George Frideric Handel was born February 23, 1685 and lived for 74 years, dying in 1759. His contemporaries included such notables at George Whitefield (1714-1770), Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758); John Wesley (1702-1791); Ben Franklin (1706-1790), and J.S. Bach (1685-1750). These are just a few of the names that could be mentioned from this time period. It is amazing to think of the notable figures in theology, politics, and music that all lived in that same era and still influence us today.Handel, of course, was a musician and of his music, Beethoven once declared, “Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would bare my head and kneel at his grave.” While probably referring to his entire body of work, for most of us, George Frideric Handel is synonymous with one major work and that is his great sacred oratorio, Messiah.
Handel composed Messiah in 1741 and performed it for the first time in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 as a charity benefit. As was his standard practice, Handel worked very quickly, finishing the entire score in less than a month. This haste did not sit well with Charles Jennens, who supplied Handel with the libretto (or text). He wrote, "His Messiah has disappointed me, being set in great hast, tho' he said he would be a year about it, & make it the best of all his Compositions. I shall put no more Sacred Works into his hands, to be thus abus'd."[1]
I don’t know what this comment says about the standards of musical composition back in Handel’s day, but Jennens eventually warmed to the final product, as least somewhat, as evidenced by a note he wrote a few years after its premiere, "I shall show you a collection I gave Handel, call'd Messiah, which I value highly, & he has made a fine Entertainment of it, tho' not near so good as he might & ought to have done. I have with great difficulty made him correct some of the grossest faults in the composition, but he retain'd his Overture obstinately, in which there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but much more unworthy of the Messiah."
This quote reveals one of the problems Handel faced with his most famous piece. There was wide-spread resistance to using a sacred subject as the source for entertainment. As Handel biographer Hamish Swanton wrote, “Everyone was nervous of New Testament words being further reduced in authority by being sung in a theatre by singers of doubtful reputations among decent folk.”[2]
This reservation may have been one reason for performing the premiere in Dublin rather than London. Evidently, that same reticence did not exist in Ireland. In fact, over 700 were expected for its first performance. Due to the expected crowd, and quite humorously to us today, ladies were advised not to wear hoop dresses and the gentlemen were asked to leave their swords at home. The London premiere occurred a year later in 1743, its legitimacy still not accepted by all parties.
Today, of course, all such reservations have been largely, if not completely, overcome. For those of us who love God’s Word, its prophetic emphasis in the Old Testament of God’s plan of redemption through the Messiah, and Christ’s triumph over sin by the resurrection, there could hardly be a more thrilling piece of music. In fact, I dare say that those familiar with Handel’s Messiah cannot read Isaiah 40 without hearing the soothing tenor accompagnato and aria that begins his oratorio, or Isaiah 9 without hearing Handel’s rousing chorus, or many other passages without hearing them come alive in one’s mind through Handel’s music. The crime today is that most performances only include the so-called Christmas portion.
While Handel’s Messiah is most well-known, it is not his only oratorio dealing with sacred subject matter. While none measure up to Messiah, several are quite excellent, including his Solomon, Belshazzar, Israel in Egypt, and the historical Judas Maccabaeus (from which we get the tune for the hymn, Thine Be the Glory). Others worth mentioning are Jephtha, Esther, Joshua, Saul, Deborah, Joseph and his Brethren, and Samson. Most online CD stores allow you to listen to samples before you buy. For those not familiar with these works, it may be a profitable exercise to sample some of these less-known pieces.
Recommend CD’s:
On the Web:
[1] http://gfhandel.org/chron3.htm, accessed 18 Feb 2008.
[2] Hamish Swanston as cited by David Daniell in his The Bible English, pp. 569-70.
Thanks for this good post, Andy! Handel is one of my favorite composers. I listen to Messiah several times a year, not just at Christmas and not just the Christmas portions. I agree it's hard to read passages like Isaiah 40 without hearing the early portions of Part 1. Isaiah 53 has sometimes brought tears to my eyes, especially when it seemed I could hear the whip coming down on our Lord during "Surely He Hath Borne Our Grief." And I've felt drawn to our Lord all over again listening to the comforting and inviting "Come Unto Him." Thank God for such a composition that displays His glory! And thank God for saving and using gifted musicians like Handel and Bach.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Andy. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteA favorite memory of mine: I took my daughters to a rehearsal of a local patchwork choir's performance of the Messiah last year. It was casual--most were in jeans, etc. There were less than 10 in the audience, including us, and there were probably over 150 in the chorus. My girls, though not exactly on the edge of their seats, were well behaved. When the Hallelujah Chorus arrived, we stood, as I had taught them to do. It was incredibly moving, not just for us, but for the chorus to see a dad and 3 girls alone in a hall and listening to so many sing such a great anthem. Many wiped tears as they sang or as they thanked us on the way out.
Oh, that the many who sing this great work would know the Messiah as their own Savior!
Have you listened to the recent John Rutter-conducted recording? Is it worth getting? I've got a good Andrew Davis/Toronto Symphony one and would like to get one conducted by Robert Shaw, but just thought I'd ask opinions on good Messiah recordings.
ReplyDeleteDoug,
ReplyDeleteThe Messiah recording that I listed by John Eliot Gardiner is the best that I have heard. That's the one I would recommend. I have not heard the Rutter recording but I would be interested in listening to it. I did not care for Robert Shaw's TELARC rendition.
I actually heard Shaw conduct the Messiah live in Atlanta shortly before his death. He only did the Christmas portion, so that was one strike against him. It probably didn't help that he was in his 80's and just a week or so away from dying. There just wasn't much energy there. It was a bit disappointing. I moved to Atlanta from Maryland where I was spoiled by the complete yearly Messiah performances by Edward Polochick and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Choir. If you ever get a chance to attend one of those performances, you should. Just an unforgettable experience.
Chris, that is a neat memory.
I did some poking around and found that you can listen to samples of the Rutter alblum at the CBD website. My initial impression is that the singing is excellent, as you would expect from Rutter, but the orchrestration sounded a bit muffled to me. I prefer a real crisp sound. But, anyway, you can listen for yourself to see if it's worth getting.
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