Messiah (Handel)

Messiah (HWV 56) is a famous piece of music created in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. It is called an oratorio, which is like a big musical story told without acting. Handel wrote it in English, using words from old Bible books called the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter.

The music was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742, and later in London. Even though it didn’t become very popular at first, Messiah grew to be one of the most loved and performed choral works in Western music.

Handel was well-known for his Italian operas, but he started writing oratorios because people’s tastes were changing. Messiah is different from operas because there is no acting or speaking; it shares thoughts about Jesus as the Messiah. The music begins with old prophecies and includes moments from the story of Jesus, ending with a famous part called the “Hallelujah” chorus. It also talks about teachings about rising from death and Jesus’s place in heaven.

Handel wrote Messiah for a small group of singers and instruments, but over time, people have performed it with very large groups. Today, performers try to be closer to Handel’s original style, though big performances still happen. The original music manuscript is kept safe in the British Library.

Background

George Frideric Handel, born in Halle in Brandenburg-Prussia in 1685, moved to London in 1712 and became a British citizen in 1727. By 1741, Handel was very famous in British music. He had many honors, such as a pension from King George II and a special job as Composer of Musick for the Chapel Royal.

In the early 1730s, people started liking English-language plays more than Italian operas. Handel's operas were getting harder to afford because fewer people were watching them. Even though Italian operas were becoming less popular, Handel kept writing them. To try something new, he also started writing English-language oratorios. In 1732, he brought one called Esther to a theater, and it was very popular.

In 1735, Handel received a new oratorio called Saul from a friend named Charles Jennens. Handel worked on it in 1738. Later, in July 1741, Jennens sent Handel another libretto for an oratorio called "Messiah." He hoped Handel would make it his best work yet.

Synopsis

Main article: Structure of Handel's Messiah

In Christian theology, the Messiah is the saviour of humankind. Handel’s Messiah tells the story of Jesus Christ, from his birth to his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. It uses words from the Bible and Psalms to celebrate Jesus’ life and teachings.

The music is split into three parts. Part I talks about the Messiah’s coming and the birth of Jesus. Part II covers Jesus’ death, resurrection, and the spread of his message. Part III ends with a prediction of the day of judgment and the victory over sin and death. The piece includes many different types of songs and choruses, making it a special and important work of music.

Writing history

Charles Jennens, a wealthy landowner, gathered the words for Messiah from the Bible. He wanted to create a musical work that would support Christian beliefs and challenge ideas that did not include God's direct involvement in people's lives.

Handel composed the music for Messiah very quickly, finishing it in just 24 days. He started on August 22, 1741, and completed the entire work by September 14. Despite the speed, the music was well-written, though Handel's manuscript shows some signs of being done quickly. Handel used some of his earlier musical ideas in Messiah, which was common for him at the time.

Premières

Dublin, 1742

George Frideric Handel decided to give a series of concerts in Dublin during the winter of 1741–42 after being invited by the Duke of Devonshire, who was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. A violinist named Matthew Dubourg, a friend of Handel's, was in Dublin and helped with the musical needs for the concerts. Handel arrived in Dublin on November 18, 1741, and planned six concerts to be held between December 1741 and February 1742 at the Great Music Hall on Fishamble Street. These concerts were very popular, leading to a second series, but Messiah was not part of either series.

In early March, Handel began planning a charity concert for April, intending to perform Messiah. He received permission to use the choirs from St Patrick's and Christ Church cathedrals, which included sixteen men and sixteen boy choristers. The soloists were Christina Maria Avoglio and Susannah Cibber. The premiere took place on April 13 at the Fishamble Street hall and was very well received. The concert raised money for three charities: prisoners' debt relief, the Mercer's Hospital, and the Charitable Infirmary. The performance was a huge success, with around seven hundred people attending.

London, 1743–59

The warm reception in Dublin was not repeated in London. Handel first performed Messiah in London at the Covent Garden theatre on March 23, 1743. The soloists included Christina Maria Avoglio, Susannah Cibber, John Beard, and others. Some people thought the subject of the work was too serious for a theatre, especially with actresses performing. Handel made some changes to the music to suit his singers.

A popular belief says that people began standing during the Hallelujah chorus because King George II did so at the London premiere, but there is no proof that the king was even present. The cool reception in London led Handel to reduce the number of planned performances. Over the years, Handel continued to perform Messiah, making changes and adding new soloists. By 1750, annual charity performances of Messiah began at London's Foundling Hospital, continuing even after Handel's death. The final performance Handel attended was on April 6, 1759, just eight days before he passed away.

Later performance history

18th century

During the 1750s, Messiah was often performed at festivals and cathedrals across the country. Sometimes, parts of the music were used in church services or concerts. After Handel’s death, performances happened in Florence (1768), New York (excerpts, 1770), Hamburg (1772), and Mannheim (1777), where Mozart heard it.

In Handel's time and for many years after, performances used smaller groups of musicians. But in 1784, big concerts to honor Handel began in Westminster Abbey under King George III. One show had a band of 525 musicians led by Joah Bates. Later, shows had even more — one promised an “Band [of] Eight Hundred Performers”!

In Europe, people changed the music to fit new styles. In 1786, a man named Johann Adam Hiller changed the music for a show in Berlin Cathedral. In 1789, Mozart updated the music for a small show. He added new instruments and changed some parts. This version was printed after Mozart died.

19th century

In the 1800s, ways to perform Messiah changed a lot between Germany and England. In Germany, scholars worked to publish accurate versions of Handel’s music. But in Britain and the United States, shows got bigger and bigger. In New York (1853) they used 300 singers. In Boston (1865) more than 600! Britain even held big festivals with thousands of singers.

Some people thought these huge shows were boring. Critic Bernard Shaw suggested smaller, better-prepared shows instead. But many loved the big shows, especially amateur choral groups.

20th century and beyond

Even in the 1900s, big shows kept happening. But there was also a push to perform Messiah more like Handel intended. Scholars made new editions of the music. By the mid-1900s, many performances used smaller groups and tried to follow Handel’s original style.

In 1965, a new edition edited by Watkins Shaw helped bring authentic performances. Today, Messiah remains Handel’s most famous work. People still perform it in many ways — big shows, small concerts, even in opera houses. But because Handel’s original papers show many different versions, there is no single “right” way to perform it.

Music

Main article: Structure of Handel's Messiah

Handel's music for Messiah stands out from his other works because it uses fewer instruments in the orchestra. The piece starts quietly, with instruments and single singers performing before the choir joins in. One special feature is Handel's limited use of trumpets. They appear only in a few key moments, making their sound even more powerful.

The music moves through different musical keys to show changing feelings, but D major often appears, especially in parts that feel bright and joyful. Handel also uses certain musical patterns to tie the piece together. The quality of Handel's music matches the words of the Bible very well, making the whole work feel united and strong.

Recordings

Many early recordings of songs and choruses from Messiah showed the popular styles of the time, with large groups of singers, slow speeds, and extra music added. For example, one recording from 1926 was led by Sir Henry Wood with a very big choir and orchestra.

The first almost full recording of the whole piece was made in 1928. It used smaller groups and faster speeds, which was a new idea at the time. Later recordings kept using big groups for many years. Over time, people started trying to perform the music closer to how it was originally written, using older instruments and styles. Today, there are many different recordings, some with very small groups of singers and players.

Editions

Many versions of the music from Messiah exist today. The first printed version came out in 1767, and since then, people have made different ways to perform it. Modern performances often use one of three main versions made in the 20th century, each with its own way of numbering the pieces.

These versions include the Novello Edition, the Bärenreiter Edition, and the Peters Edition, among others. There have also been special arrangements for bigger orchestras, such as those by Mozart, Goossens, and Andrew Davis.