Handel同埋 佢既 messiah 的資料

The name of the oratorio is taken from Judaism and Christianity's concept of the Messiah ("the anointed one"). In Christianity, the Messiah is Jesus. Handel himself was a devout Christian, and the work is a presentation of Jesus's life and its significance according to Christian doctrine.

Messiah is Handel's most famous work (approached only by his Water Music) and remains immensely popular among concert-goers in the English-speaking world.

Although Handel called his oratorio simply Messiah (without The), the work is also widely but incorrectly referred to as The Messiah. This folk-title is so common that, to many ears, the correct version actually sounds wrong.

Although the work was conceived and first performed for Easter, it has become traditional since Handel's death to perform the Messiah oratorio during Advent, the preparatory period of the Christmas season, rather than at Easter. Christmas concerts often feature only the first section of Messiah plus the "Hallelujah" chorus, although some ensembles feature the entire work as a Christmas concert. The work is also heard at Eastertide, and selections containing resurrection themes are often included in Easter services. The soprano aria "I know that my Redeemer liveth" is frequently heard at Christian funerals.

Messiah is far and away George Frideric Handel's most highly esteemed and popular work. It has become one of the most renowned pieces of English sacred music. Unlike the majority of his work which was popular during his lifetime and then fell into obscurity, until relatively recently, at least, Messiah has endured. It has not remained in exactly the same form, however. In both the notes that are played and the culture in which the work is performed there have been vast changes for various reasons.

The Messiah was truly a favorite of Handel himself. He suggested it was the product of an inspiration of sorts when he said, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God himself" . In 1741, during a low spot in Handel's career in England, a friend, Charles Jennens convinced Handel to compose an oratorio based upon a compilation of Scriptures Jennens had recently arranged. Rather than return to Germany, Handel was convinced and began work on the oratorio (Jacobi 32). The entire work was written in a twenty-four day spurt from August 22 until September 14, in 1741. Messiah was performed for the first time in Dublin, April 13, 1742. It is not known whether Handel wrote the work for the Dublin performance or if he only choose Dublin for its first playing (Jacobi 8).

As with all oratorios, Messiah, is divided into three parts. In Messiah, the three parts represent Christ's birth, death, and resurrection; each part breaking down into a series of arias and choruses, with a Biblical passage as their basis. Subsequent to the initial performance Handel toured Great Britain and Ireland performing his new masterpiece. During these initial performances Handel often changed elements of the oratorio to suit the librettos or the concert location.

The group that performed Messiah for these gatherings was most likely comprised of roughly thirty men and boys, a larger number than performed Messiah under Handel's direction .