Handel and Haydn Society

Annual Christmas oratorio, the Messiah, at the Boston Music Hall, on Sunday evening, Dec'r 30th, 1860

The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.

Early history

The Handel and Haydn Society was founded as an oratorio society in Boston on April 20, 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, Thomas Smith Webb, Amasa Winchester, and Matthew S. Parker, hoped to bring Boston audiences the best of the old (Handel) and new (Haydn) in concerts of the highest artistic quality. The Society premiered on Christmas Eve in 1815 at King's Chapel, with a chorus of 90 men and 10 women.

Since its beginning, the Handel and Haydn Society has given a number of notable American premieres, including Handel's Messiah in 1818, Haydn's The Creation in 1819, and Verdi's Requiem in 1878, in addition to other musical settings by baroque and classical composers, including Mozart and Bach. The Society has continued annual renditions of George Frideric Handel's Messiah since 1854. The Society was also an early promoter of composer Lowell Mason, publishing his first collection of hymns and later electing him as the group's President.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Handel and Haydn staged music festivals to commemorate significant historical events, such as the end of the American Civil War, and performed for such luminaries as President James Monroe, Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, Admiral Dewey, and Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, the Society held benefit concerts for the Union Army, victims of the Chicago fire of 1871, and Russian Jewish refugees displaced by the 1882 May Laws.

Historically informed performance

By the mid 20th century, the Handel and Haydn Society began moving towards vocal and instrumental authenticity. In 1967, Thomas Dunn, an expert in baroque performance practice, became the Society's Artistic Director, transforming its large amateur chorus into a professional musical ensemble. Christopher Hogwood succeeded Dunn in 1986, and under Hogwood’s baton, the Society's orchestra began using period instruments in their performances. The Society has since remained committed to historically informed performance practice. With Hogwood, the Society made its first appearance outside of the USA at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival.

Educational Outreach

The Handel and Haydn Society’s innovative 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. 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 Handel and Haydn Society is recognized as a leader and innovator in providing music education to public school students. The Vocal Apprenticeship Program was established in 1994 to identify and nurture youngsters with special talent whose families lack the financial resources to pursue private instruction.

The Candace MacMillen Achtmeyer Award 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 award was named in the memory of Candace MacMillen Achtmeyer in 2001. A member of the Handel and Haydn Society Board starting in 1993, Candace was a member of the Education Committee, where she voiced passionate opinions about the Society's responsibility to the community and children in particular. We miss her quiet yet persuasive leadership, her unfailing support for the Society and its mission, and her enduring vision for our future. Mrs. Achtmeyer was the first wife of Boston Philanthropist and H&H Board member William F. Achtmeyer. He credits his wife's passion for the arts and children as the driving force for the Achtmeyer Family's involvement with Handel and Haydn. Mrs. Achtmeyer's four children Robert, Olivia, Nell & Kristin, along with their father, Bill, remain involved with H&H.

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 where, for nearly 40 years, she influenced many students in their pursuit of a professional music career. Ms. Maze was the National Chairperson for the Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition, and President of Project STEP.

Recent history

Grant Llewellyn was music director from 2001 through 2006, and subsequently held the title of principal conductor for 3 seasons through 2009. During his tenure, the Society produced several commercial recordings, including Peace and All is Bright, and received its first Grammy Award 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. This yielded fully staged productions of Monteverdi's Vespers (in 2003) and Orfeo (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. 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 Proms with Sir Roger Norrington.

Harry Christophers first conducted the Handel and Haydn Society in September 2006, at the Esterházy Palace at the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, the Society's first-ever 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 2009-2010 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. In September 2011, the Society extended Christophers' contract for another 4 years, through the 2015-2016 season.

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, 1854–1895 and 1897–1898
• B.J. Lang, 1895–1897
• Reinhold L. Herman, 1898–1899
• Emil Mollenhauer, 1900–1927
• Thompson Stone, 1927–1959
• Dr. Edward F. Gilday, 1959–1967
• Thomas Dunn, 1967–1986
• Christopher Hogwood, 1986–2001
• Grant Llewellyn, 2001–2006
• Harry Christophers, 2009–present

External links

• Handel and Haydn Society web site. The Handel and Haydn Society has a publicly accessible On-Line Searchable Archive of performances and artist history. The Searchable Archive is a link off of the main page. All performances and artists from 1815 to the present day can be accessed.
• Boston Public Library, Special Collections, Music Department. Handel & Haydn Society Archives.