The story of Handel's “Messiah”

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Since its premiere in 1742, George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah,” a 3.5-hour work for chorus, soloists and orchestra that includes the “Hallelujah Chorus,” has become one of the most-heard pieces of classical music on Earth. Correspondent David Pogue looks back on the creation of this masterwork with author Charles King and conductor-musicologist Jane Glover, and examines how Biblical passages assembled by a wealthy English landowner suffering from doom and despair would, in the hands of the German-British opera composer, become a timeless message of hope, and a Christmas tradition.

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16 thoughts on “The story of Handel's “Messiah””

  12. Singing this every year in college choir gave me a life-long love of the piece. I still love participating in the local Symphony’s Messiah sing along. It is a message of hope in the redemptive gift of Christ. Hallelujah! Happy Christmas to all!❤️

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  13. Point of Fact: the Trinity Church where “Messiah” was performed in 1770 is not the same Trinity Church “hall” where it was performed in 2024. The church building of 1770 was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1776. The current Trinity Church dates from 1846. Research, Mr. Pogue, research.

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  14. I love this but they completely missed the crucially important spiritual aspect of the piece. Fundamentally, this piece is not about untethered hope for the future or a naive belief that our problems will be solved: it's about looking with eyes of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and resurrection.

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  15. Handel was able to compose this so fast is partly because he reused a lot of the music from other pieces he had written. For example "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" was taken almost note for note from “No, di voi non vo' fidarmi” A duet for two sopranos that he had written years before and adapted for 4 part chorus.

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  16. Allow me to make you a Christmas present right away ❤🎉❤, wishing you explore the Haendel's ages, his audience, when the world was on fire of never ending wars, when men of power were seeking for enemies to fight against just for fun, what was behind this composition. Therefore it turns usefull all of us, do not let them war lords win again and dragg us all in misery and despair. You see, music is good to survive for centuries no matter how many more people must die due to ridiculous frontier disputes, spiritual nature can not be murdered. No matter how many martyrs and innocent victims will have to pay the price. Music is regenerating and healthy ..violence hated and racism instead are like poison, they make us get cancer and die. Tied to the daily news, there's so much evil out there. ..we must hang on to things that make life worth living as survivors animal instinct as self defense shield to protect us from evil…do not please murderers… never 😢😢😢

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