![]() Messiah is made up of 53 pieces of music 21 of which are full chorus pieces. Handel added more instruments (oboes and bassoons) for later performances. This was a relatively sparse orchestra for a large scale work because the first performance of Messiah was to be in Dublin and Handel did not know what instruments would be available to him. In contrast with most of Handel’s oratorios, the singers in Messiah do not assume dramatic roles there is no single narrative voice, and very little quoted speech is used.įor the first performance, the small orchestra included strings, two trumpets, timpani, organ and harpsichord continuo. Messiah is the first instance in the history of music of an attempt to view the mighty drama of human redemption from an artistic standpoint. A portrait of Charles Jennens can be seen in the composition room at Handel House. Jennens used a compilation of extracts from the King James Bible, and from the Psalms included in the Book of Common Prayer. The words were taken from the Bible and tell of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The work was written by Handel’s good friend Charles Jennens, who collaborated with Handel for many other works, including Saul (1753-9) and Belshazzar (1744-5). Handel wrote Messiah in 1741 at 25 Brook Street, in only 24 days. ![]()
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