Handel’s Messiah Revisited

 

Handel’s Messiah Revisited

        During the Christmas season church choirs perform the most loved and most performed Oratorio ever composed by any composer anywhere in the world in all the combined history of Western Music. It is not merely a series of scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, but rather it is an account of the plan of redemption fulfilled through our Savior Jesus Christ the Messiah i.e. “the anointed one,” “the chosen one”, or “Redeemer”.

        From the scholarly information that we have, Handel did not put the texts together.  Rather it was put together by an Englishman whose name was Charles Jennens.  I Messiah was composed in1741 in 24 days and was first performed on 13 April of that year in Dublin’s Musick Hall .  Contrary to popular myth, it was not composed as church music and was not performed first by Handel in a church but rather in a theatre for charitable purposes.  It was first performed in Dublin Ireland and Handel was the director.

        One of the times that my wife and I visited Dublin, we visited one of the two cathedrals whose choir was involved in the early performances at the theatre in Dublin.  While we were there, I saw an old pipe organ console--there was a sign on it which read, “Handel played this organ”.

        It is an honor to be involved in the performance of this great oratorio.  Handel painted the pictures of the Redeemer accurately.  If you are involved in a performance of this oratorio, make sure that you take time to take note of these beautiful musical pictures.  Do not get so involved in notes and rhythms and harmonies that you miss the message of our Redeemer who came to this earth and took on the form of a servant, suffered, died, and rose again victorious over death, hell, and the grave.