Bravo. Handel and his Messiah pulled all the strands of these loose elements together finally---art, charity, the rich, the poor, adults, children---to be known and seen in real life and in the Bible---a wonderful cohesion and adhesion of MUSIC and WORDS for humanity.
I watched this wonderful documentary on its first airing on TV......I return to it often - particularly when I need to restore a sense of balance and purpose in my life❤
I totally agree with your comment about why you watch it often - that's how I feel about it as well. When I feel in need of inspiration I always return to listen to this while I'm working at my office.
HANDEL'S MESSIAH BROUGHT ME SO MANY DAYS OF JOY AND SADNESS IN MY TEENAGE YEARS ❤ I AM SO LUCKY TO SEE HANDEL'S MESSIAH PERFORMANCE EVERY YEAR AT LINCOLN CENTER NEW YORK ❤
Handel died at his home in Brook Street, London, on May 24, 1759, just after attending a performance of "Messiah." He was 74 years old. He was buried, with full state honors, at Westminster Abbey in London, with over 3,000 mourners in attendance.
A wonderful and inspiring presentation! It gave me new insight to what the words and music meant to those present in that place: Comfort Ye My People, The People That Walked in Darkness, Unto Us a Child Is Born!
Of course, Venice and the other Italian States had been operating fabulously successful, happy and productive State funded orphanges for centuries before the Foundling Hospital. These would have been well known to any of the nobles who subscribed to the London Foundling Hospital ptoject because they would have visited these Italian "Ospedali" on their "Grand Tours" and heard superb music performed by the young girls who lived in them. What's incredible is how long it took for England to establish their own version of the same sort of institution.
A sad footnote: Thomas Coram died less than a year after this historic performance, on March 29, 1751, at the ripe old age of 83. Nevertheless, despite the controversy which had resulted in his removal from its Board of Governors, Coram lived long enough to see his visionary charity become successful beyond his fondest hopes. Today, Coram Charity, as it is now known, is the oldest and largest organization of its kind in all of Great Britain.
I was blessed to be able to do the Foundling Hospital Anthem which is really rarely done. It includes the Hallalujah Chorus. I do wish I could find this performance of Messiah. Please share if you find it.
As a bit of (horrible) context, exposure / abandonment was the pre-modern form of birth control going back thousands of years. Just remember the tale of Oedipus. Or Moses.
It was a terrible place for any child to grow up. Basically they were trained to supply cheap servants for the wealthy. Yes I realize that it saved the lives of many of the children who would have most likely died but I am sure that a lot of these children could have been much more then cooks or maids.
@@bingeltube she was born out from wedlock. Her mother was not poor I have no idea why she was given up but she was. My great grandmother died in 1918 from the influenza. Not much was said that I remember except she was about 12 when she started apprenticing but that was perfectly fine at the time child labour. How many of the children that grew up in the Foundling hospital went on to something other then cheap labour?
@@GRIMSBONIAN13 do you have evidence to backup your story? Assuming you can prove your story, was your great grandmother ever mistreated at her job? What did she think about her job?
