Handel's Messiah is a musical favourite for many across the globe. Performed every year in many places, this classic music piece inspires hope and healing for all who hear it. However, few know the incredible story behind its composition and the struggle from which it came.

"People enjoy the presentation of the Messiah, but they don't know the backstory," says author Barrie Doyle. "They don't know the battle that Handel went through to get the first debut performance out."

Released this April, Doyle's most recent historical novel, Musick for the King, gives more of the story to the reader. "He went from being a celebrity to a broken, desperate man. He was broke, suffering illness and caught in a struggle between King George II and his son, Frederick the Prince of Wales."

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"Apparently, after he finished he was crying and shouting, 'Hallelujah!' His servant actually came down in the night thinking Handel was having a fit. There were tears streaming down his face and he said, 'I feel like I have seen God on His throne.' He had some kind of incredible encounter with God when he was writing the Messiah. From that point on he was a changed man."

Copies of Doyle's book can be found online at Amazon, Chapters and his website. And, once businesses reopen, wherever books are sold.