The Glorious History of Handel’s Messiah
A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer’s death
By Jonathan Kandell
Smithsonian Magazine
December 2009
George Frideric Handel’s Messiah was originally an Easter offering. It burst onto the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The audience swelled to a record 700, as ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses “without Hoops†in order to make “Room for more company.†Handel’s superstar status was not the only draw; many also came to glimpse the contralto, Susannah Cibber, then embroiled in a scandalous divorce.
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http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-glorious-history-of-handels-messiah-148168540/#CeYOQwpys1kdAcBT.99
