This engrossing account traces Messiah from 1741—when Handel composed it in London in just 24 days—through changes and adaptations in its staging and performance over the
following century. Handel himself made changes as he conducted the piece in his own lifetime, and as oratorio became wildly popular in Europe in the 1820s, new arrangements of
Handel's score and libretto were common, with Christmas performances by enormous choirs becoming the fashion by the Victorian period. Many color photos—including
the room where Handel wrote his masterpiece and the church in Dublin where it was first performed—provide even more information on the cultural and historical background of the
period. An audio CD of selections from Messiah is included.
