Messiah: George Frideric Handel
A Calvary Tradition
In 2011,
Calvary's performance of Messiah, held on Sunday, November 27th, marked the 85th
performance of this mainstay of choral literature. Dr Adolph Steuterman,
Organist/Choirmaster 1919-1972, began this Calvary tradition on December 10,
1922.
At the time, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis's local newspaper,
wrote "800 hear Steuterman's majestic presentation...first complete rendering in
25 years," and according to Dr. Steuterman's own notes, "church packed, hundreds
turned away." The second performance was one week later at the Godwin Institute.
The third performance, but only the second at Calvary, was the
following year. Again, from Dr. Steuterman's notes, "turned away 500-1000; heard
by thousands on WMC radio.” The News Scimitar of December 10 of that
year, states "It is regrettable that the limited seating of Calvary church
prevented the 1,000 or more who arrived too late to hear this beautiful
rendition given “The Messiah” Sunday evening..."
For the next several years Messiah was alternated with
performances of Johannes Brahms' Requiem or Felix Mendelssohn's
Elijah during Advent. It was in the 1930s that Messiah became
an annual tradition.
One urban legend holds that in 1934, when a huge storm
blew off the roof above the organ chamber, Calvary did not present a
Messiah. In reality, the performance went on, right on schedule, with a
portable reed organ. Steuterman's brother, Harry, a noted organist in his own
right, played.
In 1979, Calvary Choir, under the direction of John L. Hooker,
Organist/ Choirmaster, presented Messiah at the Orpheum Theatre under
the patronage of The Friends of the Orpheum and First Tennessee Bank on Sunday,
December 23, at 2:00 p.m. There were nearly 90 in the chorus and 13 in the
orchestra. Charlotte McLain at the harpsichord and David Ramsey at the organ
(could the organ have been The Mighty Wurlitzer?).
The size of the choruses has varied greatly, from 39 to the
largest of 111. Participation in Messiah Chorus has always been open to
the community. Members of Calvary's choirs have been joined by choir members
from First Baptist Church, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, First
Congregational Church, and many other Memphis area churches. The orchestras,
according to records, have always been 18-20 members.
Contact Sumner Jenkins for more information about Messiah at Calvary.