In April of
1737 at 52, Handel suffered from a stroke which incapacitated him, making it
impossible for him to perform or conduct. He also complained of blurred vision.
He was not a wise businessman and this led to the loss of his fortune. By 1741,
he was swimming in debt and it seemed he would land in debtor’s prison. It was
in this period that he was commissioned to write The Messiah which included The
Hallelujah Chorus.
While
writing the music, Handel never left his house for three weeks. A friend who
visited him as he composed, found him sobbing with intense emotion. Later, as
Handel groped for words to describe the strange phenomenon he had experienced,
he quoted St. Paul, saying, "Whether I was in the body or out of my body
when I wrote the music, I did not know."
There are
two lessons in this story. Firstly, the true measure of a person lies in his or
her ability to maintain a sense of resilience and determination even when faced
with personal tribulations or tragedies. Secondly, God has a way of using
certain individuals, irrespective of their situations, to achieve extraordinary
feats under mysterious circumstances.
