This past Sunday on the 19th of December our church held a community sing-in with Handel's Messiah. It was both a beautiful and exciting performance by the choir and soloists, and was definitely a good use of two hours. I even brought along one of friends, who has a vast interest in music and could really appreciate the power of the music.
Before going to the event, I researched a bit on the man behind the music, George Frideric Handel. It turns out Handel had a very interesting and perhaps difficult life leading up to this great work. He was born in 1685, in Brandenburg-Prussia to Georg and Dorothea Handel. From early on Handel had a knack for music and soon became extremely enthused. His dad wanted his son to practice law and felt that a career in music was not suitable for him, so he banned Handel from playing music. Being a natural rebel, Handel found a way to play anyways, by sneaking a clavichord into a top room and playing there while his father slept. Eventually his secret got out, but by then so many people had taken an interest in Handel's playing that his dad was forced to lift his ban.
Handel would go on to compose many great operas and oratorios. Most of his works were very successful. However, a string of harsh critics and serious health problems brought the composer into a state of depression. That's when he began to set important Biblical verses to music and so composed his Messiah. The oratorio linked together a multitude of verses (mostly the words of Isaiah) that proclaimed Christ's coming. Once it first debuted in 1742, it became an instant success and soon became a classic that has withstood the test of time.
With parts such as the 'Hallelujah' chorus Handel's Messiah uses very powerful and moving music and verses to communicate to the audience the beauty of Christ. It certainly made for a memorable night for me and everyone else.
