People who need music ... are the luckiest people in the world. From the earliest of times, people have had a need to make music for dance; music to stimulate warriors; music that seeks attention from a deity for rain, crops, relief from pain and more. All the emotions, love, hope, dreams, hate, fear and fantasy are found in music. People have needed music from ancient days to the present, from the four corners of the world to Warren. Forms of music have changed as cultures have changed and as instruments have become more complex. Some forms have persisted longer than others because of the genius of the composer and because of its lasting appeal to audiences. One such genius was George Frederic Handel, born in Halle, Saxony (now Germany) in 1685 and died in London in 1759. This year is the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. An example of the lasting appeal of his work is the “Messiah” — a Baroque oratorio (play with song and music but no actors).