Handel's Messiah
George Frederic Handel’s Messiah is the greatest manifestation of his
adaptability. By 1741 the German-born composer had been living in London
for more than 25 years and had been very successful writing music that
suited the tastes of well-heeled English audiences. In the 1720's and
‘30's the rage had been Italian operas, but declining revenues led Handel to look for a new genre. By the summer of 1741 Handel received two English librettos that helped him to find it.
They were Samson, which was based on a work by John Milton, and
Messiah–an oratorio built on biblical texts--by the wealthy, eccentric,
and brilliant Charles Jennens. Handel wrote a score for each, completing
Messiah in just 23 days, and exclaiming at one point during its
composition, “I did think I did see Heaven before me and the great God
himself!”
Drawing from the Old and New Testaments for his libretto, Jennens
wrote Messiah in three parts. The first speaks of the prophesies
concerning the coming of the Messiah, the second describes the
suffering and death of Christ, and the third tells of the resurrection.
Handel put the finishing touches to the music before taking the oratorio
to Dublin, where he planned to spend the upcoming performance season.
The season, which was to include a series of works by Handel, ran into various obstacles, including Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, who objected to his singers performing with what he called a
“club of fiddlers.” The setbacks delayed the end of the season, and so it was not until noon on April 13, 1742, that Handel conducted the first
performance of Messiah at the music hall on Dublin’s Fishamble Street, in a benefit concert for the improvement of conditions in several city
hospitals and jails. Handel estimated that the hall would hold an audience of 600, but thanks to a special request that gentlemen leave their swords at home and that ladies refrain from wearing hooped skirts, a hundred extra people were able to witness what proved to be Handel’s first triumph in a number of years.
The London debut of Messiah on March 23, 1743, was not without
controversy because of its decidedly secular connections, which
included professional theatrical singers and a venue–Covent Garden
Theater--that was associated with unholy “entertainments.” The winning
viewpoint reasoned that far from being sullied by its surroundings,
religion brought into the theater might well lead to the betterment of
those exposed to it Among those most inspired by Messiah at its London
debut was King George II, who was so stirred by the Hallelujah Chorus at
the end of Part II that he stood up for it, prompting the rest of the
audience–and audiences ever since–to follow suit.
--Norman Gilliland
