Music and Space

This book explores a paradox: how can a musical work that was written specifically for a certain architectural space «survive» dramatic changes in performance conditions, as in the case of Handel’s Messiah ? From the chamber music hall in Dublin where it was first performed in 1742, small baroque theaters, and the chapel of London’s Foundling Hospital, performances of Messiah after Handel’s death moved to cathedrals, to new and large 19th-century concert halls, and finally to the immense Crystal