Amanda vickery youtube messiah handel

More than 250 years since its composition, Handel’s Messiah remains one of the most popular choral pieces in western music. It’s been recorded hundreds of times, is performed across the globe by amateurs and professionals alike, and it contains a tune that is as instantly recognisable as any in music, the Hallelujah Chorus.

Yet few people know the heart-rending story of how this much-loved work first came to public attention or the role it played in helping save the lives of tens of thousands of children. Historian Amanda Vickery and BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service present this one-hour drama documentary which re-creates the first performance of Messiah at London’s Foundling Hospital in 1750 and tells the story of how this special fundraising concert heralded a golden age of philanthropy for the country at large.

The 1750 performance of Messiah at the Foundling Hospital was one of the first fundraising concerts in which art Amanda vickery youtube messiah handel the trumpet shall sound.