Page:Rolland - A musical tour through the land of the past.djvu/74

62 extended merely to this or that individual whom he had personally known, such as the widow of his old master, Lachow; it was lavished continually and abundantly in the interest of all charitable undertakings, more especially in that of two such organisations which made especial appeal to him: the Society of Musicians and the Foundling Hospital.

The Society of Musicians was founded in 1738 by a group of the principal artists in London,—artists of all descriptions, for the assistance of indigent musicians and their families. An aged musician received a weekly allowance of ten shillings; a musician's widow, seven shillings. The Society also undertook to give them decent burial. Händel, embarrassed though he was, showed himself more generous than his colleagues. On the 20th March, 1739, he produced, for the benefit of the Society, defraying all expenses, his Alexander's Feast, with a new organ concerto especially written for the occasion. On the 28th March, 1740, in the midst of his worst difficulties, he produced Acis and Galatea and the little Ode to St. Cecilia. On the 18th March, 1741, he gave a gala performance—for him a most onerous task—of Parnasso in Festa, with scenery and costumes, and five concerti soli executed by the most famous instrumentalists. He left the Society the largest legacy which it received—one of a thousand pounds.

As for the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1739 by an old sailor, Thomas Coram, "for the relief and education of deserted children," "one may say," writes Mainwaring, "that it owed its establishment and its prosperity to Händel." In 1749, Händel wrote for it his beautiful Anthem for the