One of the things I like best about the Christmas season is the music. Not the modern junk that is out there, although I do like some of the Celtic Christmas music and the Country Christmas Music is also pretty good. I have to say that Handel’s Messiah is one of my all-time favorites.
In what seems like another life, I had the honor and privilege of singing in a chorus that presented Handel’s Messiah. We rehearsed for months to get it all right and then performed it for two nights if memory serves.
To quote from the blog of Fr. John Peck:
The glorious English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer. Most of his quotations come from the Old Testament. It is one of the best known and most beloved choral works ever, spanning 4 1/2 hours to perform in its entirety. He wrote the entire oratorio in 22 days.
Wow 22 days! That is just amazing.
One of the more famous pieces from the entire work is the Hallelujah Chorus. I have embedded a video of the Royal Choral Society performing the Hallelujah Chorus at the Royal Albert Hall in 2012.
