Hello! I have but a small question here... I was wondering, if any of you out there know, whether or not a recording of Händel`s Messiah wherein cannons are fired exists? Or is it just ludicrous to postulate, that cannons were to be used in this? (I`ve read somewhere, that in the opera Rinaldo, cannons are used - is it a confusion by my part?)
I really hope, that someone out there could help me in this matter, as it is of relative high importance to me! (And yes, it`s because of a girl! )

Hmm... guess, I ain`t the most popular kid in the class?

I think u mean Music ` canon `...A canon in the musical sense means that when two similar or identical passage are performed as such that they will enter at different pt in time. So u get a multi layered effect. For example Pachebel`s Canon in D. The pc is actually derived from the same ground bass/ chord cycle, but in such a way that each voice/part comes in at a different time. Much like an `orchestral staggered entrance`...but the difference is that a canon will have the various voices running at the same time.

No - actually I mean a `cannon` (as in the quite loud sounding weapon). There is supposed to be a version, where cannons are fired either as a mean of pro- or epilogue. But that is just the info, that I have on the subject - hence my question as above But of course, I could be mistaken in the assumption, that cannons (again the weapon) ARE indeed used in some versions.

I have been looking into the same thing, all i could find was this but it might help:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/dumb/story/0,7369,391761,00.html

scroll down to the end of the second paragraph and it mentions real cannons being used in the Albert hall!

Well, it might not be suprising afterall. I was in London for the Strauss Concert some years back and they actually used real horses to trot along for some of his waltzes. I have seen cannons being fired b4 during a grand Music Fest in Saltzburg. I think they`re used as a form of salut? The music must be really grand and the occassion imp. if they used the cannon, I pressume. ???Suggestions pp?