the elite - from Mozart to Verdi, many pieces from classical works became popularized among ordinary people. I'd be inclined to leave that reference out.

And finally, I think the well-known quote from the Dublin paper of the day, advising gentlemen to leave their swords at home, and ladies to leave off their hoops, is a nice one, and might be worth including (since I know you like quotes!)

Azara

As someone who has sung this piece lots, I have learned lots from this piece. Well done.

Hi Belshazzar! This is an excellent entry.

The only thing I could find wrong with it is your comment about the Choirboys of St Patrick's Cathedral

- they did sing at the first performance
- the School of Choirboys is still in existence (it has been since something like 1462)
- Messiah is sung regularly in St Patrick's cathedral in aid of charity

but the choir boys do not sing at modern performances of Messiah. I've sung at every performance of Messiah in St Patrick's Cathedral since 1990 (that's 24 performances) and the Choirboys did not join us for any of them.

I agree with Azara that you might like to mention the quotation about the ladies leaving their hoops at home and the gentlemen their swords. I haven't got the exact words for this. Another good quotation is that after the Alto had sung "He was despised", the Dean said "For this your sins are forgiven". Again you'd want to check the exact wording.

Azara, I guess we could debate this at some length, but it seems to me that the 20th century was the era of recorded music, then music on radio, the Proms, film and tv, opera videos, dvd etc. While classical music may be seen as the pursuit of a minority, that does not make them an elite. These days, you do not have to be specially privileged in terms of money or class or birth or connections - anyone can buy the complete Beethoven symphonies or the complete Ring cycle, or go to the Proms, for very little money, often much less than you might spend on a rock concert.

You mention the Lord Lieutenant and the 'centre of Irish society' - they were of course part of an elite. I am not suggesting that 'Messiah' or even Handel single-handedly brought about fundamental social change, any more than 'Va, pensiero' did - obviously there were lots of factors in play, including popular movements such as the French Revolution, the Risorgimento and so on - but serious music of the baroque and classical periods was very much the preserve of the church authorities (eg Dean Swift) and the aristocracy, and to me 'Messiah' and how it has gained popular appeal over the period since Handel's death stands as a symbol of the changing place of music in the lives of ordinary people, including pigeon fanciers playing in brass bands and the Huddersfield Choral Society singing 'Messiah'.

In starting off with the bald statement that 'Messiah' is an oratorio I am well aware that further explanation is needed, and I was originally intending to include some information on the origins and development of the oratorio, and how Handel's oratorios differ so much not only from what went before but also from the choral works of his contemporary, Bach, with Handel being so predominantly an operatic composer and the Lenten restrictions he had to operate under, and so on - but I thought the present entry was quite long enough without all that. There are other important threads, too, such as Handel's Hanoverian connections, which could likewise be developed, and also tying-in with his privileged or elite position.

But rather than focussing on the glitter, such as it was (eg the swords and the hoops), I was more interested in the aspect of the Debtors' Prison and the Foundling Hospital, the printer from Chester, and that side of things.

Gnomon, I misunderstood about the cathedral choirboys and have removed that footnote. Thanks.

Gnomon, when you mention "He was despised", my understanding is that Susanna Cibber's rendition at the Dublin premiere prompted Patrick Delaney, Chancellor of St. Patrick's Cathedral, to shout "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee."

She did indeed have a rather lurid past, including being persuaded by her husband Theophilus to sleep with one of his creditors, William Sloper, after Theo had given her VD (which he had caught from prostitutes). There was a very juicy court case in which Theo accused Sloper of raping Susanna and brought out some salacious peeping tom evidence.

Cibber won the case but with tiny damages awarded against Sloper, and Susanna subsequently lived openly with Sloper as his mistress and had a daughter by him.

Susanna Cibber was the sister of Thomas Arne. It was suggested that she was trying to escape her questionable past by coming to Dublin, but Delaney was obviously in the know.

I thought it was all a bit tangential to an entry on 'Messiah'

You're right. I was just dredging my memory for trivia relating to Messiah and its first performance.

Excellent Research. Everybody else already said all the good stuff. That's one for the yes collum.
The KID

Hi, Belshazzar!

The main reason I mentioned the Lord-Lieutenant bit? Most Irish people's reaction nowadays to hearing that it was the Duke of Devonshire who invited Handel to Ireland would be to mutter 'who did he think he was, anyway?' Being Lord-Lieutenant explains why an English duke was inviting someone over here.

About the 'elite' debate - I see your line of thought, and while I wouldn't quite agree, this is your entry and you're entitled to stick to your guns about it.

So you have dealt with the points I raised, and as far as I'm concerned, this entry is ready for the Edited Guide.

Good luck!
Azara

Azara, on re-reading through this conversation I realise I hadn't actually pointed out in so many words that I do quite agree with you about mentioning Cavendish, so thank you very much for that suggestion, and I have added an explanatory footnote to the entry.

I must say it's great to get comments from people with local knowledge of Ireland and the Irish, and people who have plenty of experience singing in 'Messiah', since I am sadly lacking in both depts.

I really like this piece (and the discussion is great too -- I never thought I'd see Susannah Cibber mentioned again after my grad school days!). I wonder if you might add something about the use of countertenors in Messiah -- it seems to be something of a trend these days.

women in black

countertenors in Messiah

Not to mention castrati.

women in black - take a look at Entry ID: A694631

Why, thank you!

Ah, Belshazzar - a feast of an entry!

women in black - The pleasure is mine. And just for you, I have added a mention of Mrs Cibber to the footnote about music in Dublin. Oh, Susannah!