“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain.”
Handel’s Messiah is by far the most dramatic artistic exhibition in which I have ever taken part. One simply has to read the libretto, some of which is quoted above, to see that Handel was not aiming for lightheartedness when composing his masterpiece. Instead, he sought to use his brilliant mind to rock the world. The libretto of the Messiah covers one of the most intellectually challenging topics known to man: the story of Jesus’ life. It moves from the anticipation of the Messiah's birth, through the sorrow of his death, and finally toward the exultation of his resurrection. As a Catholic, this story was never foreign to me. However, the grandeur of Handel’s work challenged my understanding of the story of Christianity. Messiah showed me the immensity of man’s effort to find purpose, leadership, and love through the heavens. I then realized that no movement is more intellectually perplexing yet breathtaking than religion. The beauty of Handel’s work as a keystone of the Christian movement inspired me to take a greater role in my own religion. Participation in Messiah transformed my perception of …show more content…
With my high school choir, I learned the work as a freshman, performed it that same year, and was later invited to sing with the St. Mark’s Episcopal Choir alongside choral and orchestral professionals. I have returned to St. Mark’s each December, earnestly awaiting to unleash the undulating melodies that lie in hibernation throughout the year. Not only is Handel’s music physically challenging, but also highly technical. The harmonic counterpoint, melismatic fugues, and other Baroque features of the oratorio all broadened my understanding of music theory, and how music can convey deep
Handel’s Messiah is by far the most dramatic artistic exhibition in which I have ever taken part. One simply has to read the libretto, some of which is quoted above, to see that Handel was not aiming for lightheartedness when composing his masterpiece. Instead, he sought to use his brilliant mind to rock the world. The libretto of the Messiah covers one of the most intellectually challenging topics known to man: the story of Jesus’ life. It moves from the anticipation of the Messiah's birth, through the sorrow of his death, and finally toward the exultation of his resurrection. As a Catholic, this story was never foreign to me. However, the grandeur of Handel’s work challenged my understanding of the story of Christianity. Messiah showed me the immensity of man’s effort to find purpose, leadership, and love through the heavens. I then realized that no movement is more intellectually perplexing yet breathtaking than religion. The beauty of Handel’s work as a keystone of the Christian movement inspired me to take a greater role in my own religion. Participation in Messiah transformed my perception of …show more content…
With my high school choir, I learned the work as a freshman, performed it that same year, and was later invited to sing with the St. Mark’s Episcopal Choir alongside choral and orchestral professionals. I have returned to St. Mark’s each December, earnestly awaiting to unleash the undulating melodies that lie in hibernation throughout the year. Not only is Handel’s music physically challenging, but also highly technical. The harmonic counterpoint, melismatic fugues, and other Baroque features of the oratorio all broadened my understanding of music theory, and how music can convey deep