April 13th: Today in 1742 the first public performance of Handel’s Messiah occured at New Musick Theatre in Fishamble Street in Dublin. Interestingly the performance was at first opposed by Jonathan Swift, yes the Gulliver one, who wrote:

… whereas it hath been reported that I gave a licence to certain vicars to assist at a club of fiddlers in Fishamble Street, I do hereby annul and vacate the said licence, intreating my said Sub-Dean and chapter to punish such vicars as shall ever appear there, as songsters, fiddlers, pipers, trumpeters, drummers, drum-majors, or in any sonal quality, according to the flagitious aggravations of their respective disobedience, rebellion, perfidy and ingratitude.

He must have changed his mind because the show went on was a smash hit, but still it is cool to think of vicars sneaking in and causing Swift flagitious aggravation.

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