Handel appears to have laboured a good deal at this air (instance an entire line crossed out and re-written), but with no satisfactory result, and, in the exercise of that sound judgment which never failed him, he finally rejected it. Passing over "Glory to God," with the solitary observation that here, for the first time, wind instruments (two trumpets) are found in the score, the florid air, "Rejoice greatly," presents itself in the 12-8 measure which Handel afterwards thought fit to discard for 4-4. He made no other change, but this substitution of groups of semi-quavers for quaver triplets was material. That it was an alteration for the better the result of a performance of the original version given once (and only once) in Exeter Hall, may be taken as proof. Of the final air and chorus in the first part there is nothing to be said. As Handel wrote them so they stand, always excepting the indefensible transposition of "He shall feed His flock."

There are two noticeable points in "Behold the Lamb of God." One is that Handel's first impulse was to give the lead to the sopranos (as in the

non e vero e ben trovato. Anyhow, he was at that instant the medium of a profound pathos, which will go to the hearts of men so long as music shall last. Only one or two important alterations appear in the chorus "Surely He hath borne our griefs," but the close of "And with His stripes" underwent a complete change. Instead of the impressive ending on the dominant that now leads direct to the next chorus, Handel first wrote an ordinary tonic cadence, the weakness of which, when compared with its successor, is sufficiently striking. The only remark to be made about "All we like sheep" is that in point of slovenly penmanship it ranks first; one page in particular where occurs the adagio " And the Lord hath laid on Him"-being little better than a mass of blots. No manuscript could bear stronger testimony to the headlong haste of its writer. Over the recitative "All they that see Him" occurs the first of Handel's directions as to the singers. "Mr. Beard" is the vocalist thus immortalized; while to Signora Avolio is assigned "Thy rebuke," with "Behold and see ;" and to Mr. Low, "He was cut off," and "But Thou didst not leave." A good deal of controversy has been excited about the propriety of giving the whole of the "Passion" music to a tenor voice, as is now the custom. It is needless to reopen a discussion practically settled, but here, at all events, is the composer's first intention; an intention not merely disregarded, but till within the last few years absolutely reversed. With respect to the music itself Handel left

it exactly as it was first written. The original of "Lift up your heads" is in like manner undisturbed, while the amendments in the ingenious chorus, "Let all the angels of God," are none of them important enough to deserve quotation. Hence these numbers may pass without comment, as may, for the same reason, the solo, "Thou art gone up on high." In "Great was the company of the preachers" there is one interesting point to be noticed. It must have occurred to most of those who concern themselves with such matters that, when writing this chorus, Handel had in his mind "He spake the word," from "Israel," composed three years previously. Similarity of text seems to have suggested similarity of treatment, and the inference that the master's thoughts reverted to his former work is well-nigh proved by the fact of his first writing "The Lord spake the word" in the "Messiah" score. Discovering the error he marked out "spake," and substituted "gave," but the inadvertence remains a significant testimony.

So far Handel had got through his task unchecked, but in attempting to set "How beautiful are the feet," with its sequel "Their sound is gone out," he found himself in difficulty. Beginning by writing the air as it now stands, the dissatisfied composer afterwards took its theme as the subject of a duet (andante in D minor) for alto voices, to which he appended a chorus on the words, "Break forth into joy." The former is brief, and not sufficiently distinctive to call for quotation. The chorus begins thus:

Eventually Handel discarded Mr. Beard's air also, and wrote the chorus afterwards embodied in the work. It must not be supposed that even these amendments represent the whole of the composer's struggle. In a volume of MS. sketches now at Buckingham Palace, the duet before mentioned is considerably altered, as well as prefaced by part of a Chandos Anthem overture. The same collection is said to contain also an entirely new air in D, for soprano; but, so far as is known, the last was never used in public. Such facts will help to remove a very erroneous impression entertained, not merely with regard to Handel, but all other composers of genius. Great musicians have ever been something more than inspired media, and the greatest musical works bear evidence of painful, persevering labour, which should be recognised as among their strongest claims to admiration.

Nothing in "Why do the nations" calls for remark, except that Handel's first idea was to let the first two bars of the air read thus:

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Why do the nations SO furious while in "Let us break their bonds," the only noticeable amendment consists in giving the lead at And cast away their cords" to the tenors instead of to the basses. "Thou shalt break them " stands just as it was originally written, and so, one or two unimportant points excepted, does the magnificent "Hallelujah" which Handel scored in his first copy for trumpets and drums, as well as for the invariable string quartet. It should be observed, however, that the pianissimo delivery of "The kingdom of this world" is unsanctioned by the manuscript. There is no direction whatever appended to the phrase, and hence the German fashion of giving the chorus forte throughout is more Handelian than that of the Handelian nation par excellence. Not only so, but it is artistically more correct. There is nothing in the words to call for change, and if it be desirable to

produce a special effect upon the passage "The kingdom of our God, and of His Christ," Handel amply secured it by a higher pitch. But in these days, unhappily, there is a rage for new readings, and the " Hallelujah" is by no means the only chorus of Handel with which liberties are taken. The reader's thoughts will revert to "For unto us a Child is born," and the outbursts upon its tutti passages. It is true that Handel intended the greatest possible effect for those points, but not at the cost of what precedes and follows. In his score there are no marks appended to the voice parts, and their occurrence in the accompaniment shows that he was content with such results as could be produced by the orchestra alone. This is but one instance out of a thousand that prove an intuitive and delicate perception of his text. He could not have tolerated the whispering, as if in fear and trembling, of the most glorious announcement ever made by joyful lips. It is time all licences for meddling with a great composer's works were withdrawn ; or, at all events, that the licencees were jealously watched. At present, things are permitted in music which, in any other art, would be indignantly cried down. If any one desires to test this, let him tamper with an Ode of Horace, or a soliloquy of Shakespeare; let him retouch one of Raphael's faces to give it more expression, or for the same purpose lay his chisel upon the Venus de' Medicis. Why should not a like veneration be shown to the works of the Horaces, Shakespeares, and Raphaels of music?

The air "I know that my Redeemer liveth" is sung now exactly as first written, and the score shows an almost entire freedom from second thoughts. Not without a special reason, therefore, is the composer represented in Westminster Abbey as receiving his theme from the angels. Like "He was despised," the most pathetic recital of suffering, this song, the most confident expression of hope, appears as a veritable inspiration. In the short quartets and choruses which follow, there are at least two points of interest. One is,

Since by man came death.

It will be observed that by his amendment Handel avoided ending both phrases of the quartet upon the same chord-E major. The next point is that the words, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," were introduced as an afterthought, the first idea being to repeat "Since by man," &c. Few alterations were required in the music to adapt it to the new verse, and these duly appear in the manuscript.

"The trumpet shall sound" affords a curious example of misplaced accent. Throughout the air, Handel has divided the word "incorruptible" after this fashion:

In

corrup ti - ble. The reader does not require to be told that the mistake was subsequently corrected, nor need he be reminded into how few like errors the German composer fell when dealing with our English language. Save this verbal alteration, the air remains precisely as found in the MS. It should be noticed, however, that it is the first instance in the "Messiah" of the second or minor strophe being accompanied only by a figured. bass. The duet "O death, where is thy sting?" is sixteen bars shorter as now sung than as originally written, a large portion of the somewhat overelaborated first subject being cut out.

"Thanks be to God" calls for no remark; but the following air, "If God be for us," presents another example of Handel's happy after-thought. His first impulse was to introduce the words "Who makes intercession for us" upon this phrase :

His second, however, was to substitute the longer and more melodious passage with which everybody is familiar. In "Worthy is the Lamb" the alterations are too unimportant for citation; but its superb sequel, "Amen," offers two noteworthy features. One of these is in the subject given out by the basses. Had Handel kept to the idea which first came into his mind, we should have lost that grand progress through an entire octave now so striking a feature of the theme. Originally, the second part of the phrase imitated the first in its relative minor key, as thus:

As to the value of the changes thus made in the beginning and end of one of the finest choral fugues ever written, there can hardly be a difference of opinion.

Scrawled underneath the blurs and blots made by the eager musician, then exulting in the close of his task, are the words, "Fine dell' oratorio, G. F. Handel, Septembre 12. Ausgefüllt en 14 dieses." Who is there that cannot sympathise with this Hercules as he rested from his labours conscious of having produced an imperishable thing?