Music To Our Ears
Every fall, choirs and orchestras around the world start rehearsing Handel’s Messiah, one of the most celebrated musical compositions the world has ever heard.
To show their respect for this exceptional work, audiences typically stand for the singing of the “Hallelujah Chorus,” a tradition that began with British royalty.
For many people, the Christmas season would seem empty without a performance of the Messiah. But Handel, a devout Christian, always intended the work to be sung at Easter time.
If you haven’t heard it, the Messiah is a beautiful retelling of the biblical story of Christ, beginning with the ancient prophecies about him and continuing through his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven.
Handel took the lyrics straight from the Bible, and many of them came from the Book of Isaiah, which contains some of the more interesting prophecies about Jesus.
Even though Isaiah lived some seven centuries before the time of Christ, he accurately predicted much about Jesus’ life and work.
The passage above is taken from Isaiah, and it describes the mission of John the Baptist.
John had a unique assignment. He would baptize Jesus and then announce his arrival to the world.
We get a complete description of John in the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, where he is described as a wild-eyed Jewish man who lived in the desert, surviving on a diet of honey and wild locusts.
John and his small group of followers were trying to serve God as best they could, and when Jesus arrived on the scene, they could see that he was the promised fulfillment of centuries worth of pent-up longings and desires.
Over the centuries, Jewish prophets made numerous predictions about the coming Messiah.
He would help people worship God with greater sincerity. He would forgive their sins.
And he would help bridge the gap that had grown between God and the human race.
Jesus did all of these things, and Handel’s Messiah tells the whole story in a beautiful oratorio that takes nearly three hours to perform.
The good news about Jesus has been changing lives for nearly two thousand years. And even the Messiah itself has had a powerful impact on many people.
According to Roger Bullard’s Messiah: The Gospel Handel’s Oratorio, Handel conducted the work at its debut performance in Dublin, Ireland, in April 1742.
The concert was a benefit for people confined to a debtors’ prison. The money that the first performance raised enabled 142 men to leave the prison as free men.
Handel also set up a trust fund that benefits from the annual performances of the Messiah. The fund still supports a hospital for abandoned children in London.
The next time you hear a choir sing the “Hallelujah Chorus,” I hope the beautiful music will help you think about the profound message of Christ’s incarnation.
Meanwhile, think about the many ways Christ’s life and teaching have had a powerful, transforming impact on so many people for so long. This is truly music to our ears.
Father, thank you for coming to earth to reach people like me. And thanks for inspiring artists like Handel to retell your wonderful story.