On the 7th Day of Christmas Past, Question: Handel’s beloved “Messiah” is performed throughout the world during Christmas, what is something from today’s story you might not have known before about this masterpiece? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. Click here for contest rules. “Inspiration Behind Handel’s Messiah” “Handel’s Messiah was not originally intended as a Christmas piece. Librettist Charles Jennens, who was a close friend and collaborator with Handel, used the biblical stories of Jesus for the Messiah’s text. Jennens described his work as “a meditation of our Lord as Messiah in Christian thought and belief.” The first third of the work was about the birth of Jesus. The second act covers the death of Jesus and the third focused on his resurrection. As such, the piece was originally conceived as a work for Easter and was premiered in the spring during the Lent season on April 13, 1742, as one of a series of charity concerts presented at Neal’s Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin. Because of the excitement surrounding the anticipated premier of “Messiah”, audience members were asked for certain consideration in order to increase the capacity of the concert hall, men were asked to leave their dress swords at home and women were asked to not wear their wide hooped skirts. By the 19th century, Messiah became a regular December staple particularly in the United States. If Handel’s father had had his way, the “Hallelujah Chorus” would never have been written. His father was a “surgeon-barber,” a no-nonsense, practical man who was determined to send his son to law school. Even though Handel showed extraordinary musical talent as a child, his father refused for several years to permit him to take lessons. When Handel was eight or nine years old, a duke heard him play an organ postlude following a worship service. Handel’s father was summarily requested to provide formal music training for the boy. By the time Handel turned 12, he had written his first composition and was so proficient at the organ that he substituted, on occasion, for his own teacher. Young Handel continued to master the clavichord, oboe, and violin, as well as composition through the years. In 1702 he entered the University of Halle to study law out of respect for his late father’s desire. But he soon abandoned his legal studies and devoted himself entirely to music. He became a violinist and composer in a Hamburg opera theater, then worked in Italy from 1706 to 1710 under the patronage of their music-loving courts. In 1712, after a short stay at the court of Hanover, he moved to England, where he lived for the rest of his life. Handel set to work composing on August 22 in his little house on Brook Street in London. He grew so absorbed in the...
Read More6th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 6th Day Christmas Past: We can “create” Christmas by reminding ourselves the spirit of Christmas is not about things, but about love, family, and traditions that have nothing to do with money. Congrats to 6th Day drawing winner, VICKI ECCLES, who won a Kirtland Temple collector’s plate, Kirtland Temple sun-catcher ornament, olive wood bell with Holy Family, and olive wood laser-cut tree ornament from Israel valued at $77! Please contact MHA office 801-272-5601 or info@mormonheritage.com within 30 days to arrange for how to receive your prize. Story still available on yesterday’s...
Read More6th Day Christmas Past Question & Story
On the 6th Day of Christmas Past, Question: How can we “create” Christmas like in this Cuban Christmas Memory, regardless of our pocket book? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. Click here for contest rules. “Creating Christmas” By Denise Lindberg, Past Young Women general board As a child growing up in an upper middle class, professional family in Havana, Cuba, I enjoyed comfortable, even privileged, circumstances. My grandmother, Mamucha, was the family matriarch, and her home was the family gathering place. Each Christmastime she purchased a large fir tree for her living room, which the whole family elaborately adorned with lights, ornaments, and tinsel, topping it off with a star symbolizing the star of Bethlehem. At the foot of the tree, a nativity set reminded us of the Savior’s humble birth. On December 24 all of us—aunts, uncles, and cousins—would gather at grandmother’s table for Christmas supper. By 9:00 p.m. the children were tucked in bed with strict instructions to stay put. It was a magical time for us children, comparing notes and looking forward to the presents we’d receive from Santa Claus and, on the feast of Epiphany, from the three Magi. Those bountiful Christmases came to an abrupt end the year I turned 10. Because of political changes in the country, my mother, my brother, and I had to leave Cuba within three days, taking with us little more than the clothes on our backs. As a native of Puerto Rico, my mother had American citizenship. As her children, my brother and I also traveled with American passports. My father, however, was a Cuban citizen, so he could not leave the country. As we boarded a plane for Miami, Florida, we had no way of knowing when, or if, we’d see our father again. Hours later we landed in Puerto Rico, where my mother’s family could lend a helping hand. We lived with relatives for a few months until Mother secured a position with the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. We rented a small apartment near the university so my mother, my 9-year old brother, and I could walk to school and work. The apartment was furnished with a few hand-me-downs from relatives and some odd-and-end pieces from a second-hand store. A talented seamstress, Mother turned old sheets into drapes and bedspreads and recovered old toss pillows in brightly colored fabric. Although a far cry from the comforts of our family homestead in Havana, our humble apartment was neat, tidy, and attractive. Mother made it a home. As Christmas approached, my brother and I kept asking when we would get our Christmas tree. The truth was, we could not afford one, so Mother made it a game for us to “create” our own tree that year. From a second-hand...
Read More5th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 5th Day Christmas Past: Because of the inspiration Gen. Washington received to make the difficult crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day, his troops were blessed and able to easily defeat the Hessians, turning the tide of the Revolutionary War. Congrats to 5th Day drawing winner, CHRISTINE ELGAN, who won a Bethlehem baby blanket, two ceramic plates (Jerusalem skyline and “loaves and fishes” emblem), set of 4 olive wood laser-cut ornaments, and olive wood laser-cut tree ornament valued at $90! Please contact MHA office 801-272-5601 or info@mormonheritage.com within 30 days to arrange for how to receive your prize. Story still available on yesterday’s...
Read More5th Day Christmas Past Question & Story
On the 5th Day of Christmas Past, Question: What changed the tide of the American Revolution for George Washington and his men Christmas Day 1776? To be entered into today’s daily giveaway & FREE tour drawing- Read the story below; “Comment” & “Share” your answer on Facebook or our blog. Click here for contest rules. “George Washington’s Christmas 1776” “At the end of 1776, the Revolutionary War looked like it might be lost for colonial forces. A series of defeats by the British had depleted morale, and many soldiers had deserted the Continental Army. Desperate to strike a decisive victory, General George Washington planned to lead 2,400 troops on a daring nighttime crossing of an ice-choked Delaware River. They were crossing not just to get to the other side but to surprise attack upon a force of German soldiers (Hessian garrison) of roughly 1,400 soldiers located in and around Trenton, New Jersey. Washington hoped that a quick victory at Trenton would bolster sagging morale in his army and encourage more men to join the ranks of the Continentals come the new year. After several councils of war, General George Washington was inspired to set the date for the river crossing for Christmas night 1776. George Washington’s plan of attack included three different crossings of the Delaware River that Christmas night. Col. Cadwalader was to lead his force of 1,200 Philadelphia militia and 600 Continentals across the river near Burlington, New Jersey. His role was to harass and prevent the British and Hessian units near the town from racing north to support the Hessians at Trenton. Gen. James Ewing’s force of 800 Pennsylvania militia was to cross the river at Trenton and take up defensive positions along the Assunpink River and bridge. Ewing’s soldiers would work to prevent the Hessians from retreating from Trenton. And Washington and his 2,400 soldiers would cross at McConkey’s and Johnson’s ferries, roughly 10 miles north of Trenton and would then march down to Trenton to surprise the garrison at dawn. This was an ambitious plan, one that even well rested and experienced troops would have had difficulty in executing. Lurking within Washington’s headquarters was a British spy who has never been identified. This spy was privy to the their plans and passed them on to British leaders who did not think they would actually attack but passed it on to Hessian Col Johann Rall, warning him to be vigilant. Two American deserters who had crossed the river also told the Hessians that the American army was ready to move. So why wasn’t Rall more active in opposing the crossing or better prepared to defend the town? History records that a series of false alarms and the growing storm had given the Hessian defenders a sense that no attack was likely this night. How might history have changed if the Hessians responded differently to all this intelligence? That Christmas night by the time...
Read More4th Day Christmas Past Winner & Answer
Answer 4th Day Christmas Past: Unexpected mishaps like splinters from a dance floor or Santa’s beard catching on fire make our “perfect” Christmas celebrations even more memorable, not disasters. Congrats to 4th Day drawing winner, BETTY BRINGHURST, who won an Olive wood angel trio from Israel, Nauvoo collector’s spoon, 2 Nauvoo ornaments, and olive wood laser-cut Bethlehem bell ornament, valued at $140! Please contact MHA office 801-272-5601 or info@mormonheritage.com within 30 days to arrange for how to receive your prize. Story still available on yesterday’s...
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