Oratorio composed by George Frederick Handel in
1741, using a text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James version of
the Bible. The work focuses on Jesus Christ - his coming as prophesied in the
Old Testament; his birth, life, death and resurrection; and the prophecies of
his future coming as Lord. The music of Messiah
has been a constant companion from my
teenage years onwards. Quite apart from the significance of the subject, there
is a beauty in the score which I have always found brings a sense of healing
and wholeness. I only have to hear one
of the verses Handel set repeated in a sermon, and his incomparable setting of
the words floods my mind.
However, there are bitter-sweet memories of Messiah.
In my teens and early 20s, Sunday afternoons were spent sitting with my
parents in the living room while they read various missionary magazines
and spiritual books. By my own choice, Sunday after Sunday I played Handel’s Messiah on the record player, all six
long-playing sides of it which neatly filled the gap between drying the lunch
dishes and sitting down for tea. Moved by what I was hearing I swayed backwards and forwards on the rocking
chair. Messiah is sublime, but this
was no way for a young man to spend his Sunday afternoons.
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