There is a Handel museum in the heart of London in the house in Brook Street, Mayfair where the composer lived until his death in It is said to have started when the king himself attended an early performance and was so moved by the resounding chorus that he stood erect until it had finished.
If the monarch stands, then everybody else would be expected to do the same as no-one could risk sitting down when the king was standing. Alas, this is a well-known story and one I often repeat when talking about the Georgian period but there is no evidence that King George the Second ever saw a performance of the Messiah — or that he stood up during it This does not stop Blue Badge Tourist Guides repeating the story, however, and it certainly does not stop audience members continuing to stand as the climax of the greatest work by our adopted composer George Frederick Handel approaches.
I specialise in tours themed on cars,…. Your email address will not be published. Now in its fourth year, the new winter trail is inspired by the gardens themselves, as the trees, temples and glasshouses of Kew are playfully lit and all aglow. Enter between two giant Christmas trees festooned with ribbon and wander beneath unique tree canopies drenched in seasonal colour.
Follow the path between a carpet of light gently swaying like blossom and stop for a moment of reflection at the scented Fire Garden inspired by Five Gold Rings from The Twelve Days of Christmas.
This book was first published in and has been adapted for stage and screen many times. Now a new film and exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum London celebrate this famous story. Although religious, its message remains universal, and Handel intended it for the concert hall, not the church.
Handel also wrote Messiah in English, rather than German or Italian, which appealed to the middle class in England and Ireland, where the work first appeared back in the mids. This also made it easy to digest in the United States, and choral societies quickly got on the Messiah bandwagon. Musically, the score is a hodgepodge of styles, including Italian recitative , French overture , English anthem , and German fugal influences.
Handel was, after all, a man of the world. He also poured his soul into composing Messiah at a difficult period in his life. So he did what any good composer would do: He locked himself in a room and pouted awhile, then began writing in a burst of white-hot inspiration. Trance-like, he finished the score in a remarkable 24 days, going for long periods without food or sleep.
The full score is a handful, to say the least, with 53 movements. The Florida Orchestra is all in, performing the nearly complete version at about 2. But this was a way of confirming agreement and approval without applause. The heart of any reasonable explanation.
Whatever else monarchs may be, they are still human and while they may not show emotion in public, there are rare occasions when, as humans, they are so overcome that they react as humans rather than kings and show emotion.
In the United States in particular, it is nowadays de rigeur to cry in public, especially in front of the television cameras. The feeling is that, if you do not cry, you do not feel, and if you do not feel, you are a bad person. That is not why the Queen could not keep back her tears when she visited Aberfan after the disaster that killed so many children. It was not a planned but a spontaneous reaction and, as such, was understandable, and forgivable. She is still human, after all.
For the same reason, I firmly believe that, notwithstanding all that Dr Atwood says about monarchs rarely standing and the various political reasons he puts forward to explain why the king did so, King George was so truly overwhelmed when the Hallelujah Chorus was sung that he reacted spontaneously as a human rather than a monarch and stood up.
And as was and remains the custom, when the king or queen stands, everybody in their presence stands. Nobody remains seated when the monarch stands up. That is the origin of the audience standing when the Hallelujah Chorus begins. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. When the music for this biblical passage began, King George, I believe, made a statement about royal authority and honor: The Christian King of England is not the Supreme Authority, but he is one under authority and must show honor and respect to his Supreme Lord, the King of Kings.
A few simple observations undermine this thin explanation: Kings are hardly ones to emote in public spontaneously a review of English kings and queens over the centuries will reveal precious few instances of spontaneity or public displays of exuberance ; Standing in the middle of a performance of a major orchestral and choral work today or in yesteryear is never encouraged—in fact, it would be considered rude and not something a King would likely do without a very compelling reason even jazz musicians today only receive polite applause at the end of a praiseworthy set—rarely do audiences jump out of their seats during a formal performance ; Kings sit enthroned , subjects stand.
The King was not stretching his legs, getting ready to walk out, etc. The answer as to why the King stood there and then is rooted, I believe, in the political implications of the very specific lyrics of the chorus, particularly the words from Revelation 19, highlighted in bold, and their immediate context see the updated note below : Hallelujah! All rise! Roy Atwood Dr. Comments Enlightening….
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