Handel Messiah Hallelujah
Handel Messiah Hallelujah Chorus Program Notes
Handel’s Messiah, first performed 1742 in Dublin as a benefit concert for an orphanage, remains an extremely popular work. Instead of the original version from 1742, today we’re following Mozart’s decision to add trombones and enlarge the wind section (for performances in 1789, in Vienna), which carried over to British editions in the 19th Century. George Frideric Handel Born: February 23, 1685 , Halle, Germany Died: April 14, 1759, London, England Burial place: Westminster AbbeyThe Hallelujah Chorus is the most famous movement from George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah, composed in 1741. It closes Part II of the oratorio with a thunderous affirmation of the reign of the Lord and is one of the most celebrated choral pieces ever written.
Handel composed the entire Messiah in just 24 days in August and September 1741. It was premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742, and was an immediate triumph. The London premiere followed in 1743.
The Hallelujah Chorus lasts approximately 3 to 4 minutes in performance.
Listen for the way Handel alternates between powerful homophonic choral outbursts and intricate contrapuntal passages — the chorus as a whole becomes a single magnificent instrument. The soprano entry on 'King of Kings' above the repeated lower voices is one of the great thrilling moments in all of choral music.
The tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus dates back to a story — possibly apocryphal — that King George II rose to his feet when it was performed, and the audience followed. Whatever its origin, the tradition has endured for nearly three centuries and remains one of classical music's most beloved rituals.
