Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language sacred oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. Its text was compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It covers episodes related to the Messiah mostly in verses from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. Handel structured the work in three parts, each in scenes as in Baroque opera. Part I covers prophecies, the birth of Jesus and his work, Part II focuses on his Passion, while Part III deals with the resurrection of the dead. Messiah was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, with a small orchestra of trumpets, oboes, strings and continuo. After an initially modest reception, the oratorio became one of the most frequently performed Western choral works, often adapted to large orchestras and choirs after Handel's death. Mozart modified the instrumentation in his arrangement Der Messias to a German text. The famous "Hallelujah" chorus, concluding Part II, is often performed individually. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_%28Handel%29> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1829: The Roman Catholic Relief Act received royal assent, removing the most substantial restrictions on Catholics in the United Kingdom. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Relief_Act_1829> 1942: Austrian soldier Anton Schmid was executed for rescuing Jews from the Ponary massacre in Vilnius. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Schmid> 1956: The Vietnamese National Army captured Ba Cụt, a military commander of the religious sect Hòa Hảo, which ran a de facto state in South Vietnam in opposition to Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_C%E1%BB%A5t> 2009: Twenty-three people died in a fire at a homeless hostel (aftermath pictured) in Kamień Pomorski; it was Poland's deadliest fire since 1980. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamie%C5%84_Pomorski_homeless_hostel_fire> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: Department of Redundancy Department: (humorous) A fictitious department that is cited to draw attention to needless repetition or excessiveness. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Department_of_Redundancy_Department> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Ukraine is now on the front line of the war — global war — of freedom against tyranny. The war the free world didn't want to admit existed. It cannot be ignored any longer. Brave Ukrainians are fighting like hell and dying right now to remind us not to take liberty for granted. Putin, like every dictator before him, underestimated the free will of free people. They deserve every weapon, every resource to win this war. Because they're fighting for us. Not only for the whole and free Ukraine. ... This is not chess. This is not a battle between opposite colors, but of opposite values. Freedom, life and love versus tyranny, death and hatred. This is not chess. But sometimes things are black and white. Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe. Or you lose it. This is not chess. There are no draws, no compromises in our battle with true evil. It's win or lose. And so we must fight. And so we must win. Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine. Glory to freedom.   --Garry Kasparov <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov>