The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings

The Handel Festivals and the Crystal Palace

The 1784 and 1785 Commemorations

George Frederick Handel was born in Halle, Germany, on 23 February 1685. He died in London on 14 April 1759.

Between 1750 and 1752 the calendar used in England underwent changes to bring it in line with the Gregorian calendar. The calendar in Saxony, where Handel was born, had already been changed by the time he was and his baptism was recorded there as 24 February 1685.

This led to confusion when Handel's memorial was designed for Westminster Abbey. Because the calendar change was so recent, and because Handel - presumably - had given his date of birth when in England in the "Old Style", the memorial gave his year of birth as 1684.

And so it came about that the year 1784 was for many years assumed to be the centenary of Handel's birth. Between 26th May and 5th June that year a group of some 500 singers and players led by Joah Bates presented a series of five concerts devoted to Handel's music. The concerts were high profile, under the patronage of the King and Queen, and termed a "Commemoration" of Handel.

The Commemoration was so successful that it was repeated the following year on 2nd, 6th and 8th June 1785. To quote from the advertisement in The Times:

The Band will be as numerous, and the Performances on the same Grand Scale as they were last Year, at the Commemoration of Handel. The Profits arising from the several performances, will be applied to the FUND for Decayed Musicians, the Westminster Hospital, and St George's Hospital.

The 1785 Commemoration at Westminster Abbey was a success, and repeated again at the Abbey in 1786, on 31st May, 3rd and 6th June. Again it was under the patronage of the King and Queen.

The Commemorations at the Abbey continued until at least 1790.

In 1834, the supposed 150th anniversary of Handel's birth, Westminster Abbey hosted a "Royal Musical Festival" lasting five days. Israel in Egypt was performed, and conducted by Sir George Smart.

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