September 14, 1741 - George Frederick Handel Completes “The Messiah”

On September 14, 1741, George Frederick Handel completed his best-known work “The Messiah” in only twenty-four days. Having already suffered a stroke when he began, he credited coffee as his aid for creating an almost error-free manuscript containing 259 pages of music. This is why it is often known as “The Hallelujah Chorus.”