Messiah is a classic amongst Christian audiences. They love it for many reasons. The libretto (the words that are
sung) is simply scripture, taken straight from the Bible. The music is breathtaking. There are awe-inspiring choruses that can bring tears to all but the most jaded of eyes. It speaks of a Savior and his role in history--past, present and future. It is a musical masterpiece; few would question that it is the crowning achievement of George Frideric Handel, its composer: his magnum opus. Beethoven was an admirer of Handel's, having reportedly once said: "Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived." (These images show a transcription Beethoven did of Messiah in order to study Handel's style.) Handel composed Messiah during the summer of 1741. Having received the libretto from a friend, Charles Jennens, he set to work on it at the feverish pace he was known for, often working from sunup until sundown, often forgetting to stop and eat. At this pace, he finished it in 24 days, quite a feat when you consider the orchestration and its inherent complexity. It is said that Handel's household staff reported him overcome with emotion several times during the composition, once saying in his broken English, "I did think I did see all heaven before me and the great God himself!"
Messiah's first performance was April 13, 1742 at the Music Hall in Dublin. Handel himself led the performance from the harpsichord and the orchestra was conducted by Matthew Dubourg. Handel repeatedly revised Messiah himself, the most familiar version coming to be in 1754, when it was performed in a benefit for the Foundling Hospital in London, a favorite charitable cause of Handel's.
Handel conducted Messiah himself on many occasions. He was known to alter the composition to suit the performers, either the vocalists or the orchestra. This variety of versions leads to the conclusion that there is no true official version of Messiah, nor one which can be authoritatively considered "most authentic."
In 1742, Jonathan Swift was Dean at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. At that time, the theater in general and Handel's music in particular were viewed as "profane and subversive" by many ministers of the day, Swift included. Many choir members from St. Patrick were singing in the chorus in the first performance of Messiah. Swift almost derailed the performance by forbidding the choir from performing, yet he finally gave in and allowed it to take place. This all took place many years after Swift had penned Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal (1726 and 1729 respectively), and just a few years before his death in 1745. The Hallelujah Chorus can easily be regarded as the most ubiquitous movement from Messiah. It has been used in ways that would have shamed Handel (commercials, movie soundtracks, etc.), yet to those who love Messiah, it is almost always the high point of any performance. There is a lot of legend surrounding the chorus; whether rooted in truth or totally spurious, no one can know. One story tells that, during the London premier of Messiah in 1743, King George II rose to his feet during the Hallelujah Chorus and remained standing until its end. Of course, when the king rises, everyone else does, too, so this would be the birth of the tradition which has endured until this day. I had heard another legend referenced, yet tracing it down was a bit more difficult. I'll quote the passage complete so I won't ruining it with my paraphrasing.
During the week of her coronation, when Victoria was still a young lady, she was sitting in the Royal Lodge while Handel's "Messiah" was being performed. The lady-in-waiting came to her and said, "Everybody in the room with the exception of the Queen will rise and will remain standing for the duration of the music. It is royal etiquette that the Queen should remain seated." The music continued, sweeter and fuller, it seemed to be sweet enough for heaven. When the "Hallelujah Chorus" began, the people rose and stood with their heads bowed. It was obvious that the Queen was deeply moved. Her lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears, her body shook until the melody sounded, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” In spite of the royal etiquette the young Queen rose and remained standing with her head bowed till the music ended.
In the original version (from my memory), I recall a specific detail telling of how the queen also removed her crown during the chorus. As much as I would like to believe this, it is most likely fiction, made up by someone along the timeline for whom the truth wasn't meaty enough.My family went to see a performance of Messiah the other night by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Southwestern Seminary Master Chorale. It was amazing. Simply amazing. Though Messiah is not specifically about the advent in such a way as to be a Christmas specialty, it has traditionally been performed during the Christmas season. Messiah is one of the few things that can actually make me look forward to this season.
Go see Messiah if you can this year. If you cannot, then do what I did one year when I could not attend: I bought it on CD.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_%28Handel%29
http://www.gfhandel.org/messiah.htm
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Glorious-History-of-Handels-Messiah.html
http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2001/04/daily-04-13-2001.shtml
http://www.oratoriosocietyofny.org/notesDecember.htm
http://www.cai.org/bible-studies/queen-victoria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_%28Handel%29
http://www.gfhandel.org/messiah.htm
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Glorious-History-of-Handels-Messiah.html
http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2001/04/daily-04-13-2001.shtml
http://www.oratoriosocietyofny.org/notesDecember.htm
http://www.cai.org/bible-studies/queen-victoria
I wish I could have gone. I always loved it. I miss playing excerpts in orchestra.
ReplyDeleteWhen my little brother and I were in grade school, we used to love to jokingly echo the line "oh, we like sheep." Of course, it's supposed to be "we, like sheep, have gone astray", but to us it sounded like sheep were the choir's general preference in the animal world. Eventually one of us would chime in "and WE like PIGS" or some other juxtaposed barnyard option.I grew up on the Messiah. Singing it. I was in a choir from 2nd grade (I think) through the end of high school. Same choir all the way though. As I got older and my voice changed over the years, I had opportunity every couple years to learn a new part of it. Soprano, 2nd Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass. While a lot of times I think in tenor or bass when listening now, I have to say that the soprano parts were a stunning way to be introduced to music as a child. It was where I first learned the word omnipotent. I have such deep and strong emotions tied to this stuff, it's hard for me to imagine a Christmas without it.
ReplyDelete@JGBallard - Good story! For me, it seems that the message of the scriptures is intensified by the music. When I hear certain passages read from the scripture now, I am more prone to sing them than to read them. "Behold, I tell you a mystery..." is one of my favorites. Oh, and don't forget to roll the "r" on "mystery"...
ReplyDelete@Bongo5 - Agreed. Wholeheartedly. Nothing like suddenly finding yourself singing when you're reading the Word.
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