During the first years that Handel lived in London, he composed many operas. Great crowds of people went to hear them sung; sometimes twenty dollars was paid for one seat. Sometimes hundreds of people were turned away from the theater. King George and Queen Caroline often attended the operas. That was a great honor for Handel. It is not as a composer of operas that George Frederick Handel is remembered to-day. Indeed, if he had written nothing but operas, we should hear little of him now. In 1741 he composed an oratorio more beautiful than any other that has ever been written. It is called _The Messiah_. If Handel had written nothing but this one oratorio, his name would live forever. The music was composed in twenty-four days. _The Messiah_ means _The Christ_. The words which are sung to Handel's music are taken from the Bible. The music is so wonderfully written that one scarcely needs the words to know the story. While Handel was composing the music of _The Messiah_, he thought much of the life of Christ. His heart was filled with sorrow when he thought how He was crucified. The words of one of the solos speak of Christ as "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." When Handel was writing the music for these words, a friend, coming in, found him in tears. Some one once asked Handel how he could write such beautiful music. He replied, "While I was writing _The Messiah_, I did think I saw all heaven before me and the great God himself." There are many choruses in _The Messiah_. The one best liked is the _Hallelujah Chorus_. When _The Messiah_ was first sung in London, the king was present. He listened in silence to the wonderful music. When the _Hallelujah Chorus_ was reached, he rose and stood with bowed head. The whole audience followed his example. This has now become a custom. Whenever and wherever _The Messiah_ is sung, the people rise and remain standing until the last Hallelujah has died away. Handel was fifty-six years old when he wrote _The Messiah_. The remaining eighteen years of his life were filled with work. He wrote many other oratorios. In the year 1752 the master musician became blind. In spite of his blindness, he worked on, dictating many pieces of music, while some one wrote for him. His misfortune did not make Handel sad. He was still cheerful and happy, and was never heard to complain. Until the end of his life he carried on his work. George Frederick Handel died in London in 1759, and was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Now the soft light from the great rose window falls gently upon a marble statue of the musician. The statue represents Handel standing and looking upward. Upon the marble table beside him is carved a sheet of music from _The Messiah_. Here may be seen the words of one of the most beautiful parts of the oratorio:-- [Music: (The Messiah.) I know that my Redeemer liveth.] WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) THE CHILD MOZART