Messiah Sing-Along

George Frideric Händel

Born: February 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany

Died: April 14, 1759 in London, England

Studied: with Friedrich Wilhem Zachow, law (only briefly) at the University of Halle

Assignments: 1702: organist at the Domkirche; 1703: violinist with the Hamburg Opera (a post which ended when Händel fought a duel with opera composer Matheson); after 1714: court composer for King George I of England (previously the Elector of Hanover, Germany)

Best known for: two of his oratorios, Judas Maccabaeus and Messiah. Händel found a way to appeal to the middle-class English public as well as the musical “hierarchy” by exploiting the oratorio’s grand scale and lush manner of storytelling. However, his more than 40 operas, though only rediscovered and given renewed importance in the last half-century, are masterworks of style and imagination, though still constrained by convention.

Curious fact: Despite Messiah’s successful premiere in Dublin, Händel was worried that the title would be considered inappropriate for a concert work when he brought it to London and used the name “A New Sacred Oratorio” instead.

---