Selections from Messiah

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) composed Messiah at his London home in 24 days during the fall of 1741. The New Testament subject of Messiah makes it unique among the 30 odes and oratorios Handel composed. The work was not performed in churches in his own day, however, but in commercial venues, most often during the season of Lent. It is recognized as the most popular work in choral literature and often regarded as the greatest musical masterpiece ever created in England. Charles Jennens (1700-1773) skillfully assembled the libretto, or text from which the composer worked, as a "Scripture Collection" in three parts that presents the drama of mankind's redemption: (1) the prophecy of salvation through the Messiah and its realization at His birth; (2) Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the cross, His resurrection and ascension to the Father, and the beginning of evangelism; (3) the promise of bodily resurrection and redemption, of judgment, of victory over death and sin, and of the glorification of the Messiah. Jennens departed from the convention of writing oratorio librettos in poetry, choosing instead to use prose biblical texts. - Janie Caves McCauley.