Handel's Messiah Essay

For this analysis I chose George Friedrich Handel’s Messiah (https://youtu.be/71NCzuDNUcg). Handel, a German composer various different forms of orchestral works, operas, organ concertos, anthems and oratorios who accomplished great success in England, was born on February 23rd 1685 and died on April 14th 1759. In 1741 he stopped composing operas, and focused on oratorios with his greatest composition, Messiah. This was during a time when illiteracy was widespread and written copies of the Bible were expensive and difficult for the ordinary citizen to acquire, Handel became excited about Jennens’ concept and pioneered the “oratorio,” a musical composition designed to teach the Scriptures by setting them to music. He seems to have immediately
The baroque era in music saw an uprising in the technique of illustrating the significance of words through music. A basic example is using dissonance. The Messiah opens with a Sinfonia, a term that corresponds closely with with canzona and sonata; referring principally to orchestrated introductions to operas and cantatas, also known as an operatic overture. This work is divided into three parts reflecting a Christian worldview with the entire libretto coming from the Bible and is based mainly in the King James Version was first performed in Dublin on April 13th
Handel’s Messiah has one of the best examples of how the music can affect the meaning of words because as the most music focuses on lyrics, simply focusing on the lyrics at the expense of music gives an incomplete picture. The first thing heard is the overture which is performed without lyrics and prepares the audience for what they are about to experience