The Messiah is a Sacred Oratorio which was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741. (Kelly, 2000:62) The Messiah is the only composition of its time that has been performed continuously and frequently since its first appearance in Dublin, Ireland in April of 1742. (Kerman, 2000:146; Kelly, 2000:88) The piece was immediately renowned by Dublin audiences and critics. The book First Night by Thomas Forrest Kelly quoted the Dublin News-Letter’s April 10 review of Handel’s Messiah in stating the following:

“The Messiah, Mr. Handel’s new sacred oratorio, in the opinion of the best Judges, far surpasses anything of that nature, which has

The Messiah was accompanied by an orchestra which featured 8 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 2 oboes, 2 trumpets, 1 timpani, and 1 harpsichord. The live orchestra truly enhanced the performance of the Messiah. This size of orchestration is practically identical to that used by Handel in the original performances of the Messiah. I found this interesting because the choir, featured about four times as many performers as did the original performances of the Messiah.(Kelly, 2000:87) However, the Messiah has been rearranged and re-orchestrated so many times and in so many ways that such an interpretation does not seem odd or in any way wrong.

Subsequent to the initial performance, Handel toured Great Britain and Ireland performing the Messiah for many audiences. During these performances Handel tended to change elements of the Messiah to fit the voices of his particular singers and for other reasons which improved the specific performance.(Findlay, 1999) However, the Messiah was never revised by another musician until 1788 when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arranged the piece for a series of private performances in the homes of Viennese court members.(Findlay, 1999) Since then there have been numerous arrangements of Handel’s Messiah which are typically performed during the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Some topics in this essay:
Hambley Regardless, Handel’s Messiah, Handel’s Furthermore, Messiah Handel’s, Hallelujah Chorus, Britain Ireland, George II, Christmas Portion, Reign ChristBrown, Amadeus Mozart, hallelujah chorus, handel’s messiah, unto child born, george ii, messiah found, chorus tradition, original performances, chorus glory, kerman 2000, king george, christmas portion, king george ii,