Myths and Misconceptions About Handel's Messiah

George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah is one of the most widely played pieces of music during the Christmas season every year. Since its first performance, in 1742, many myths and misconceptions about this popular masterpiece have accumulated.

Here are some of them, along with clarifications.

Title
The title is Messiah, not The Messiah.

Inspiration
The work did not originate by divine inspiration or for a specific occasion. The German-born Handel (1685-1759), after working for some years in Germany and Italy, settled in London, England, in 1712 and, though he composed a wide variety of vocal and instrumental music, focused his attention at first mainly on Italian opera. When Italian opera went out of favor, he turned to oratorios as a way to make money. To ensure the popularity of his oratorios, he included many numbers for chorus, being well aware of England's rich choral tradition. When one of Handel's librettists, Charles Jennens, sent him the libretto for Messiah, based on various books of the Bible, the composer set it to music because he thought it had commercial possibilities.

Theater, Not Church
Despite its religious text, Messiah, like other oratorios of the time, was intended for performance in a theater or concert hall, not a church. An oratorio had arias, recitatives, choruses, acts, scenes, and so on, just like an opera. In essence, an oratorio was a theatrical work that could be performed inexpensively because it required no staging (such as scenery and costumes). Some oratorios had religious texts, but others were secular.

No Story
Unlike almost all other baroque oratorios, including Handel's own works in the same genre, Messiah does not tell a story. Instead, it presents a series of contemplations on the Christian idea of redemption, from Old Testament prophecies through the life of Christ to his final triumph over death.

Focus on Old Testament
Despite its Christian message, Messiah has more text from the Old Testament than the New Testament.