Some of my favorite early memories are of Sunday mornings when my mother would put on her LP recording of the Tabernacle Choir singing selections from Handel's Messiah. That was her way of waking up her children and filling our souls with great music and the Spirit. She actually sang on that album, so it was doubly important to her to pass on the love of singing Messiah. To her it was a family legacy.
No one knows for sure just how singing Handel's oratorio became such a family tradition. Certainly, my Grandma and Grandpa Thompson loved singing the "Hallelujah Chorus." Grandma Lora had sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when that great chorus had become synonymous with the choir in the early days of Music and the Spoken Word. When four of their children later sang in the Tabernacle choir, they already knew and loved Handel's Messiah.
I remember big family gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter when the main event (after the meal) was singing. My aunts and uncles loved to sing and they particularly loved singing Messiah together. They sang the choruses, of course, but also sang the solos. Nearly all of them had sung as soloists professionally. It seemed that whenever Messiah was performed locally, they were sought after for solo work. These family sings went on for hours. (It takes that long to sing a major oratorio.) It was tricky crowding all of the singing relatives into the favorite gathering place, my Aunt's small house. (I thought the house would explode from all the people and their very loud singing!)
No one knows for sure just how singing Handel's oratorio became such a family tradition. Certainly, my Grandma and Grandpa Thompson loved singing the "Hallelujah Chorus." Grandma Lora had sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when that great chorus had become synonymous with the choir in the early days of Music and the Spoken Word. When four of their children later sang in the Tabernacle choir, they already knew and loved Handel's Messiah.
I remember big family gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter when the main event (after the meal) was singing. My aunts and uncles loved to sing and they particularly loved singing Messiah together. They sang the choruses, of course, but also sang the solos. Nearly all of them had sung as soloists professionally. It seemed that whenever Messiah was performed locally, they were sought after for solo work. These family sings went on for hours. (It takes that long to sing a major oratorio.) It was tricky crowding all of the singing relatives into the favorite gathering place, my Aunt's small house. (I thought the house would explode from all the people and their very loud singing!)
Fortunately, for us, nowadays, my brother Bob Lee has a much bigger gathering place. His house has room for 30+ singers and a 9 foot Steinway grand piano. He has hosted the Family Messiah Sing for the past 20 years at least. In fact, his family produced a Messiah Sing in San Diego, complete with orchestra, for many years prior to their move to Utah.
Blood on the piano keys midway through clean-up Despite the somewhat smaller group of singers this year, we still managed to give it our all. We sang most of the choruses and solos, skipping just a few of the lesser known ones. Bob's son Robert even added a bit of French horn and trumpet to the mix. Because we have singers who really love to sing the solos, we had to have a rule: "sing one and then you're done." Our pianist, Bob's daughter Amy Gabbitas, really gave her all --- in fact she shed blood! About halfway through the evening, her finger started bleeding all over the keys of the piano. But, after a clean-up and a bandaid, she was ready to continue. Now that's true dedication!
We love singing Handel's Messiah together! Now it can be Christmas.
We love singing Handel's Messiah together! Now it can be Christmas.
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