“It was as if I saw God on his throne, and all his angels around him.” — G. F. Handel.

Recorded live in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, on Friday 3 December 2021. Academy of Ancient Music and Choir of the Queens College Oxford.

George Frideric Handel was one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period. Opera dominated Handel’s career, yet he was better known for his oratorios and instrumental works for several centuries. He forged a personal idiom by taking Italian traditions and adding elements of German counterpoint and dance forms from France. The result was a uniquely cosmopolitan style which, when Handel took it to London, would expand to embrace the musical legacy of the English Restoration composer Henry Purcell. Discover our selection of the best Handel works featuring 10 masterpieces by the great composer.

Handel composed Messiah, an English language oratorio, in 1741. After an initially modest public reception Messiah, one of the best Handel works, eventually became one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral pieces in Western music. The ‘Hallelujah’ chorus is one of the most famous pieces of Baroque choral music and the most widely known section of the work. When composing the celebrated ‘Hallelujah’ chorus Handel said it was “as if I saw God on his throne, and all his angels around him.”

Handel first performed the Messiah in Dublin, Ireland, on April 13, 1742. This premiere took place at the Music Hall on Fishamble Street. 

First Performance of Handel’s Messiah. Location and Date City: Dublin, Ireland

Venue: Music Hall on Fishamble Street

Date: April 13, 1742

Context of the Performance

Dublin was chosen for the first performance of Handel’s Messiah due to an invitation from the Duke of Devonshire, who was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at the time. Handel also sought to perform in Dublin as part of a series of concerts to benefit a charity for imprisoned debtors, which contributed to the decision to premiere the oratorio there.

This initial performance marked the beginning of what would become one of the most famous and frequently performed choral works in Western music.

Handel did not write the text for Messiah; it was compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. However, Handel composed the music independently, completing the oratorio in just 24 days. — Search Assistant