Messiah in August? I thought it was a Christmas piece!
By David Schildkret
| Text © 2008 David Schildkret.
If this content is used to prepare a concert program or
other published/presented work
please credit David Schildkret, ASU School of Music, and Music Director,
Mount Desert Summer Chorale (also include the URL of this web page).
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In the United States, it has become traditional to present Messiah— or at least portions of it— at Christmas time.
But the first performance of Messiah, directed by Handel himself, took place during Lent, on April 13, 1742, to be exact.
Handel was in Dublin that year, and he conducted Messiah as a charity benefit "for the relief of the prisoners in the
several gaols, and for the support of Mercer's Hospital in Stephen Street, and of the Charitable Infirmary on the Inn's Quay."
Over the next 17 years, Handel presented Messiah almost every year, always during the season of Lent.
Upon his return to London in 1743, Handel performed the work several times in his theatre, always to a
rather cool reception. It finally achieved its enduring fame and popularity when Handel began again to
perform the work as charity, now for the benefit of the Foundling Hospital, a London orphanage founded by
Thomas Coram and still in operation today. Handel's performance of the work at the Foundling Hospital
Chapel on April 6, 1759, was his last public appearance, coming only 8 days before his death on April 14.
Some of the most familiar music in Messiah— with such notable exceptions as the "Hallelujah" Chorus
and the aria "The trumpet shall sound"— occurs in Part One. That section of the work deals with
the prophecies foretelling the coming of a savior, and the scene surrounding his birth.
Part Two concerns the death of the Messiah (by the way, the name "Jesus" never occurs in the work),
resurrection, and the triumph of salvation. Part Three concerns the victory over death.
Thus the central message of Messiah is the promise of salvation, not the Nativity. Handel thought the
most suitable time of the year for a performance of Messiah would be shortly before Easter. Our summer
performance is still a few months out of date.
If you want to think of Messiah as a Christmas piece, go right ahead! It will bring cool thoughts during
the warmth of August (maybe have a slice of plum pudding before coming to the concert). No matter what
the time of year, Handel's enduring masterpiece is truly timeless and sure to be inspiring.
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