Corybanter

I won’t be writing my thoughts on every single chorus of Handel’s Messiah, but I would like to cover a few of the other really good ones in this post.

Why don’t I begin with the ever popular “Hallelujah Chorus”?  Technically, this one belongs to the Easter portion of the Messiah.  In fact, when I performed the Messiah at a church I used to sing at, the director pointedly did not include the Hallelujah Chorus, and I’m pretty sure he got some complaints from parishioners who thought we had merely forgotten it.  It’s become such a popular chorus on its own that many people cannot imagine a Christmas concert without it.  Here’s the traditional text:

Isn’t it interesting, just looking at the text, how very uninteresting it is without the wonderful music Handel wrote? Not a lot going on—the words need music to make them come alive!  Also, lots of people are surprised to find out that the text for the Hallelujah Chorus comes from the Book of Revelation.  Here are the two passages from which the text comes, as they appear in the Common English Bible (I have put the exact bits used in the chorus in bold print):

Rev. 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 his Christ, and he will rule forever and always.” (CEB)

Rev. 19: 6-16 

“6And I heard something that sounded like a huge crowd, like rushing water and powerful thunder. They said, “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, exercised his royal power! 7Let us rejoice and celebrate, and give him the glory, for the wedding day of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8She was given fine, pure white linen to wear, for the fine linen is the saints’ acts of justice.” 9Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Favored are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.” He said to me, “These are the true words of God.”10Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said, “Don’t do that! I’m a servant just like you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the witness of Jesus. Worship God! The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy!” Christ defeats the beast 11Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider was called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war justly. 12His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on his head were many royal crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He wore a robe dyedl with blood, and his name was called the Word of God. 14Heaven’s armies, wearing fine linen that was white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15From his mouth comes a sharp sword that he will use to strike down the nations. He is the one who will rule them with an iron rod. And he is the one who will trample the winepress of the Almighty God’s passionate anger. 16He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of kings and Lord of lords.”

As you can see, Handel just uses snippets from the passages quoted above, but to such great effect.  It’s one of the highlights of any performance of the work.

Another great moment in the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah is the chorus with the text quoted below:

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows!
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Most Christians will recognize this text from Isaiah’s Suffering Servant songs.  Handel’s setting of the text is powerful in the extreme.  As the chorus sings the line “He was wounded for our transgressions…” you can hear the pain and suffering in all the interweaving dissonances and resolutions. And then “the chastisement of our peace” interrupts almost indignantly.  Beautiful.  Listen here to hear what I mean.

Here’s the context, as it appears in the CEB:

It was certainly our sickness that he carried, and our sufferings that he bore, but we thought him afflicted, struck down by God and tormented. He was pierced because of our rebellions and crushed because of our crimes. He bore the punishment that made us whole; by his wounds we are healed. 

Pretty different, but almost as dramatic as the traditional text.  Is it any wonder that such a great percentage of Handel’s work is pulled from the prophecies in Isaiah?  Indeed, perhaps one of the key pieces of our Western culture that has led to us viewing the Old Testament as a Christian document (rather than in its original Jewish context) is music like Handel’s Messiah.  Handel, unlike Bach, was not primarily known in his time for his sacred works.  He was an extremely popular opera composer, and indeed, he recycled a few opera pieces in the Messiah. The inherent drama of passages like the one quoted above is likely part of what inspired Handel to compose his most famous work.  Nowadays, only hardcore opera fans of baroque opera are familiar with Handel’s operas, but just about everyone is somewhat familiar with Messiah.

These couple blog posts of mine have been a very, very brief introduction to some of the text of Handel’s Messiah.  Hopefully, some of my thoughts will inspire you to check out recordings of this great work.  There’s definitely more to it than just the Hallelujah Chorus.  (If you’ve never heard it before, the Amen at the very end of the work will blow you away.)  There are so many ways to interact with Scripture in fresh ways: reading a new translation, studying visual works of art, and listening to great works of music based on passages of Scripture.  Once again, if there is an orchestra in your area doing Handel’s piece, or parts of it, I encourage you to attend it this year.  Even better, find a Messiah sing-along.  Even if you don’t read music that well, sitting amidst other singers is a great way to experience the grandeur of Handel’s work.

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