My wife and I went to see the Rockettes Christmas show last night. Shera dreamed of being a dancer when she was a little girl. It was fun to watch her eyes twinkle as she dreamt about being on that stage, toes pointed, arms akimbo, sparkly dress swirling behind her. The performance ended with a live nativity scene and snippets from Handel’s Messiah. The dancers were dressed as the entourage of the wisemen bearing gifts. As they marched up the aisles toward the manger scene I could picture them gathering together across the front of the stage to do a kick-line for the baby Jesus. Once the image surfaced in my mind I couldn’t stop laughing. Fortunately, the “Rockettes for Jesus” moment never materialized and the show ended in grand style with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.
As the music to the Hallelujah chorus began, the crowd slowly stood. I remembered this happening being explained to me before. Apparently at the first performance of the “Messiah” in 1742, King George II was so moved by the time the first strains of the Hallelujah chorus rang out that He spontaneously stood to his feet. At the standing of the king, the entire room stood and remained standing through the performance of the song that ends the 2nd act of the “Messiah.” So to this day, as a remembrance of that event, whenever the Hallelujah chorus begins, the audience stands. Most of the crowd in the room last night had no idea what they were doing. Most simply noticed the few standing and so stood with them as if to say “oh, so we’re doing this now.”
Was it the power of the song that moved the king to stand? Was it the movement from the song that precedes “Hallelujah,” one of man’s rejection of the Messiah, into this triumphant passage from Revelation 19 that drew him to his feet? Was he simply tired of sitting and ready for the second intermission?
Whatever the king’s reason for that first silent standing ovation, I was pleased to carry on his tradition last night. The opening notes of that chorus are triumphant and powerful and the moment in future human history that they depict are equally exultant. The gift of song drew me to my feet last night so I thought a gift of song would be an appropriate response from me today. I’ve posted a little Christmas gift on THE MYSPACE PAGE. It’s a Christmas song I wrote a few years ago called “Heaven’s Perfect Gift.” No one has ever recorded this one but I’m convinced it will land somewhere someday. In the meantime, I hope it lands on your iPod. Enjoy the download and Merry Christmas.
“The angels raise their hallelujahs. They lift their praise to heaven’s King. This little baby, God among us. Let us, with the angels, sing – Immanuel, now our God is with us. Immanuel, Christ the King is with us.“