5 Things To Know About Handel's 'Messiah'

If you're going to the Messiah performance at on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., here's five cool things to know about this world-renowned masterwork. According to Wikipedia and other sources: 

1. George Frideric Handel composed "Messiah" in 1741 and it premiered in Dublin that December as a charity event. It was an instant hit in Ireland.

2. The oratorio is essentially an un-staged opera. It contains more than 50 separate musical pieces for soloists and chorus with orchestral accompaniment.

3. When played in full, the oratorio is broken into three sections, telling the Biblical story of the prophesy, birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Much of the English text is from the King James Bible.

4.  The London premier took place at Covent Garden in March, 1743 and was not as well received. In time, "Messiah" would become the most popular work of its genre. Among the many composers who revised and re-arranged the work was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

5. There is controversy over the tradition of standing during the "Hallelujah" chorus. The story goes that at the London premiere,King George II did so during the piece, stunned by the music's splendor. When the King rose; so did his subjects in the audience. To this day, audiences stand during the singing of the contrapuntal masterpiece. But there is no firm evidence George II was even present for the premier or any other performance of the oratorio.

No matter; people still stand.