Handel’s industry in composing for the Royal Academy of Music was untiring.  For the first eight years from the beginning of the Society’s work he had composed and produced fourteen operas.  During all this time, his enemies never ceased their efforts to destroy him.  The great expense of operatic production, the troubles and quarrels with singers, at last brought the Academy to the end of its resources.  At this juncture, the famous “Beggar’s Opera,” by John Gay, was brought out at a rival theater.  It was a collection of most beautiful melodies from various sources, used with words quite unworthy of them.  But the fickle public hailed the piece with delight, and its success was the means of bringing total failure to the Royal Academy.  Handel, however, in spite of the schemes of his enemies, was determined to carry on the work with his own fortune.  He went again to Italy to engage new singers, stopping at Halle to see his mother who was ill.  She passed away the next year at the age of eighty.

Handel tried for several years to keep Italian opera going in London, in spite of the lack of musical taste and the opposition of his enemies; but in 1737, he was forced to give up the struggle.  He was deeply in debt, his whole fortune of ten thousand pounds had been swept away and his health broken by anxiety.  He would not give up; after a brief rest, he returned to London to begin the conflict anew.  The effort to re-awaken the English public’s interest in Italian opera seemed useless, and the composer at last gave up the struggle.  He was now fifty-five, and began to think of turning his attention to more serious work.  Handel has been called the father of the oratorio; he composed at least twenty-eight works in this style, the best known being “Samson,” “Israel in Egypt,” “Jephtha,” “Saul,” “Judas Maccabaeus” and greatest of all, the “Messiah.”

The composer conceived the idea of writing the last named work in 1741.  Towards the end of this year he was invited to visit Ireland to make known some of his works.  On the way there he was detained at Chester for several days by contrary winds.  He must have had the score of the “Messiah” with him, for he got together some choir boys to try over a few of the choral parts.  “Can you sing at sight?” was put to each boy before he was asked to sing.  One broke down at the start.  “What de devil you mean!” cried the impetuous composer, snatching the music from him.  “Didn’t you say you could sing at sight?”

“Yes sir, but not at first sight.”

The people of Dublin warmly welcomed Handel, and the new oratorio, the “Messiah,” was performed at Music Hall, with choirs of both cathedrals, and with some concertos on the organ played by the composer.  The performance took place, April 13, 1742.  Four hundred pounds were realized, which were given to charity.  The success was so great that a second performance was announced.  Ladies were requested to come without crinoline, thereby providing a hundred more seats than at the first event.