The second act covers the death of Jesus and the third focused on his resurrection. As such, the piece was originally conceived as a work for Easter and was premiered in the spring during the Lent season. By the 19th century, Messiah became a regular December staple particularly in the United States.
Laurence Cummings, conductor of the London Handel Orchestra, told Smithsonian Magazine that the Christmas performance custom may have partly come out of necessity. Matthew Passion, most especially — and so little great sacral music written for Christmas," he said. Handel wrote the original version of Messiah in three to four weeks.
Most historic accounts estimate the composer spent only 24 days writing the oratorio. Jesus was born, not to model life for us, but to die. To end His life in a horrific way in place of our transgressions. Because without that resurrection, his birth was nothing and our hope is foolish. Lindsey M. Roberts spent years writing exclusively for secular journalism, including such outlets as The Washington Post, Architect, and Gray magazine, before she first tried to write about Jesus.
The Bishop of London had forbidden performances of works with religious overtones on London stages so Handel decided to write a work for concert performance in a church. Handel deliberately kept the dramatic content of his Messiah understated — it was in church after all. He created a piece based on three concepts: the story of the nativity and its prophecy; that of the crucifixion and redemption of mankind; and a commentary on the Christian soul and its victory over death.
In each of these three parts, the chorus is absolutely at the heart of the work, complemented by four vocal soloists, and a thrusting little orchestra underneath.
He used all his old tricks and learnt some new pretty good ones too. Handel composed Messiah in just 24 days without getting much sleep and or eating much food. But where Bach's oratorios exalted God, Handel was more concerned with the feelings of mortals.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Messiah. It will always lift your spirits if you are feeling down. Handel composed Messiah in an astounding interlude, somewhere between three and four weeks in August and September The text was prepared in July by the prominent librettist, Charles Jennens, and was intended for an Easter performance the following year.
There were several reasons for the choice of Dublin for Messiah 's debut. Handel had been downcast by the apathetic reception that London audiences had given his works the previous season. He did not want to risk another critical failure, especially with such an unorthodox piece. Other Handel oratorios had strong plots anchored by dramatic confrontations between leading characters. But Messiah offered the loosest of narratives: the first part prophesied the birth of Jesus Christ; the second exalted his sacrifice for humankind; and the final section heralded his Resurrection.
Dublin was one of the fastest-growing, most prosperous cities in Europe, with a wealthy elite eager to display its sophistication and the economic clout to stage a major cultural event.
Messiah 's success in Dublin was in fact quickly repeated in London. It took time for Messiah to find its niche as a Christmas favorite. Matthew Passion , most especially—and so little great sacral music written for Christmas," says Cummings.
There is little doubt about Handel's own fondness for the work. His annual benefit concerts for his favorite charity—London's Foundling Hospital, a home for abandoned and orphaned children—always included Messiah.
And, in , when he was blind and in failing health, he insisted on attending an April 6 performance of Messiah at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden.
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