George Frideric Handel is widely known today as an oratorio composer, especially for his masterpiece "Messiah". However, he did not begin composing oratorios until later in his life, when he was in his fifties. During his youth and early career, Italian opera was the focus of his musical endeavors, and he was associated with the Hamburg Opera from the age of 18. The choruses that are a staple of Handel's oratorios were a new concept to him at the time.
By the 1730s, London audiences had become bored with Italian opera, and Handel found himself in financial trouble, even considering a return to Germany. He turned to composing English oratorios, and by 1740, after the success of "Saul" and "Israel in Egypt," Handel had abandoned opera altogether. In July 1741, his librettist Jennens sent him a new libretto for an oratorio, and in a letter dated July 10 to his friend Edward Holdsworth, Jennens wrote: "I hope Handel will put all his genius & skill into it, that the composition may surpass all his former compositions, as the subject surpasses every other subject. The subject is Messiah." Messiah would become Handel's sixth oratorio.
A major difference between Handel's oratorios and operas is the language used. Oratorios have English texts, making the works more accessible to audiences, but challenging for non-English speaking singers. Although a naturalized Englishman, Handel himself did not have a strong command of the language, and his setting of English texts to music was sometimes flawed, even in his later works. Although Purcell's anthems and odes had some influence on Handel's oratorios, it was primarily the German church cantata that had a greater impact, especially on his "anthem oratorios," of which Messiah would become the most prominent example.
The Messiah is unique among oratorios in that the singers do not assume dramatic roles, there is no single narrative voice, and the direct style is used sparingly. While Jennens is often credited as the librettist of the Messiah, he was actually the compiler of the libretto, skillfully adapting and combining various biblical texts into a compelling narrative. While the conventional forms of recitative and aria are present, the story is told in a more narrative form.
In terms of structure, Jennens provided Handel with a three-part libretto for a work that would run approximately two and a half hours. This division and overall length followed the conventions of baroque Italian opera. Part I covers the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah and the Virgin Birth, with the Annunciation to the shepherds presented in the Gospel of Luke. Part II covers Christ's passion and death, resurrection and ascension, the early spread of the gospel, and the proclamation of God's glory in the triumphant "Hallelujah" chorus. Part III begins with the promise of salvation, followed by a prediction of the Last Judgment and the universal resurrection, and ends with the final victory over sin and death and the acclamation of Christ.
Jennens divided the three parts into "scenes," each consisting of individual numbers or "movements" in the form of recitatives, arias, and choruses. There are two instrumental numbers, the opening symphony in the style of a French overture and the Pastoral Symphony in the middle of Part I.
Handel composed the music for Messiah in just 24 days, from August 22 to September 14, 1741. Prior to the premiere, Handel made several changes to the score to accommodate the resources available for the 1742 Dublin premiere. He continued to revise various movements over the following years, often to accommodate specific singers. As a result, there is no standard version of the Messiah, and several different versions of some parts, especially the arias, exist from Handel's time.
In November 1741, Handel went to Dublin, but the first performance of the Messiah did not take place until April 13, 1742. It was performed as a benefit concert after a harsh winter and was a great success. Ticket sales were increased by asking the ladies not to wear hoop skirts. All proceeds were divided equally among several charities. The following year, Messiah was performed at Covent Garden in London, but controversy arose over whether the sacred oratorio was appropriate for a theatrical setting.
The tradition of performing the Messiah in England began around 1750. Handel ended his Lenten season each year with a performance of the work, which was repeated a month later at the Foundling Hospital. Today, the Messiah is performed primarily around Christmas, especially in English-speaking countries. It has become one of the most widely known and performed choral works in Western music.
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