MDDM18: German

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

Not that a Lilly can be improved much, but it wouldn't
be complete to leave this topic with at least one pointer
to the composer who was topping the charts on both sides
of the channel, and probably in Philadelphia as well, at about
this time, the very German G.F. Handel. 

The librettist for probably his best known work has an
interesting background:

"The libretto for Messiah was designed and selected from 
the New and Old Testaments with utmost care by Charles Jennens 
(1700-73), a literary scholar and editor of Shakespeare's plays 
who was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. However, despite 
his merit and ability, Jennens never gained his Degree or much 
recognition from society because he was a non-juror, refusing 
to acknowledge the Hanoverian dynasty as legitimate heirs
to the throne of England. Yet Jennens could not be a Jacobite 
(i.e. a supporter of the deposed Catholic Stuarts) either because 
he was staunchly Protestant. Such figures are often forgotten by 
the over-simplification of history, but Jennens' upper-middle 
class background enabled him to live in some comfort at a fine 
house in Gospall, Leicestershire, and devote his time to artistic 
pursuits in the absence of a prominent public life."

http://gfhandel.org/messiah.htm