Messiah is an oratorio* by George Frideric Handel in the summer of 1741 and premiered in Dublin on the 13 April 1742 and is based on
​a libretto/text/words by Pastor Charles Jennens.

Messiah is Handel's most famous creation and is possibly 'thee' most popular work in Western choral literature.

*Oratorio - A musical composition for voices and orchestra, telling a sacred story without costumes, scenery, or dramatic action.

• Judas MacCabaeus - Handel
• The Creation - Joseph Haydn
• Elijah -  Felix Mendelssohn
• Protestant composers took their material from the Bible while Catholic composers wrote about the lives of their saints.
• Note: No "The" in the title
  • Although Handel called his oratorio simply Messiah (without the "The"), the work is also widely, though incorrectly, referred to as The Messiah.

Testimony of Jesus Christ

• The name of the oratorio is taken from Judaism and Christianity's concept of the Messiah ("the anointed one").
  • In Christianity, of course, the Messiah is Jesus.
  • In Judaism, they believe that their 'anointed one' has not come yet.
• The work is a presentation of Jesus' life and its significance according to Christian doctrine.
  • The work is divided into three parts which address specific events in the life of Christ.
    • Part One is primarily concerned with the Advent and 'Christmas' stories - the prophecy, the birth and life.
    • Part Two chronicles Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and the evangelization to the world of the Christian message.
      • However, not with the way of the Risen Lord through Paul's teachings!
    • Part Three is based primarily upon the events chronicled in The Revelation.

Mostly Sung During Christmas

• Although the work was conceived and first performed for secular theater during Lent it has become common practice since Handel's death to perform Messiah during Advent, the preparatory period of the 'Christmas' season, rather than in Lent or at Easter.
• Messiah is now often performed in churches as well as in concert halls.
• Christmas concerts often feature only the first section of Messiah plus the "Hallelujah" chorus, although some ensembles feature the entire work as a 'Christmas' concert.
• The work is also often heard at Easter, and selections containing resurrection themes are often included in Easter services.
• The third part is most often ignored - totally!
• For those who understand dispensations correctly - by following the dispensation of the grace of God through the apostle Paul, they will see the 'rapture' - the 'cutting away of the Gentile nation' just before the Tribulation in Part III.  This is most definitely never mentioned in any performance or study of Handel's Messiah.

Composition and premiere

• 24 days
  • In the summer of 1741 Handel, at the peak of his musical prowess but depressed and in debt, began setting Charles Jennens' Biblical libretto to music. In just 24 days, Messiah was complete.
• Premiere
  • It was premiered during the following season, in the spring of 1742, as part of a series of charity concerts in Neal's Music Hall on Fishamble Street near Dublin's Temple Bar district.
  • Right up to the day of the premiere, Messiah was troubled by production difficulties and last-minute rearrangements of the score, and the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Jonathan Swift, placed some pressure on the premiere and had it canceled entirely for a period.
    • He demanded that it be retitled A Sacred Oratorio and that revenue from the concert be promised to local hospitals for the mentally ill.

Music often simplified to be playable for others

• Handel conducted Messiah many times and, as was his custom, often altered the music to suit the needs of the singers and orchestra he had available to him for each performance.
• In consequence, no single version can be regarded as the "authentic" one.

Texts and structure

• The libretto was compiled by Charles Jennens and consists of fragments of verses from KJB..
• Almost word for word to a King James Bible 
• Words of Christ in the KJB when Christ is speaking of himself are changed to he, him, etc. 
• It is in a third person narration 
• There are a few paraphrased words & verses, ie. Allelujah changed to Hallelujah 

Part I: The Birth
        Scene 1: The prophecy of Salvation 
        Scene 2: The prophecy of the coming of the Messiah 
        Scene 3: The importance to the world at large 
        Scene 4: Prophecy of the Virgin Birth 
        Scene 5: The appearance of the Angel to the shepherds 
        Scene 6: Christ's miracles
Part II: The Crucifixion
        Scene 1: The sacrifice, the scourging and agony on the cross 
        Scene 2: His death, His passing through Hell, and His resurrection 
        Scene 3: His Ascension 
        Scene 4: God discloses His identity in Heaven 
        Scene 5: The beginning of evangelism 
        Scene 6: The world and its rulers reject the Gospel 
        Scene 7: God's triumph
Part III: The Aftermath
        Scene 1: The promise of redemption from Adam's fall 
        Scene 2: Judgment Day 
        Scene 3: The victory over death and sin 
        Scene 4: The glorification of Christ


Scriptural Texts

• Much of the libretto (words) comes from the Old Testament.
  • The first section draws heavily from the book of Isaiah, which prophesies the coming of the Messiah.
• There are few quotations from the Gospels; these are at the end of the first and the beginning of the second sections.
  • They comprise the Angel going to the shepherds in Luke, two quotations from Matthew, and one from John: "Behold the Lamb of God".
• The rest of the second section is composed of prophecies from Isaiah and quotations from the evangelists.
• The third section includes one quotation from Job ("I know that my Redeemer liveth"), the rest primarily from First Corinthians.

• Note: the use of choruses from the New Testament's Revelation.
  • The well-known "Hallelujah" chorus at the end of Part II and the finale chorus "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" are both taken from Revelation.

• Almost word for word to a King James Bible
  • Words of Christ in the KJB when Christ is speaking of himself are changed to he, him, etc.
    • It is in a third person narration
  • A few paraphrased verses such as Allelujah being changed to Hallelujah

For the Musicians
Messiah is scored for SATB soloists, SATB chorus, 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings, and basso continuo. The Mozart arrangement expands the orchestra to 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings, and organ. In 1959, Sir Thomas Beecham conducted a larger arrangement by Eugene Goossens for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra which expands the instrumentation to 3 flutes (one doubling on piccolo), 4 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings; this edition is most often heard today in recordings.
Aria - a solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment. 
Recitative - a narrative passage in an oratorio, reflecting the natural rhythms of speech. 
Melisma - an expressive vocal phrase or passage consisting of several notes sung to one syllable
Text-painting

• Handel is famous for employing text painting -- the musical technique of having the melody mimic its lyrics -- in many of his works.
• On the lyric "...and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain", Handel composes it thus:
  • The notes climb to the high F# on the first syllable of mountain to drop an octave on the second syllable.
• The four notes on the word hill form a small hill, and the word low descends to the lowest note of the phrase.
• On crooked, the melody twice alternates between C# and B to rest on the B for two beats through the word straight.
• The word plain is written, for the most part, on the high E for three measures, with some minor deviation.
• He applies the same strategy throughout the repetition of the final phrase: the crooked being crooked and plain descending on three lengthy planes.
• He uses this technique frequently throughout the rest of the aria, specifically on the word exalted, which contains several sixteenth note (semiquaver) melismas and two leaps to a high E:

Suffix

• As was common in English-language poetry at the time, the suffix -ed of the past tense and past participle of weak verbs was often pronounced as a separate syllable as in this passage from "And the Glory of the Lord:"
• The word revealed would thus be pronounced in three syllables: [re-veel-ed].
• When we sing, "I Know Whom I Have Believed" - we sing 'be-leev-ed.'
  • in fact, now when we say the word, many of us often say it in the same manner, 'be-leev-ed.'

Self-plagiarzing

• It should, however, be noted that though Messiah is often pointed at as being rife with examples of text painting, Handel was particularly fond of plagiarizing himself and some of the arias and choruses in Messiah are taken directly from material he originally penned in other works.

Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah
The most famous movement is the "Hallelujah" chorus, which concludes the second of the three parts.

• No 'The' in this title.
  • Because this piece is so often heard separately from the rest of Messiah, it has become popularly known as "The Hallelujah Chorus", which, like "The Messiah", is not entirely correct usage.
  • "'Hallelujah chorus from Messiah" is more appropriate.
• The text is drawn from three passages in the New Testament book of Revelation:
  • Revelation 19:6 - And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
  • Revelation 11:15 - And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
  • Revelation 19:16 - And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

​Tradition of Standing During the Hallelujah Chorus

• In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the performance.
• Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point.
• As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose.
• Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence.
• Thus, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries.
• Humble King
  • As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect.
  • The Hallelujah chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings.
  • In standing, King George II accepts that he too is subject to Lord of Lords.
• However, none of the 'standing' tradition has ever been documented.