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The Story of Händel's Messiah

Stephen & Jill Hadley

The town is Dublin, Ireland; the date is April 13, 1742; the place is Neal's Music Hall. A choir rises and HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH fills the auditorium. A great crowd has gathered to hear the premiere of what is destined to be the most widely known musical in the world.

The most notable guest in attendance is King George II of England. He is so moved by the exhilarating music that he springs to his feet, an action that seemed to prompt the whole audience to do the same. From that day, wherever in the world you hear the "Hallelujah Chorus", which is part of the Messiah, the audience stands.

Each year during the Christmas season millions of people are inspired and thrilled by that great oratorio, the composer of which, like no other, has captivated the music world during the holidays. Who was he?

George Frederick Händel was born in Germany on February 23, 1685. He developed his innate talent very early in life, playing the clavier, a stringed keyboard instrument, by age seven and mastering most of the orchestral instruments by age nineteen.

Click for a larger image (JPG, 22KB)
George Frederick Händel (public domain image)

Händel 's mother, daughter of a Lutheran preacher, made sure of his early spiritual training. Although his father, a surgeon, insisted that he study law, he was able to continue his music career after his father's death, which occurred while he was still in college.

After several years of a modest career in Italy, writing and producing operas and oratorios, Händel went to England where he quickly found fame, favor, and fortune, especially among royalty and noblemen. He continued his musical experiences, becoming one of the most famous composers in the world.

In 1741, at age fifty-six, Händel began to reflect on his career. He longed to write something that would be lasting and would make people better. Following a season of prayer he began his work. After twenty-three days of near constant writing, he rose from his labor a victor. He had finished his immortal Messiah, an oratorio that has become the most widely performed musical in the world. To this day thousands of performances are heard each year during the holiday season.

In the hours just before his death he remarked, "I want to die... in the hope of rejoining the good God, my sweet Lord and Savior on the day of His resurrection.”

Nearly one hundred years after the first performance of Messiah, Lowell Mason, a Boston choir director, composer, and publisher took a melody line from the Messiah and arranged it to fit a poem written by Isaac Watts, one of England's greatest theologians and hymn writers. Händel had known and respected Watts whose poem, based on Psalm 98, was written twenty-seven years before the Messiah. The result was one of our most popular Christmas carols, "Joy to the World."

Joy to the World, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Händel wrote in his Messiah, "And He shall reign forever and ever, HALLELUJAH! King of kings and Lord of lords, FOREVER!"

Click here for a printable page (PDF, 10KB)