There are thousands of Hallelujah arias and choruses, but the most famous of all is the triumphant incantation, the Hallelujah Chorus, at the end of the second part of GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDELS MESSIAH.

When Handel brought out Messiah at its first London performance, King George II rose to his feet (for reasons unknown) at the moment the chorus began, at which point the rest of the audience rose to its feet as was required. Thus was established a tradition of standing up for the chorus, observed in Great Britain and elsewhere to this day.