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...(+)
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".
"O death, where is thy sting?" is sung as a duet in E
flat major of alto and tenor on a walking bass of the
continuo, without strings.
The movement is based on the duet for soprano and alto
"Se tu non lasci amore" (HWV 193, 1722). Such a
movement would remind the London listeners of love
duets concluding operas, such as the final scene of
"Giulio Cesare." The chorus answers in the same key and
tempo "But thanks be to God".
Although originally written for Vocal soloists (2
sopranos, alto, tenor, bass), Chorus, Orchestra and
Harpsichord, I created this arrangement for Winds
(Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, French Horn & Bassoon) &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
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