The biggest Random Act of Culture® yet took place in Philadelphia Saturday – with more than 650 singers bursting into Hallelujah from Handel’s Messiah in the middle of a downtown Macy’s. The world’s largest pipe organ – with 28,000 pipes – accompanied them.
I could go on, but the video tells the whole story. You can’t watch it and not be moved. Some viewers were moved to tears. It’s a great reminder of how important the classical arts are to our lives.
Thanks to Knight Foundation’s partner, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, for pulling the event off.
Knight Foundation is funding 1,000 Random Acts of Culture™over the next three years. So if you live in any of these eight cities – Akron, Charlotte, Detroit, Macon, Philadelphia, San Jose, St. Paul and Miami – be on the lookout and have your cellphones ready.
This video made me absurdly happy. Thank you all for doing this.
Truly AWESOME!
random acts of culture? How about random acts of beauty! It still amazes me to know that Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed this beautiful piece of music!! I wish that this would happen up here on Cape Cod. Thank you for the beauty and the joy of the human spirit enjoying the freedom to express so much beauty!
TerryDould
But… wasn’t this Handel’s Messiah – the Hallelujah Chorus?
This is from Handel’s Messiah, not Beethoven’s 9th or anything by Beethoven.
TerryDould. hi! George Frederick Handel composed The Messiah, not Beethoven. The miracle was that it was completed in a week. Yes, this was beautiful to hear and see these many people singing these awesome words in a community setting! Praise rising to God in the midst of the market place … not usual!
I noticed a number of the onlookers, not wearing buttons, joined in the singing. Whereas some may have forgotten their buttons or opted to not put them on, I strongly suspect that others who were familiar with the music decided to join in. Some ot the onlookers were obviously pleased, others surprised, but I didn’t see any negative reactions. The beauty of this random act truly enchanted many people. More of this sort of thing could go a long way to help people learn to appreciate the beauty of this world and to help mends some of the strained relations among peoples.
Actually, it’s Handel’s Messiah.
Dat was Händel! Niet Beethoven:)
I expected outstanding but I got AWESOME as well! I cried because it was so beautiful and well organized. As a choir member, I can appreciate the work of Handel’s Messiah. Most importantly was the respect that the Macy’s patrons gave. Random acts of Culture gives Christianity a public beating heart! Thank You!
I had just seen the Rockettes (also sponsored by Macy’s) the day before– seeing “The Living Navity” was also as AWESOME!
And yet neither Handel nor Jesus belong ONLY to Christianity… this goes FAR beyond any partucular ideology. It is the idiology of LOVE that can bring ALL of humanity together in true Joy.
You are right when you say that Beethoven was completely deaf when he wrote The 9th Symphony. (His deafness was progressive; he could still hear thunder by the 6th (my favorite)
But this piece is the Hallelujah Chorus from George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah. (I was rather shocked that they allowed it in politically correct Macy’s. It is old Testament prophecy about Jesus;)
Handel was German. Went to England, converted from Catholicism, changed his name (Händel Handel) and since he was SO moved by being able to read the scriptures in a language other than Latin, put some of the most beautiful scriptures form the Old and New Testament to music.
The King of England was so moved by this Hallelujah Chorus that he STOOD, setting a long standing tradition (sorry, no pun) that the audience stands when it is played!
I sung it as a boy (1st soprano, Ha!) 1957-1960 in the Atlanta Boys Choir.
I’m sorry, but George Frideric Handel wrote the Hallelujah Chorus, not Beethoven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5lbNXNn3CI
May not one be guilty of the few mistakes while trying to meet a few deadlines? I knew that it was not Beethoven as soon as it left my pen, but I am extremely sorry and as always late with my heartfelt apologies for being incredibly stupid! mea culpa
TerryDould
How Wonderful that was. I wish I had been there to experience the wonder of it all.
Had I been an unsuspecting shopper, I’d have joined right in (some may have)! I have the tenor part memorized.
Likewise, from a soprano.
add a bass/baritone. Don’t think I could do soprano anymore. Did it as a teenager before my voice dropped.
I’ve discovered I can make noise down to E below middle C, and have helped out tenor and alto sections on several occasions; that said, I remain a first soprano by choice.
Alto — and someday I’ll get there and hear the Wanamaker, with or without 650 voices!
Add me to your list of random shoppers who’d join in. I still have my parts memorized as well — mostly. I wish I’d been there.
Likewise from an alto!
I have the alto part memorized, and joined in at my computer! To me this is not only culture, but a beautiful way to sing praise to God in a public place! Can I get an Amen?
AMEN
AMEN!!! This was great! God is great! You’re group is great!
Amen!
Amen!! Hallelujah!!
Likewise, from a Bass!
I do too!!! I have sung the Hallelujah Chorus so many times….and it never gets old. It gives you chills…..not only because of the music but because of what it says!!!
PRAISE THE LORD!!! I received such a wonderful feeling from watching that! I was going through my email in my room, comfortably warm, in a cotton hoodie. Watching this video gave me some serious chills and even my eyes began to fill up with tears. I had to keep my eyes clear to keep watching. I can ONLY IMAGINE, what it will be like in heaven. How delightful? *sigh*
This video also brought back memories of being in the school chorus singing & dancing in the airport & malls during Christmas
*I am an Alto*
AMEN!! And Hallelujah from this score owning alto!
And ALL the people said AMEN! This is my all time fave piece of praise to our God.
Just what I was thinking about, Trina – when all the born again believers are singing this in praise to God in Heaven! What a day that will be!!!
Folks, are you sure you’ll be there? Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)
Trina, this was a beautiful way to Praise the Lord!!! It is one of the most beautiful things i have witnessed. I bet those sales clerks that were wearing devil horns wish they hadn’t that day.
I would love to see a few church choirs here in Williamsburg VA gather together and go to a shopping mall and do the same thing.
Honey, I bawled!! (Don’t ask me why!) But I believe you’re right; it DOES have something to do with Heaven! I believe he was supernaturally inspired with this music!
Couldn’t sing the tenor ’cause I learned the soprano as a kid, Ha!
I really like the other part: “He shall lead he flock like a shepherd, and He shall gather them, with His arms.. and then it goes right into “Come unto Me , all ye that labour, and areheavy laden , and I will give you rest..” SOOO beautiful!
And Lord knows He WILL, and Lord knows He DOES!
As do I! Music of the angels that almost immediately lifts up us mortals whenever it’s sung – at Christmas or Easter. Composed by Handel but the work of the Holy Spirit for sure. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Count me in from the alto section. No way could I be there and not sing!
I’m with you Tim! I have the alto part memorized after 4 years of performing it ever Christmas with my high school choir!!
Likewise from a contra alto!
Alison is another first soprano who has memorized the score-by rote, I can’t read music- so you can imagine how long it took me to learn nine solid pages of ‘Amen’! The Hallelujah and ‘For unto us a Child is Born’ are some of my favorites, but the Messiah is so full of wonderful music it doesn’t really feel like Christmas without it…
Ditto, from an alto.
Really! How could one NOT join in. : )
Absolutely WONDERFUL!!!!! Truly inspirational!!.
Just what I needed right now…….
One may choose to view this as a religious act, and that is fine, but, I do not believe the Opera Company of Philadelphia intended it as such. As described, it was a “random act of culture.” Messiah has simply become a favorite musical part of our culture.
You may choose to believe it’s only cultural, without even checking with the source…but it doesn’t change the fact that the gospel news that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords over heaven and earth and it’s being broadcast far and wide with this recording! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift to humanity!!!
Music of this nature speaks to the Heart of all human beings and makes it possible to identify with the JOY which exists within each one of us.
Culture and classical arts?? well maybe, but you need to listen to the words “KIng of Kings” and “Lord of Lords” come on…this is totally a spiritual song and the people were, like it or not, moved by the Holy Spirit, whether they were believers or not…
Take away the words and the message would not change ~ Joy for the sake of Joy . It transcends any particular religion and touches the Heart, the abode of Love.
Whether or not the “Opera Company of Phildelphia intended it as such” is entirely beside the point David. Messiah has become a favorite musical piece in our culture for a reason that transcends culture.
As an Englishman who has sung Messiah for many years, you can see it as culture if you wish, but anyone who performs it can tell you that feel you are in the presence of the King of kings. At it’s first performance in London, George II stood for the Halleluja chorus, because even he felt in the presence of his King. This tradition now remains firmly embeded in England, and the fact that the church seats are always hard is simply coincidence but it is a great time to stand, and relieve a numb bumb. Most of us who enjoy this work, seldom hear it ourselves, and this performance in Philadelphia raised tears for me. Thank you for a brilliant idea, one which we should adopt here.
Secular or religious; what an uplifting experience this must have been! For centuries it was the divine that inspired art; and even now the arts inspire those without faith reflect and explore their inner thoughts and dreams.
Well said, Mary. That was a thoughtful response and to the point of “Random Acts…”
“It’s a great reminder of how important the classical arts are to our lives.”…….it’s also a great reminder of how important God is in our lives. Wheter we acknowledge it or not, he still finds a way to be there and to lift us up.
David, I think you are correct that the Opera Company did not intend this as a religious act. I like to think, however, that most of the people enjoying this felt the faith that inspired it. To make this only about music and culture is to entirely miss its ultimate point, and that is very sad, and it diminishes both the music and the culture.
The transcendent sense of joy and awe this inspires can only be planted in our souls, and only by the One who created our souls. I weep for those who do not sense that.
I’m with you, David. It’s a beautiful piece of music and very stirring, but as you said, I’m sure it’s not intended by the the opera company as a religious performance.
God accomplishes His purpose through whom He chooses, whether believer or not.
Absolutely thrilling to know that this statement was made in public. He Reigns!
brought tears to my eyes, and song to my lips!! thanks!!
I can’t sing a note… but certainly appreciated the beauty and talent of those who CAN!! I think the applause at the end might have been as much of the “random act” as anything! Praise God! Waiting for Heaven!
I feel the exact same – just absolutely elated after watching this. How wonderful!!!!!!!!!
OMG, I cried, I sang, I smiled… Thank you people!
Isn’t it too bad they had to lie in their title? This is not random, it’s a flash mob. Dishonesty, especially in journalism, is never looked upon kindly.
A lie? Do a little reading. It’s not a flash mob. It was a planned event, organized with the cooperation of several organizations, not a few people sending viral messages with cell phones. “Random Acts of Culture” is the name Knight Arts has chosen for their series of performances moving cultural experineces out of the concert hall and into public spaces, in an effort to make the Arts more acessable to the masses.
And I don’t think Knight Arts never claimed to journalists. It’s just a catchy tag line.
We should have more of this. Thank you for your effort
love it, we need the rest of the world to follow suit…………
God is real, and there is only ONE; Jesus Christ is the only Savior which man can and must be saved by,,,,,,,,,,everything else is anti!
paolo emilio dionisio
I agree with ‘stina. I cried for 5 minutes and 59 seconds. Grazie!
I don’t know if it has been corrected by anyone else that the largest organ in the world is in Atlantic City, NJ
From this website – http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om02700.html
“The world’s largest pipe organ was built between May, 1929, and December, 1932, by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company of Merrick, Long Island, New York. It boasts seven manuals and has 1,439 stop keys, as well as 1,255 speaking stops, 455 ranks, and 33,112 pipes! The organ weighs in at approximately 150 tons. The most impressive stop on the organ would have to be the 16 foot Ophicleide, which is the world’s loudest stop. This stop has six times the volume of the loudest train whistle.”
I played in the orchestra conducted by Thor Johnson in 1964 and that organ was played in the performance.
The Philadelphia event was a home run.
Congratulations.
Regarding culture happenings, ever since I saw videos of the Royal de Luxe, French Street Theatre’s Giant Girl Puppet I have had a fantasy that the group might appear where I live in Canton, Georgia. The group has ventured as far from France as Iceland and always seems to be close to a seaport (perhaps because of transportation) but I keep hoping.
I contacted the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts to plant a seed there in hopes they might attract the group but thus far, nothing.
I pass along to the Knight Foundation the same seed.
If your staff is not already aware of this group, at least you will appreciate the effort and cultural impact.
http://hootsbuddy.blogspot.com/2007/03/royal-de-luxe-french-street-theatre.html
Thanks for reading and congratulations, again.
John Ballard
We experienced a non-religious dance one at Fernbank in Atlanta this summer. You might want to contact them if you are looking for a place in Atlanta.
Wow I missed this in realtime, but I am overjoyed it was recorded so others can “experience it” in the realm of cyberspace! “Messiah: is my favorite Christmas choir cantata piece! This event , with the ultimate assemblage of professional voices, and with the greatest and biggest pipe organ on the planet, all filling the Grand Court with such majestic musical explosion of splendor and praise with a song written to praise the Almighty. No one could ask for and get more than that for such a “random” cultural experience. BRAVO INDEED!! Bravo to whoever thought of this idea and shepherded it forth into such a wonderful reality!!! Happily posted
here from a non-professional supporter of the “Friends of the Wanamaker Organ”
Wow, Awesome! It is beautiful that you put together something so meaningful that gives our Creator God, the praise and adoration that HE SO DESERVES!
I would love to be a part of something as inspirational as this!
Come to Baltimore Maryland and I’m in!
Blessings to you,…from Sue! : )
I agree wholeheartedly, Sue! I cried all the way through as I thought of the time we will all gather around God’s throne to join in music like this!
AMEN,AMEN, and AMEN!
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of GOD the FATHER. Phil. 2:10-11 Amen and HALLELUJAH!!!!
AMEN!!!!
I cried all the way through this too. He is SO worthy! I believe we will hear this song in heaven. It takes me there now!
Awesome! Our culture needs more of these acts of awareness, kindness, talent and love.
Thank you so much for all the hard work and to the volunteers that created this…well done!!!
Please bring us more…and to the suburbs please!
Thanks so much for this wonderful act of joyous inspiration! To all who participated, kudos! Not to be greedy, but encore, encore!
Bravo!!! Praise God for the gift of music! Thank you for the beauty of all the voices and the organ lifted in praise!
Yes, Praise God! It’s not often that we hear praise to our Lord in a place other than a church. It brought goosebumps. Thank you!
Amen to that!! Praising God throgh Handel’s Messiah in Macy’s! — A beautiful moment. Imagine how many people this will touch in this hurting world who rarely if ever hear God’s praises sung. God Bless you!
Thank you so much for this thrilling performance and for funding arts in such an innovative way. I hope other organizations will copy you!
What an amazingly beautiful counterpoint to the uncultured obscenity that was the hallmark of Tuesday’s election and its precedent campaigns. Thanks to all who participated in this celebration for giving voice and volume to hope and beauty…
AMEN!!!
Thank you….please do these things again.
‘So…so…neat. And you picked the best song on earth to perform at Macy’s!
An incredible blessing.
brought tears to my eyes. thank you so very much.
Spectacular!
A Handel “flash mob”–what a concept! Terrific idea, and I hope similar happenings work out just as well. Thank you for posting this!
What a FABULOUS piece of work! Can you all come up to Norhtern Michigan?
I am overwhelmed with joy at the moment, as the tears stream down my face. Bless you!
Wow! Emotions swell. What a powerful act! I would have loved to be there.
Thank you.
I am one who was not only moved to tears, but had goose pimples. I cannot believe that I once sang the soprano part regularly! I could reach those notes today as easily as I could reach and get green cheese from the moon.
Five minutes of a taste of what Heaven may be! Tears and all – awesome!
Best flash mob video EVER! Honestly, I was in tears in my office at work watching this – it was so amazing. The world needs more of this!!
That was glorious, absolutely glorious, and was a little slice of heaven!
So thankful to hear the Messiah…. the Lord God Omnipotent
praised by such beautiful voices and the awesome organ!!!
There’s something wrong with a society where you can praise God at Macy’s, but not at school or in a government building…
I love “Random Acts…” keep it up!!!!
Paul:
Amen, I agree wholeheartedly.
Well said Mark! It’s about time something like this could happen in a public place. Wish I could have been there.. Couldn’t keep back the tears. Heavenly!
You can praise God and pray anywhere you choose. You just can;t do it as an organized declaration of one religion over another. Remember the Bill of Rights? This is not the place for political discourse but for the kudos for this wonderful moment of music.
Tears of great joy!. I was singing right along with them all, and I’m so grateful this piece was an annual tradition for the choir of my high school.
This was glorious! Such a joyful lift! Thank you so much!! What a sound, what a joyful sound. Bless, bless bless! He shall reign forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!!
My spirit was uplifted and my thoughts were, ” I want this to be what Heaven’s like- singing and people together happy with no differences, everyone at peace! Praise God or whomever you want to call him- the Creator/ Almighty or whatever. Love, love, love is what it’s all about. It was just “heavenly”- thank you to all involved
What a wonderful experiance – outpouring of praise in a public place! Such a blessed rebuke of social correctness! Thanks to the wonder of technology, we are able to enjoy this beautiful message in song regardless of where we live! (I don’t believe I saw Lady GaGa in the crowd?)
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an experience it must have been to be in the store at this moment. This brings real Joy to all who hear!
To say that this performance of unbelievable singers and organ is FANTASTIC is a severe understatement.
For 26 years I have lived in a Islamic country. I have sung this music many times but only once in this country. I once directed a joint choir singing this song in the local language. What a great blessing to see and hear such great music in a public setting. I wish we could do it here. Thank you for posting it.
Absolutely wonderful! I also am overwhelmed with joy. Neither God not our American culture is dead, in spite of what we hear so often. Hallelujah indeed!God certainly has used this work of Handel’s to His glory. I only am sad to see that Chicago is not on the list of cities. Thank you for posting this blessing for so many of us.
So inspiring! I am listening just before going to bed on Sunday night… What a wonderfilled way to start the work week. I only wish that Boston was on that list of cities… New Englanders really are warm people; we would welcome you! Thanks for the blessing!
Goosebumps! Tears! What a wonderful and powerful experience it must have been to have been there in person; it was remarkable via posting. Thank you to all who played a part in this random act. I agree, PLEASE COME TO CHICAGO!
This is the most awe-inspiring performance I have ever seen and I only wish I had been in Macy’s that day! Heartfelt thanks to all who planned and performed this act of praise to God, the Father of ALL of us. What a wonderful Christmas gift to the people of the City of Philadelphia!! I’ve played the video 3 times since this morning and it has moved me to tears each time. Again, many, many thanks for a truly spiritual experience!
How about an encore at halftime of an Eagles game at The Linc during the Holidays?!
Speechless!
Hallelujah! Our God is an awesome God and your fabulous performance speaks to it. Thank You for bringing so much joy.
Dr. Phil Briggs
For the common things of everyday, God gave man speech in the common way.
For higher things men think and feel, God gave the poet words to reveal,
But for heights and depths no tongue can reach, God gave man music, the soul’s own speech.
-Anonymous
Hear, hear!
This celebration of musical praise needs to be experienced in San Francisco.
I saw this about 15 minutes ago…and I’m still wiping away tears. Thank you for this beautiful presentation…and for sharing it with all of us who do not live in Philadelphia. (By the way, I live in Music City – aka Nashville — and I hope I have the privilege of being involved in something like this here!)
Tremendously joyful. You’re all invited for dinner.
After all the garbage we’ve been exposed to lately this video was such a treat!! Thank you. When are you coming to Portland, Or?
Christmas isn’t christmas without Hallelujah chorus and a great pipe organ. Amazing
Absolutely incredible! Amen!
I watched the video of your preformance & was so moved by it & the shoppers joining in, that I watched it three more times! Thank you for that magnificent experience! God bless each one!
Belfast, Maine
Hallelujah, praise the Lord!
I wish I could have been there to join the joyful chorus! It sent a chill just to to watch!
Tears, tears…
This is so touching … to see… the Culture is still alive in the US… especially in this kind of “random acts”…
!Magnificent! I didn’t know so many people would know the words of The Messiah and sing along. Some of them really got into it with the hand gestures and smiling faces. This is not the usual response in a crowded shopping situation these days. It is good to see the peoples of all colors, sizes and shapes share this moment together and be as one in agreement with each other dropping their façade of avoidance and even though as individuals, sing Hallelujah as a singular group to the Great Spirit in the Sky. He must have enjoyed that very much. I suppose Heaven will be this way every day with millions of spirits singing in unison in such a Joyful place.
Simply, one of the best things I’ve seen in many years. Thank you, and keep doing it. If you manage to keep truth and beauty together, you are in for many years of gratifying surprises.
Amen indeed.
Loved it! BRAVO!!!
Wow, that is amazing! I’m glad it was posted so more people could enjoy!
This was so beautiful that I wanted to cry.
PLEASE MACYS, DO THIS IN ALL YOUR STORES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!!!
I can’t sing a note, but I would have loved to have been there and been part of it. I think it would have been like being wrapped in a blanket of love!
I’m truly moved and uplifted by this Random Act of Culture! Thank you!
What a joyful noise unto our Lord!!!
Tears kept me from singing along. Thank you Knights Foundation and Opera Co of PA for this magnificent manifestation that WE ARE a Christian nation!!! Thank you for stirring the spirits of those blessed to experience this performance of The Messiah first hand and hopefully tens of millions more throughout the world via internet.
What an awesome way to praise God – taking it to the streets (and the department stores)! Let’s do that more often!!! That was incredible!
Magnificent! My favorite piece of music, the effect of this video is to inspire joy in any who witness and hear it! I love that it came my way on this Sunday !
Truly awe inspiring. In a culture that has pulled back from acknowledging our Creator this was truly amazing.
and what a glorious setting! in all god’s splendour of creation, macy’s, the church of consumerism…. magical!
A BREATHTAKING PERFORMANCE!!!!!!!!!
WONDERFUL
When I’d heard that Macy’s had started their Christmas season so dog gone early, I was really upset. BUT!! after seeing the video, whether they intended to actually use that song because it gives our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the praise he’s due at the Christmas season, it happened anyway. I’m sharing with my friends. At last a store that played real Christmas music and had words of praise for the one that is Christmas. Merry Christmas!! Humbug to Happy Holiday.
If it;’s this wonderful on earth at Macy’s how awesome it will be in Heaven with all the other angels singing with us! God Bless You for sharing this delightful experience with those of us around the US and elsewhere. Merry Christmas!
Love the song but come on, do you really think this was “random”? The signing was too great to be 650 random people, breaking out in perfect tune to a difficult song.
It’s just called a Random Act of Culture. The Opera Company of Philadelphia was involved as well as many choirs. It was a very planned event but a surprise to all of the shoppers and such a treat to all of us who have the privilege of enjoying it through the internet! Thanks to all who made this possible.
I thought it was kind of funny that they seemed to focus most on people taking photos/recording event as well as the salespeople in devil’s horns…
I found myself sobbing with joy …overwhelmed with emotion…truly cathartic…thank you to all who participated! Hallelujah!!!
I think this illustrates our deep, deep need for God, whether we know it or not. Truly awesome.
“The unrest of this weary World is its unvoiced cry after GOD”
- Theodore T. Munger
Amazing. Brought tears to my eyes. Thanks to all who contributed.
WOW. Your gifts inspired people to not only enjoy, but participate…a great achievement in this culture, for sure. The song is Divine and calls for the response of the soul. Keep doing more great things like this. Shame on anyone who criticizes this awesome project…
Got a great idea !!! Sing it at Ground Zero!!
Thank You!!! Beautiful how the Divine lightens and refreshes our souls. Above all Thanks and Praise be to HIM, the reason for the season. Keep up your great work.
Oh, my goodness! I am awesomestruck…words cannot express what is in my soul right now. Thank you so much for doin this and then letting the rest of the world share. Please do more, especially during Christmas. I agree with the others who say these acts can touch the hearts and lives of so many who are hurting. Blessings.
Please please please publicise the fact, if you ever get to do a similar performance in London, UK
Absolutely beautiful!!!
Very entertaining!!!!great that some one can do this for the ordinary pep[le.
Positive Proof that our country still loves the true meaning of Christmas! If you are ever in the Northeast TN area, I’d be happy to join with you and sing this amazing song! I learned it many years ago and it is by far my favorite song!!! I think I’ll play this on a loop in my home!
Praise be to God Almighty for those that have the courage to do these types of things! God’s Children, let your voices be heard!!!
Wow, I’m speechless. Thanks to all who participated in this lovely performance. I feel truly blessed by seeing it on the web. Glory be to God in the highest!
This was absolutely wonderful. What a grand idea. It made me cry. May the Lord bless you all for your “Random Act of Kindness” just now.
Awesome! They should do the whole city.
What a blessing! Please bring a Randon Act of Culture to North Georgia!
This would be a wonderful thing to see all across America!
can you imagine…..this is not even close to what it will sound like in Heaven. Thank you singers/organists for sharing this random act of culture!!!!!
Thank you for that beautiful randition of the hallelujiah chorus. It touched my HEART!!
Praise God, and thank you. To use such a beautiful gift of music from our LORD, giving honor and glory to him for all to see… you have accomplished something that cannot be measured and has touched many lives in his name through this amazing display,…oh, what we can do together strong in him. GOD BLESS YOU, Gods love is alive and thriving. He SHALL reign forever and ever, AMEN
Good news for America! Hope this means the beginning of what Christmas is all about !! We seem to have gotten away with it being called a” Happy Holiday ” ,when it is the celebration of the birth of our Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Please Come to Chicago to the Woodfield Mall and do this, it is sooooooooooo good.
THANK YOU from Folly Beach, SC!!!
Beautiful music with wonderful words from our lord.
Bless all those who participated and bless all the people who have responded. Wonderful to know that God still lives with so many people.
I’ll bet there were many shop lifted items during that 5:59 minutes of amazing video.
I ask Jehovah God to continue to shower you and the Knight Center with His abundant blessings. Indeed, this is wonderfully awesome!
Enjoy the freedom of our country while we still have it! God has been so merciful to our nation yet people turn their backs on the Creator.
Thank you so much. I was deeply moved. Oh please, more of this in our world!
I love to hear the Hallelujah chorus sung in a concert hall but having it sung by ‘shoppers’ in a store setting made it all the more meaningful to me. It should be spontaneously sung like that as we reflect on that glorious King of kings and Lord of Lords. Thank you so very much. My spirit is still soaring!
This beautiful song was always the last number of the high school Christmas concert when I was a child. Of course, when I joined chorus my senior year, the school board banned this song because “it has too many religious overtones.” Yet we could sing songs like, “Mary, rock your baby” and “Oh Holy Night”
Yeah, it didn’t make sense to me either. But this video was amazing. How incredible it must have been to experience it first hand.
Absolutely marvelous! Applause! Applause! Thank you so much!
Though I have have sung it many times I was moved to tears. Kind of like a moment of light and hope in the midst of a lot of darkness and discouragement. Many thanks
GO MACY’S……. FOR ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. EVERYONE NEEDS TO SUPPORT THIS STORE… HALLELUJIA….
I love the idea of random acts of culture and wish that cities in Texas were included–I know they would be welcome and supported. Like, maybe Dallas? Houston? San Antonio? Fort Worth? Fort Worth and San Antonio are particularly supportive of all the arts. (I live near Fort Worth and am from San Antonio and am familiar with the arts offerings in those two cities especially.) We also have Macy’s stores, and probably others who would provide a space and funding. Please consider this–we’re not just cactus and cowboys here.
I cannot watch this without crying by the end! Wish I had been there! Merry Christmas to all who took part!
Yes, Phila, there is a Santa Claus!
Kim, Don’t really think it was SANTA who delivered this, but I understand what you mean! Ideas for things like this HAVE to come from a Higher Power (whatever you believe it to be). Now when I go into another too-soon decorated store I will remember this. Thank you to Knight Arts, singers and Macy*s! May all of your Holidays be as Joyous and music-filled as this was!
Your article said, “You can’t watch it and not be moved. Some viewers were moved to tears. It’s a great reminder of how important the classical arts are to our lives.”
I would submit that “It’s a great reminder of how important Jesus Christ is to our lives, the King of Kings and LORD of Lords! That’s why so many people will love this. Hallelujah
This is incredible. While I don’t follow a religion, therefore don’t really get all giddy about the context of the piece, I sang this throughout high school in Chamber Choir every year.
As a musician and music education major, it doesn’t surprise me to find that so many people knew this song! I always find that people know many classical (secular AND sacred) songs they didn’t even realize they knew.
Oh, but I am surprised that most Christians who posted comments here are unaware that this piece was written by Handel as part of “The Messiah”, an oratorio for Easter, NOT Christmas!
Just a little interesting piece of information…
I could only imagine the world singing this in unison when Jesus appears to us in the clouds as He returns to us. The way the world is now, I believe it will be very soon.. Hallelujah indeed!!
A welcome reprieve from one other cultural phenomenon..
Multitasking.
‘Social phenomena..
.. include all behavior which influences or is influenced by organisms sufficiently alive to respond to one another..’
These random acts of culture are so beautiful and refreshing. Thanks Khight Arts!
Thank you for sharing your gifts and thank you for singing the praises and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Macy’s for allowing it!
This made me sing and cry, many times I’ve sang my church choir..
thank you so much!!
awesome, did you notice how many shoppers were trying to sing along? i whish that i could have been there.
Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth, good will to all men!
Thank you Dennis, for sharing this. Thank you Opera Company of Philadelphia, and thank you Macy’s. You all moved me to tears of joy!
I was not moved at all. I think this song is profoundly religious! The singers have beautiful voices but I find the religiosity of that song so disturbing. Christians throughout history have used their religion for so much violence and bloodshed and even hate crimes and I can’t hear a Christian song like this one without feeling that sense of anger and disturbance. I wish I could feel differently but I’ve very rarely had positive Christian experiences. And whenever our high school choir sings it (I, too, was a soprano and forced to sing this in my high school choir) I am disturbed that religious music is forced upon our kids in public schools. It really bothers me.
Hi laira. I can see why you feel the way you do given your reaction to Christians. Might I humbly suggest that you’re confusing Christians with Christ. Christians are still sinners just like everybody else. There are things that have happened in history that Christians wouldn’t be proud of. There are also many things that Christians can be proud of – Christians were the ones who first started hospitals, institutions of higher learning, and fought for women’s rights. All of that aside though, in order to get an understanding of Christianity, you must look to Christ. The greatest hate crime of all occured when Jesus was crucified on the cross, dying for your sin and my sin even though He was completely innocent. God incarnate dies for you! Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Regards, Scott Diekmann
Nicely put, Scott!
Profoundly religious or not, the composition is beautiful and the “randomness” of people singing together in public is a great act. All religions have skeletons in their respective closets because, as Scott has pretty much put it, of the people who misinterpret their religions.
I’m a lapsed Catholic and don’t foresee myself going back to the religion anytime in the future. However, there is no need to associate the song to religion. I am moved more by the singing itself and how I much I wish I could have just joined in.
As for your rare positive Christian experiences, why wouldn’t the joining of voices in a song at a mall during the holidays — a sign of community — count as a positive Christian experience?
It was AWESOME!!!!!! It brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps on my arms. Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience, even though I wasn’t there, watching the event has brought JOY to my heart!!!
While I appreciate the culture and importance of the classics, and the genius of the music, I can’t help but feel sorry for the Jewish, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, (and others) as well as agnostics and atheists in the crowd who were subjected to a purely Christian event in a public place.
Why would you feel sorry f,or them? I am a Christian and thy lyrics are part of the reason I enjoyed this but it was a beautiful moment totally apart from the lyrics. I would not be bothered at all by a great Jewish, Muslim Hindu or Buddhist work of art being performed in a public place. I am glad we enjoy freedom of religion and not freedom from religion in the U.S. As one poster above mentioned this would not be allowed in many countries of the world.
Joe,
Get a grip my friend. Beauty is beauty, regardless. All are enriched. Nor is this a purely Christian event. It is Handel’s Messiah for cryin’ out loud, classical music. Hindus and Buddhists by the way do not reject other religions. And even if it were a religious thing alone, religion is part of culture, has been for many thousands of years. Only recently has the PC crowd made is seem unacceptable in public. In God We Trust, sound familiar? Bravo for this performance. Merry Christmas to all.
A moving and wonderful event that transcends culture. Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!
I can think of no better use of our musical gifts than to praise our omnipotent God.
Thank you very much!!! It is so beautiful and it shows that music unites people, especially heavenly music like this!!!
BEAUTIFUL! How GLORIOUSLY politically incorrect!
Jesus, the Anointed One, the KING OF KINGS is RISEN!
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!!! A much needed moment for me, needed right now, right here. God bless you all.
My Wanamaker’s — forever. Hallelujah!
This brought tears to my eyes – the music was great and to see the beloved eagle. Wow – we used to meet under it along time ago when it was Wanamakers – bought my wedding dress there in ’58. Brought back marvelous memories and seeing all the people singing gave me goose bumps. Thank you so much.
wow
Adonai & Yeshua (Lord Jesus), hear our praises as the choir & masses of people sing praises to you. You deserve all the glory.
May God Bless Macy’s for allowing this wonderful song to be brought forth.
Thank God our faith is strong and durable. We are never alone. This is evident that we are links of an endless chain.
I do not believe the Opera Company of Philadephia, since it is not a religious organization, intended this performance to be a “religious” act. As described, it was a random act of culture, not religion. Those in the crowd who were not Christian have surely heard the “Hallelujah” chorus many times, and by now realize that it has become part of the American culture. Classical music, excluding opera, was often written on religious texts since one of the two major patrons of arts was the Church, the other being the Court. Those of us in choral music education perform music on “sacred” texts for its historical value, not as an act of worship.
I agree completely!
I’m agnostic, but at the same time, I’m a music education major, and honestly, sacred music of the classical, renaissance, and baroque eras are all quite popular even now. Have you ever heard classical Hindu music? Probably not!
I think the point of this exercise was just to prove that many people, even those who are not Christians, know the words to this very popular song!
I’ve even heard it in children’s cartoon on Nickelodeon, in a very non-spiritual context.
Maybe the OCP didn’t *intend* it to be a religious act … but “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Hallelujah!
The almighty works in mysterious ways and enjoyed this effort to give thanks!
Wow – beautiful idea, beautiful performance, beautiful music….but even a more beautiful MESSAGE! He shall reign forever and ever….Amen!
Thank you so much – loved this!!!
La La
Praise the lord–AMEN & AMEN !!!! What a thrill to see and hear ! To God be the glory now and forever, Joyce
That was truly amazing.
Thank you all for that uplifting moment.
I wish I could have been there to experience it in person, along with a few tissues to sop up the tears.
May God bless you all!
Truly our hope in times such as these. Please, please give us a chance in Chicago
My speakers on my computer are not working, although I could feel the energy coming from the music and the people, even though nothing could be heard. I found myself swaying and felt a joy that is simple and basic. I can’t wait to hear the real thing!! Thank you!
I miss Philadelphia. I miss Wanamaker’s. I miss the organ at Wanamaker’s (sorry, it will always be Wanamaker’s for me!) Hallelujah, Philadelphia!
That was truly awesome and moved me to tears! What a great and joyful noise to the Lord and in such a place as Macy’s! Thank you to all who participated! I get the double blessing of hearing this on Veteran’s Day. God be praised! and thanks for sharing online for those so far away in California.
my choir director in church said i’m a baritone.the whole handel’s messiah is actually the GOSPEL message.
Come to Houston!!!!!
PLEASE come to St. Louis! I’m still wiping tear stains off of my glasses.
I so wish I could have witnessed this Random Act of Culture. I have Metastatic Breast Cancer, am under Hospice care and can’t much get too many places anymore. It would have brought me great joy to have witnessed this. Thank you for posting it so I could enjoy it on my computer.
ABSOLUTELY BREATH TAKING. MY EYES WHERE FULL OF TEARS AS I WATCH SUCH A SPECTACULAR , AMAZING LOVE FOR OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, OUR CREATOR AND GIVER OF LIFE. YOUR ACTS OF KINDNESS IS IMMEASURABLE.. THANK YOU !
That was the ultimate ‘…and that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown’ moment! Thank you so much.
Thank you for having the courage to step out of our PC culture and and bring joy to the milliions who will see this. Your organization and Macy’s will get all kinds of comments on this wonderful act. I am sure it brought joy to the only One who really counts. May you be rewarded abundantly.
God Bless America and all of those who participated in this and all those who will see it in the future.
This is awesome. Makes the hair stand up on my arms. Thanks for sharing.
When all God’s children get together OH! What a time.
Well done!
Thanks for sharing
This is the day that the Lord has made let’s be glad and rejoice in it. That they did.
Keep on Keeping on.
This is only the beginning
Well done good and faithful servants. Well Done!!
Glory be to GOD
Know that’s what I’m talking about
How beautiful! This is what heaven must be like – all different shapes and sizes and colors praising the one true God! “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” comes to mind. Romans 14:11
Hallelujah indeed!!! What an amazing event to behold. Thank you to the Knight Foundation and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. And yes, the organist is fabulous.
In this age of repressive regulation the Knight Foundation, the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the people of Philadelphia restore my faith with radiant evidence that Freedom of Religion does not mean to bridle your religion, but to shout it in an environment of tolerance. I realize that this is a cultural presentation rather than a religious one, but the end result is for me the same. My passionate thanks to the participating schools, organizations and individuals!
It did move me to tears. Thank you. I just hope and pray that the singers will know the meaning of what they were singing. Thank you!
Truly there is a God – the God of Creation, of His Word (the Bible) and the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (the King of Kings and Lord of Lords) Hallelujah! Amen!
wow! what a moment! thank you for this… we are all forgetting how much music affects our lives! thank you thank you thank you for bringing joy to my heart today!
Absolutely beautiful!!! Cried and sang through the whole thing. More of this needs to be done. To God be the glory, AMEN!!
Where were the basses? Strong tenor section, but the men were weak..
Gave me goosebumps! Wonderful!
moved me to tears!
I can just imagine Handel and God smiling down from Heaven on this event that so gloriously gave praise to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!
It will be hard to top this! Thank you!
People of All Cultures Praising God, Awesome, I loved it.
Oh, wonderful. I sooo want to do this in St. Louis!!!!
Fabulous! Handel’s “Messiah” is one of my alltime favorites, whether singing it in a choir, or listening to it.
Keep the random acts going!!
What a wonderful contrast to the “music / noise”
played daily over most PA systems in department stores including
Macy’s,
The beauty of this act moved me to tears. May events such as this spread across the country and give us all unexpected moments of joy and appreciation of the arts. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Truly inspiring!! Very moving! Just wondeful!! Thank you for sharing! God Bless America!
This made me proud to live in Philadelphia. I only wish I had been there. Had I closed my eyes I would have sworn it was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I loved this song even as a child. Please, please do this again…..and Macy’s you rock!!!!
War is the most destructive form of communication. Some music is the most healing. I did not see angels I heard a legion of them and wept.Sing on angels and heal the world. Hallelujah
war is the most destructive form of communication.Some music is the most healing.I did not see angels I heard a legion of them and wept. Sing on angels and heal the world !
That was truly, truly MAGNIFICENT.
Incredible. I”m speechless and tearing up.
WHAT AN AMAZING THING TO DO.
Please – PLEASE – keep it up. GREAT JOB!!!!!!
So blessed to have seen this.
Thank you for the wonderful praise in Macy’s with Handel’s Messiah. Keep the random acts going, hopefully at other places such as Macy’s in Rockford, IL.
Voices of angels!! gave me goose bumps too as hearing Handel’s Messiah always does, but this reminds us that angels walk among us everyday! Walking thru the store, you would have thought it was just a little crowded and been unaware that a chorus of angels were about break out in praise!
A mezzo soprano here who also still remembers her part. I wanted to sing along but couldn’t get past the lump in my throat. Thank you for the most beautiful and inspirational six minutes of my day.
This popped up in the Allotments4All forum on Friday night. I could not get over the graciousness of my God, to give me such a gift the very evening before I was to sing it myself for the first time ever! It was such a thrill to see and listen to all of those people praising God through this amazing piece of music. The concert I was singing in was Prom Praise in the Sage at Gateshead, UK, with a full orchestra from All Souls London and David Erik singing solo. We did a huge variety of pieces, and lots with audience participation, but the Hallelujah chorus was very special to me, and I gave Him all i’ve got!
What’s really amazing is how many people continue to shop while this is going on. How sad that they cannot take their attention off Mammon long enough to savor this event.
The source of this being a divine experience, is the attention we give to each other. Our attention has to be the source of ultimate power. The music, the singing, the context, is all a kind of lubrication, allowing our emotions rise to the surface. Toscanini said “I don’t listen to the music, I listen to the thoughts and feelings I am having.” I am reminded that the word “Important” means “Deserving of attention” Thank you to Macy’s, To all who contributed to this wonderful event.
This is something that has been missing in life… Thank you all for creating such a wonderful gift for all of us… Walmart should take a lesson.
What an amazing convergence! As a baritone I have participated for many decades in performances of the Messiah, but this was truly magical! The complete opposite from when four high school seniors showed up at our choir director’s house the night before Christmas eve and started it a full third TOO HIGH. We sang it all the way through, much to the chagrin of the soprano. God bless everyone who came together to make this happen, and to everyone else who spontaneously joined in!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!. Imagine what this will sound like around the throne!
Oh PLEASE! This isn’t RANDOM! This is a flash mob! Geez. Talk about lying in your headline. Be honest for goodness sakes!!
I pray there will be many more RANDOM ACTS such as this! I was truly moved by the sheer awesome power of many combined voices extending praise to our God above. I KNOW HE had to be smiling during their performance. Hurray for those who participated.
someone should look up the definition of the word random
I just cant stop watching it!!!
Amazing! I was so touched that I sat at my desk and cried and then it dawned on me…I needed to use this as an illustration in a sermon. So on Sunday the 14th I used this in relation to the Epistle and our vocations as Christians. Here were people who had various vocations standing in one of the temples of consumerism singing about the King of kings and the Lord of Lord’s! Teachers, moms, sisters, uncles, perhaps some lawyers or metal workers were in the choir of 650 – using their God given talents singing a song written about Christ. How beautiful! Thank you Knight foundation for the work you do.
Praise God!!! So uplifting! Macy’s – my favorite store!! Thanks!
Would love to see this throughout our great United States!
Thanks to all the beautiful voices who contributed!
Well, that was great!!!
Lets do it in Macy’s NY
That would really shake up the shoppers!
Hooray for Philly!!
go RANDOM ACTS OF CULTURE!!!!~~~~~~~~
Watched all of your Random Acts of Culture and was tearful in each one. Enjoyed watching the Tango dancers, the Jazz musicians and the opera singers.
Re-watched Handel’s Messiah and tears were flowing again, even more so.
Thank you again and again.
This is one of the things our nations needs. It brings unity and a desire to share the gifts that talented people have with others.
God Bless your continuance in this project.
bob
Heaven on Earth…I just saw a piece of it…
What a (gloriously) joyful noise unto the Lord!
WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS, God bless you for bringing Christ into the lives of millions for a few minutes of beauty.
Thank you for sharing. It would be nice if something like this would happen on the west coast , too. The country need more of this.
Thank you again.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!
I listened but couldn’t see much for my tears. What a glorious musical performance and at the right time of year. Blessings to all who sang and all who watched.
He shall reign forever and ever! Hallelujah!
I sang it many times. I listened to it hundreds of times. It’s the greatest piece of music ever written. I wish someone would do this near Chicago. Let me know when and where, and I’ll join in.
What a wonderful surprise when I opened this e-mail from a friend. I was so emotional and praising our Lord and Saviour for what He has done for us. What made me more emotional was the fact that, growing up in Phila. and going to John Wanamaker’s store especially at Christmas and Easter time with my children to see the wonderful Christian displays, God is in control even though Macy’s took away all the wonderful Christian paintings and other artifacts pertaining to our faith. So now the circle has been completed with God having the last word with this singing of the most wonderful sacred music ever written in this store that was founded by John Wanamaker, a dedicated Christian man who started Sunday Schools and contributed financially and spiritually to the cause of the true and living God. To those that don’t believe, someday they will believe as everyone will. However, some to glory with Christ, and sadly, others to darkness and misery instead of light and life. We pray God for his wonderful gift, Jesus.
Absolutely awesome
HOW WONDERFUL…WISH I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE….OUR COUNTRY NEEDS MORE OF THIS..
WHO DO I NEED TO THANK…
For many of us who have sung in choirs through the years we couldn’t help but sing along with the video…. and we weren’t even there to enjoy. Keep it up. You make us smile! What a rich blessing!
For those of you interested, the Opera Company did a similar (but smaller) “flash opera” in April 2010 at the Reading Terminal Market where, dressed the same as shoppers, they burst into the famous “drinking song” Brindisi. They did that one on their own, without the Knight Foundation. This is such a wonderful idea that I hope that cities all over adapt it to their own needs and circumstances. Spontaneous ballet, opera, Gilbert and Sullivan, chamber music or whatever. Opportunities are without limit.
I sing the 1st Soprano part and noticed that MANY knew when to sing their part ! I was truely Blessed and encouraged that we all sang Hallelujah which is a PRAISE to GOD !!!! Our country needs to united in this same way. AMEN
so beautiful…the writer said how important the classical arts are to our lives..and they are….but I love the song because it is honoring our God…and am sure many there felt the same.
Really deleightfull
God is still on His throne, and I am so thankful!! Thanks to all involved!
WOW! That was SO FANTABULOUS! What a great reminder for what CHRISTmas is all about! We need this happening on The Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado! Please put us on your list? Thank you so, so, much for doing this wonderful Random Act of Culture! May hearts be softened to the King of kings and Lord of lords! Hallelujah!!! Did you know that when you speak the word Hallelujah once…you are praising God 7 times?
That was so awesome! As a first soprano I have sung the Hallelujah Chorus many times and it never fails to inspire me. I would have loved to have been in Macy’s as a shopper and joined in with their fabulous choir in their tribute to Random Acts of Culture. It looked like many shoppers did join in. What a surprise to have been there! It definitely brought tears just watching it on the computer.
What a glorious sound, Handel’s Messiah! Always brings tears to my eyes. Can you imagine what the angels and saints in heaven will sound like, singing this praise to God the Almighty?
Moved to tears, so beautiful.
Joy is bursting from my being!!!
I see a RIVER that will NOT be stopped!!!!
It SHALL NOT be stopped!!!
PEACE is flowing like a RIVER….
Thank YOU, JESUS!!!
I grew up in Phla. and loved the old Wannamaker Dept. Store. We alway met friends at the Bronze Eagle and came for the Christmas Show with the organ! What a way to get people involved! Thank you!
Hate to be the rain in the parade, but I’m a video editor and that absolutely did not sound like the actual recording of the event. Even the applause at the end sounded like it was dubbed from a sound effect library. Obviously, there are a lot of happy people, and I’m sure it was fantastic, but perhaps they didn’t record it well enough to get a good sounding piece. I was really disappointed.
Marty, There are other videos of the event on Youtube, all of which were filmed from different spots, and thus sound differently. Some of them nicely capture individual voices.
It was fantastic to see agroup of people singing a praise song. remember one thing the end is near, and JESUS is the only way out. please accept him into your heart today, and to be garentee a spot in heaven. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Singing praise to God and His Son Jesus… How powerful!
…“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Words of Jesus
Found in the book of John chapter 14
just another “spontaneous” act – a Flash Mob otherwords- whoppee
What a beautiful random act of worship.I remember singing this song in Choir when I was much younger.I remember thinking then it was not one of the coolest pieces we could do,but after coming to know God and the love he has for me it has taken on a different significance.I have come to love the piece and the special memory it has left to have been able to sing it in a public school back in the 70s.
May we remember the real Reason we celebrate this Season.
SANG IT DURING MY SCHOOL DAYS IN ALDENHAM SCHOOL,ELSTREE: BUT WHAT A PLACE FOR THIS RUPTURE; TEARS OF JOY. GLORIOUS !
I just listened to this on November 21 for the first time. Needless to say I’ve listened to it at least three times a day since. What an absolutely wonderful idea.
Awesome!
it is so GREAT to see that the people in our country are not afraid to show how much GOD meansto them no matter where they might be, was very moving, MY GOD WATCH OVER AND BLESS US EACH AND EVERYONE.
GOD BLESS
Jay You’ve done it again-brought a bright spot to my day.
The IDEA: Sensational!! The MEANING: Fabulous!!! The SINGERS: Tremendous!!!
The RECORDING: A miserable and totally-annoying DISASTER, with the multitude of stop-and-go gaps and “little dot circles”, while I tried to enjoy what had been accomplished so ELOQUENTLY!!!
Has nothing to do with the recording. The stop-and-go gaps/little dot circles are due to a poor internet connection. It will be worth your time to watch it with a better connection. It is truly SPECTACULAR!
WONDERFUL! It’s only such a sad thing that the random acts of culture is happening in 8 communities – they all need this!!
This masterpiece had to have been inspired by God just as the scriptures are…..thank you for posting. Since I want everyone to rejoice and give praises to our living Lord with me and my family I will tell you of our Thanksgiving Day miracle. My son Jeremy received a kidney transplant on TD this year and is doing well. If I say thank you Lord every moment of every day for the rest of my life…. it will not be enough!
I don’t know where I was when this happened, but I missed it altogether — until today, December 5. I am blown away. Thank you Knight Foundation. Thank you Wamanakers/Macy’s. Thank you Opera Company of Philadelphia. Thank you 650 singers. And thank you George. Every now and again Philadelphia does something way cool, and this is one of those times. Makes me proud to call the Big Scrapple my home.
Random Acts of Culture. A great comcept.
This is not the only group doing this. I’ve received 3 emails showing this same thing and all different groups.
Here is a little info on Handel to clear up some of the confusion:
George Frideric Handel seemed to have been born a musician. As a young lad in Germany, he became proficient on both the violin and the organ. After composing his first opera in Germany, he moved to Italy, the operatic center of the world, to try his hand at musical composition in the Italian style. There he achieved some success in composing operas and chamber music. UAdd a Note
In 1711, at age 26, Handel decided to move to England, where his operas and oratorios initially gained acceptance. By the late 1730s, however, British audiences had become less enthusiastic about operas sung in German or Italian; instead, they favored comedic performances such as The Beggar’s Opera. Thus, for several years Handel struggled to keep the wolves—his creditors—away from the door. UAdd a Note
In 1737, after pushing himself to his physical limits by composing four operas within 12 months, the 52-year-old composer suffered a stroke, leaving his right arm temporarily paralyzed. A doctor told Handel’s faithful secretary: “We may save the man—but the musician is lost forever. It seems to me that his brain has been permanently injured.”1 UAdd a Note
The composer defied the diagnosis. Over time his body responded to treatment in the thermal springs at Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany), and he recovered his physical strength. After testing his ability to play the organ at a nearby cathedral, he jubilantly proclaimed, “I have come back from Hades.”2 UAdd a Note
When he returned to London and resumed composing operas, his work was not well received, and creditors began to hound him again. In the depths of despondency, he began to wonder, “Why did God permit my resurrection, only to allow my fellow-men to bury me again?”3 In April 1741 Handel held what he assumed would be a farewell concert. His creativity was spent. A biographer wrote: “There was nothing to begin or to finish. Handel was faced with emptiness.”4 UAdd a Note
Late one August afternoon that same year, Handel returned from a long and tiring walk to find that a poet and previous collaborator, Charles Jennens, had left him a manuscript. This libretto quoted liberally from the scriptures, particularly the words of Isaiah, foretelling the birth of Jesus Christ and describing His ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. The work was to be an oratorio. Given his previous failures, Handel was apprehensive as he began to read through the text. UAdd a Note
“Comfort Ye,” the first words of the manuscript, seemed to leap from the page. They dissipated dark clouds that had been pressing upon Handel for so long. His depression waned and his emotions warmed from interest to excitement as he continued to read of angelic proclamations of the Savior’s birth and of Isaiah’s prophecies of the Messiah, who would come to earth to be born as other mortal infants. A familiar melody Handel had composed earlier flooded into his mind as he read “For unto Us a Child Is Born.” The notes distilled upon his mind faster than he could put pencil to paper as he captured the image of the loving Good Shepherd in the aria titled “He Shall Feed His Flock.” Then came the overpowering exultation reflected in the “Hallelujah Chorus,” followed by the soft, supernal testimony of “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth.” The work came to its majestic conclusion with “Worthy Is the Lamb.” UAdd a Note
After all the music he had composed throughout his lifetime, Handel would eventually be known worldwide for this singular work, Messiah, largely composed in just three weeks during the late summer of 1741. Upon completing his composition, he humbly acknowledged, “God has visited me.”5 Those who feel the touch of the Holy Spirit as they experience the overpowering testimony of Handel’s Messiah would agree. UAdd a Note
To the sponsors of the first performance of the oratorio, Handel stipulated that profits from this and all future performances of Messiah “be donated to prisoners, orphans, and the sick. I have myself been a very sick man, and am now cured,” he said. “I was a prisoner, and have been set free.”6 UAdd a Note
Following the first London performance of Messiah, a patron congratulated Handel on the excellent “entertainment.”
“My lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them,” Handel humbly replied. “I wish to make them better.”7 UAdd a Note
He had finally been relieved of his restless quest for fame, fortune, and public praise—but only after composing his crowning work for an audience that included those not of this earth. The things that mattered most were no longer at the mercy of the things that mattered least. Handel, the restless composer, was now at rest.
Taken from an article by Spencer J. Condie on lds.org
Thank you so much. I truly enjoyed watching and listening to the performance. Hugs and Merry Christmas
I was overwhelmed by this extraordinary act- I feel I now know the true meaning of a joyful soul.
If you go to a traditional Catholic church with a good choir and organ, you can hear something this transcendent every week. Perhaps one reason why so many of us are chronically cynical and critical is that our souls don’t get nearly enough transcendent moments like these.
I wept.
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Seeing this video has renewed my hope.
The human being can do a lot of progress together. Just let loose their sense of love and unconditional… But how? The answer lies in the ether: music, best music masters left us … Let the people be happy, one day, soon …
MAGNIFICENT!!!! PURE ‘MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL’
THANK YOU …. KNIGHT FOUNDATION
Hey! May I add this post to my website? It’s really sweet post, I would like to share it with others.
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