#handel's messiah

[gasparodasalo]

Happy Holidays, and Merry Christmas!

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) - "Hallelujah" from Messiah, HWV 56. Performed by Rolf Schweizer/German Baroque Soloists, on period instruments, and Pforzheim Motet Choir.

[vox-anglosphere]

Massey-Hall

[ameliacf13]

For unto us an egg is cracked

Fro-om us, a son is taken

Unto us, a daughter given

[goodomensmusical]

The Graveyard Scene: Unto Us a Child is Born

This one functions more as a scene than as a real song. Still, I tried to make it sound nice while getting the point across. Hopefully I handled it well :)

I also recruited an extra-special guest singer (my brother) to play Ligur!

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

I had to turn up the volume and dance to this again ~

[kimludcom]

Handel's Messiah (Easter Concert) | The Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra

[miles-is-so-gay]

parents dragged me to Athens GA to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus perform Handel's Messiah, and tbh....... it was boring as hell to me. kudos if you love that kinda stuff but it is not for me. anyhow, beforehand we went around the downtown area and shopped at Wuxtry Records and Cillies Clothing (aka The Junkman's Daughter's Brother) before going and eating DePalma's Italian Cafe, then getting ice cream at Ben and Jerry's :) it was really fun even though I did have a very boring hour and 40-ish minutes doing nothing but doodling (to great music).

I also found out that downtown Athens has rainbow / progress flag crosswalks!!!!!

close-ups and a little bit of a photo dump under the cut

Close ups

couple irl things

things i bought from The Junkman's Daughter's Brother

the thins i bought from Wuxtry Records

[divider link]

[el-ffej]

And let's not forget:

(Aka Beethoven's 9th)

...What? Of course it's religious! Just look at Hans' expression:

"It's Christmas, Theo. It's the time of miracles."

[thedaveandkimmershow]

A quick word about a tiny bit of Handel's Messiah:

It's two moments, actually. The transition from "There Were Shepherds..." to "And Suddenly..." and the transition from "And Suddenly" to "Glory To God".

Two moments.

Those two moments occur, well, the first one occurs between the first and second soprano recitatives about three quarters of the way through Part 1 of Handel's Messiah.

Recitative

“There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Recitative

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying:"

The first recitative is straight forward storytelling aided by a touch of orchestral support. The second recitative is a musical declaration.

In this first transition, between recitatives, it's the shift in music that's most compelling. In my own emotional response to the moment, the shift to the second orchestral accompaniment captures something wondrous that's about to happen.

Which is exactly what's gonna happen.

I especially appreciate the declaration in the second recitative that immediately and profoundly pays off in the chorus. It's what's so compelling about that second transition. It creates such expectation that I have no problem imagining angels arrayed across the sky making such pronouncements:

"Glory to God! Glory to God!

Glory to God in the highest,

And peace on earth.

Goodwill toward men."

The last thing I'll mention is that "Glory to God in the highest" is like a trumpet fanfare to my ears. And the way Handel staggers "Goodwill toward men" rhythmically and melodically, building continuously on itself, well... it feels like encouragement. It feels like he's trying to breathe goodwill into the air.

But "And peace on earth"?

Yeah.

When the basses drop an octave from "And peace" to "on earth", that always feels dangerous to me. It feels profound. It feels like a fearless declaration, this thing that will happen.

And peace.

On earth.

Anyway...

The transition from "...and saying..." to "Glory to God" is always this huge moment in my imagination. Which is Handel capturing the text perfectly. Causing me to imagine those angels in the sky...

Every time.

☺️

[serenityquest]

ETC. presents Handel's Messiah - Thursday, December 24

[negrolicity]

"Comfort Ye My People" (1992) Daryl Coley & Vanessa Bell Armstrong

This 1992 recording still holds up well. I always thought that this work was a response to Young Messiah. That release was a reworking of Handel's Messiah. It featured only white Christian artists. The Mervyn Warren helmed production takes this classic piece of work and refracts it through the prism of black musical expression. Some of the work has been farmed out to artists like Fred Hammond, Richard Smallwood, George Duke Russell Ferrante, and Sounds of Blackness

On this cut Daryl Cooley and Vanessa Bell Armstrong still sound amazing!

[clove-pinks]

I can't read this scripture without thinking of the song:

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) - For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

[doubledaybooks]

A playlist for the Handel-heads out there... (i.e. great classic study music)

George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is arguably the greatest piece of participatory art ever created. Adored by millions, it is performed each year by renowned choirs and orchestras, as well as by audiences singing along with the words on their cell phones.

But this work of triumphant joy was born in a troubled age. Britain in the early Enlightenment was a place of astonishing creativity but also the seat of an empire mired in war, enslavement, and conflicts over everything from the legitimacy of government to the meaning of truth.

Against this turbulent background, prize-winning author Charles King has crafted a cinematic drama of the troubled lives that shaped a masterpiece of hope in EVERY VALLEY.