Handel's Messiah Essay

Messiah is a musical piece by world-renowned composer, George Frideric Handel. Handel is well-known for his Hallelujah Chorus in this composition. In this movement, the lyrics are originated from three scriptures from the Bible. This three part composition was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742 and now it has been one of the most played religious compositions (Schwarm 2014).

The famed Hallelujah Chorus concluding in Part II uses many different styles and music techniques to capture the listener. As the opening of the chorus begins with a short instrumental introduction triggering a joyous welcome. Subsequently, we hear a glorious presentation of vocalists singing the word “Hallelujah” in an imitative polyphony as voices build from

The experience is more gratified with the splendor of pitch fluctuation and sweet harmony. Conversely, the music experience falls short when there is lack of main dynamic contrast, whilst the majority of the piece is along the lines of forte and fortissimo. The filled sounding assertion of voices and instruments that sing the identical lines create a monophonic texture. George Handel was born in 1685 in Halle, Germany. He spent most of his days in England composing the Messiah and other famous pieces like Solomon (Cudworth 2015). The Messiah was written during the Baroque era explain predominant vocals that are dominated by strings with brass and percussion added for special effects (Shwarm 2014). This piece of music is called an oratorio which is “a large musical work for orchestra and voices, typically narrative” (Oxford Dictionary 2015). The Hallelujah Chorus narrates Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Saviour and Redeemer of the world. The word “Hallelujah” means “Praise the Lord,” which is explains the exuberant shouts during the chorus. The libretto (text) of this movement are taken from three passages from the

For a long period of time, I did not know that the Chorus is a movement in an entire oratorio. The lyrics were clear and made it easier to understand the musical techniques used in the piece. Besides, it was said that Handel composed the Messiah in twenty-four days however, I believe that he could have not done it himself due to the short length of time it was created (Lang 2012). Similarly, to write a piece of music that is sung for over many centuries and can still move people every time it is performed is truly not of man. The music elements that are used in this performance like monophony, and polyphony effects the emotional experience of a listener- sometimes so strong that it brings the Kings and Queens to their feet. Likewise, the crescendo of vocals joined by brass instruments creates some sort of anticipation. The Hallelujah Chorus narrates the Victory of Jesus, which makes complete sense that this particular movement had to be the greatest because it lifts the Name of