'Messiah' history involves charity

Every year, as a holiday tradition, dozens of churches, community choirs and professional orchestras include in their holiday programs selections from Handel's "Messiah."

The piece, which is one of the most recognizable and popular oratorios ever composed, has a long history -- of both performance and charity.

Composed in only 21 days, the entirety of "Messiah" was originally meant to be sung during Easter celebrations as an educational and sacred piece. It had no story, unlike most oratorios of the time, and was initially fairly unpopular in England.

Handel's music

Georg Frideric Handel, born in Germany in 1685, was the son of a barber-surgeon who originally wanted Georg to study law. He soon found his real vocation in music, though, and began to compose operas that played throughout Europe.

In the years immediately preceding the composition of his most famous work, Handel, who became a British subject in 1726, experienced a financial and economic slowdown, as well as a decline of his health.

In 1741, he was presented with the libretto to "Messiah" by poet Charles Jennens. Inspired, Handel completed composition and scoring of the entire piece in only three weeks.

Dublin debut

The first performance, for an over-capacity audience of 700, was held at the Music Hall on Fishamble Street in Dublin, Ireland, with a small orchestra and a choir of men and boys.

Proceeds from the performance went to fund a number of charities, including hospitals and jails.

Handel rarely conducted his oratorio for profit, instead directing proceeds to the Foundling Hospital, a children's charity.

Life in music

In three parts, "Messiah" sketches out Jesus' life from His birth to Resurrection, beginning with Old Testament prophecies, moving on to Christmas, and continuing with Jesus' life, ministry, rising and the Second Coming.

In some versions, performances of all three parts can last for up to three hours, although many choirs sing only the Christmas portion during December.

After the initial performance, Handel revised his work many times for different singers, countries, music halls and churches, and re-composed parts at the request of Jennens, leading to the number of "authentic" arrangements that are available for choirs today.

Mozart's hand

After Handel's death, Mozart made an arrangement of "Messiah" for private performances in the homes of Viennese nobles. According to musical tendencies of the time, Mozart added new wind parts and deleted stylings that were no longer popular.

He was only the first to do this; many composers, conductors and arrangers have adapted and changed Handel's parts -- deleting, adding, and shifting voice parts and orchestral parts.

In charitable tradition, many of the 19th-century performances still followed Handel's fund-raising lead, donating proceeds to charities and the poor.

(Oratorios are long pieces of classical music that mirror opera in many ways, combining a chorus, soloists and orchestra with a story. They were often meant to be educational as well as entertaining, and Biblical and heroic themes were popular for oratorios in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is said that the custom of standing during the "Hallelujah Chorus" dates from the time of King George I, who stood, according to legend, in honor of the "King of Kings." Handel died on Holy Saturday in 1759 and was buried in the poet's corner at Westminster Abbey.)

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