George Frideric Handel's Messiah is an oratorio composed in 1741 based on a libretto by Charles Jennens assembling verses from the King James Bible. It depicts the prophecy, birth, passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The libretto focuses on acclaiming the "Mystery of Godliness" rather than dramatizing Jesus's life. As a devout Anglican, Jennens intended to challenge advocates of Deism who rejected divine intervention. The oratorio is divided into three parts progressing from prophecy to fulfillment to redemption. It begins with Isaiah's prophecy of salvation and the coming Messiah, then the prophecy of his coming and effect on the world, and ends
3. George Frideric Handel
A German Baroque composer who spent the
bulk of his career in London, becoming
famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems
and organ concertos. Handel was not only a
great composer; he was a dramatic genius of
the first order. After an initially modest
public reception, the Messiah gained in
popularity, eventually becoming one of the
best-known and most frequently performed
choral works in Western music.
4. Charles Jennens
Jennens' deep knowledge of the Bible and
wide literary interest led him, from 1735,
to prepare or contribute to libretti (lyrics)
for Handel. These included the Messiah.
The libretti were freely given and always
published anonymously.
5. WHAT IS HANDEL’S MESSIAH?
Handel's Messiah has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as "a
commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension", beginning
with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in
heaven.
In his libretto, Jennens's intention was not to dramatize the life and teachings of Jesus,
but to acclaim the "Mystery of Godliness", using a compilation of extracts from
the Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible, and from the Psalms included with
the Book of Common Prayer (which uses the original translations of Miles Coverdale
rather than the later version of the King James Bible's translators).
6. THE ROLE OF CHARLES JENNENS
As a devout Anglican and believer in scriptural authority, part of
Jennens's intention was to challenge advocates of Deism, who
rejected the doctrine of divine intervention in human affairs. Shaw
describes the text as "a meditation of our Lord as Messiah in
Christian thought and belief.”
7. PART I
The prophecy and realization of God's plan to redeem
mankind by the coming of the Messiah
8. PART I – SCENE 1
Isaiah's prophecy of salvation
(movements 2–4)
10. 2. ACCOMPAGNATO (3:55)
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her
warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the
way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our
God.
(Isaiah 40: 1-3)
11. 3. AIR (3:48)
Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry moutain and hill made
low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain.
(Isaiah 40: 4)
12. 4. CHORUS (3:18)
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40: 5)
13. PART I – SCENE 2
The prophecy of the coming of Messiah and the
question of what this may portend for the World
(movements 5–7)
14. 5. ACCOMPAGNATO (1:39)
Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once a little while
and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry
land. And I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations
shall come.
(Haggai 2:6-7)
15. 5. ACCOMPAGNATO (CONTINUED)
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,
even the messenger of the Covenant, whom you delight in;
behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
(Malachi 3:1)
16. 6. AIR (5:02)
But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand
when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire.
(Malachi 3:2)
17. 7. CHORUS (2:33)
And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto
the Lord an offering in righteousness.
(Malachi 3:3)
18. 12. CHORUS (4:14)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)
