In every major city and in many small towns around the world, MESSIAH is conducted and sung by hundreds of people, around Christmas or Easter. Handel himself could never have imagined the thousands of choirs performing his music today, or even that there would be "MESSIAH Sing-Ins." MESSIAH has been heard by the largest audiences and the greatest number of people than any other sacred music ever composed. From the moment he started working on MESSIAH, Handel was under an uninterrupted spell or trance. He spent 24 grueling days composing, and finally, after the last monumental Amen had been written, he said, "I think God has visited me."

So you've got tickets to hear Handel's MESSIAH. Or, better yet, you're singing in the choir. Hallelujah! This book is designed as a manual to MESSIAH, following the masterwork chapter-by-chapter in an easy-to-understand manner. It is written for a new generation of music students, chorus singers, choir directors, organists, instrumentalists, ministers, conductors, or passionate concert listeners. This manual will:

Explain the scriptural text in its historic setting
Reveal how Handel was inspired to put Scripture to music
Offer some friendly tips on interpretation and performance
Explore a musical analysis of each movement
Provide background on particular solo arias or choruses
Surprise you with facts about the man behind the music