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Thank You George

I played my last service at First Pres. Church today. I have played there since August of 1971, and it was fitting that one of the pieces was from Handel's Messiah, For Unto Us a Child is Born.
December has always been the 'feast' part of 'feast or famine' for musicians. Sometime during this month you can always hear The Nutcracker Suite, Beethoven's Ninth, and The Messiah at some concert. One December in the early 80's I played The Messiah at 9 different venues. I have my own copy of the Timp. part which is so marked up that the notes are barely legible. Each conductor would have his own interpretation of this piece, a fermata that would be held longer than others or a sezura where most would not have one. Some conductors would even specify the exact mallets they wanted to be played. Before every first rehearsal I would make sure that I knew what each conductor expected.
Certainly the Messiah provided me a modest income over the years, but more importantly it has always been a source of joy to play, especially when the entire oratorio is performed. Even though the timpani has a small part in the composition, Handel's use of it brings out the majesty and beauty of the piece.
THANKS GEORGE, IT'S BEEN A GREAT RUN!

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