Jennens intended Messiah as a statement of faith in Christ’s divinity, in reaction to the increasing popularity of rationalised atheism. It is difficult to discern what Handel thought about religion, but attractive legends such as him weeping over the score of Messiah are apocryphal.

In 1910 the Tabernacle Choir made its first recordings, which included the “Hallelujah” chorus; this was most likely the first recording of Messiah music outside of England.

Most of Handel’s early operas and oratorios, had Italian texts and were first performed in Italy. instead of Italian texts.

Hallelujah Chorus: Imitative polyphony Throughout the piece, the texture switches from homophony (all voices following the same melody) to polyphony, where there are multiple melodies happening at once.

the Baroque era

George Frideric Handel

This brings us to the business of standing during that famous chorus, a tradition said to have begun in 1743, when King George II rose from his seat, enthralled by the beauty of the music. So if standing during the Hallelujah chorus offers you that experience, go for it.

The Hallelujah Chorus is at the end of the second part. The king was supposedly at the performance and stood up during the Hallelujah Chorus. According to royal protocol, when the king or queen stands, everyone else must stand and remain standing until the monarch returns to his or her seat.

around 2 1/2 to 3 hours

George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685, to Georg and Dorothea Handel of Halle, Saxony, Germany. From an early age, Handel longed to study music, but his father objected, doubting that music would be a realistic source of income. In fact, his father would not even permit him to own a musical instrument.

He wrote the most famous of all oratorios, Messiah (1741), and is also known for such occasional pieces as Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).

Handel’s father did not want him to study music; he wanted him to be a lawyer. Although Handel’s father died in 1697, Handel enrolled at the University of Halle in 1703. He studied law for a year because his father wanted him to do so. After that year, Handel was unhappy studying law.

The Lord Said

1 : an owner as distinguished from a user. 2 : a principal as distinguished from an agent.

Like many ambitious musicians he was drawn to Italy, the birthplace of opera, and so in 1707 he went to Rome for three years, where he hoped to further his career as an opera composer. Dixit Dominus is a setting of Psalm 110 (109 in the Latin Vulgate) which Handel composed in 1707, when he was only 22.

The word is an adjectival form of the Sanskrit word diksha, meaning provider of knowledge. The word dixit means the one who has been initiated. The Dikshit/Dixit surname is usually associated with Hindu Brahmins in India especially in Northern India and Nepal.

After all, the name “Dixit” comes from Latin, meaning, “He said / She said.” There are countless ways to interpret the cards, because the artwork is so mysteriously magical. Scoring track is a board that sits inside the game box. Players use wooden rabbit figures to keep score. (Rabbit meeples!)

writer Cicero