Handel's Messiah
The Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. Its scriptural text was compiled by Charles Jennens (1700-1773) from the King James Bible, and from the version of the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in western music. In fact, it is among the most famous works in all of classical music.
The Messiah begins with the Overture (or Sinfony) in E minor, written for oboes and strings in the style of a French overture (a slow first part and a fugue). The fugue subject is presented by the unaccompanied violins, which is a feature that returns in the final Amen of the oratorio. The key of E minor has been interpreted as creating "a mood without hope".
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) was a great German–English Baroque composer. His compositions include 42 operas; 29 oratorios; more than 120 cantatas, trios and duets; numerous arias; chamber music; a large number of ecumenical pieces; odes and serenatas; and 16 organ concerti. His famous oratorio Messiah, with its Hallelujah chorus, is often performed during the Christmas season. Among Handel's best-known instrumental works are the Concerti Grossis Opus 3 and Opus 6; the Cuckoo and the Nightingale; the Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks; and his sixteen keyboard suites, especially The Harmonious Blacksmith.
Handel's music was studied by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. To Beethoven, Handel was "the master of us all ... the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb". Beethoven emphasised the simplicity and popular appeal of Handel's music when he said, "Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means".
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