2019 Concert Series Messiah | Page 6

It is such an exciting tradition to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus, as it was rumoured King George II spontaneously did when he first heard it. However, it is the words which begin Part III, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth.’ that perhaps best capture Handel’s absolute and profound faith, and which were then inscribed on Handel’s tomb in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey when he died in 1759. Programme notes by Maria Millar. 6