The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings

The Handel Festivals and the Crystal Palace

The 1859 Festival

Rehearsals for the 1859 began in late 1858, when The Times recorded on 6th December:

The rehearsal for the Handel Festival Commemoration have commenced. The first meeting of the "metropolitan contingent" assembled on Friday night in the orchestra and area of Exeter-Hall, between 1,400 and 1,500 strong, and under the direction of Mr. Costa, tried the choruses from the oratorio Belshazzar.

On 22nd January 1859, The Times recorded the next rehearsal:

The second of the grand rehearsals of the London division of the choir took place at Exeter-hall last evening. The attendance was even greater than on the previous occasion, nearly 1,700 vocalist being present.

By 16th March, the dates had been fixed:

Monday, 20th June - Messiah

Wednesday, 22nd June - Dettingen Te Deum and a Selection

Friday, 24th June - Israel in Egypt

On 1st June, The Times could report that all was nearly ready. Almost £20,000 had been received in ticket sales. The "orchestra" had been enlarged since 1857:

...and now embraces in its enormous circuit the whole width of the central transept from pillar to pillar. It is only by ascending to the topmost rows of seats that the full extent of this immense erection can be fully appreciated. The width is 216 feet, its height 90, and its depth over 100. It is capable of giving ample accommodations to 4,000 vocal and instrumental performers, and it contains a larger area than the combined orchestras of Westminster Abbey and York Minster.

The final rehearsal took place on Saturday 18th June in front of an audience of 20,000. As anticipated, the Festival was another huge success. The audience on the first two days numbered 17,109 (Monday) and 18,000 (Wednesday), while that on Friday for Israel in Egypt topped 27,000.

The Handel Orchestra at the Crystal Palace in 1859

The Festival was another financial success. The gross receipts were almost £35,000 and expenses £18,000, leaving a very healthy surplus of £17,000. The receipts for Israel in Egypt alone were almost £16,000. The Times went on to say in its review of Monday 27th June:

Israel, in short, the greatest achievement of Handel and perhaps of the musical art, was the prominent feature in 1859, as it already had been the prominent feature in 1857, when its unaided attraction beat that of Royalty, and Judas Maccabeus combined by upwards "of 6,000".

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