The Piece
The Libretto

George Frederic Handel
(1685-1759)

George Frederic Handel was born in Germany to George, a renowned  barber-surgeon and his much younger wife, the daughter of a pastor.   His  musical talent was recognized at an early age; but his father forbade him from  playing musical instruments, intending Handel to study law.   Disobeying his  father, George practiced in secret, until he was caught playing the organ at  the court of Saxe-Weissenfels, where his father was court surgeon.  Recognizing Handel's talent, the duke persuaded Handel's father to allow  George to study both law and music.  Later Handel dropped the law studies  to fully devote his efforts to music.

Young Handel traveled to Italy in 1706 to study opera.  Within a year, he took  Rome by storm with his vivid settings of Latin texts for the Carmelite order  and later, as a naturalized British citizen, supplied masterpieces in English for  the Anglican liturgy.  In his lifetime, he composed music of diverse types:  operas, oratorios, theatre music, sacred and secular cantatas, sonatas,  concertos, and all combinations of vocal and instrumental ensembles.   In  1741, after a string of less than successful musical pieces, Handel  considered retiring; however, a request by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to  give benefit concerts in Dublin changed that notion.  For those concerts  Handel used a libretto, arranged by Charles Jennens Jr. from the Bible and  Prayer Book Psalter, that carries the universal themes of prophecy and  fulfillment (Part 1), suffering, death, and triumph (Part 2), and eternal salvation  (Part 3).  Handel composed the music to Messiah in the 24 days between  August 22 and September 14, 1741.  It is rumored that at one point, Handel  cried out to a servant delivering him food, "I did think I did see all Heaven  before me, and the great God Himself."  Handel had just completed  composition of the Hallelujah Chorus.

Messiah premiered on April 13, 1742 at a charitable benefit with 700 people  in attendance.  The concert raised enough money to free 142 men from  debtors' prison.  A Dublin newspaper at the time wrote, "Words are wanting to  express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience.    The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated,  majestic and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished  Heart and Ear."

Although beloved in Ireland, when Messiah was first played in London it was  criticized as blasphemous.  British audiences thought a work of religious  nature should not be performed in secular playhouses.  It was not until 1750,  when Messiah was played for charities in the Foundling Hospital Chapel,  that it began to gain popularity with the English audience.

Handel's final musical appearance, in which he conducted Messiah, was  eight days before his death.  He had asked to be buried in Westminster  Abbey in a small private service.  His wishes were carried out in part, as he  was buried in Westminster in a service attended by a crowd of over three  thousand.  A statue of Handel holding the manuscript for the solo "I know that  my Redeemer liveth" marks his grave.

Related Links:

Alexandre H. Hohmann's Handel site