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Would it shock you if I told you the most commonly sung piece of Christmas choral music is an Easter piece?
First, a review:
We talked about The Messiah back in the spring, but let’s recap in bulleted format:
- George Frederic Handel was German, but moved to England to write music.
- He was awesome and the King loved him.
- He remained awesome, and the next King had him compose a coronation anthem.
- Tastes changed and people thought he was less awesome. #ithappens
- George was penniless and desperate.
- A friend gave him some lyrics and said, “can you write me a little something?”
- George locked himself in his room and hardly ate or drank for 24 days.
- George wrote The Messiah.
- George was hungry.
- The Messiah premiered but, whomp whomp, nobody much cared.
- A few years later it was performed for the King, who stood up at the beginning of the Hallelujah Chorus (no one knows why).
- George was awesome again.
Okay! Now that we are all caught up, let’s explore some of the lyrics…
Hallelujah Chorus (Lyrics)
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
There are more, but you get the idea.
The Messiah has three main parts, broken down like this: Christ’s (1) birth, (2) death/resurrection, and (3) second coming. The Hallelujah Chorus happens at the end of the death/resurrection portion, basically the end of Act II.
That’s Easter, people!
There are no astounding reasons why The Messiah became associated with Christmas, except that it just did. Large-scale concerts are more of a Christmas thing than an Easter thing, and conductors in the last century often plucked The Messiah for their holiday performances because they knew it would be a crowd pleaser. Over time, it became a tradition.
Now The Messiah is heard all over the world at Christmas, and many people consider their holidays incomplete without attending a performance. Of all the pieces in The Messiah, the Hallelujah Chorus has risen to the surface as the star of the show. Enjoy teaching your kids to love this great music!
The original:
A little #classicalmusicinthewild
How about one of the most famous flash mobs ever?
And this fun one!
Merry Christmas, my friends!
Kristi
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