OCR Text |
Show ABOUT THIS, I i THAT AND T'OTHER By D. J. G. L . . , ,,. In view of tho pride with which vrr eonternplate the wonders produced by man In this generation, it is Interesting Interest-ing to observe that one man forty ypftm before tho HlKnlnf,' of the American Amer-ican Declaration of Independence did a thing or two which no modern bar jromo up to. That man wan Qeorfc FriJorlck Hand'd and tho thing In which he oxcollnd was the composition of church music. Ills oratorio, "The .Messiah" stand:) supreme by popula j regard. Yet from tho standpoint of mu- j slclans "Tho Messiah" was not Handel's rrronten oratorio The mu-nlclan mu-nlclan picks out his "Israel In Kgypt" I as tlo- masterstroke. This Is seldom performed, for the music lovers slnc' 1742 have never grown tired of 'The' Messiah" with its fine arias and won- ! tlrotis choruses, and consider that In thlH work Handel did his best. Handel, who is by adoption the na- j llonul musician of the English poopb-VII poopb-VII burn In fcJ;.ony. but he wont to F.nRlund vhen ho was 2 6 y Rrs of ag-and ag-and die. I thara about 60 years lat'jr I and Is buried in Nstminitor Abbey , Ho was the great tono-poot who mor-than mor-than any one else rilvr musical ex-I pression to the highest and nobleirt I thoughts and aspirations of tho Anglo- Saxon race. Hand I afl a Child wjs a prodigy. His lather, a barb-r -sur on, was by I no meant a mualc lovor. He wanted hla son to be a lawyer and kept mu-hIchi mu-hIchi Inetrumenta away from the child Nevertheless the boy got the instruments instru-ments by stealth and attained a skill at playing upon the harpsichord and organ which caused consternation among musicians. When he was 10 years old his compositions were being performed in the larger churches. For years Handel centered his efforts ef-forts upon the composition and proline pro-line lion of operas and ho wrote scores of them which brought hlrn gre.it fame In Italy and a fortune in Kngland Vfhere his living was assured by icason of royal pensions. Ho had accumulated ac-cumulated a fortune equivalent to $50,000 in our money when he lost his popularity. Nobody would listen to his music and he lost his wealth, his health and his courage. It was then that Handel turned to oratorio work and It was here that he achieved tho undying famo which has been his. His operas are virtually virtual-ly forgotten, but his sacred music seemingly will llvo on forever. He composed for the better classes of Enpland. but his music has an appeii which can be understood by all. For lnntanee who does not feel the pathos of that aria, "He Was Despised and Kejocted" or is not thrilled by his "Hallelujah" chorus? Somehow I always feel more sorry for the Sanation lass or laddie who sits there In the cold street ringing the bell than I do for tho poor fo wuom tho money in the Christma' pot is Intended. That expert on classifying intelligences intelli-gences who tr-Ktlfled that Clara Phillips had the mind of a child, must feel rather put out now in view or the fact that his moron achieved one of the cleverest escapes on record. Cheer up. AW the authors of articles I have been reading lately on prehistoric man and his history are agreed that man steadily has grown more moral, more kind and mor peace loving from the time he flrtd began to walk upright Furthermore, .'they show that whenever a civilization civiliza-tion has been destroyed, a newer and better one takes its place. To show how human nature Is changing, juot a few generations ago. I the good citizens of a community tooK I joy In throwing stones or over-ripe fruit and eggs at the poor cusses held ! fast In the pillory or s-tocks and the male or female wretCh being whipped at the cart's end was a subject for I mirth. The condemned man about to I step upon the scaffold to be hanged I was Jeered and Joked by the calloused I onlookers. In this day cruel and unusual punishment pun-ishment Is prohibited Murderers are tho recipients of bouquets and mash notes. A prosecutor often has a tough time picking 12 men who will stun I for a death penalty and Jack London associations ure growing In all parts of tho country, the members being pledged to walk out of theatres the minute an animal act comes on, the members holding that animals in such acts are trained by cruel methods And the state board of health rules that prisoners must not be confined in Weber county's fraprant F ; t U? |