Messiah

For those of you who are unaware, I am a hopeless history, useless trivia, and music buff. So for some reading this in Blog Land, this will probably be a little bit boring, but I personally find it fascinating. 


As you know, I love just about any kind of music. This week, classical has really been speaking to my soul. I had the urge to listen to the Hallelujah chorus, so I pulled it up on you tube. When I entered in the search, it also pulled up countless other pieces from Handel's Messiah. 


I was first exposed to Handel's Messiah when I was 7 years old and the The New Young Messiah Tour came to the Kentucky Fairgrounds. It was a contemporary Christian Christmas Program that featured artists like Larnell Harris, Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman, Carman, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Steve Green, 4Him, Michael English, as well as many others. It was the first concert I ever went to, and I remember it very vividly. 


It was only as I got older that I learned that the reason they called it The Young Messiah was because the songs were modernized versions of the original Messiah composed by Handel in the 1700s. 


Everyone is familiar with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, but what many people may not realize, is that the Chorus is the Grand Finale to an entire Oratorio in two parts. An oratorio is basically an opera, but with a religious theme. Handel was given the idea for the Messiah by a libretto by Charles Jennens. A libretto is the text or the vocal aspect of an opera. The libretto was divided into three parts: the prophecies about the coming Messiah, the birth, life,  ministry, and resurrection of Christ, and lastly the End times with Christ's ultimate victory over sin and death. 


Handel was greatly touched by the reading of this text, as it was taken directly from the scriptures, and he was empassioned to compose music for the entire thing. He completed the entire score in just 24 days. The piano and vocal score alone is 250 pages and includes 20 vocal numbers and more then 30 solos and instrumentals. 


Handel's assistant is recorded as having found him composing the Hallelujah chorus with tears streaming down his face, and as saying, " I did think I saw heaven open, and saw the very Face of God". To be able to compose such beautiful music to the words in the Hallelujah chorus, I have no doubt that Handel had to have had some kind of awesome experience with God. 


Did you know that the tradition of standing when the Hallelujah Chorus is played, began back in the 1700s when King George of England attended a program in which Handel's Messiah was the featured performance? Upon hearing the Hallelujah chorus, the king was so moved by the music and the words, that he stood, to recognize that the LORD God Jehovah was the King of all earthly kings. The tradition of the day was that when the king stood, no one else was to remain seated. So, when King George stood to honor the LORD, the entire audience in attendance, stood as well. And thus, the tradition began. 


Back in the days when Handel was composing this piece, the majority of the common people could not read and did not have access to the Bible. Handel was inspired to bring the story of Jesus Christ to them through his composition of Messiah. Every single one of the pieces in Messiah are taken directly from scripture, a large portion of them from the book of Isaiah. Some of the titles include the following: Comfort Ye, My People Saith God, Every Valley Shall Be Exalted, For Unto us a Child is Born, Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion, He was Despised and Rejected of Men, The Trumpet Shall Sound, and of course, the Hallelujah Chorus. 


After conducting a particular performance, Handel was congratulated for producing such a wonderful piece of entertainment. Handel was noted as replying, "Entertainment?! My purpose was not to entertain, but to teach them something!" 


Below, you'll find several links to a few versions of pieces from Handel's Messiah. I've included the original classical pieces, as well as, the modernized versions from The Young Messiah Tour in 1994. I hope you enjoy these wonderful pieces of music and let the words touch your soul.






For Unto Us A Child Is Born


Every Valley Shall Be Exalted: Classical


Every Valley Shall Be Exalted: Larnell Harris


The Trumpet Shall Sound: 4Him


The Trumpet Shall Sound: Classical