EIGHTY-EIGHTH SEASON SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIXTH CONCERT TKursday Evening December 25. 1902 MR. EMIL MOLLENHAUER, Conductor MR. H. G. TUCRER, Organist MISS ANITA RIO, Soprano MRS. HELE,N A. HUNT, Alto MR. ION JACRSON, Tenor MR. L. B. MERRILL, Bass With a r\jill Orchestra MR. OTTO ROTH, Principal The Trijimpet Solo by MR. L. RLOEPFEL CHicKerin^ Pianos visecl esclusivel^ la-y tKe Handel and Ha^dn Society GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL OORN IN Haui, Fkbruarv 23, 1686 Died in London, April 13, 1759 THE MESSIAH Oratorio, composed in 1741 ; begun August 22, finished September 14. Text selected from the Scriptures by Chaklhs Jennfns. Produced in Dublin, April 13, 1742, under the direction of Hande]>. Additional accompani- ments by Mozart, 1789 ; and by Robert Franz, for the use of the Handel and Haydn Society, completed and published in 1884. First performance by the Handel and Haydn Society, December 25, 1818, in Boylston Hall ; present performance the one hundred and seventh. PART ONE 2-3 TENOR RECITATIVE Comfort my people, saith your God : speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem ; and cry unto her that her warfare is ac- complished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilder- ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make straight in the desert a highway for our God. AIR Every valley shall be exalted, and ev- ery mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight, and the rough places plain. 4 CHORUS And the glory of the Lord shall be re- vealed ; and all flesh shall see it together : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. THE PR0PHECIE:S and THE) FUlvFII^MENT I OVERTURE grave : Juga, allegro moderato dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come: the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple ; even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in ; be- hold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. ALTO RECITATIVE Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son ; and shall call his name Em- manuel, God with us. AIR and CHORUS O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high moun- tain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength : lift it up, be not afraid : say un- to the cities of Judah, Behold, your God. Arise ; shine ; for thy light is come ; and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. BASS RECITATIVE Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: Yet once a little while, and I will shake the lO-II BASS RECITATIVE For behold darkness shall cover the heavens and the earth, the sea and the earth, and gross darkness the people ; but the Lord shall arise upon thee; and his glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. AIR The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 12 CHORUS For unto us a child is born: unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful; Counsellor; the Mighty God ; the Everlasting Father ; the Prince of Peace. 13 PASTORAL SYMPHONY larghetto (on the traditional air of the Calabriau pifferari) I4-I5-I6-I7 SOPRANO RECITATIVE There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them; and the glory of the Lord shone round about them ; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold I bring you good tid- ings of great joy, which shall be to all people: for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And sudednly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying : CHORUS Glory to God in the highest ; and oeace on earth, good will towards men. 18 SOPRANO AIR Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O (laughter of Jerusalem. Be- hold, thy King cometh unto thee. He INTERMISSIO IS the righteous Saviour; and he shall speak peace unto the heathen. 19-20 ALTO RECITATIVE Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf un- stopped : then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. ALTO AND SOPRANO AIR He shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carr}^ them in his bosom ; and gently lead those that are with young. . . . Come unto him, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and he will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of him ; for he is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 21 CHORUS His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. 10 MINUTES PART TWO run PASSION AND th:^ triumph 22 CHORUS Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. ALTO AIR He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. 24-26 CHORUS Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions : he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him. All we like sheep have gone astray : we have turned every one to his own way : and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 29-30 TENOR RECITATIVE Thy rebuke hath broken his heart : he is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on him ; but there was no man ; neither found he any to comfort him. AIR Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow. 31-32 SOPRANO RECITATIVE He was cut oft' out of the land of the living: for the transgression of thy peo- ple was he stricken. AIR But thou didst not leave his soul in Hell; nor didst thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. 33 CHORUS Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory. 40 BASS AIR Why do the nations so furiously rage together ; and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel to- gether, against the Lord and against his anointed. 42-43 TENOR RECITATIVE He that dwelleth in Heaven shall laugh them to scorn ; the Lord shall have them in derision. AIR Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron : thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 44 CHORUS Hallelujah! For the Lord God omni- potent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and ever ; King of Kings and Lord OF Lords. Hallelujah ! PART THREE THE RESURRECTIOX AND THE GI^ORY 45 SOPIL\XO AIR I know that my Redeemer Hveth ; and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep. 50-51 BASS RECITATWE Behold, I tell you a myster}^ : we shall not all sleep : but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. AIR The trumpet shall sound ; and the dead shall be raised incorruptible ; and we shall be changed. 56-57 CHORUS \\'orthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and blessing. Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen ! Amen ! To the Patrons of the Handel and Haydn Society^ and all lovers of music : The Handel and Haydn Society gives Christmas Greetings to its patrons and to all lovers of music and respectfully suggests that at this time they can well express the Christmas spirit of kindly generosity by remembering in their gifts this time-honored organization, whose members have always served it without an}' pay, for the love of music, and whose need of a suitable building where it can have a proper hall for its rehearsals increases j^ear by year. Donations and bequests may be made to the HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY of Boston, designating the purpose of the gift as a donation to its BUILDING FUND. Checks may be addressed to George F. Daniels, 279 Congress St., or Elihu G. Loomis, 28 State St., Boston, Trustees of the Building Fund. The History of Uie Handel and Haydn Society is virtuaUy the history of Church music in America. Volume I of the History of the Handel and Haydn Society (corering- a period fron 1815 to 1890) is for sale at Damrell, Upham & Co.'s., corner of Washing^ton and School Streets. Price, I1.50. Sunday, February 8, 1903, 7.30 P.M. Paradise Lost (TH. DviBois) Soprano. Mme. CAMILLIl SEIYGARD Alto, Mme. LOUISE HOMER Tenor, Herr ANDREAS DIPPEL Baritone, Sig'. EMILIO de GOGORZA Bass. M. MARCEL JOURNET Easter Sunday, April 12, 1903 Israel in Egypt (Handel) Soloists to be announced CHICKERING & SONS PIANOFORTE MAKERS 791 Tremont St. Boston