Messiah at the Foundling Hospital- BBC documentary

[AeolianHarp]

Handel's Messiah is one of the most popular choral pieces in Western music. It has been recorded hundreds of times and contains a tune that is as instantly recognisable as any in music. Yet few people know the extraordinary story of how this much-loved piece came to public attention - or how it helped save the lives of tens of thousands of children.

Historian Amanda Vickery and BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service present this one-hour drama documentary which recreates the first performance of Messiah at London's Foundling Hospital in 1750 and tells the heart-rending story of how this special fundraising concert helped maintain the hospital and heralded a golden age of philanthropy.

Exploring historical documents and artefacts, Amanda Vickery examines the plight of women in Georgian London, particularly how the attitudes of the time led mothers to abandon their babies at the hospital. Tom Service looks at the momentous trials and tribulations faced by Handel in London and discovers how the composer became involved with the Foundling Hospital alongside another philanthropist of the day, the artist William Hogarth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ling_Hospital/

[Peter]

Thanks for that - I missed out last time I was in London on a chance to visit the Foundling hospital museum and it is such a wonderful story of Handel's involvement in it.

[AeolianHarp]

Handel

Thanks for that - I missed out last time I was in London on a chance to visit the Foundling hospital museum and it is such a wonderful story of Handel's involvement in it.

It is still there? I didn't know that. I am about to watch this soon- just finished watching the film about Jane Austen- I was surprisingly moved by that film. I was fascinated to see a fortepiano in the film! Often films use modern pianos for the Georgian era- great to see they had done their research!

Also interesting was Jane using sign language to her brother George who was deaf and had learning difficulties.

http://www.janeausten.co.uk/george-austen/

It must have been fairly well known about and (taught) in Britian ( at least for the middle- upper classes) at the time, but no mention of it is made in any of Beethoven's letters and diaries, nor by his friends and contemporaries- so I am assuming it wasn't well known of in Vienna then.

A digression there- back to Handel- yes I have read a little about Handel- he seemed very generous and kind:

http://www.handelhouse.org/support/legacy

Many people don't know about how the composers of the c. 18th and c.19th supported charities and gave benefit concerts- of course our dear Beethoven was one and Liszt another- yet the likes of swaggering Bono and "Sir Bob" seem to think they are the first! ( of course they forgot about George Harrison in the early 1970s).

I would love to visit the Foundling hospital and Handel House. Here's an interesting article about his house:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...els-house.html

And the official website's home page:

http://www.handelhouse.org/

This thread can digress into a Handel thread as some on this board won't be able to have access to BBC iplayer...but fear not those who live outside Britian- someone is bound to put it on you tube!

[Peter]

No the Foundling hospital is no longer there, but I think the museum is on the site. The Handel house is of course a must, but try to avoid the tourists - the rooms are small and you can easily get squashed and hastily herded out as I was. I shall have to go again - they do have musical events there as well.

[AeolianHarp]

No the Foundling hospital is no longer there, but I think the museum is on the site. The Handel house is of course a must, but try to avoid the tourists - the rooms are small and you can easily get squashed and hastily herded out as I was. I shall have to go again - they do have musical events there as well.

Talking about musical events- I saw Emily Bronte's giraffe style upright piano being played a few years ago- the pianist played some Beethoven sonatas on it! The room with the piano in it is tiny and you can only stand a little into the room as a rope is there- so people had to stand to watch. That was a bit squished too!