Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio
composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a
scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the
King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms
included with the Book of Common Prayer. It was first
performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its
London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially
modest public reception, the oratorio gained in
popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known
and most frequently performe...(+)
Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio
composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a
scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the
King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms
included with the Book of Common Prayer. It was first
performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its
London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially
modest public reception, the oratorio gained in
popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known
and most frequently performed choral works in Western
music.
Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived
since 1712, had been established through his
compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English
oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public
taste; Messiah was his sixth work in this genre.
Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is
not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of
characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's
text is an extended reflection on Jesus Christ as
Messiah. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by
Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the
shepherds, the only "scene" taken from the Gospels. In
Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion and ends
with the "Hallelujah" chorus. In Part III he covers the
resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in
heaven.
Handel wrote Messiah for modest vocal and instrumental
forces, with optional settings for many of the
individual numbers. In the years after his death, the
work was adapted for performance on a much larger
scale, with giant orchestras and choirs. In other
efforts to update it, its orchestration was revised and
amplified by (among others) Mozart. In the late 20th
and early 21st centuries the trend has been towards
reproducing a greater fidelity to Handel's original
intentions, although "big Messiah" productions continue
to be mounted. A near-complete version was issued on 78
rpm discs in 1928; since then the work has been
recorded many times.
From the gentle falling melody assigned to the opening
words ("Comfort ye") to the sheer ebullience of the
"Hallelujah" chorus and the ornate celebratory
counterpoint that supports the closing "Amen", hardly a
line of text goes by that Handel does not amplify".
The preachers are described tenderly in G minor and 3/4
time, as written first by Isaiah (Isaiah 52:7) and
quoted by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans
10:15: "How beautiful are the feet of Him". Two alto
voices begin and are joined by the choir, stressing
"good tidings", "break forth into joy" and culminating
on a cantus firmus of one repeated note: "Thy God
reigneth!" Block, quoting Genesis 18:2, reflects that
you see the feet of a messenger if you "fall prostrate
before a superior. In the Bible, when people are
confronted by a heavenly messenger (angel) the natural
response is to fall down on one’s face before the
messenger."
Although originally written for Vocal soloists (2
sopranos, alto, tenor, bass), Chorus, Orchestra and
Harpsichord, I created this arrangement for Flute &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).