People around the world associate Handel’s great masterpiece “Messiah,” with Christmas. But it was originally an Easter composition in three parts. The oratorio’s structure follows the liturgical year. Part 1 corresponds with Advent, Christmas, and the life of Jesus. Part II deals with Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Part III then continues with the end of the church year and to the end of time and the final consummation, with the chorus singing heaven’s anthem, “Worthy Is the Lamb” and “Amen!” The birth and death of Jesus are told in the words of the prophet Isaiah, the most prominent source for the libretto. The only true “scene” of the oratorio is the annunciation to the shepherds, which is taken from the Gospel of Luke. The imagery of shepherd and lamb features prominently in many movements, for example: in the aria “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd” (the only extended piece to talk about the Messiah on earth), in the opening of Part II (“Behold the Lamb of God”), in the chorus “All we like sheep,” and in the closing chorus of the work (“Worthy is the Lamb”).
It was first performed in the Music Hall in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742, almost 300 years ago. The audience swelled to a record 700, and ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses “without Hoops” in order to make “Room for more company.” The men and women in attendance sat mesmerized from the moment the tenor followed the mournful string overture with his piercing opening line: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” It has been “Messiah” which has elevated Handel to musical superstar status, with Beethoven himself calling Handel “the greatest composer that ever lived.” Since most of Handel’s work was in secular music and opera, many would prefer to accord that status to Johann Sebastian Bach, whose music was primarily written for use in worship.