Klarinet Archive - Posting 000568.txt from 1999/09

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] Forwarded for Abe
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 18:16:37 -0400

> [snip]
>
> >It was King George II that stood up in Handel's Messiah for the
Hallelujah
> >chorus, thereby starting a tradition. The audience to this day stands up
for
> >that chorus.
> >
> >This story says that he was slightly deaf and may have mistaken it for
God
> >save the King. I asked my wife and she said that the sovereign does not
> >stand when they play the anthem. So its possible that King George got up
for
> >another reason. We'll never know why. And to this day, for the Chorus of
> >Hallelujah, the audience stands up.
>
> The "current" thinking is that the sovereign's posterior required some
> movement after having sat on an uncomfortable chair for the one and a
> bit hours of the oratorio before the chorus! (And, if the King stands,
> everyone must stand...)

One conductor here insists that the audience does not stand for the
Hallelujah Chorus, on the basis that King George had gout and stood up to
ease it, and it was coincidence that it was during the Hallelujah Chorus.
The other theory I've heard is that he stood up because it was such
magnificent music that he felt the only way he could show his admiration to
the composer was by standing. Still, I must say it can be disturbing for
chorus/orchestra members to have the audience stand up, drop stuff, scrape
chairs, stamp feet, have small children ask "why are we standing up?"

Anna

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