The premier of ‘Messiah’ was a popular event in the Dublin of 1742 and is still commemorated today by an open-air concert every 13th of April in the street where ‘Neale’s Musick Hall’ once stood. The premiere was a charity gig at the request of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to a packed audience of 700; to ensure sufficient space, ladies were reportedly requested not to wear hoops and gentlemen advised to come without swords. The original choir was 16 boy choristers and 16 gentlemen of the two cathedral choirs in the city, with a soprano and a contralto soloist and an orchestra of around 40. The first London audience proved less enthusiastic, not least as performing what was seen by many as a religious work in a theatre was regarded as near sacrilege. Handel twice ‘rested’ the piece until a further revival in 1750.

The work’s enduring popularity was secured, indirectly, by the artist Hogarth, a keen supporter of the Foundling Hospital set up in Bloomsbury by Thomas Coram in 1739. Hogarth persuaded Handel to give a benefit concert in the hospital’s chapel. He wrote a ‘Foundling Hospital Anthem’ for the event, the concluding part of which is the Hallelujah Chorus, lifted directly from ‘Messiah’. Given the success of the concert, Handel, undoubtedly with a degree of self-interest as well as philanthropy, recognised the chapel as the ideal venue for the full work, and gave Messiah benefit concerts there from 1750 for the rest of his life, raising over £7000 (about £1M today). Those concerts secured its popularity with a far wider audience and helped establish the English choral tradition: at a 1784 memorial performance in Westminster Abbey it is recorded that the assembled choral and instrumental forces had expanded to 525.

So, it was a relatively modest assemblage of a choir of 221, including the Quiristers, and an orchestra of 33 that Winchester College Director of Music Sarah Baldock commanded in the Cathedral last Saturday evening. With four internationally renowned soloists, we were in for an epic performance. In his welcome Canon Andy referred to them as part of the fine Winchester Musical Ecosystem. The overture demonstrated the exceptional standard of performance to come, as did the opening recitative, “Comfort Ye”, from the outstanding tenor Ruari Bowen. It was at the entry of the full choir in “And the Glory of the Lord” that the sound of those massed forces first washed over us. And what a glorious sound it was that filled the Cathedral!

The soloists included a first year Wykehamist treble who admirably rose to his daunting task, together with soprano Hilary Cronin, countertenor Hugh Cutting and bass Frederick Long, all young and clearly rising stars in the musical firmament. The Qs were also clearly giving their all to this wonderful performance, although their collective solo contribution was limited to a single line, though nonetheless beautifully delivered.

And so to the finale of the second part: the magnificent Hallelujah Chorus when the Cathedral’s Junior Choir, under Chris Burton, joined in – clearly a ‘first’ for many of them but an evening they will surely remember for years to come. Word had leaked from the choir that the conductor was all for encouraging the traditional audience response of leaping to their feet at the sound of its opening bars; in reality we were directed to stand to welcome the youngsters, so ensuring compliance! There is no authentic source to confirm that George II ever did stand at this point; and, if he did, why? Possible explanations range from his humble acknowledgement that he wasn’t himself the “King of Kings” to the notion that he had nodded off, woken with a start and needed to relieve an attack of gout. Whatever, the majesty of the music is undeniable and, at two hours in, we probably all welcomed the chance of a bit of a stretch.

All too soon we reached the “Amen” chorus, and what a fitting climax to the performance! It was then easy to understand why mass performances of Messiah are so popular; the more so when the quality of musicianship on show was so unquestionable and the effect so profound.

Yes, Canon Andy, there is indeed a wonderful Winchester Musical Ecosystem and we are all very fortunate to be part of it.

Jerry Pett
Q Parent