#15 Handel's Messiah

She was the star of the first performance of Messiah in Dublin. In the years leading up to this Susannah Cibber had had a tough time.
It was nothing short of a sensation when the 17-year-old craftsman’s daughter, Susannah Cibber, quickly became one of the most fêted actresses and singers in London. She married actor and dramatist Theophilus Cibber, who soon turned out to be both malicious, violent, mendacious and manipulative. He frivolously spent his wife’s money. In return he gave her sexually transmitted diseases. When she tried to hide money from him, he knocked the door down to her dressing room at the theatre and stole all of her jewellery and dresses, which he then proceeded to sell. In 1738 things really spiralled out of control. Because if Theophilus could not have his wife’s money – then he could at least damage her good reputation with a sex scandal. So that’s what he did. And we will hear a lot more about that tomorrow!
Music: Dunedin Consort ‘Handel’s Original Dublin Version 1742’

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the fifteenth episode of Handel's Messiah, a
podcast at Van Calendar six. As the author Jonathan Barden

(00:24):
writes in his book about Handel's time in Dublin, seventeen
forty one and seventeen forty two were possibly the most
exciting music and theater seasons of the century in Dublin.
Besides Handel, some of the biggest stars from the London
theater scene were in Dublin, and more joined them once
rumors of Handel's great success reached them. In other words,

(00:49):
Dublin became synonymous with money in the bank and opportunities
for those wishing to boost their artistic career. For others,
a stay in Dublin was about escaping the gossip in
London and a courtious hope of getting the chance of
a fresh start. Susanna Siba arrived in Dublin before Handel.

(01:09):
For three years prior to this, London had reveled in
all the juicy details about a sex scandal involving Sir
Santa Siba, who was one of the most fated actresses
in London at the time. She was hoping that the
rumors about this scandal had not made their way to
Dublin so that she could rebuild her career without too

(01:30):
much attention. However, of course, all the details about the
sex scandal had crossed the Irish Sea quicker than Sir
Santa Siba, and there was much discussion as to whether
a fallen woman should be allowed to perform, particularly because
she had a husband who refused to let her perform
any more. As for him actually being a scoundrel who

(01:53):
had created all the problems for the poor Susanna Siba,
we will hear a lot more about later. Susanna was
the daughter of Thomas Aunt Senior, who was an upholsterer
and undertaker in financial difficulties. As a child, herself and
her brother Thomas Arnt received singing lessons. When she turned seventeen,

(02:15):
Thomas Senior thought it would be a good idea to
let his daughter start to act. The idea was good,
it solved his money problems, and his daughter was hugely
successful when she made her debut in Johann Lampus opera
Amelia in the New Haymarket Theatre in London. It was,
in all honesty a sensation that the young daughter of

(02:38):
a craftsman from Covent garden from one day to the
next was competing with Italian opera divas to win the
audience's favor. In seventeen thirty three, Thomas Aunt Junior's opera
Rosamund premiered, with his sister in the lead role. Handel
was so smitten by the young Susannah and her contralto,

(03:01):
which was soft and untrained, that he immediately hired her
to sing in his new oratorio Deborah. He also hired
another singer, Cecilia Young, who shortly after married Thomas aunt Junior.
As fate would have it, nine years later, both singers
and composers would take Dublin by storm. However, Susanna Siba

(03:26):
would have to go through an awful lot before that.
Theophilia Sibber, actor and dramatist, fell in love with the
young Susannah. She was not particularly interested in Siber, but
her father insisted that she should be grateful for his
advances and marry him. Theophilius was the son of the

(03:46):
very famous playwright and actor Calisibber, and as a piece
of a bonus info, I can tell you that Clizippa's
father's was actually from Denmark. Culisiba would have preferred for
his son to marry a wealthy heiress, but both Fowler
and son quickly realized that Santa Seba was a true
gold mine. The delightful girl with a deep, soft voice

(04:09):
quickly became one of the most popular actresses in London,
and her father in law started training her to play Shakespeare,
with a particular focus on tragic characters, for which she
showed a special talent. London was at Sir Santaziba's feet. Theophilius,

(05:07):
on the other hand, well soon he turned out to
be a violent, manipulative, wild and heartless man. Susanta Ziba
gave birth to two sons who died shortly after birth.
Rumor had it that the children died because of all
the sexually transmitted diseases that Theophilius had brought home. Theophilius

(05:29):
happily spent Susanna's money, and when she tried to hide
it from him, he knocked the door down to her
dressing room at the theater and stole all her jewelry
and dresses, which he then proceeded to sell. In seventeen
thirty eight, things really spiraled out of control because if
Theophilius could not have his wife's money, then he could

(05:51):
at least damage her good reputation with a sex scandal.
So that's what he did, and we will hear a
lot more about that tomorrow. Some team to Totten