Hallelujah (Chorus) From "Messiah": A Song History

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George Frideric Handel wrote Messiah between 22 August and 14 September 1741, a span of a little over three weeks.[1] Its words are passages of scripture chosen by Charles Jennens, a well-to-do patron of the arts and a friend of the composer.[2] The oratorio was first heard in Dublin on 13 April 1742, during the Easter season.[3] Handel introduced it to London audiences on 23 March 1743 and went on to present some thirty-five more performances of it during his lifetime.[1]

Woodcut of the Virgin and Child surrounded by many angels, some playing musical instruments

Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin Surrounded by Many Angels, woodcut, 1518. Shown for its music-making angels; it has no connection to Handel.

The "Hallelujah" chorus brings the second part of the oratorio to its close, and its orchestral accompaniment is more daring than was usual in Baroque music.[3] Audiences have long risen to their feet for it, and a familiar story traces the habit to King George II supposedly standing at the 1743 London performance, with the rest of the hall following royal custom.[4] That story is best treated as legend: there is "very little evidence" to explain why the king rose, or even that he was in the audience.[4]

Although Messiah was at first tied to Easter, it later settled into the Christmas season, particularly in the United States.[5] A complete score did not reach print until eight years after Handel died, and the earliest complete orchestral score in the Library of Congress Music Division is bound in gilded red leather.[5] Dana Gruber includes the chorus, in DAD tuning, in The Wedding Book, a collection of mountain dulcimer tablature with standard notation for wedding ceremonies, published by Fingers Of Steel.[6]

Our book that contains the song "Hallelujah (Chorus) From "Messiah""

Sources

  1. Handel & Hendrix in London: "Learn About Handel".
  2. German History in Documents and Images (German Historical Institute): "Georg Friedrich Händel, Der Messias (1741)".
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Messiah".
  4. The Orchestra Now, Bard College: "Handel's Messiah" (Philip McNaughton).
  5. Library of Congress Blog: "Hallelujah for Handel's 'Messiah'" (Mark Hartsell).
  6. Fingers Of Steel: "Dana Gruber, The Wedding Book".
  7. Image: Albrecht Dürer, The Virgin Surrounded by Many Angels, woodcut, 1518. The Cleveland Museum of Art.

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