LECTIO I third Sacred Music - Introduction Messiah [Handel]
libretto by Charles Jennens from the Bible performance: 13. April 1742 in Dublin H was ändels famous oratorio in a time of personal and professional crises of the composer. Just a few years ago he had the doors of its opera company in London have to close once and for all, the list of creditors was endless and to make matters worse still Handel suffered a stroke.
He left England to recover and probably to escape the inconvenience.
After a shock treatment in Aachen, he recovered almost completely and returned with new ideas and projects into the UK.
He had been in previous years, noted that biblical dramas evoked in the English language, conservative audience more and more interest.
created in the next few years, the English oratorio on a grand scale to the lyrics Charles Jennens.
[Georg Friedrich Handel, painting by Balthasar Denner] ls A highlight of this new effort is called again and again "the Messiah". On 13
April was first performed the work in Dublin.
And it was the first Handel's oratorio, the libretto was complete text taken from the Bible.
The text consists of various Bible passages together, the Jennens processed accordingly. Basis for this was the English Bible version of the so-called "King James Bible from 1611th
And this was probably also a very big part of success, because the Bible texts preserve the then familiar audience.
Basically one can divide the oratorio in 3 parts: first
Part - Annunciation of the birth of Christ and his later work
second Part - Passion of Christ and the Assumption, victory over the nations.
third Part - Christie
glory of the kingdom (the Halleluiah chorus was one of the most popular works in history) At the later premiere However, there were discussions in London and protests. Many of the
used by Handel singers were old acquaintances from the operas of the past years, there have been the Messiah, where in a concert hall.
To encounter ewe lamb changed the subtitle of Handel's Messiah in "A New Sacred Oratorio" what the audience will largely allayed.
As with the opera demanded that the audience always new arias and scenes - and then there are also several versions of the Messiah. Today
The most played version is on the London version Founding Hospital "back in 1754.
D he largest Difference between the oratorios and the operas, in addition to the theme and the language, the musical and dramatic conception.
The choir is the most important part of the work, virtuoso arias, it still but it will be waived for the most part to the typical Italian recitative.
Handel oratorios have nothing in common with the passions of Bach, whose internalized sadness and restraint you will not find in these works.
Speaking against the often festive and lyrical character of the works, the great demands on the singers, and last but not least, is still existent, operatic drama of the works.
have also Handel's oratorios with the Roman Models hardly anything in common.
These were developed primarily from the need of the Vatican's edicts out.
Because the popes repeatedly banned the opera, and so was born in Rome, the sacred music drama, oratory.
These works, mainly by Caldara and Alessandro Scarlatti, but failed completely to choirs and limited to highly virtuosic arias. Moreover, the texts were
not Latin, but Italian and was written by poets (often the princes of the church itself).
with Handel's music is almost like the style of the Counter-Reformation Rome celebrated the victory of Christ and the Protestant few meditates vanitas.
Musically oriented Handel also strongly of the famous Henry Purcell, whose work was long active in England.
A owever, there are some works of Handel oratorios in work that can hardly be described as spiritual works.
latter include works such as "Hercules" "The Choice of Hercules," "Semele" and "L'Allegro il Penseroso ed il Moderato" come on subjects from mythology and basically operas and pastoral, are the only musical in the style of the oratorio and are written in English.
Sun refused the Prince of Wales attend a performance of "Semele," because he was afraid ', it could be an opera - is still being argued about, among which genre these works now.
Handel called the work itself with "
Opera after the manner of an Oratorio" It is not quite right, that totally broke with the Handel opera. He added an oratorio in a matter of course and Italian arias, which were sung by his Starkastraten.
Handel also engages in many works on previous works.
His last oratorio, and his last work "The Triumph of Time and Truth" from 1757 is an adaptation of the early oratorio "Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno" began his career in 1707 with Handel in Italy.
The Messiah and the very popular oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus" "Saul" or "Solomon" succeeded Handel, as well the only composer of the Baroque period, that his works to the present day were performed continuously and regularly.
the image was made by my Shopping afternoon at the Black Rose:) 
