THE RESURRECTION OF HANDEL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 49, 13 March 1937, Page 17

THE RESURRECTION OF HANDEL

waa ir-T-r-f " i £*—4 . . . Achieyement of "The Messiah"

iJSiS FOLLOWING ii Writtett by Stefan Zweig in "KaleldoBcop8,, about , the . old maestro Handel, whose doctor had despaircd of hiin:— ' 1 What the devill" exclainiedi Doctor . (fenkina, ' ' What has happtenedf "What elixir have you drunk* ' You are Iitferafiy feiplo&ttg With life!,# ' : Handel lofek'ed,. at hia ddbtor; he smiled attd hi» eyea sparklcd anew. But ha quickly became ieriotti. He goi up aiowly ttnd Went toward the clavichorcL' Seating himself by the inetrument, he passed hia hands over ihe aotea, then, turning, attd emiliag itrangely, he eommfenced to recite ia 4 ibw voice the Words of "Behold, I tell yott a myatery^* worde of "the Messiah." Blbttging hii hande agaitt Into the muslc.i Handel seemed traaepdrted. Piaying, he forgot, everything about him and had an existettc® of his own, the tnmultbUs torrent carried him1 theii, suddenly, he tumed again itt the inidst of thfe Wbrk that he had Created, and sang, played the last chords that hb had only dreamily sketched. Now he heferd them ia Ms br&itt, ttote by ttOte. ««Oh death, where ia thy stingf" ,,,, Btiraing with the fire of life h« mised Hia voice and played attd lang With paesibtt right to th'e thrice-repisated Amitt. Thfe rbom aeem to be ehattfcred Under She avalattche of aound as the old man threW himaelf impfethohsly |nto tho mtisie, Doctor Jenkina Watched ihe «ompofier, Attd when Handel rdfeo he cried, at once confnsed and admiring, "Man, I have never heard anything Which resembled what .you have jnst played. You have a detii itt your bodyl" Bnt Handel '0 face darkfened. He Was Mmself frlghtoned by hii Work, and by the epirit which had come to him in hii Ibfig ileep. Turning to thO fibetor, he said itt so low a vbico .that,. the Other

conld ccarcoly hear Him, •*! MJtvf that God himself wai, with me." Some mottths later two. elfegantlydressed gentlemen knocked at ihe door of thi lodgings in Abbey etreet where during his sdjourn in> Dubiin the great maestro Handel had been living. {With ttaarks of great rfespect theeh two visitors .presettted their requeet. ''Mftiter," e&id they, "for weeks yoit have xejoiced the hearte of onr «itizens Itt permittittg them to hear your magnificent worki. Such thittge have nevef been heard in the Irish eapital, We know that jrOu have chosett Dulfiin, before London, to witness the premier of yout great Work, "The Meeeiah." The event ift iio important that ht/ie sure of universal applausa, Attd we are t&Hng it npon ouwelvee to a*k jtm if you will not, with tho nniyeriai goodnfeii for which you ari khown, *ndertake this first eoncert for ihe charities Wfelch .We repreaent, »nd. donate the prew ceOds to thoie Charitiesf : : Handel regarded his- twe vitdtors kindly. H* likfed'Diiblia, bfeeauie that city treated hiim With loV* attfi admiratiofU Hii heart filled With tenderness, attd smiling:the maestro, replied, '*Glad ly gentlemen. Attd to what ttitablishmenta ar« you givittg the. takittgsi" One of the gentlemen, white haircd and ConrteouB of manner, eaid t« the composer, " WO ari going to ttiei them for the eare of the prisbttew itt eeveral jails." "And, distribtite them among thfe inmates of Mercier hbipital^» eaid the ieeond Visitor, 4 'but it ia tonderitood, iMafefitro, that this . magnificent dontttlott ii limited to the proceede.of thi first cfettcert. The other tvenings Will riWarfi you, yourself." Handel made a gestnre of negation. "NO,*' He eaid; *4I am .not gbing to toUbh 4 penny bf thii Oratorio. And I wili nfever touch atty bf it, never, because I oWb the ere&tiott bf it tb something of another person. My * Messiah' will alwttyi appettl td the siek and thi impriibned, i have been iiek mysfelf ttnd have beb'tt bured. I have been a prisottfer and have been freed • • % The maestro ceased. Hii aiitinguished visitors ra!*«d their eyei and re.garded Him With- a&tOnishmettt. They did not nnderstand ihe feeling behind thii slightly m'jrstfcrlona atatfement. But in spite of their atirpriib they thanked Handel bShisivfely, bfeWeS ddfeply, and went to Bpread ihe good tteWi Itt their dear city of Hublim

A hawker stopped our meaneet muBlc-ball magnate attd implOred him to buy b.ootlaces, pleadittg that He wai starving attd throughout the week had taken only one and threepence. The niagnate said: "Hdw does that compare with your takings fbr ihe same week last year." — James Agate itt "Ego."