The German composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) composed
Messiah in 1741 and it remains his best-known work, with its famous
"Hallelujah Chorus" performed by choirs the world over.
Handel enjoyed enormous commercial and artistic success during his
lifetime, particularly in England where he settled and later became
a citizen. He was initially best known as an opera composer but, as
public taste changed and his operas did not succeed he concentrated
on composing oratorios. Like operas, these told a story using solo
singers, a chorus and an orchestra, but without staging or actors
who played a consistent rôle throughout. Despite this development
Handel’s work during the 1730s received mixed reactions, and by 1741
it was rumoured that he would leave England.
In July, however, Handel received an invitation to visit Ireland,
and this prompted him to start work on his friend and collaborator
Charles Jennens’s idea for a ‘scripture collection’ on the subject
of ‘Messiah’. Handel completed the work in September of the same
year and it was performed in April 1742 in Dublin to an enraptured
audience.
The Northampton Bach Choir last performed Messiah in November
2011. This year’s performance will be accompanied by our own
orchestra and soloists, and there will be one or two surprises along
the way! Below you can see a photo of one of the pages of Handel’s
manuscript … you can see more of the manuscript via the
British
Library website. Programme:
Northampton Bach Choir
Conductor - Lee Dunleavy |
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