lujah" and remained standing until it was finished,--a custom which
is still observed, not only in England, but also in this country.

If the oratorio had closed at this point it would not have disturbed the
unities; but Handel carried it into a third part with undiminished
interest, opening it with that sublime confession of faith, "I know that
my Redeemer liveth,"--an aria which will never be lost. It is followed by
two quartets in plain counterpoint with choral responses, "Since by Man
came Death," and "For as in Adam all die," in which the effects of
contrast are very forcibly brought out. The last important aria in the
work ("The Trumpet shall sound"), for bass with trumpet obligato, will
always be admired for its beauty and stirring effect. The oratorio closes
with three choruses, all in the same key and of the same general
sentiment,--"Worthy is the Lamb," a piece of smooth, flowing harmony;
"Blessing and Honor," a fugue led off by the tenors and bassos in unison,
and repeated by the sopranos and altos on the octave, closing with full
harmony on the words "for ever and ever" several times reiterated; and
the final, "Amen" chorus, which is treated in the severest style, and in
which the composer evidently gave free rein to his genius, not being
hampered with the trammels of words.

Other oratorios may be compared one with another; the "Messiah" stands
alone, a majestic monument to the memory of the composer, an imperishable
record of the noblest sentiments of human nature and the highest
aspirations of man.

Judas Maccabaeus.

The oratorio of "Judas Maccabaeus" was written in thirty-two days, between
July 9 and Aug. 11, 1746, upon the commission of Frederic, Prince of
Wales, to celebrate the return of the Duke of Cumberland from Scotland
after the decisive victory of Culloden, April 16, 1746. The words were
written by the Rev. Thomas Morell, D.D., a learned Greek scholar of that
time, the plot being taken from the narrative of the exploits of the
Jewish deliverer contained in the first book of Maccabees and in the
twelfth book of Josephus' "Antiquities of the Jews." In his dedication,
Dr. Morell says:--

"To His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, this faint
portraiture of a truly wise, valiant, and virtuous commander as the
possessor of the like noble qualities is, with the most profound
respect and veneration, inscribed by His Royal Highness' most ob