440 HANEBERG HANGO have followed them in the musical profession. Beethoven did not hesitate to call him the greatest composer that ever lived. Handel possessed an inexhaustible fund of melody, of the richest and noblest character; an almost unparalleled power of musical expression ; an unlimited command of all the resources of con- trapuntal and fugal science ; a power of wield- ing huge masses of tone with the most perfect ease and felicity. But perhaps his leading characteristic was the grandeur, majesty, and sublimity of his conceptions. He carried the old forms of opera to their highest perfection ; infused a new life and power into English ec- clesiastical music; was as an instrumental composer equalled by none but Bach, and in one direction surpassed all others who have written. We refer to the dramatic oratorio, of which, if not the creator, he was the perfecter, and reached a height in the " Messiah," " Is- rael in Egypt," "Samson," and "Judas Mac- cabfflus," whereon he stands alone. The prob- lem he undertook to solve was that of giving such dramatic force and expression to the music in which he clothed his sacred texts, as to be able to dispense with all scenic and stage effects, and this he did with marvellous success. Making all due allowance for the thinness of his scores in comparison with those written for the modern orchestra, and for his occasional adaptations from other works, still the rapidity with which he produced his greatest composi- tions has hardly a parallel in musical history : " Atalanta " in 19 days ; " Rinaldo " in a fort- night; "Alexander's Feast" in 17 days; con- certante for nine instruments in one day ; the "Messiah "in 23 days; and "Samson," begun only eleven days afterward, in 35. Victor Schoelcher's elaborate biography of Handel ap- peared in London in 1857, and one 'by Chry- sander at Leipsic (3 vols., 1858-'67). Mrs. Bray's "Handel, his Life, Personal and Profes- sional," was published in London shortly after the great Handel festival at the crystal palace in June, 1857. The centennial anniversary of his death was celebrated in London on a gigan- tic scale in 1859. Many editions of his works, more or less complete, have been published; all others have been superseded by that of the German Handel society (25 vols., 1858-'66 et seq.}. See also Handel und Shakespeare (Leip- sic, 1868), and Handel' ' Oratorientexte (1873), both by Gervinus. HANEBEKG, Daniel, a German theologian, born at Tanne, June 17, 1816. He was con- secrated a priest in 1839, and became a pro- fessor in the university of Munich. He was a successful instructor in the Old Testament, and a favorite preacher. In 1850 ho entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Bonifacius at Mu- nich, of which in 1854 he was chosen abbot. Among his writings are : Ueber die arabische Psalmenubersetzung des Saadia (1840); Die rell<jinf,n AUerthiimer (1842; 2d ed., 1866); Ueber Schulwesen tier MoJiammedaner (1 850) ; Geschichte der biblischen Offeribarung (1850; 3d ed., 1864); Erorterungen uber Pseudo- WaTcidi's Geschichte der Eroberung von Syrien (1860); Ueber die Theologie des Aristotele (1863) ; and a criticism upon Kenan's Vie de Jesus, entitled Kenan's Leben Jesu (1864). HANGCHOW, or Hangchow-foo, a city of China, capital of the province of Chekiang, 2 m. from the Tsientang and about 40 in. from its mouth, 110 m. S. W. of Shanghai. It is situated on a plain at the S. terminus of the imperial canal, giving it water communication with Peking and a large internal trade, while the river, 4 m. broad opposite the city, affords communi- cation with the southern parts of the empire. Until recently it was one of the largest and richest cities of China, with an estimated popu- lation of 700,000, of whom more than 60,000 were employed in silk manufactures. Till 1861 it was the great resort for literary and reli- gious men, and colleges and temples were nu- merous. But a small portion of the people, including a garrison of 7,000 troops, reside within the walls, the rest living in the sub- urbs, which are extensive and beautiful, and in boats, with which the adjacent waters are thronged. The streets, though narrow, are well paved and clean ; arches and public monu- ments abound, and the shops once vied with those of European capitals in the display of gold and silver ornaments, and silks and em- broideries, for which the city was particularly famous ; while the residence of the court and the immense trade passing through it increased its wealth and importance. During the latter part of the Sung dynasty (960-1279) it was the metropolis of the country. Marco Polo describes it at the end of the 13th century as "preeminent above all cities in the world in point of grandeur and beauty." Until it was captured by the rebels, Dec. 28, 1861, it was the residence of the governor and general of Chekiang and Fokien, and of the governor of the province. The rebels held it three years, during which they plundered and impoverished the place and drove out a great number of the inhabitants. The imperialists recovered it, March 31, 1864, and since then many of the inhabitants have returned, and the city is re- covering something of its former prosperity. HANG-NEST. See BALTIMORE BIRD. HANGO, or Hango-Udd, a seaport of Russia, on the coast of Finland, about half way between Helsingfors and Abo, on a tongue of land the extremity of which forms Hango Head or Cape Hango. The population is small, but the place derives importance from its harbor being free from ice excepting during about one month of the year, owing to the warm currents from the gulf of Bothnia. It has been declared a free port, and a railway connecting it with St. Petersburg was opened Oct. 8, 1873. The mole is built of granite, and runs out into the harbor for 150 yards, with a depth of 40 ft. on both sides. Owing to the natural advantages of the rail- way and to the cheapness of labor, it carries freight at a lower rate than the shorter routes
