The Messiah
I love listening
to and singing Christmas music during the Christmas season. Some of my favorite
include “Silent Night”, “Joy to the World”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, “Oh
Holy Night, and “Hark The Herald Angles Sing” (when I was young I would imagine
the title to be “Hark the Harold Angels Sing”). One of the most recognized
titles is the “Hallelujah” Chorus from G. F. Handel’s Messiah. Ask anyone and they can come up with some of the words to
that chorus. If you have been in any choir, you probably sang many songs from
the Messiah including the Hallelujah
Chorus. I have had several opportunities to be a part of presenting the Messiah in concert.
One of my favorite
was when we were living in Southwest Washington. The Vancouver Washington Stake,
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, performed the Messiah for the Vancouver Washington and
Portland Oregon area one Christmas. There were six soloists and 60 choir
members (I sang tenor). The opportunity to be part of that presentation has always been one of
the most memorable Christmas seasons I have had. My testimony of Christ’s birth
was reborn as one of the soloists sang “Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive” and as
we sang “For Unto Us a Child is Born”. My love for the Savior was intensified
as another soloist sang “He Was Despised” and we sang “Surely He Hath Born Our Griefs”
and “His Yoke is Easy, and His Burthen is Light”. The Spirit entered into our
hearts and testified to everyone of the resurrection and the glory of the Lord
as the soprano sang “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth” and we ended with the “Hallelujah”
Chorus.
For Unto Us a Child is Born
The text for Messiah was written by Charles Jennens.
He compiled the text from the King James Bible – mostly from Isaiah and the
Palms and some of the new testament scriptures of the Savior’s birth,
suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. Jennens gave Handle the text sometime
in July 1741 and Handle began composing the music on August 22, 1741 and took
him only 24 days to finish his work consisting of 259 pages of music.
“The three-part structure of the work
approximates to that of Handel's three-act operas, with the "parts"
subdivided by Jennens into "scenes". Each scene is a collection of
individual numbers or "movements" which take the form of recitatives, arias and choruses.[16] There
are two instrumental numbers, the opening Sinfony[n 2] in
the style of a French overture,
and the pastoral Pifa,
often called the "pastoral symphony", at the mid-point of Part I.
“In Part I, the Messiah's coming and the virgin birth are predicted by the Old Testament prophets. The annunciation to the shepherds of the birth of the Christ is
represented in the words of Luke's
gospel. Part II covers Christ's
passion and his death, his resurrection and ascension,
the first spreading of the gospel through
the world, and a definitive statement of God's glory summarised in the
"Hallelujah". Part III begins with the promise of redemption,
followed by a prediction of the day
of judgment and the "general
resurrection", ending with the final victory over sin and death and the
acclamation of Christ.[20] According
to the musicologist Donald
Burrows, much of the text is so allusive as to be largely incomprehensible to
those ignorant of the biblical accounts.[16] For
the benefit of his audiences Jennens printed and issued a pamphlet explaining
the reasons for his choices of scriptural selections.” (“Messiah (Handel)).
One of the real
life stories from the Messiah is of
the vocalist Susannah Cibber. Susannah was a prominent English actress and
singer. Handle and Susannah became friends and he used her in several of his operas.
Susannah married playwright Theophilus Cibber but their marriage was troubled.
Susannah’s husband forced her to sleep with a friend of his and Susannah and
the friend fled. They had a child together which lead to custody hearings and scandal.
Susannah’s reputation was in ruins at the time Handle was working on the Messiah. Handle had moved to Dublin, Ireland
where he was invited to continue with his musical career. Susannah had fled to
Dublin to get away from the scandals in London. The two found each other in Dublin
and Handle asked her to be one of the soloists in the Messiah.
During the first
performance of the Messiah Susannah
sang the solo “He Was Despised”. It tells of the Savior being despised and
rejected and the suffering he endured at the hands of the Roman Soldiers. The
words to the song are:
He was despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with
Grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
Grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
He gave his back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off
The hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)
He Was Despised
Because of the
persecution Susannah endured in London and her rejection by the people her
singing that piece was full of emotion and her quest for forgiveness. In the
audience was a Dublin clergyman, Rev. Delaney, and he was so moved by Susannah’s
performance and knowing her tragic story he rose and said: "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven
thee!" (“Messiah (Handel)). The
profits from this first performance of the Messiah
went to three charities securing the release of 142 indebted prisoners. The
Messiah tells the story of how the Atonement
of Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins and we can be released from
spiritual prison and with this first performance the prisoners were literally released
from their temporal prison.
The Messiah is one of the greatest of all
the musical pieces that has been ever written and the fact that it has been
performed almost every year since Handle and Jennens wrote it in 1741 is proof
of it’s enduring message of hope, redemption, forgiveness and life after death.
I know the message is true and that if we will take the time to listen to the
music and the words we will feel the spirit of the Holy Ghost testifying of it
truth.
The Messiah has come, and he will come again.
The Messiah has come, and he will come again.
The Hallelujah Chorus
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