Handel’s Messiah
By the summer of 1741 Handel’s career was at a crossroads. He had been in England, except for brief excursions home to Germany, for over thirty years. He had arrived as an up-and-coming harpsichordist, organist, and composer of prodigious talent. Now he was the celebrated Mr Handel, a naturalised British subject, the go-to composer for state events, including the coronation of George II, and a successful composer of opera. Along the way he became prosperous and had bought himself a smart town house in the fashionable Mayfair district.
The problem was that his fame and fortune was becoming increasingly fragile. The popularity of Italian opera, with its elaborate plots, expensive costumes and scenery, and even more expensive foreign singers, was waning. His most recent opera, Deidamia, premiered in January, had been a flop, running for just three performances Despite the recent success of his oratorios Saul and Israel in Egypt, the future looked uncertain.
He was, therefore, receptive to an invitation from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to visit Dublin. He would bring for performance several of his recent choral works, but he also turned his attention to a new work using a sequence of verses from the Bible sent to him by his friend and literary collaborator, Charles Jennens (1700-73) He titled his sequence Messiah
Jennens, a wealthy landowner, had plenty of time on his hands to devote to patronage of the arts, including writing libretti for two of Handel’s earlier oratorios, Saul and (probably) Israel in Egypt. The plots of these oratorios were biblical epics from the Old Testament, and in the case of Saul, Jennens had expanded the biblical story with his own text. In this he was following the pattern being developed by Handel and his literary collaborators, dramatic elaborations of Old Testament stories. They were operatic in scope and structure, but unlike opera, required no stage, costumes, or scenery. They were also, critically, in English, appealing to a wider audience and enabling Handel to use English soloists and choruses drawn from the London cathedrals.
However, when it came to Messiah, Jennens did something even more innovative. His subject was Jesus, the Messiah, His coming to earth to save humanity by suffering death and resurrection, by coming to glory, and ensuring life everlasting for which merited hymns of praise and thanksgiving. He would, furthermore, tell this story in the third person, using prophecies from the King James Version of the Old Testament, with only occasional references to the New, such as the announcement of the Messiah’s birth to the shepherds.
Jennens probably sent his manuscript to Handel in 1740, but Handel did nothing with it, but once he turned his hand to it in late August 1741 he was enthused. He took just three weeks to complete the score of recitatives, arias and choruses. He scored it for stings, continuo (harpsichord and organ), trumpets and drums. In November he left for Ireland. His Dublin tour was a great success, with several of his already established choral works being performed, but it was not until April 1742 that he premiered Messiah at the new concert hall in Fishamble Street. Over 700 people attended and such was the crush that gentlemen were asked not to wear their swords and women their dress hoops. It was an overwhelming success, with the singing of the alto, Susanna Ciber, being rapturously received. Another performance followed to similar acclaim before Handel returned to London.
It might have been expected that Messiah would have been a similar success in London, but it was not. There was controversy over whether the life of Christ, even told through Old Testament prophecies, was a suitable subject for the commercial stage (it was to be performed at the Covent Garden theatre), and even Jennens thought a few of the numbers as first composed didn’t work Instead, it was another new oratorio, Samson, that carried all before it that 1743 season. Handel persisted, however, with the work, revising a handful of the numbers as new singers became available, and extending the orchestration to include oboes and bassoons, but it still lagged in popularity compared to some of his other oratorios.
That changed in 1749 when Handel staged Messiah as a charity performance in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital, an orphanage in Bloomsbury. It was a sellout success. He attracted star singers, both English and Italian, and revised some of the arias to suit their talents. The annual performances that followed became must-doevents of the London season
Performances continued after Handel’s death in 1759 In 1784 500 players and singers took part in the Westminster Abbey performance to celebrate the centenary of Handel’s birth. Mozart adapted it for performance in Vienna. The newly formed local choral societies took it up with enthusiasm in the nineteenth century. From this island it traveled across around the world. Handel’s ability to combine drama and emotional depth, with a genius for writing for the human voice, has ensured its enduring popularity.
Messiah is divided into three parts, although it is now often performed, as it is this evening, with the interval after Part I, with Parts II and III running without break Part I deals with the coming of Christ and his incarnation. Part II with his suffering, death, resurrection and coming to glory. Part III with the expectation of salvation and eternal life. The work ends with choruses of thanks and praise.
Dr Timothy Brain OBE
Former Chair, The Three Choirs Festival
1. Sinfony
2. Recit. Tenor: Comfort ye my people (tenor) Mr J Wilson
3. Aria. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted (tenor) Mr J Wilson
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord
5. Recit. Thus saith the Lord of hosts (bass) Josh Knight
6. Aria. But who may abide the day of His coming (alto) Mrs M Apley
7. Chorus. And he shall purify the sons of Levi
8. Recit. Behold, a virgin shall conceive Millie Whale
9. Aria and Chorus. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion Millie Whale
10. Recit. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (bass) Ben Strong
11. Aria. The people that walked in darkness Ben Strong
12. Chorus. For unto us a child is born (chorus)
13. Pifa
14a. Recit. There were shepherds abiding in the fields (soprano) Matilda Samuels
15. Recit. And the angel said unto them (soprano) Matilda Samuels
16. Recit. And suddenly there was with the angel (soprano) Matilda Samuels
17. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
18. Aria. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Mrs R Austen
21. Chorus. His yoke is easy
22. Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God
23. Aria. He was despised and rejected of men (alto) Mrs M Apley
24. Chorus. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows
25. Chorus. And with his stripes we are healed
26. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone astray
27. Recit. All they that see him laugh him to scorn (tenor) Theo Baughan
28. Chorus. He trusted in God that he would deliver him
29. Recit. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart (tenor) Charlie Lipscomb
30. Aria. Behold and see if there be any sorrow (tenor) Charlie Lipscomb
31. Recit. He was cut off (soprano) Sophie Tong
32. Aria. But thou didst not leave his soul in hell (soprano) Sophie Tong
33. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
39. Aria. Their sound is gone out (tenor) Mr J Wilson
40. Aria. Why do the nations so furiously rage together (bass) Mr M Griffiths
43. Aria. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron (tenor) Mr J Wilson
44. Chorus. Hallelujah
Part 3
45. Aria. I know that my Redeemer liveth (soprano) Mrs R Austen
46. Chorus. Since by man came death
47. Recit. Behold, I tell you a mystery (bass) Mr M Griffiths
48. Aria. The trumpet shall sound (bass) Mr M Griffiths
53. Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb & Amen
Biographies and Performers
Richard Brain Conductor
Alongside his duties at Haileybury, Mr Brain is also Musical Director of Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society and a freelance conductor. Major works conducted include all of Bach’s major oratorios - Christmas Oratorio, Mass in B minor, St John Passion and St Matthew Passion; as well as Beethoven Symphony No.9, Elgar The Dream of Gerontius, Handel Dixit Dominus, Israel in Egypt, Judas Maccabaeus and Messiah, Mendelssohn Elijah, Mozart Requiem, Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony, and Walton’s Belshazzar's Feast.
Haileybury Chorus and Schola Cantorum*
Soprano
Rachael Austen, Chrissy Barclay, Susan Barker, Isabel Bentley*, Anthea Chan*, Claire Crabtree*,Nicky Dawson, Gloria Douglas, Fiona El-Beih, Sue Flint Cahan, Amanda Halliday, Virginia Hayrott, Kristián Head*, Alma Henin*, Debra Hickman, Eleanor Jardine, June Jarvest, Pamela Jones, Stacey Mcnutt, Helen Rayfield, Mary Salter, Anne Spence, Ann Stephen-Jones, Judith Swindell, Giselle Thomas*, Sophie Tong*,Natalia Voitenko*,Sophia Wylde*
Alto
Maddie Apley, Poppy Banks*, Jill Coggins, Liz Dillon, Samantha Funnell, Rebecca Goldby, Greta Hanusa*, Norah Hickman, Fiona Hudson, Hilary Laidler, Helen Miller, Valerie Mort, Margaret Rank, Jenni Reid, Alison Ritchie, Jo Saward, Sofiia Sergadeeva*, Ann Spavin, Jackie Stavey, Liz Sweetman, Minnie Wang*, Millie Whale*
Tenor
Revd Matthew Austen, Theo Baughan*, Timothy Brain, Peter Dane, Oscar Davison*, Clive Halliday, Graham Jones, Charlie Lipscomb*, Nate Markson*, Florin Rau, Jordan Wilson
Bass
Oscar Baggs*, John Barry, Peter Bodden, Philip Craven, James Deveson Martin Douglas, Mark Galpin, Rohit Karia*, Josh Knight*, George Lock Ben Strong*, Antony Tyndale
Haileybury Concert Orche
Violin 1: Emily Groom Leader, Jeremy Sampso
Violin 2: Sonja Tuomela, John Sm
Viola: Maria Dervish, Vladislava Vla
Cello: Tim Steggals, Cameron Sm
Double Bass: Amie Boddy
Rehearsal Pianist: Mark Smith
Haileybury Schola Cantorum is the School’s premier vocal ensemble with an auditioned membership from pupils in Middles to Upper Sixth. The Schola Cantorum consists of 23 pupils who are especially passionate and committed to choral music, singing for concerts and services throughout the academic year including Choral Evensong in this great Chapel. In April, the Schola Cantorum will be singing Choral Evensong at Westminster Abbey and in the summer, alongside the Chapel Choir, will be touring Malta
Haileybury Chorus has enjoyed a long history under it’s original name Haileybury Choral Society. Membership consists of current and past staff members, parents, grandparents, and friends of the school. Today, the Chorus maintains Haileybury’s 80 year old tradition of singing madrigals for an annual concert at Great Amwell Pool in the Summer term.
Haileybury Concert Orchestra is the new name for our staff-led professional orchestra which supports concerts throughout the academic year.
Continuo: Samuel Ali
Timpani: Geoff Boynton
Trumpet: Dave Price, Catherine Kn
Oboe: Catherine Wild, Tim Eato
