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The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving such performing arts organization in the United States.


Early history

The Handel and Haydn Society was founded as an
oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...
society in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
on March 24, 1815, by a group of Boston merchants and musicians, "to promote the love of good music and a better performance of it". The founders,
Gottlieb Graupner __NOTOC__ Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner (6 October 1767 – 16 April 1836) was a musician, composer, conductor, educator and publisher. Born in Hanover, Germany, he played oboe in Joseph Haydn's orchestra in London. After moving to the Unit ...
, Thomas Smith Webb, Amasa Winchester, and Matthew S. Parker, described their aims as "cultivating and improving a correct taste in the performance of Sacred Music, and also to introduce into more general practice, the works of
Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
,
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
, and other eminent composers." The society made its debut on Christmas Day, December 25, 1815, at
King's Chapel King's Chapel is an American independent christianity, Christian unitarianism, unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, anglicanism, Anglican in worship, and congrega ...
(then Stone Chapel), with a chorus of 90 men and 10 women. The early chorus members were middle-class tradesmen drawn from the choirs of local churches. Only men could be members, while a far smaller number of women were invited to participate. In its early decades the society hired what musicians it could afford and used unpaid amateurs to complete the orchestra or sometimes substituted organ for orchestra.
Jonas Chickering Jonas Chickering (April 5, 1798 – December 8, 1853) was a piano manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts. Jonas Chickering was born in Mason Village, and raised in nearby New Ipswich, New Hampshire where his father Abner Chickering kept a farm a ...
, at the start of his career as a piano manufacturer, joined the society in 1818 at age 20 and later became its president. The society was also an early promoter of composer
Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-known ...
, publishing his first collection of hymns in 1822 and later electing him as the group's President. Profits from the sales of that hymnbook and a second collection of sacred music subsidized the society for several decades. The Handel and Haydn Society has given a number of notable American premieres, including Handel's ''
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'' in 1818,Charles C. Perkins and John S. Dwight, ''History of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, Massachusetts'', vol. I, 1815-1890 (Boston: Alfred Mudge, 1893), "Concerts, Fourth Season" and Haydn's '' The Creation'' in 1819. The society also sponsored the first American publication of an edition of ''Messiah'' in 1816. It presented the U.S. premieres of musical settings by many baroque and classical composers, including
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
and
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
. An 1818 assessment in the ''New England Palladium'' magazine said: Some early reviews noted that public interest waned after a few years as many standard works were repeated. John Rowe Parker wrote in the ''Euterpeiad'': The society's principal chronicler believes that repeating repertoire was necessary to support "much rehearsing until the inexperienced singers could master that which special enthusiasm had carried through in rough outline." Membership from the start and well into the 20th century was limited to men, though the chorus, which was first dominated by male voices, was soon roughly balanced between male and female. About 1823, several of the society's members commissioned
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
to compose an oratorio, apparently with an English text, which he never completed. From its earliest years, Handel and Haydn participated in music festivals and civic celebrations to commemorate significant historical events. For the visit of President James Monroe in 1817, the H+H orchestra performed a march composed for the occasion by their concertmaster, followed by almost two dozen arias and choruses. In 1826, H+H joined the services in
Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...
marking the deaths of President Adams and Jefferson. In 1830 it helped mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of Boston, and it gave a concert in 1833 to help raise funds for the completion of the
Bunker Hill Monument The Bunker Hill Monument is a monument erected at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston, Massachusetts, which was among the first major battles between the Red Coats and Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. The 221-foot (67 m) gran ...
. President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...
attended an 1843 concert, and the society helped commemorate the death of
Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...
in 1852. That same year it participated in the opening of the
Boston Music Hall The Boston Music Hall was a concert hall located on Winter Street in Boston, Massachusetts, with an additional entrance on Hamilton Place. One of the oldest continuously operating theaters in the United States, it was built in 1852 and was the ...
, which later became the first home of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
. The next year it presented the Boston Premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Its 600-member chorus participated in Boston's memorial service for
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, singing "Mourn, ye afflicted people" from Handel's ''
Judas Maccabaeus Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleu ...
'' and "Cast thy burden upon the Lord" from Mendelssohn's ''
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
''. It marked the centennial of Beethoven's birth by performing selections from his Ninth Symphony in 1870. When Boston paid tribute to Admiral
George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...
upon his return from the Spanish–American War in 1899, 280 H+H singers greeted his arrival at
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
with "See the Conquering Hero Comes" from ''Judas Maccabaeus''. It performed for Grand Duke Alexis of RussiaDwight and Perkins, ''History'', "Concerts: Fifty-Seventh Season" and
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
. In addition, the society held benefit concerts for the
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
, victims of the
Chicago fire of 1871 The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 1 ...
, and Russian Jewish refugees displaced by the 1882
May Laws Temporary regulations regarding the Jews (also known as May Laws) were proposed by the minister of internal affairs Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev and enacted on 15 May (3 May O.S.), 1882, by Tsar Alexander III of Russia. Originally, regulations of ...
. The society occasionally favored a composer whose modern reputation has not matched his nineteenth-century popularity. In the 1830s, the society presented ''David'', an oratorio by Haydn's pupil
Sigismund von Neukomm Sigismond Neukomm or Sigismund Ritter von Neukomm fter ennoblement as a knight">ennoblement.html" ;"title="fter ennoblement">fter ennoblement as a knight(10 July 1778, in Salzburg – 3 April 1858, in Paris) was an Austrian composer and pianist ...
, 55 times. By the 1850s, H+H had hundreds of members, but fewer than half participated as the society presented repeat performances of a small number of classic oratorios varied only by a sampling of church anthems.
Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
's '' Moses in Egypt'' was performed 25 times in the course of two seasons in the mid-1840s. In 1852, the society upgraded the quality of its orchestral support by hiring the Germania Orchestra, a band of European immigrant musicians with their own conductor, a group far better trained than the musicians hired until then who had found
Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
's works very challenging.Johnson, ''Hallelujah'', 61-4, 66-7, 73-4, 75 The society joined in celebrations marking the effective date of the
Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
on January 1, 1863. The society marked its golden jubilee in May 1865 with a five-day festival of nine concerts employing a chorus of 700. It included the first H+H performance with full orchestra of Mendelssohn's '' Hymn of Praise''. Five more such festivals using more modest forces followed at three-year intervals. Years of preparation led to the first all-but-complete H+H performance of Bach's ''St. Matthew Passion'' on May 8, 1874. One noteworthy member of the society's chorus in the middle of the 19th century was
Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the " Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...
, composer of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". The society has performed Handel's ''Messiah'' annually since 1854. It gave the first United States performances of Verdi's ''
Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'' in 1878, just four years after its world premiere, and of Handel's ''Joshua'' on Easter Sunday 1876. The first works by American composers appeared in the society's 1874 programs: ''St. Peter'' by
John Knowles Paine John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906) was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. The senior member of a group of composers collectively known as the Boston Six, Paine was one of those ...
and the ''Forty-sixth Psalm'' by
Dudley Buck Dudley Buck (March 10, 1839October 6, 1909) was an American composer, organist, and writer on music. He published several books, most notably the ''Dictionary of Musical Terms'' and ''Influence of the Organ in History'', which was published i ...
. In 1892, the society presented the premiere of the Mass in E flat by
Amy Beach Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in ...
, a youthful work by the first important female American composer. Critics condemned the H+H performance of the Berlioz
Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...
in 1888 as the work of "a musical crank". As the society considered works outside the traditional religious oratorio tradition, such as Saint-Saens' ''
Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...
'', it surveyed local religious leaders to determine if they would object to such performances on Sunday evenings. Some did not object to the music or subject matter, but to conducting a commercial enterprise on the Sabbath. In a few instances, the music was modified for Sunday performances, as when the drinking song was dropped from Haydn's '' The Creation''. The society participated in some of the mass concerts and festivals that followed the end of the American Civil War, at first reluctantly. Invited to participate in Boston's
National Peace Jubilee The National Peace Jubilee was a celebration that commemorated the end of the American Civil War, organized by Patrick Gilmore in Boston from June 15-19, 1869. It featured an orchestra and a chorus, as well as numerous soloists. More than 11,000 p ...
that assembled more than 10,000 voices, H+H was, according to the event's organizer, "the very first invited, yet they were among the very last−the ''one hundred and second society''−to accept." In 1870 the society joined in a New York City celebration, with members of the orchestra and 546 chorus members taking overnight boats to perform excerpts from ''Elijah''. When H+H traveled to perform the complete ''Elijah'' and other works in New York City and Brooklyn in 1873, a special train carried the performers, including approximately 400 singers. To mark the arrival of the twentieth century, 200 members of the H+H chorus participated in a midnight ceremony at the
Massachusetts State House The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the List of state capitols in the United States, state capitol and seat of government for the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, lo ...
on December 31, 1899, leading the singing of " Old One Hundredth" and "
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
". The society performed for the first time in Boston's Symphony Hall on October 21, 1900. In the new century, as musical tastes changed and other professional groups competed for the same audience, H+H reduced its performances to four annually and avoided innovative repertoire choices. Occasionally a concert took on the flavor of a "pops concert", with sentimental vocal solos including
Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
's "
The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a poem by Adel ...
", even as the society's president lamented how the public was distracted from concert-going "in these days of radio and victrolas." The society struggled during the financial crisis of the 1930s, experimenting unsuccessfully with evenings of Wagner excerpts. A better strategy arranged for concerts to be sponsored by local charities, such as the League of Catholic Women,
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, and
Faulkner Hospital Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital (BWFH) is a 171-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1900, it is located in the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain across the street from the Arnold Arboretum ...
, all of which underwrote ticket sales. World War II created personnel problems and the number of choristers fell to 206 active members, its lowest point in a hundred years. Yet the society ambitiously planned its first performance of
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
' '' A German Requiem'' for April 29, 1945, and dedicated it to President
Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...
who died on April 12. It released its first commercial recording, Handel's ''Messiah'', in 1955, made its television debut in 1961, and in December 1963 presented the world's first televised performance of ''Messiah''. H+H marked its 150th anniversary in March 1965 with the premiere of
Randall Thompson Randall Thompson (April 21, 1899 – July 9, 1984) was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works. Career Randall attended The Lawrenceville School, where his father was an English teacher. He then attended Harvard University, ...
's ''The Passion According to St. Luke'', which it commissioned for the occasion.


Historically informed performance

Toward the middle of the 20th century, the Handel and Haydn Society began adopting the practices of the "
historically informed performance Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music, which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...
" movement, striving for vocal and instrumental "authenticity". This came is response to a review in the ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' by Michael Steinberg, who criticized the group's failure to demonstrate any awareness of the revolution in performance practice already under way in larger music centers. He later described the variables at issue: "Decisions about tempo, articulation, vocal embellishment (long felt to be sacrilegious and unthinkable), weight and color of sonority, all contributed to this process." Writing in 2005, he included Thomas Dunn in a list of seven "conductors who most powerfully effected this re-examination." In 1967, Dunn, an expert in baroque performance practice, became the society's artistic director and transformed its large amateur chorus into a smaller professional musical ensemble. In 1963, ''Time'' magazine had called Dunn "the hero of the baroqueniks". Under Dunn in 1977, H+H made the first recording of Alfred Mann's 1963 edition of ''Messiah'', the only recording at the time in which the soloists joined in singing the choruses, following the practice of Handel's time. Dunn nevertheless performed an extensive repertory that extended to Stravinsky and contemporary composers. By the time he retired H&H was something of an anomaly, an ensemble that adopted historical performance practices for older music but played exclusively modern instruments.
Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...
succeeded Dunn in 1986, and under his direction the society's orchestra began using period instruments in their performances. The society has since remained committed to historically informed performance practice.


Recent history

With Hogwood, the society made its first appearance outside of the United States at the 1996
Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
. H+H also presented a number of programs that linked the baroque tradition of improvisation to that of such contemporary jazz artists as
Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
and
Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...
.
Grant Llewellyn Grant Llewellyn (born 29 December 1960) is a Welsh conductor and music director of the North Carolina Symphony and Orchestre National de Bretagne. Biography Llewellyn was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He began developing his conduct ...
was music director from 2001 through 2006 and held the title of principal conductor for three seasons through 2009. During his tenure, the society produced several commercial recordings, including ''Peace'' and ''All is Bright'', and received its first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for a collaboration with the San Francisco choral ensemble Chanticleer for the 2003 recording of Sir John Tavener's ''Lamentations and Praises.'' The society also entered into a multi-year partnership with Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng starting in 2003, which resulted in fully staged productions of Monteverdi's ''Vespers'' (in 2003) and ''
Orfeo Orfeo Classic Schallplatten und Musikfilm GmbH of Munich was a German independent classical record label founded in 1979 by Axel Mehrle and launched in 1980. It has been owned by Naxos since 2015. History The Orfeo music label was registered ...
'' (in 2006) that Chen saw as the beginning of a cycle of Monteverdi's surviving operas and his ''Vespers''. The 2006 ''Orfeo'' was co-produced by the
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...
. Chen also directed a production of Purcell's ''Dido and Aeneas'' in 2005 for Handel and Haydn. In July 2007, the ensemble made its debut at the
London Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
under Sir Roger Norrington.
Harry Christophers Richard Henry Tudor "Harry" Christophers CBE FRSCM (born 26 December 1953) is an English conductor. Life and career Richard Henry Tudor Christophers was born in Goudhurst, Kent. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Al ...
first conducted the Handel and Haydn Society in September 2006 at the
Esterházy Palace The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time that it ...
at the Haydn Festival in
Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074. In the Habsburg ...
, Austria, the society's first appearance on the European continent. He returned to the society for further guest-conducting appearances in December 2007 and January 2008. In September 2008, the society announced the appointment of Christophers as its artistic director, effective with the 2009–10 season, with an initial contract of three years. In September 2011, the society extended Christophers' contract for another four years, through the 2015–16 season. In January 2019, the society announced that Christophers is to conclude his tenure as its artistic director at the close of the 2020–21 season. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Christophers formally concluded his tenure as artistic director in May 2022, and now has the title of conductor laureate with H+H. Since 2011, each concert season has featured masterworks the society premiered in the United States. In February 2011, it presented Handel's ''Israel in Egypt'', the American premiere of which it gave on February 13, 1859. In March and April 2012, the society performed Bach's ''St. Matthew Passion''. The society gave the complete American premiere of Bach's masterpiece in 1879. The group gave several concerts in California in the spring of 2013 and ended its 2012–13 season with Handel's ''Jephtha'', a dramatic oratorio given its American premiere by H+H in 1867. In February 2020, Jonathan Cohen first guest-conducted H+H. Cohen returned for additional guest appearances in April 2022 and October 2022. In November 2022, H+H announced the appointment of Cohen as its next artistic director, effective with the 2023-2024 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.


Artistic leadership

Prior to 1847, conducting duties fell nominally to the President of the society. However, the keyboardist or first violin in the orchestra did most of the actual conducting. As the society's ambitions grew, it became increasingly clear that it needed more established musical leadership. Over the years, the name of the title has changed several times, from "Conductor" to later titles of "Artistic Director" and "Music Director". * Charles E. Horn, 1847–1849 * J.E. Goodson, 1851–1852 * Carl Bergmann, 1852–1854 *
Carl Zerrahn Carl Zerrahn (28 July 1826 Malchow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin – 29 December 1909 Milton, Massachusetts) was a German-born American flautist and conductor. His widespread activity in the region made him an influential figure in New England and Boston ...
, 1854–1895 and 1897–1898 * B.J. Lang, 1895–1897 * Reinhold L. Herman, 1898–1899 * Emil Mollenhauer, 1900–1927 * Thompson Stone, 1927–1959 * Edward F. Gilday, 1959–1967 * Thomas Dunn, 1967–1986 *
Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on historically info ...
, 1986–2001 *
Grant Llewellyn Grant Llewellyn (born 29 December 1960) is a Welsh conductor and music director of the North Carolina Symphony and Orchestre National de Bretagne. Biography Llewellyn was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He began developing his conduct ...
, 2001–2006 *
Harry Christophers Richard Henry Tudor "Harry" Christophers CBE FRSCM (born 26 December 1953) is an English conductor. Life and career Richard Henry Tudor Christophers was born in Goudhurst, Kent. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Al ...
, 2009–2022 * Jonathan Cohen (designate, effective 2023)


Educational outreach

The Handel and Haydn Society's Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program provides music education to children in communities throughout eastern Massachusetts with several components: *The Vocal Apprenticeship Program (VAP) provides in-depth training for talented young singers in grades 3-12. It was established in 1994 to identify and nurture youngsters with special talent whose families lack the financial resources to pursue private instruction. *The Vocal Quartet visits schools with original presentations developed to teach music history in an entertaining, age appropriate way. *Collaborative Youth Concerts bring singers from different high schools together to perform in their home communities alongside Handel and Haydn Society musicians. The society selects the winner of its annual Candace MacMillen Achtmeyer Award, which extends the society's support to an outstanding senior who has participated for at least two years in the Vocal Apprenticeship Program (High School Soloists, Young Men's Chorus, Young Women's Chorus). The Barbara E. Maze Award for Musical Excellence extends the society's support to an outstanding VAP alumnus with a cash award of $2,000 given to a high school graduate who intends to continue professional vocal instruction. The award is named in honor of Handel and Haydn Society Governor Barbara E. Maze, who was instrumental in creating VAP. Ms. Maze was chair of the society's Cultural Diversity Committee, and a member of the Handel and Haydn Educational Outreach Committee. She was a retired Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for
Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. Maze was the National Chairperson for the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition, and President of Project STEP.


See also

*
Sophia Hewitt Ostinelli Sophia Hewitt Ostinelli (1799-1845) was an American classical musician who was a child prodigy who later became the only woman ever employed as an organist and accompanist by the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston Massachusetts, Boston, Massachuse ...


Notes


References


Sources

* Michael Broyles, ''"Music of the Highest Class": Elitism and Populism in Antebellum Boston'' (Yale University Press, 1992) * H. Earle Johnson, ''First Performances in America to 1900: Works with Orchestra '' (Detroit: College Music Society, 1979) * H. Earle Johnson, ''Hallelujah, Amen!: The Story of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston'' (Boston: B. Humphries, 1965) * H. Earle Johnson, ''Musical Interludes in Boston, 1795-1830'' (NY: Columbia University Press, 1943) * Teresa M. Neff,
In the Public Eye: the Handel and Haydn Society and Music Reviews, 1840-1860
. Symposium sponsored by the American Literature Association: "Musical Intelligence in Antebellum Boston", June 25, 2017 * Teresa M. Neff and Jan Swafford, eds., ''The Handel and Haydn Society: Bringing Music to Life for 200 Years'' (Jaffrey, NH: David R. Godine, 2014)


External links


Handel and Haydn Society web site, including searchable archive


* ttps://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2015/03/musical-societies "200 years of oratorios" ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'', March 23, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Handel And Haydn Society Choirs in Massachusetts American instrumental musical groups Musical groups from Boston Mixed early music groups 1815 establishments in Massachusetts Musical groups established in the 1810s Grammy Award winners Orchestras based in Massachusetts Organizations established in 1815 Arts organizations established in the 1810s Classical music in the United States