The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Use The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer's death George Frideric Handel (at age 64 in 1749) produced works, including Messiah that dazzled even the musical titans who would succeed him. (AGE Fotostock) By Jonathan Kandell Smithsonian Magazine | Subscribe December 2009 George Frideric Handel's Messiah was originally an Easter offering. It burst onto the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The audience swelled to a record 700, as ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses "without Hoops" in order to make "Room for more company." Handel's superstar status was not the only draw; many also came to glimpse the contralto, Susannah Cibber, then embroiled in a scandalous divorce.

From This Story [×] CLOSE In 1823, Beethoven proclaimed Handel to be the "greatest composer that ever lived." (British Library / Bridgeman Art Library International) George Frideric Handel (at age 64 in 1749) produced works, including Messiah that dazzled even the musical titans who would succeed him. (AGE Fotostock) A 1742 printing of Handel's Messiah. (Bridgeman Art Library International) A child prodigy (young Handel in an 1893 painting), the composer later created new Italian operas, challenging rival Giovanni Bononcini, who wrote traditional Italian operas. (Bridgeman Art Library International) Handel—volatile and fond of French cuisine—loomed large on the London scene (Handel in 1704 dueling with a musician). (Bridgeman Art Library International) A caricature of Handel as a pig-snouted glutton who denied a guest food. (Bridgeman Art Library International) Handel worshiped at St. George's Hanover Square church.

(Peter Scholey / Alamy) Handel chose Musick Hall in Dublin as the venue for the triumphant première of Messiah on April 13, 1742 (the Hall's entrance arch is all that remains.) (deadlyphoto.com / Alamy) Messiah was met with immediate acclaim (an 1865 performance in London's Crystal Palace). To this day, insists conductor Laurence Cummings, "the feelings of joy you get from the Hallelujah choruses are second to none." (The Granger Collection, New York) Handel Slept Here The men and women in attendance sat mesmerized from the moment the tenor followed the mournful string overture with his piercing opening line: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." Soloists alternated with wave upon wave of chorus, until, near the midway point, Cibber intoned: "He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." So moved was the Rev. Patrick Delany that he leapt to his feet and cried out: "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!" Now, of course, Messiah is a fixture of the Christmas season.

Woe to the concert hall in the United States or Britain that fails to schedule the piece around the holiday, when, as well, CD sales and Web downloads of the oratorio soar. For many amateur choirs, the work is the heart of their repertoire and the high point of the year. In most of Handel's oratorios, the soloists dominate and the choir sings only brief choruses. But in Messiah, says Laurence Cummings, director of the London Handel Orchestra, "the chorus propels the work forward with great emotional impact and uplifting messages." This year, the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, has been a boon to the Baroque composer and his best-known work. The commemoration has centered in London, where Handel lived for 49 years, until his death in 1759 at age 74. The BBC has broadcast all of his operas, more than 40 in total, and every one of the composer's keyboard suites and cantatas was performed during the annual London Handel Festival, which included concerts at St.

George's Hanover Square church, where Handel worshiped, and at the Handel House Museum ("See Handel Slept Here,"), longtime residence of the man that Ludwig van Beethoven himself, citing Messiah, said was the "greatest composer that ever lived." He was born in Halle, Germany, into a religious, affluent household. His father, Georg Händel, a celebrated surgeon in northern Germany, wanted his son to study the law. But an acquaintance, the Duke of Weissenfels, heard the prodigy, then barely 11, playing the organ. The nobleman's recognition of the boy's genius likely influenced the doctor's decision to allow his son to become a musician. By 18, Handel had composed his first opera, Almira, initially performed in Hamburg in 1705. During the next five years, he was employed as a musician, composer and conductor at courts and churches in Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice, as well as in Germany, where the Elector of Hanover, the future King George I of England, was briefly his patron.

Handel's restless independence contrasted him with the other great composer of the age, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), whom he did not meet. "Bach never moved out of the cocoon of court patronage or church employment," says Harry Bicket, a conductor, harpsichordist and London-based director of The English Concert chamber orchestra. Handel, on the other hand, rarely attached himself to any benefactor for long, although he would compose court music when asked. He wrote The Water Music (1717), one of the few of his pieces other than Messiah recognizable to the average concertgoer, for George I, to be performed for the monarch as His Majesty's barge navigated through a London canal on a summer evening. "But [Handel] didn't hang around palace antechambers waiting for his lordship or royal highness," says Jonathan Keates, author of Handel: The Man and his Music. Such free-spirited musical entrepreneurship was more than possible in London, to which Handel moved permanently in 1710.

A commercial boom underpinned by overseas trade had created a thriving new merchant and professional class that broke the monopoly on cultural patronage by the nobility. Adding zest to the London music scene were rivalries that split the audience into two broad musical camps. On one side were defenders of the more conventional Italian opera style, who idolized the composer Giovanni Bononcini (1670-1747) and brought him to London. Enthusiasts of Handel's new Italian operas cast their lot with the German-born composer. The partisanship was captured in a 1725 verse by poet John Byrom: Some say compared to Bononcini, That Mynheer Handel's but a Ninny; Others aver, that he to Handel Is scarcely fit to hold a Candle Single Page Previous Page 1 of 3 Next 1 2 3 Like this article? Sacred Music Of The Season - tribunedigital-chicagotribune Sacred Music Of The Season Old And New Songs Tell The Message December 15, 1989|By June Sawyers.

Lost in the shuffle of department store Santas, crowded shopping malls and Muzak Christmas carols is the religious message of Christmas. Yet the mystery of the season has inspired generations upon generations of composers- from Bach to Britten-to reflect, ponder and, ultimately, create some of their greatest works. ``Almost all composers of religious music focus some of their most wonderful invention on the Christmas story,`` notes William Ferris, music director and composer-in-residence at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. ``If any season inspires real composers, I think it is Christmas.`` The best place to hear these works is in the intimate setting of a church. Here, the harmonies seem richer and the voices of the choirs fuller in tone. The sound of the organ is deep and intense. For centuries the principal music of the church was chant, or plainsong, which consisted of an unaccompanied single-line melody. ``It has a very antique and universal quality about it,`` says Ferris. ``Just a single line of beautiful pure melody sung. It was probably sung from generation to generation well before it was even written down. It`s unchanging.

It`s like looking at a great mountain range.`` During the Renaissance, the writing became more elaborate and harmonic. ``Polyphonic`` music, referring to the use of more than one melody sung or played at the same time, emerged. Because so many voices were sung in unison, polyphonic music tended to obscure the words, but it appealed to the layman and reached the world beyond the insular structure of the church. ``There can be some parallels drawn between Renaissance music and what`s being written today,`` notes Randall Swanson, artistic director of St. Clement`s Church. ``A lot of composers write in that style.`` Most church composers wrote Christmas music. ``You would be commissioned or asked to write by your patron something for the Christmas season,`` says John Nygro, director of the Harwood Early Music Ensemble. Many great composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), excelled in sacred music (though Bach was also known for his secular music). One of his most famous works had a Christmas theme.

``Christmas Oratorio,`` written in 1734 and still a popular choice of Chicago-area churches today, consisted of six cantatas (a musical composition for soloists and choir with instrumental accompaniment) intended to be performed on six days between Christmas Day and Epiphany on Jan. 6. Other important Christmas works are William Byrd`s (1543-1623) ``Ave Verum Corpus``; Giovanni Gabrieli`s (1557-1612) ``O Magnum Mysterium`` and ``Jubilate Deo``; Michael Praetorius` (1571-1621) ``Psallite Unigenito Christo`` and ``Ein Kind Geborn zu Bethlehem``; and Heinrich Schutz`s (1585-1672) ``Christmas Oratorio.`` Although not strictly a piece of Christmas music-only a portion of it is devoted to a Christmas theme-Handel`s ``Messiah`` is the most frequently performed work and, indeed, has become an integral part of the holiday season. It became associated with Christmas in 1791 when a London music group sponsored a Christmas performance.

The custom carried over across the Atlantic to New York in 1824. From the its very first performance in Dublin on April 13, 1742-it was written for the concert hall, not the church-it received instant acclaim. The first American performance reportedly took place in Boston in 1818, although portions of it had been performed in New York as early as 1770. Ferris calls it the centerpoint in the historical celebration of Christmas. ``Suddenly in this magnificent Baroque kind of tradition, he sets the most elaborate and beautiful choruses all depicting the meaning of the words, `For Unto Us a Child Is Born.` On the word `born` there are somewhere between 50 and 60 notes sung. Isn`t that incredible?`` he asks. Each December Chicagoans participate in the various ``do-it-yourself`` sing-along versions that have sprouted up over town. The annual ``Do-It-Yourself Messiah`` at Orchestra Hall attracts the most crowds-indeed, tickets for the free performances Sunday and Monday are already gone-but City Musick will be presenting its own critically acclaimed interpretation on Wednesday at St.

Thomas the Apostle Church, 5742 South Kimbark Ave., on Dec. 22 at Pick-Staiger Hall on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston and on Dec. 23 at the Blackstone Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Ave. Tickets are $15 to $28. Almost as frequently performed as ``Messiah`` is Gian Carlo Menotti`s contemporary Christmas opera, ``Amahl and the Night Visitors,`` commissioned by NBC television and originally broadcast on Dec. 25, 1951. Suggested by the Hieronymus Bosch painting of ``The Adoration of the Magi,`` it is the tale of a poor, crippled shepherd boy who meets the Three Wise Men on their journey to Bethlehem and, in an act of great generosity, offers his crutch as a gift to the Christ Child and is miraculously cured.

Handel’s Messiah premieres in Dublin - Apr 13, 1742 - HISTORY.com Handel’s Messiah premieres in Dublin Share this: Handel’s Messiah premieres in Dublin Author Handel’s Messiah premieres in Dublin URL Publisher A+E Networks Nowadays, the performance of George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah oratorio at Christmas time is a tradition almost as deeply entrenched as decorating trees and hanging stockings. In churches and concert halls around the world, the most famous piece of sacred music in the English language is performed both full and abridged, both with and without audience participation, but almost always and exclusively during the weeks leading up to the celebration of Christmas. It would surprise many, then, to learn that Messiah was not originally intended as a piece of Christmas music. Messiah received its world premiere on this day in 1742, during the Christian season of Lent, and in the decidedly secular context of a concert hall in Dublin, Ireland. The inspiration for Messiah came from a scholar and editor named Charles Jennens, a devout and evangelical Christian deeply concerned with the rising influence of deism and other strains of Enlightenment thought that he and others regarded as irreligious.

Drawing on source material in the King James Bible and The Book of Common Prayer, Jennens compiled and edited a concise distillation of Christian doctrine, from Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah’s coming through the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then to the promised Second Coming and Day of Judgment. Jennens took his libretto to his friend George Friedrich Handel and proposed that it form the basis of an oratorio expressly intended for performance in a secular setting during the week immediately preceding Easter. “Messiah would be directed at people who had come to a theater rather than a church during Passion Week,” according to the Cambridge Handel scholar Ruth Smith, “to remind them of their supposed faith and their possible fate.” This didactic mission may have inspired Jennens to write Messiah, but it is fair to say that George Friedrich Handel’s transcendent music is what made the work so timeless and inspirational. Messiah gained widespread popularity only during the final years of Handel’s life, in the late 1750s, but it remains one of the best-known musical works of the Baroque period more than two centuries later.

When you consider that Handel composed the score for Messiah in just 24 days, you begin to understand the incredible esteem in which some of his followers held him. As Ludwig van Beethoven said of Handel: “He is the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb.” Related Videos Houston Symphony - Holiday Concerts Holiday Concerts New Podcast: On the Music Holiday Concerts Experience something special this holiday season with the Houston Symphony! From Home Alone to Handel's Messiah, we have something for everyone this December. Make the Houston Symphony a part of your holiday tradition! The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Chorus Julia Hall, directors Pat Bonner, vocal music chair Give your holiday a little laughter with Home Alone, the beloved comedy favorite featuring renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who’s accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Home Alone is must-see hilarious holiday fun for the entire family!

December 11, 12, 13, 2015 Michael Krajewski, conductor Houston Symphony Chorus Betsy Cook Weber, director “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” at the Houston Symphony with Very Merry Pops, now in its 15th season! Bring your family and friends and rejoice in this Houston holiday tradition with Mike, the orchestra, the chorus—and some special guests who may drop by to join the festive fun. Enjoy favorites like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Joy to the World," as well as songs from Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, performed by award-winning vocalist Reginald Smith, Jr. Our celebration also features "Believe," the Grammy®-winning track from the motion picture score of The Polar Express. Messiah | Article about Messiah by The Free Dictionary Messiah | Article about Messiah by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Messiah (məsī`ə) or Messias (məsī`əs) [Heb.,=anointed], in Judaism, a man who would be sent by God to restore Israel and reign righteously for all humanity.

The idea developed among the Jews especially in their adversity, and such a conception is clearly indicated in Isaiah 9. Messianic expectations generally focused on a kingly figure of the house of David David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. ..... Click the link for more information. , who would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2). However, a second Messianic figure, the Messiah son of Joseph, was said to precede the Messiah son of David, preparing the way for him by combating the enemies of Israel and reuniting the twelve tribes for the return to Jerusalem where he would die in combat with the enemies of God before the final redemption under the Davidic Messiah. Jesus considered himself, and is considered by Christians, to be the promised Messiah to whom the whole Old Testament pointed; the name Christ is Greek for Messiah (Mat. 16.16).

The Christian ideal of the Messiah is fundamentally different from the early Jewish conception in the aspect of suffering; the common idea of Jesus' time was that the Messiah should reign in glory as an earthly king, a political figure sent by God, not a savior in the Christian sense. The expectation of the second coming of Jesus is similar to the Jewish belief in the Messianic advent. The idea of a messiah, a redeemer sent by God, is common among many different peoples throughout history and may reflect a universal psychological pattern. Ancient Middle Eastern texts foretell the coming of savior-kings. Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Confucians believe in the redemption of humanity, or the advent of a golden age, through the arrival of a Holy One. In Islam, the coming of the Mahdi Mahdi [Arab.,=he who is divinely guided], in Sunni Islam, the restorer of the faith. He will appear at the end of time to restore justice on earth and establish universal Islam. The Mahdi will be preceded by al-Dajjal, a Muslim antichrist, who will be slain by Jesus. ..... Click the link for more information. is closely related to the messiah concept.

Other peoples also believe in messiah figures; among the Native North Americans, Wovoka Wovoka , c.1858–1932, Paiute, prophet of a messianic religion sometimes called the Ghost Dance religion. Also known as Jack Wilson, he was influenced by his father (a mystic) as well as by the Christian family for whom he worked and the Shaker religion. ..... Click the link for more information. is the most famous. Bibliography See W. D. Wallis, Messiahs, Their Role in Civilization (1943); J. Klausner, The Messianic Idea in Israel (1955); A. H. Silver, A History of Messianic Speculation in Israel (1955); V. Lanternari, The Religions of the Oppressed: A Study of Modern Messianic Cults (1963); and G. Scholem, The Messianic Idea in Judaism (1971). Messiah (religion, spiritualism, and occult) Waiting for a Messiah is a universal religious activity found throughout history. Jews and Zoroastrians say he hasn't come yet.

Christians and Muslims say he came and no one paid any attention, so he'll be back. Some Native Americans believe a Messiah fashioned after Tecumseh will restore their lost fortunes. There are even those who believe a Messiah is Earth's only hope for survival and look for one to come from outer space. A Messiah is so much a part of so many religions, especially monotheistic ones, that you have to use the word very carefully because people just assume you're talking about theirs. Whether he's called "Desire of Nations" or "the Son of God," people who believe in a Messiah believe that the divine will enter into history—that the eternal will step into time. Messianic aspirations offer hope: that somehow the world will have a happy ending and be either built anew or restored to a former glory. In typically anthropocentric thought, the Messiah is always pictured as a human being, usually male, who will take charge and set things right. In essence, he is a benevolent monarch who represents God on Earth and is just like us, but without our shortcomings.

To a certain degree, whenever a presidential candidate offers himself as the one who has answers to a set of national problems, he is appealing to people's messianic yearnings. The word itself comes from a Hebrew word that means "anointed." The Greek equivalent is Christos, from which is derived the name "Christ." Messiah George Frideric Handel's (1685-1759) Messiah is perhaps the most popular piece of classical music associated with the Christmas season. Two common misconceptions have spread along with its fame. Although many call the work "The Messiah," Handel named his oratorio simply "Messiah." These days most performances of the piece take place around Christmas. Nevertheless, Handel never intended Messiah to be connected with the Christmas season. In fact, he wrote the oratorio in the late summer of 1741 and premiered it around Easter of the following year. Subsequent performances during Handel's lifetime also took place around Easter. Composition of Messiah Although he composed the music for Messiah, Handel did not select the biblical texts that make up the libretto. His friend Charles Jennens compiled a collection of biblical verses outlining the birth and death of Jesus and the redemption of humankind.

Jennens's compilation delighted and inspired Handel. He sat down to write the music for these texts on August 22, 1741. Composing with lightning speed, he completed the oratorio about three weeks later, on September 14. Some say that Handel once remarked about the work's creation, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself." The approximately two and one-half hours of music is divided into three parts, often referred to as the "Nativity," "Passion," and "Redemption" sections because of the themes developed in each. Handel scored Messiah as an oratorio. An oratorio is a long choral work made up of arias, duets, trios, and choruses. Oratorios attempt to tell a story, usually a religious one. The music must convey all, since no dialogue, scenery, or costumes are used. Some experts believe that oratorios evolved out of the medieval mystery plays (seealso Nativity Play). Indeed, early oratorios included dance and dramatic representations, as well as church hymns, and were usually performed in churches.

Handel's Messiah differed significantly from the first oratorios written in the early 1600s. Messiah consists of nothing other than music, beautiful and sometimes difficult music. Handel often employed opera singers to perform the challenging solo parts of his oratorios and staged the performances in theaters rather than churches. First Performance of Messiah Although the German-born Handel was living and working in London at the time he composed Messiah, the first public performance of the oratorio took place in Dublin, Ireland. Handel brought several principal singers over from England, including noted operatic soprano Signora Avoglio and singer-actress Mrs. Susannah Cibber, who sang the alto parts. He engaged Dublin musicians to present the other solo parts. The choir consisted of singers from both Dublin cathedrals, although the premiere performance took place in a music hall on Fishamble Street. The cantankerous dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, who was none other than Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), the author of Gulliver's Travels, at first refused to permit his choristers to participate in an event held in such a secular setting.

Luckily for the audience, and for the history of music, he eventually relented. In order to increase the number of people who would fit in the available seating, newspaper advertisements kindly requested that ladies who planned to attend refrain from wearing hoops under their skirts. Gentlemen were asked to leave their swords at home. Handel's Messiah premiered on April 13, 1742, and was warmly received. Mrs. Cibber's rendition of "He Was Despised" so moved one member of the audience, Dr. Patrick Delaney, a friend of Jonathan Swift's, that he cried out, "Woman, for this thy sins be forgiven thee!" Delaney may have had some very specific sins in mind since rumors concerning Susannah Cibber's amorous affairs had made her the talk of London. In the days that followed, several Dublin newspapers printed the following review: On Tuesday last Mr. Handel's Sacred Grand Oratorio, the Messiah, was performed in the New Musick Hall in Fishamble-street; the best Judges allowed it to be the most finished piece of Musick. Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience.

The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear. The review also praised Handel for donating the proceeds from this performance to three Dublin charities. Later Performances of Messiah Encouraged by Dublin's warm reception Handel returned home to London and arranged for performances to take place in that city. London rewarded his best efforts with rejection. Church officials objected to staging a work on a sacred theme in the profane space of a public theater. In spite of these objections, Covent Garden Theater hosted the first London performance of Messiah on March 23, 1743. The audience and the critics responded with indifference. In addition, Handel's friend Jennens, who had supplied the libretto for Messiah, faulted the composer in a letter to a friend. With blind conceit Jennens wrote, "His Messiah has disappointed me, being set in great hast, tho' he said he would be a year about it, & make it the best of all his Compositions.

I shall put no more Sacred Works into his hands thus to be abused" (Jacobi, 1982, 41-42). Apparently, King George II attended one of the early performances of Messiah. Some writers believe this occasion gave birth to the tradition whereby the audience stands during the "Hallelujah" chorus. (Others believe that King George III started this tradition). In any case, one of these kings rose from his seat at this point in the piece. Whether he was reacting to the exuberance of the music or simply attempting to stretch his legs cannot now be determined. In those days etiquette demanded that no one remain seated when the king stood up. As a result, the entire audience rose to its feet, creating a tradition still observed today. During the decade of the 1740s Handel aired Messiah only a few more times. The work teetered on the edge of obscurity until 1750 when Handel began to perform it in a series of annual concerts to benefit charity. Over the next nine years the work achieved widespread popularity.

Handel's Death On April 6, 1759, two days before Palm Sunday, Handel conducted what was to be the last performance of his life, a presentation of Messiah at Covent Garden. He collapsed upon leaving the theater and had to be carried home. In the days that followed, Handel passed in and out of consciousness. The elderly composer recognized the seriousness of his condition. In one of his clear moments he expressed his wish to die on Good Friday, as did Jesus, "in the hope of rejoining the good God, my sweet Lord and Savior, on the day of his Resurrection." On Good Friday, April 13, 1759, seventeen years to the day from the premiere performance of Messiah in Dublin, Handel lay dying at his home in London. He passed away quietly sometime between that evening and the following morning. A few days before his death Handel requested that he be buried in Westminster Abbey and set aside money to pay for his funeral monument. The artist who created the monument depicted the composer at work on one of the arias from Messiah.

Visitors to Westminster Abbey may note that the monument dedicated to the composer's memory misspells the word "messiah." Handel's Personality and Legacy Although later generations attributed a kind of milktoast piety to the famed composer of Messiah, Handel's friends and contemporaries described him as a somewhat gruff yet amiable man. He rejoiced in the consumption of large quantities of food and drink, earning himself a reputation for gluttony. Stubborn, arrogant, and irritable when it came to the correct interpretation of music, he acquainted many musicians with the rough edge of his tongue. He could, and often did, swear fluently in four languages. On the other hand, Handel possessed an excellent sense of humor combined with a flair for telling funny stories. He won a reputation for honesty in financial dealings, so much so that musicians accepted his occasional IOUs without a qualm. Finally, friends, family, musicians in his employ, and charities all benefited from his generosity. Although Messiah stands as perhaps the composer's best-known work, Handel himself did not count it as his greatest achievement.

He judged the chorus "He Saw the Lovely Youth" from his oratorio Theodora to be far superior to the "Hallelujah" chorus from Messiah. Neither proud nor self-effacing, Handel evaluated his own accomplishments fairly and was capable on occasion of belittling some of his less-distinguished pieces of music. Later composers paid tribute to his brilliance. Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) once exclaimed "He was the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb." Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), after hearing Messiah for the first time, reportedly exclaimed of Handel, "He was the master of us all." Further Reading Barber, David W. Getting a Handel on Messiah. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Sound and Vision, 1994. Buxton, David, and Sue Lyon, eds. Baroque Festival. Volume 4 of The GreatComposers, Their Lives and Times. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1987. Dean, Winton, and Anthony Hicks. The New Grove Handel. New York: W. W.

Norton, 1983. ---. "Handel, George Frideric." In Stanley Steele, ed. The New GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians. Volume 8. London, England: Macmillan, 1980. Del Re, Gerard, and Patricia Del Re. The Christmas Almanack. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1979. Jacobi, Peter. The Messiah Book. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982. Weinstock, Herbert. Handel. Second edition, revised. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. Messiah Christ (from ancient Hebrew mashiah, literally “the anointed one”; in Greek translation, Christos), in a number of religions (above all, Judaism and Christianity) a “savior” sent down by god who is supposed to establish his eternal kingdom. Concepts of the magic power of anointment with sanctified oil have existed throughout the Middle East since antiquity; anointment was a part of the ritual of the enthronement of a king.

In the most ancient books of the Old Testament, the word “messiah” means “king,” or, figuratively, the ideal lord as well as high priest. In the period called the Babylonian captivity (586–538 B.C.; according to most recent data, 587–538 B.C.), the idea of a future king from the family of David arose, inspired by the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah. It is also possible that this idea evolved under the influence of Zoroastrianism, in which there was an image of a future “savior,” the saoshyant, a descendant of Zarathustra. The concrete identity of the messiah was unclear to the believers; he has been conceived at times as a divine being existing before the beginning of time and identified with the archangel Michael, at other times as the “son of man” who is a human teacher or reformer, and at still other times as a priest who is descended from the mythical priest Melchizedek. Belief in a messiah occupied an important place in the ideology of the Judean sect of the Essene Qumranites.

The founder of the sect, called the Teacher of Righteousness, was evidently understood to be the messiah. In the popular movements against Roman oppression (the Judean Wars of 66–73 and 132–135), the leaders of the revolts (John of Giscala, Simeon Bar Giora, and Bar Kochba) proclaimed themselves messiahs. After the defeat of the Bar Kochba rebellion, belief in the awaited messiah lost its previous importance; however, in subsequent periods of hardship for the popular masses (in the Middle Ages, for example), the leaders of popular movements again represented themselves as messiahs. In contemporary Judaism, belief in a single messiah is without essential significance. From the very beginning, Christians proclaimed the founder of their religion to be the messiah (the Christ). Jesus was regarded as a descendant of King David, and Jewish messianic terminology was applied to him (“king of the Jews”; Greek kyrios, meaning “lord”; “the son of man”).

However, in Christianity the concept of the “messiah” was transferred out of the political and social sphere into the religious and ethical; Christ the messiah is regarded as a savior from original sin and from “the kingdom of Satan” and not as a deliverer from economic and political hardship. Moreover, although Christ the messiah is declared to have already come and offered his life as an atonement for the sins of humanity, Christians at the same time believe in his “second coming” to establish the eternal “kingdom of god” over the whole earth. “Salvation” came more and more clearly to be understood eschatologically—that is, as something that was to occur not in historical time but “at the end of time.” The concepts of “messiah” and “messianism” are also applied figuratively to awaited future saviors in other religions (particularly Islam, where messianism has a direct Judeo-Christian origin). In Muslim countries messianism has spread in the form of the doctrine of the Mahdi. For example, Muhammad Ahmad, leader of a late 19th-century insurrection in the Sudan against foreign colonizers, proclaimed himself Mahdi (the Mahdi of Sudan).

Messianism in all its forms, while objectively the result of the difficult conditions of the people, encouraged hope only in a divine redeemer and frequently served as a means of distracting the popular masses from actively struggling for their own interests. A. P. K By the Numbers: Top Repertoire of the Orchestra Season By the Numbers: Top Repertoire of the Orchestra Season Stories By the Numbers: Top Repertoire of the Orchestra Season More Stories robannon@bsomusic.org Orchestra programming decisions aim to balance artistic merit and importance with the financial reality of what the ticket-buying public wants to hear. The repertoire in the classical canon that most frequently make it on a concert calendar tend to be the works that best satisfy both of those factors. Using data from 22 American symphony orchestras ’ concert calendars this season, below are the top 10 most performed works of 2014-2015. Bolstered by annual performances near Christmas, George Frederic Handel’s Messiah was featured in the 38 concerts by a total of 13 of the 22 orchestras sampled.

Close behind, Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition will be performed 37 times during the concert season by 12 different orchestras. Beethoven claimed three of the top 10 most performed works. Symphony No. 5 was third overall with 35 performances by 12 orchestras while his Symphony No. 7 and Violin Concerto in D Major accounted for the sixth and seventh spots, respectively. School and family concerts were not included in that calculation, but many of the most often works performed also are played in full or excerpted in family concerts. Mussorgsky’s Pictures will feature in an additional nine such concerts. In large thanks to its use in Disney’s Fantasia, Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite will be performed another 15 times in pops or family concerts, including performances by two orchestras that didn’t program the work during their classical season. While the exact number is up for some scholarly debate — Beethoven’s Violin Concerto from 1806 is arguably more representative of the Classical period — the majority of the works featuring in the top repertoire are from the Romantic era.

More from Orchestra Season by the Numbers series: Hallelujah Chorus Hallelujah Chorus George Frederick Handel , The Messiah, 1741 Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever and He shall reign for ever and ever and He shall reign for ever and ever and He shall reign for ever and ever King of Kings, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! and Lord of Lords, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! King of Kings, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! and Lord of Lords, for ever and ever.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! King of Kings, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! and Lord of Lords, for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and He shall reign for ever and ever and He shall reign for ever and ever King of Kings for ever and ever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And He shall reign for ever and ever, for ever and ever, and He shall reign for ever and ever, King of Kings, Larry Marietta's Music Notes , Sunday Morning Services at FCCB (First Congregational Church of Berkeley), December 7, 1997 George Frideric Handel's (1685-1759) beloved Messiah, was, for him, a major departure from his oratorio format: that being basically an opera in a non-staged version. Rather than having an ongoing plot from a freely-composed libretto, Messiah is solely selected biblical texts, divided into three sections that tell the story of Christ from the Old Testament prophecies to the New Testament accounts of his death, resurrection and ascension.

This morning's excerpts are from Part I: Isaiah's prophesying of a Messiah, and Luke's telling of the angels appearing to the shepherds. It is interesting to note that the "Pastorale Symphony" is used by Handel as a musical means of showing the passing of time from the Old to the New Testament. George Frederic Handel's Messiah: Christmas 98 When one thinks of Messiah, and one does think of it a great deal at this time of the year, adjectives such as splendid, magnificent, powerful spring to mind. Perhaps the best known of the many oratorios written by the prolific Mr. Handel (1685-1759), Messiah has become synonymous with the Christmas holiday season. This perennial musical favorite has found a permanent place in the hearts and minds of people of different faiths, and even those with no faith at all. Composed in the year 1741, Messiah enjoyed only moderate success while Handel lived, but by the time of his death, it had become the most frequently performed of all his oratorios, a position it has never relinquished. Interestingly enough, it was performed regularly at Easter, but not at Christmas during Handel's time.

Now, just the opposite is true; there are more performances of Messiah during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year. Much of the universal appeal of the piece (aside from absolutely sublime music) is due to the strength of its libretto, which, taken from biblical texts, focuses on the entire human condition--hope and fulfillment, suffering and death, resurrection and redemption. Messiah has been revised and reorchestrated often throughout its long history. It was once fashionable to perform it with mammoth choirs accompanied by equally gargantuan orchestras. Today, however the emphasis is on giving more "authentic" performances employing period-instrument orchestras and small, pared-down all-male choral forces. So whatever one's musical tastes, there's sure to be a Messiah performance to please and delight. Messiah Born in Halle, Germany, February 23, 1685 Died in London, April 14, 1759 In the words of Dr.

Charles Burney, 18th century music historian, Messiah has fed the naked, fostered the orphan, and enriched succeeding managers of Oratories more than any single musical production in this or any other country." For more than 250 years, this great and most popular of oratorios has survived and endured numerous revisions and reorchestrations in performances ranging from "cast of thousands" to today's emphasis on "authentic" performance practice employing period instruments and small all-male choral ensembles. Handel, at the low ebb of his career and, as a consequence of a stroke, suffering partial paralysis on his left side, composed Messiah in the incredibly short period of time of 21 days. The composer had been invited to give a series of concerts in Dublin, some of which would benefit various charities. The premiere was met with considerable success and served to boost Handel's spirit for a return to London. While it is true that George II stood during the singing of the mighty "Hallelujah" Chorus at the second London performance, Messiah did not enjoy the popularity of many of Handel's other oratorios during the composer's lifetime.

In fact, it was only through Handel's annual Eastertide performances to benefit his favorite charity, the Foundling Hospital, that Messiah was heard at all! Robert Manson Myers wrote that, in the case of Messiah, "for the first time in musical history the mighty drama of human redemption was treated as an epic poem." Music historian R.A. Streatfield cited Messiah as "the first instance in the history of music of an attempt to view the mighty drama of human redemption from an artistic viewpoint." While narrative only in a general sense, the libretto prepared for Handel by Charles Jennens and taken from both the Old and New Testaments considers the whole human experience - hope and fulfillment, suffering and death, resurrection and redemption. What Handel achieved in Messiah was a wonderful blend of elegant, Italianate melody alternating with virtuosic vocalism for the soloists and, for the chorus, unmatched choral sonorities ranging from madrigalesque lightness to the composer's characteristic ceremonial style which endeared him to the British public. Across the span of 250 years, Messiah still holds its extraordinary grip on musician and audience member alike. It reaches us with its directness of expression and its infinite capacity for self-renewal.

We become aware that it bestows on us the special gift of aesthetic and spiritual grace. If you would like to help support Hymns and Carols of Christmas, please click on the button below and make a donation. Related Hymns and Carols Handel's 'Messiah' Translated into Hebrew - Inside Israel - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com Handel's 'Messiah' Translated into Hebrew Ad Feedback JERUSALEM, Israel -- One of the most popular pieces of classical music during the Christmas season is German-British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel's Messiah. In Israel, they have been hearing a different version of the composition this year. It has been translated and performed in the language of the Bible -- Hebrew. Handel's Messiah debuted in 1742 in English. Taken entirely from the Bible, the classic piece of music tells of God's salvation. "When you know the meaning of the words in another language it's not the same as when hearing in your own language," said music conductor Monika Vasques.

"It touch much more the heart." Translating the Messiah was the idea of Irene Levy, 91, who carried the vision for 30 years. "I heard a choir here singing once from Norway, all the time they were singing it I was hearing it in Hebrew," Levy said. "And now tonight I'm crying, it was done." Soloist and head of the Liturgi-kal choir David Loden said this version is more faithful to the Hebrew scriptures than the original. "So we have made a choice to try and maintain as much possible the original Hebrew renditions of those particular scriptures," Loden said. Many Israeli and Jewish music-lovers enjoy traditional Christian music, but this is one of the first times they can hear it in their native tongue. "We hear the responses after the performances in Hebrew and they are amazing to hear that how much really for the first time understand what is the spirit and the message of what Handel and the Bible is saying," Loden added. "Like Handel I want to say, as he finished his manuscript and wrote on it, 'Sola Dei Gloria,' which means 'I want to say all glory be to the Lord,'" he explained.

**Originally aired December 23, 2010.

Question: What composer's "Messiah" is frequently performed during the Christmas season?
Answer: George Frideric Handel