George Frideric Handel, in the flurry of composing the work that became The Messiah, wrote the Hallelujah Chorus (above) today in 1741. Drawing on phrases in the book of Revelation such as ‘the Lord God omniopotent reigneth’, ‘he shall reign for ever and ever’, and ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’, Handel created a soaring, majestic piece that thrilled and inspired audiences from its very first performance in Dublin in Easter 1742.
‘Being questioned as to his ideas and feelings when composing the Hallelujah chorus, he replied, “I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God himself.”’ Horatio Townsend, An Account of the Visit of Handel to Dublin
The Anabaptist Georg Blaurock, the first man to receive believers’ baptism for a millennium, was burned to death in the Tyrol today in 1529. A one-time Catholic priest, he was baptized at a secret meeting in Zürich by fellow believer Conrad Grebel, and then baptized everyone else present himself. After he was expelled from Zürich, Blaurock travelled among underground groups of Anabaptist believers in the Tyrol, preaching at night-time outdoor meetings, planting congregations, and frequently changing plans to avoid his pursuers. After a few weeks, he was seized and imprisoned in the Guffidaun Castle, where he was tortured for information about his network of congregations, and then burned at the stake. During his imprisonment, he wrote two hymns which are included in the Ausbund, one of the oldest hymn books still in use, and sung today by the Amish.
So will I then be parting
With comrades mine, indeed,
May God us grace imparting,
Into His kingdom lead;
That we in faith all doubt transcend,
His holy work fulfilling,
This grant He in the end.
George Blaurock, hymn, ‘Lord God! To Thee Be Blessing’
The Mayflower Pilgrims, a group of English religious outlaws, set sail from Plymouth, England, for America, today in 1620. The Mayflower, their ageing cargo ship, was just 30 metres (100 feet) in length, and with a total of some 130 people on board it was a crowded voyage. By the following March, after founding a colony in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, almost half the Pilgrims had died due to disease and the harsh winter.
‘These troubls being blowne over, and now all being compacte togeather in one shipe, they put to sea againe with a prosperus winde, which continued diverce days togeather, which was some incouragmente unto them; yet according to ye usuall maner many were afflicted with sea-sicknes.’ William Bradford, History of Plimouth Plantation
John Dalton, the Quaker who adopted the term ‘atom’ for the smallest particle of matter, was born today in 1766 in the English Lake District. On his 37th birthday, today in 1803, he compiled the first table of elements, which included hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and phosphorus. He didn’t include Helium, the first element, because it wasn’t detected until 1868.
Today in 1991, the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, was reunited with its original name. Founded as Saint Petersburg in 1703, it was first renamed Petrograd (Peter’s City) in 1914 and then Leningrad (Lenin’s City) in 1924 as part of the Russian revolution.
Image: British Library