Messiah

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

Lydia Grindatto, soprano
Jenny Anne Flory, alto
Luke Norvell, tenor
Steven Condy, bass
Tenth Church Choir
Colin Howland, conductor

Part 2

22. Chorus (John 1:29)

Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.

23. Aria–alto (Isaiah 53:3, 50:6)

He was despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting.

24. Chorus (Isaiah 53:4–5)

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

25. Chorus (Isaiah 53:5)

And with His stripes we are healed.

26. Chorus (Isaiah 53:6)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

27. Recitative–tenor (Psalm 22:7)

All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn, they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying:

28. Chorus (Psalm 22:8)

He trusted in God that He would deliver Him; let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.

29. Recitative–tenor (Psalm 69:20)

Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man; neither found He any to comfort Him.

30. Aria–tenor (Lamentations 1:12)

Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow.

31. Recitative–tenor (Isaiah 53:8)

He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of Thy people was He stricken.

32. Aria–tenor (Psalm 16:10)

But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

33. Chorus (Psalm 24:7–10)

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

34. Recitative–tenor (Hebrews 1:5)

Unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee?

35. Chorus (Hebrews 1:6)

Let all the angels of God worship Him.

36. Aria–alto (Psalm 68:18)

Thou art gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

37. Chorus (Psalm 68:11)

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of the preachers.

38. Aria–soprano (Romans 10:15)

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

39. Chorus (Romans 10:18)

Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.

40. Aria–bass (Psalm 2:1–2)

Why do the nations so furiously rage together? And why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed.

41. Chorus (Psalm 2:3)

Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.

42. Recitative–tenor (Psalm 2:4)

He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision.

43. Aria–tenor (Psalm 2:9)

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

44. Chorus (Revelation 19:6, 11:15, 19:16)

Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign forever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Hallelujah!

Intermission (10 minutes)

Part 3

45. Aria–soprano (Job 19:25–26, 1 Corinthians 15:20)

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that sleep.

46. Chorus (1 Corinthians 15:21)

Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

47. Recitative–bass (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

48. Aria–bass (1 Corinthians 15:52–53)

The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

49. Recitative–alto (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.

50. Duet–alto, tenor (1 Corinthians 15:55–56)

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

51. Chorus (1 Corinthians 15:57)

But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

52. Aria–soprano (Romans 8:31, 33–34)

If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.

52. Chorus (Revelation 5:12–13)

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

Tenth Church Choir

Colin Howland, Director of Music and Organist
Norman Carter, Accompanist
Aaron Patterson, Assistant Organist

Soprano

Jean Andreozzi
Kaitlyn Bonsell
Eleanor Bracey
Josephine Budiana
Natalie Cho
Soprina Guarneri
Barbara Harder
Trinity Hobaugh
Robyn Howland
Danielle Lee
Susanna Paul
Hannah Robbins
Karen Spindler
Carolynne Waddington
Suzannah Waddington

Alto

Anita Brodsky
Suzanne Carpenter
Lori Carter
Ke-Chia Chen
Ellie Collins
Heather Collins
Morna Dombach
Lydia Erickson
JoAnna Fletcher
Casey Gonzalez
Kathy Hobaugh
JoAnna Koveal
Lee Anne Macolino
Amy Oeste
Yolanda Pettiford
Katherine Preston
Cherilyn Widell

Tenor

Matthew Aquiline
Jimmie Chengo

Christopher Eis
Nathaniel Fletcher
Phil Meador
Mark Paul
Martin Troutman
Jian Xing

Bass

Norman Carter
Nathan Cornelius
Patrick Edwards
Jeff Frazier
Timothy Gonzalez
Joshua Grindatto
Matt Hagestuen
Greg Hobaugh
Tom Muldoon
Neal Robbins

Orchestra

Violin 1

Dayna Hepler
Rebecca Ansel

Violin 2

Valissa Willwerth
Philip Carter

Viola

Rachel Ku
Myanna Harvey

Cello

Richard Harlow
Cassia Harvey

Contrabass

Gabriel Polinsky

Oboe

Terence Belzer
Meghan Woodard

Bassoon

Darryl Hartshorne

Trumpet

Nathaniel Hepler
Eric Schweingruber

Timpani

Christopher Hanning

Organ

Aaron Patterson

Audio Visual

Angela Brantley
Stacy Brantley
James Kurtz

Messiah–Program Notes

Libretto: Charles Jennens, 1741. Compiled from the King James Version of the Bible and Psalms from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

Music: George Frideric Handel, composed from August 22–September 14, 1741.

In the summer of 1741, shortly after sending a recently compiled libretto to Handel, Charles Jennens wrote to a friend, "I hope [Handel] will lay out his whole Genius and Skill upon it, that the Composition may excel all his former Compositions, as the Subject excels every other subject. The Subject is Messiah." Unlike Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew and St. John Passions which focus specifically on the gospel passion narratives, Messiah presents a much wider view of Jesus Christ. Rather than dramatizing the life of Jesus, the biblical texts of Messiah acclaim the "mystery of godliness." The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

In keeping with this description by the Apostle Paul, Jennens arranged the texts into three acts, or parts, each with several "scenes." Jennens provided the following outline for the first London perfomance in 1743:

Part 1 (i) The prophecy of Salvation; (ii) the prophecy of the coming of Messiah and the question, despite (i), of what this may portend for the World; (iii) the prophecy of the Virgin Birth; (iv) the appearance of the Angels to the Shepherds; (v) Christ's redemptive miracles on earth.

Part II (i) The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross; (ii) His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection; (iii) His Ascension; (iv) God discloses his identity in Heaven; (v) Whitsun (Pentecost), the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism; (vi) the world and its rulers reject the Gospel; (vii) God's triumph.

Part III (i) The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall; (ii) the Day of Judgement and general Resurrection; (iii) the victory over death and sin; (iv) the glorification of the Messianic victim.

Handel's and Jennens' masterwork, therefore, helps us understand who Jesus Christ is in the grandeur and fullness of God's plan of redemption. It presents Jesus as God Incarnate, the Savior of sinners, the triumphant and reigning King of kings and Lord of lords.

Can a piece of music really do justice to a "Subject which excels every other subject?" Jennens' original assessment of Handel's work might come as a surprise: "He has made a fine entertainment of it, though not near so good as he might and ought to have done...there are some passages far unworthy of Handel, but much more unworthy of the Messiah." Perhaps the enduring legacy of Messiah is not so much music which elevates a subject, but a Subject who elevates the music.

Our prayer for all present this evening is that in hearing the Scriptures sung we would realize that "these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).