Handel's Messiah - Album

Frogtoon Music Album Info: Handel's Messiah

Published: 04 Apr 2010, 22:53

Georg Friedrich Händel -- Handel's Messiah Messiah HWV 56 Is An English Oratorio Composed By Georg Friedrich Händel And Is One Of The Most Popular Works In The Western Choral Literature. The Libretto By Charles Jennens Is Drawn Entirely From The King James And Great Bibles And Interprets The Christian Doctrine Of The Messiah. Messiah Often Incorrectly Called The Messiah Is One Of Handel's Most Famous Works. Composed In London During The Summer Of 1741 And Premiered In Dublin Ireland On 13 April 1742 It Was Repeatedly Revised By Handel Reaching Its Most Familiar Version In The Performance To Benefit The Foundling Hospital In 1754. In 1789 Mozart Orchestrated A German Version Of The Work And His Added Woodwind Parts And The Edition By Ebenezer Prout Were Commonly Heard Until The Mid-20th Century And The Rise Of Historically Informed Performance. The Messiah Sing-Alongs Now Common At Christmas Often Consist Of Only The First Of The Oratorio's Three Parts With The Hallelujah Chorus Originally Concluding The Second Part Replacing His Yoke Is Easy In The First Part. Overview Messiah Presents An Interpretation Of The Christian View Of The Messiah Or "the Anointed One" As Jesus The Christ. Divided Into Three Parts The Libretto Covers The Prophecies Concerning The Christ The Birth Miracles Crucifixion Resurrection And Ascension Of Jesus And Finally The End Times With The Christ's Final Victory Over Death And Sin. Although The Work Was Conceived For Secular Theatre And First Performed During Lent It Has Become Common Practice Since Handel's Death To Perform Messiah During Advent The Preparatory Period Of The Christmas Season Rather Than In Lent Or At Easter. Messiah Is Often Performed In Churches As Well As In Concert Halls. Christmas Concerts Often Feature Only The First Section Of Messiah Plus The "Hallelujah" Chorus Although Some Ensembles Feature The Entire Work As A Christmas Concert. The Work Is Also Heard At Eastertide And Selections Containing Resurrection Themes Are Often Included In Easter Services. The World Record For An Unbroken Sequence Of Annual Performances Of The Work By The Same Organisation Is Held By The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic In Melbourne Australia Which Has Performed Messiah At Least Once Annually For 157 Years Starting In Its Foundation Year Of 1853. The Work Is Divided Into Three Parts Which Address Specific Events In The Life Of Christ. Part One Is Primarily Concerned With The Advent And Christmas Stories. Part Two Chronicles Christ's Passion Resurrection Ascension And The Evangelization To The World Of The Christian Message. Part Three Is Based Primarily Upon The Events Chronicled In The Book Of Revelation. Although Messiah Deals With The New Testament Story Of Christ's Life A Majority Of The Texts Used To Tell The Story Were Selected From The Old Testament Prophetic Books Of Isaiah Haggai Malachi And Others. The Soprano Aria "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" Is Frequently Heard At Christian Funerals. It Is Believed That Parts Of This Aria Have Been The Basis Of The Composition Of The Westminster Quarters. Above Handel's Grave In Westminster Abbey Is A Monument 1762 Where The Musician's Statue Holds The Musical Score Of The Same Aria. Composition And Premiere In The Summer Of 1741 Handel At The Peak Of His Musical Prowess But Depressed And In Debt Began Setting Charles Jennens' Biblical Libretto To Music At His Usual Breakneck Speed. In Just 24 Days Messiah Was Complete August 22 - September 14 . Like Many Of Handel's Compositions It Borrows Liberally From Earlier Works Both His Own And Those Of Others. Tradition Has It That Händel Wrote The Piece While Staying As A Guest At Jennens' Country House Gopsall Hall In Leicestershire England Although No Evidence Exists To Confirm This. It Is Thought That The Work Was Completed Inside A Garden Temple The Ruins Of Which Have Been Preserved And Can Be Visited.
It Was Premiered During The Following Season In The Spring Of 1742 As Part Of A Series Of Charity Concerts In Neal's Music Hall On Fishamble Street Near Dublin's Temple Bar District. Right Up To The Day Of The Premiere Messiah Was Troubled By Production Difficulties And Last-Minute Rearrangements Of The Score And The Dean Of St. Patrick's Cathedral Jonathan Swift Placed Some Pressure On The Premiere And Had It Cancelled Entirely For A Period. He Demanded That It Be Retitled A Sacred Oratorio And That Revenue From The Concert Be Promised To Local Hospitals For The Mentally Ill. The Premiere Happened On 13 April At The Music Hall In Dublin And Handel Led The Performance From The Harpsichord With Matthew Dubourg Conducting The Orchestra. Dubourg Was An Irish Violinist Conductor And Composer. He Had Worked With Handel As Early As 1719 In London. Handel Conducted Messiah Many Times And Often Altered The Music To Suit The Needs Of The Singers And Orchestra He Had Available To Him For Each Performance. In Consequence No Single Version Can Be Regarded As The "authentic" One. Many More Variations And Rearrangements Were Added In Subsequent Centuries—a Notable Arrangement Was One By Mozart K. 572 Translated Into German. In The Mozart Version A French Horn Replaces The Trumpet On 'The Trumpets Shall Sound' Even Though Luther's Bible Translation Speaks Of A Last Trombone. Messiah Is Scored For SATB Soloists SATB Chorus 2 Oboes Bassoon 2 Trumpets Timpani Strings And Basso Continuo. The Mozart Arrangement Expands The Orchestra To 2 Flutes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets 2 Bassoons 2 Horns 2 Trumpets 3 Trombones Timpani And Strings. Due To Performance Constraints The Organ Part Was Eliminated. The Parts For The Four Soloists Were Also Expanded Into Several Purely Choral Movements Such As For Unto Us A Child Is Born And His Yoke Is Easy. In 1959 Sir Thomas Beecham Conducted A Larger Arrangement By Sir Eugene Goossens For The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Which Expands The Instrumentation To 3 Flutes One Doubling On Piccolo 4 Oboes 2 Clarinets 2 Bassoons Contrabassoon 4 Horns 2 Trumpets 3 Trombones Tuba Timpani Percussion Harp And Strings Today This Version Is Rarely Heard Live. Texts And Structure The Libretto Was Compiled By Charles Jennens And Consists Of Verses Mostly From The King James Bible The Selections From The Book Of Psalms Being From The Great Bible The Version Contained In The Book Of Common Prayer. Jennens Conceived Of The Work As An Oratorio In Three Parts Which He Described As Part One The Prophesy And Realization Of God's Plan To Redeem Mankind By The Coming Of The Messiah.
Part Two The Accomplishment Of Redemption By The Sacrifice Of Jesus Mankind's Rejection Of God's Offer And Mankind's Utter Defeat When Trying To Oppose The Power Of The Almighty.
Part Three A Hymn Of Thanksgiving For The Final Overthrow Of Death