Handel's Messiah

The first public performance of Handel's Messiah was held in Dublin, Ireland on this day in 1742. George Frideric Handel was a Baroque composer from Magdeburg who had lived in England for thirty years. The previous summer he was invited to Dublin by the Duke of Devonshire, the Lord Lieutenant of Dublin, and the governors of three charitable hospitals to conduct one of his works for the purpose of charity. Handel decided to compose a new work, and in twenty-five days of intense labor, he completed the score to Messiah. The concert was greatly anticipated and even better received, and the three hospitals were able to split about $1800 in revenue.