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OCR Page 1 of 42SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE
December 14, 1969
The Messiah, which will be sung in a shortened version at the White House
this Sunday, was written in a creative flurry of 23 days by George Frederick
Handel in the year 1741. In its full version, the Messiah takes about 2 1/2
hours to perform. The version that will be sung this Sunday -- a kind of
mini-Messiah -- will run about half an hour, and it will include the full
Hallelujah Chorus, which lasts about six minutes.
The audience, of course, always stands for the Chorus, following a
precedent said to have been set by King George II. One legend has it
that the King was SO moved by the majesty of the music that he rose to
his feet in homage to the composer. Another legend has it that he was
merely uncomfortable after listening to two hours of singing and just got
up to stretch a bit. In any event, the entire audience stood with the King,
and it has been standing ever since whenever the Chorus has been performed.
The choir for this Sunday's performance will be from the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church, which also sang at the White House service on
November 16th. The choir has been singing the Messiah every Christmas
season since 1950. The soloists for the performance are not regular
members of the choir. They are leading singers from the Washington area
who are used to augment the choir for this very demanding music.
The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church has a strong tie to the White
House. It was started in 1803 by a group of workmen who had come to this
country to help build the White House. The cornerstone for the original
White House building was laid in 1792, and the building was completed for
the occupancy of President John Adams in 1800.
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