J. Mac.

[Fred Blumenthal <xd2fabl...>]

The purpose of a ListServ is discussion, so I shouldn't worry about being 
corrected on a few points.  If my point was mis-stated about percentages 
of  Handel oratorios on Jewish subjects, I can stick with the general 
thought that only 2 from the list provided - Messiah and Ode to St. 
Cecilia - are on uniquely Christian topics, while 5 times that number are 
on topics of Jewish interest.  Can anyone substantiate or contradict the 
story about Handel seeking out Jewish audiences?  Apparently these 
oratorios were performed in runs of numerous performances, much like a 
Broadway show of 200 or more years later.  Has anyone here ever heard some 
of the more obscure titles?

And the discussion of the exact sources of the texts can be misleading. 
Much of all of Messiah may be drawn from Tanach, but the doctrinal message 
is clearly Christian.  In the case of Judas Maccabeus, the text is by a 
Rev. Dr. Morrell, and is very 18th-century British, whether a translation 
or paraphrase of older texts or not.

Fred Blumenthal
xd2fabl (at) us(dot)ibm(dot)com