Messiah: The Composition and Afterlife of Handel's Masterpiece

by Jonathan Keates

From Handel's renowned biographer, the story of one of the most celebrated compositions of Western classical music, Handel's famous oratorio, Messiah

In the late summer of 1741, George Friderick Handel, composed an oratorio set to words from the King James Bible, rich in tuneful arias and magnificent choruses. Jonathan Keates recounts the history and afterlife of Messiah, one of the best-loved works in the classical repertoire. He relates the composition's first performances and its relationship with spirituality in the age of the Enlightenment, and examines how Messiah, after Handel's death, became an essential component of our musical canon.

An authoritative and affectionate celebration of the high-point of the Georgian golden age of music, Messiah is essential reading for lovers of classical music.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2017

About the author

Jonathan Keates, is an English writer, biographer, novelist and Chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund. Keates was educated at Bryanston School and went on to read for his undergraduate degree at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe this book was a little boring. Maybe I just wasn’t as interested in the topic as I thought I was. I’d give it 2.5 if I could. I think a 30 minute documentary on the history of Handel’s Messiah with clips of the music, and examples of the variations over the years, would have been much more worthwhile.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasing little book on Messiah, but ultimately not that memorable.

[Tim Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband gave me this book for Christmas because he knows how much I love Messiah and because I sang in the Eugene Symphony's performance of the oratorio this year. It was the second time I had sung in the chorus, and I loved it just as much, if not more. All this to say--it was the perfect time to read this slim but entertaining book.

This could be considered a cultural biography of a work of music. The author does a fine job explaining Handel's background, the world of early eighteenth-century music, the cooperation between Handel and his librettist, and the musical innovations of this particular musical genre. I had a sense, but never knew for certain, that Handel never finished a "definitive" score for this famous work. Instead, he adjusted it based on performance location (e.g., Dublin v. London), and performers (castrati v. soprani).

The most riveting aspect of the book, is its discussion of performances after Handel's death, especially in the Victorian era. The author explains that 1857, when the piece was performed as part of the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, was the beginning of the large-scale, big orchestra performance of the oratorio. He argues that this presentation of Handel fit perfectly into an age of nationalisms and romanticization of national culture. As someone who studies these themes during this period, I found this discussion really interesting.

I also did not realize that efforts in today's music landscape to return to Handel's small, baroque chamber sounds was relatively new. Very interesting read.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dryasdust summary of what the title says. I learned a little about Charles Jennens, the man who selected the Bible passages that make up the libretto of Handel's masterpiece; and I learned just how big the thing got in the 19th century (chorus of 3000, orchestra of 460); but I expected a bit more meat on the bones, not only in descriptions of Handel and his personality, but in analysis of the work itself. I love Messiah (I've sung in a chorus doing it at Christmastime for the last 20-something years), but I'd say skip the book, get out your CD, and read the notes there. You'll get the gist. And then really listen to it.

[ChristineK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that puts you into the time period (1740's) that Messiah was composed. While there I saw other things that George Friderick Handel was working on, and societal conditions in Europe that existed when Messiah was introduced. The work of other composers also lent a perspective.
Knowing Handel was not Catholic, I was surprised when my pastor brought up Messiah just before Christmas 2022. The priest said that he went to hear Messiah by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra most years around Christmas time. A couple years ago the DSO canceled the performance, so he used all of his Christmas gifts to go all the way to New York City to hear it. He says it is very Christian centered, good to revisit at Easter time as well. According to the book, Easter is the season Messiah was originally meant for.
Now I am sifting through every CD of Messiah I can get my hands on (in the library system) and they run the gamut from soulful drumbeats to high operatic. Interesting how many songs and themes are recognizable in the culture. This book fell into my lap at an opportune time, it is terrific.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting window on the world of George Friderik Handel in 1741, when his masterpiece, The Messiah, was first performed in Dublin ... with the aid of his libretist, Charles Jennings, who relied heavily on the King James Version of the Bible, Handel assembled a sure-fire hit ... tweaked by the composer frequently, to accommodate different artists and available instruments, and expanded beyond his limits after Handel's death, current Early-Music practices have returned The Messiah to its Georgian roots ... most intriguing ...

[Literary Chic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yikes...so dry. I’m a classical music fan, and I still found this brief history so long! The last two chapters were interesting, but it could have been covered in an essay. I did walk away with some good facts about Jennens who wrote the words for the oratorio. Overall, not worth the time unless you’re a very academic reader.

[Alex Helling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Messiah by Jonathan Keates is a short book about Georg Fredrich Handel’s masterpiece the Messiah – one of the most famous pieces of classical music. It covers what an oratorio is, Handel and his compositional process, Jennens the lyricist, the situation of the first performance in Dublin and subsequently in London, how it was poorly received before becoming extremely popular within a few decades of Handel’s death all in succinct chapters.

Although short it feels pretty much comprehensive as I would want a book on a single work. At least when covering all the bases. Though many of these could clearly have been developed further; more about Dublin in the 18th Century or Handel’s life for example. But any more topic areas and I feel that it would be getting into details that would only be of interests to musicologists such as a detailed analysis of the score itself. As a result, there is only one significant subject I feel it misses; telling us the meaning of the text for the audience. As a religious piece it probably meant rather more than it does for us in a secular age. We are told that listeners would catch the theological message several times (p.90) but not what that message is.

As a short book this is one you can read quite quickly to get a good overview – perhaps before going to see the Messiah in a concert, or like me just before Christmas when listening to it on CD... I recommend the Dunedin Consort!

[Dave Ream · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Messiah for many years, and anticipating an upcoming holiday performance, I thought I'd invest some time in the background story and possibly a better understanding of this oratorio for which I struggled to place in a musical or music history context. I don't really know that much about other oratorios and wondered why this one survived and was not only part of what appeared to me to be the accepted musical canon of classical music but also actually regularly performed and even attended with distinct enthusiasm. The distinguished author's book represented a tantalizing opportunity.

Upon completing what could be a five-star book, I had to conclude that for my narrow, personal objectives it was only partially successful. There was a lot of information, much of it interesting, that I couldn't connect. The hoped-for context was addressed, but I felt that for me the narrative was not coherent enough to feel at the close of the book that I understood more - I think it was the feeling that I now had more questions than answers. I regard that as a good sign that I needed to bridge back to this volume after finding something more accessible.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somewhere between 1 and 2 stars. I'm sure that, for some readers, this is a good book. It appears to be well-researched. But it was far too academic (and pretentious) in tone for my liking. Handel's Messiah is a beautiful oratorio full of praise, prophecy, scripture and worship. I was expecting the writing and mood to be more passionate and lively, more full of life - like Handel's Messiah itself! Instead, it was dry and filled with the kind of detail I'm not interested in, while leaving out the details I AM interested in.... I ended up skimming a lot of it as a result.

[Tebel Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a bit of history on Handel's many works prior to "Messiah" which I turned to YT to familiarize myself with. Just as Vivaldi seems to be locked into "The 4 Seasons," so Handel's other works seem to take a back seat, although I would argue that "Messiah" oratorio alone sets him apart as a divinely gifted composer. But the author asks the same question I have asked: are listeners merely moved by the sublime musical performances, or do the scriptural lyrics resonate with them as well?

[David Freudenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, little, easy-to-read book of music history. Several B/W photos. Includes the libretto. Gives a history of the origins, as well as the aftermath and performance practices after Handel died. I appreciated that the author was passionate about the work, while also maintaining his historical objectivity.

[Danielw · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't really feel fair to give this 3 stars. I mean, it's not the books fault that I don't know a lot of the terms used in this book. It's not the books fault that all I knew of Handels Messaih was the Hallelujah chorus. (Although I have been wanting to go see this for a few years now) All in all it was interesting enough to keep me going, so that must mean it was good.....right?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

A swift - perhaps too swift - appreciation of Handel's background and the composition, performance, and endurance of The Messiah. Feels half-way between programme notes and a really interesting book.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting in depth look at Messiah, it’s origins, it’s enduring popularity, and rediscovery as a work of art after nearly three centuries of over blown performance. Lots of discussion of librettist Charles Jennens as well.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning a little about Charles Jennens. I thought it was a solid book.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct, but informative, placing the Messiah in the context of Handel's career and Baroque music.

[Katra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good information, intriguing details, interesting insights. Worth the read. A page turner? Not really.

[Lisa Titley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information about one of the best masterpieces of all time.

[Roger Custer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short backgrounder on one of my favorite masterpieces

[Linda]

Learning more about the Handle’s Messiah.