[HANASHIR:17047] For Classical Music Buffs - The Messiah!

[rahel <rahel...>]

>Shalom Y'all!


I hope the list won't mind this one - I couldn't resist sharing it! Rahel
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>"The Messiah"
>Most people will at least have heard of this great oratorio but have you
>ever been to a live performance of it?
>
>
>One such performance was being given in the Cleckheaton Town Hall many years
>ago and old Cuthbert Briggs from Liversedge thought he might like to go. He
>tried to
>persuade his wife Hilda to go with him, but she wasn't too keen. "Nay,
>Cuthbert lad, tha' knows it's nowt in my line. Gi' me a bit o comedy or a
>singalong on th'end
>o' Blackpool pier any day. No-thee go by thie s'en an' tell me all abaht it
>when tha'
>comes home.
>
>So Cuthbert went on his own. He'd no idea what to expect, in fact, he'd
>never
>heard of the Messiah. It was just that he fancied doing something a bit
>different to
>his usual Saturday night visit to the Sun Inn. When he got back home,
>Cuthbert's wife was all
>ears, "Come on then, tell me all abaht it"
>
>"Ee well", said Cuthbert, It were all reyt, but not quite what ah were
>expectin'. There wont a lot of movement on t'stage, in fact there wont a lot
>o'room on
>t'stage. It were full o'singers. Ah'd been sat there a bit when in comes a
>load o'fellas
>carrying fiddles. Then, they brought in t'biggest fiddle ah've ever seen an'
>it were that big they
>'ad to wheel it in on castors. An' then a little chap rubbed its belly wi' a
>stick an' you
>should 'ave 'eard it groan. It sounded just like a cow wi't'croup.
>
>"Well, all t'fiddles joined in an' made such a racket an' then they settled
>dahn an' it all went quiet. After abaht a minute, in comes t'Messiah, least,
>ah think it
>were 'im cos everybody clapped, an' all t'fiddlers stood up to welcome 'im.
>'E were a
>dapper of a bloke, all dolled up in a white wais'kit, wi' a red carnation in
>'is
>buttonhole. Aye, ah'm sure he must a' been t'Messiah. Then 'e picked up a
>little stick an'
>started wavin' it abaht at everybody on t'stage. They were all staring at
>'im, wondering what were
>up. Then they started t'sing.
>
>"Thee'd not been goin'long afore they were fratchin'like cats. They wanted
>t'know who
>t'King of Glory was. First one side said He is the King of Glory, then
>t'other side said He is the King of Glory. An then they went at it 'ammer an
>tongs, but it
>fizzled out in t'end.
>Then there was aright todo abaht some sheep 'at 'ad gone astray. Some o't
>singers must
>a'been partial to a bit o'mutton, cos they kept on singing 'O we like
>sheep'.
>Me sen, I like a bit o' well done steak, but anyway... Well, ah think them
>lost sheep
>must a'belonged t'one o't'singers cos 'e stood up an' said every mountain
>and 'ill should
>be laid low.
>"Good" ah thowt ter missen, if they flatten all t'mountains, they'ss be sure
>ter find t'sheep 'at's gone astray.
>
>"Then t'organist started up an t'band joined in n' by gum they seemed t'be
>getting mad over summat. T'way they were sawing at them fiddles, ah were
>expectin' 'em
>to fall apart. Then, after that, all t'women stood up t'sing. Believe me,
>some o'
>em were a bit past it by t'look of em, they must a bin 70 if they were a
>day. an'they sang
>'Unto us a child is born' an all t'fellas shouted 'Wonderful'. Wonderful, ah
>thowt to me
>sen,it's a bloomin' miracle. Then they composed their sens a bit an' sang
>about a woman called
>Joyce Greatly. Ah'd never 'eard o'er , but she's apparently t'daughter of
>Zion,
>whoever 'e is. Ah were gettin' a bit fed up by nah. Ah'd been sat fo' nearly
>two hours, when
>all of a sudden ah gate t'cramp t'mi leg. Up ah jumped aht o' mi seat and do
>yer know,
>rest of em jumped up at t'same time. They must all 'ave 'ad cramp same a me.
>Then t'choir shouted
>"Hallelujah, it's going to rain for ever and ever" Well ah'd never thowt
>to'bring me brolly,
>so a thowt ah'd better get off 'ome afore it started. So seein' as ah were
>already on me
>feet, ah reckoned ah'd slip aht quick in case there were a rush fer t'door.
>Ah think ah might 'a' missed t'last bit o't'show but ah reckon ah'd'ad mi
>moneysworth.
>Anyroad, it were a good do, but I do 'ope they find them lost sheep.
>
>Origin unknown


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