Messiah

Messiah, by Georg Frideric Handel, is arguably the most beloved sacred choral work in history.  For over 250 years, musical organizations, churches, and symphonies have presented this oratorio to millions of listeners.   Handel composed Messiah in twenty-four days in the late summer of 1741, beginning on August 22 and completing the work on September 14.  The work traces the story of Christ throughout both the Old and New Testaments and is made up of three parts.  The first contains the Old Testament prophecies of God’s plan of redemption through the coming Messiah.  The second part details the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  And the last deals with the ultimate defeat of death and the final redemption and resurrection of all believers.

For our Sacred Choral Masterworks concert, we will perform two choruses from Messiah: “And the Glory” and “Hallelujah.”  

“And the Glory” is one of the earliest movements in the work and is found in Part One detailing the prophecies of the Messiah.  It’s text is drawn from Isaiah 40:1-5.

Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.

 A voice cries: 
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The “Hallelujah” Chorus is perhaps the most well-known choral piece throughout the world.  This triumphant chorus ends the Second Part of Messiah by quoting Revelation 19:6; 11:15: and 19:16.   Tradition has it that during one of the first performances, the English King George II rose to his feet as the chorus began.  Social customs dictated that whenever the monarch stood, everyone else in his or her presence should stand as well.  Thus, the tradition of standing during the performance of the “Hallelujah” Chorus was born. 

Revelation 19:6
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.

Revelation 11:15
 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 19:16
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.