Handel’s Messiah: A New View of Its Musical and Spiritual Architecture—Study Guide for Listeners and Performers (Cascade Companions)

by Gregory S. Athnos

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2023

Overview

We think we know Handel’s Messiah, having heard it or performed it so many times. But is there another way to look at this masterpiece? Who assembled the texts? Why? How did Handel incorporate his own spiritual understanding of the texts? In this treatise, we view the composition from the same Baroque aesthetic perspective the composer used: the Doctrine of Affections--an approach heretofore unexplored in relationship to Handel’s Messiah--which held that every major and minor key prompted a particular, very specific, and involuntary emotional and spiritual response in the listener. When facing a choice between following the accepted rules of musical composition or using the Affect best suited to the scriptural text, Handel almost exclusively chose the Affect; in other words, he chose spiritual insight over compositional tradition. Overlaying the various Affects on each movement of Handel’s composition, we discover the true heart and spiritual depth of the composer’s magnum opus.

Key Features

• Views the composition from the same perspective the composer used: the Doctrine of Affections.
• Explains how Handel chose spiritual insight over compositional tradition.
• Guides to discover the true heart and spiritual depth of the composer’s magnum opus.

Contents

• Introduction
• 1 The Baroque Doctrine of Affections
• 2 Charles Jennens, Deism, and the Enlightenment
• 3 George Frideric Handel
• 4 Charles Jennens’ Scripture Collection
• 5 Oratorio Musical Components
• 6 Compositional Devices
• PART THE FIRST (THE ANTICIPATED REDEMPTION: PROPHECY)
• 7 Scene 1: The World after the Fall
• 8 Scene 2: The Promise
• 9 Scene 3: Shaking Up the World
• 10 Scene 4: First Words of a Virgin Birth
• 11 Scene 5: Into the Shepherds’ Field
• 12 Scene 6: Four Images of a Savior: A Healer Who Doesn’t Suffer
• PART THE SECOND (REDEMPTION FULFILLED, THE PROPHECIES REINTERPRETED)
• 13 Scene 7: Redemption through Personal Suffering
• 14 Scene 8: Prophecies of Death and Resurrection: Turning Point
• 15 Scene 9: From Resurrection to Ascension
• 16 Scene 10: The Gospel Is Preached
• 17 Scene 11: The Resurrected Messiah Defeats the Enemies of God
• 18 Scene 12: In Response, the Believers Sing
• PART THE THIRD (THE PROMISE TO ALL BELIEVERS: NEW TESTAMENT HOPE)
• 19 Scene 13: Homage to the Triumphant Savior
• 20 Scene 14: Resurrection Hope
• 21 Scene 15: The Conclusion of the Apostle Paul’s Words to Corinth
• 22 Scene 16: Around the Throne of the Lamb
• Conclusions
• About the Author

Praise for Handel’s Messiah

A fascinating and deeply researched analysis, Athnos’ presentation of the underpinnings of this well-known masterwork rings true to me as a composer and conductor. His grasp of the organizational arc of Messiah as he lays out connections between its disparate internal components shows that he can view it all with not only a musical eye, but a spiritual one as well. I recommend this to anyone seeking a fresh and deeper understanding of Handel’s timeless magnum opus.

—Gary Fry, Emmy-winning composer

Handel’s Messiah is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in researching, performing, or just listening to this magnificent oratorio. This book connects all the dots as to how Messiah is put together with regards to the text and the music. I have had the privilege of conducting Messiah several times in my career, and I sure could have used this guide in my own preparation!

—Michael Duff, musical director

As a lover of Handel’s Messiah, I have always been intrigued by the wide appeal of a work that is so overtly Christian. Athnos’ book helped me to understand how Handel deployed musical forms, often subversively, to engage the human heart (or to use the Baroque term, our ‘affects’) and even bypass our cognitive ‘defenses.’ More importantly, Athnos’ book has helped me better experience something I already enjoyed. It can do the same for you.

—Marshall Brown, senior pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church of the North Shore

Product Details

• Title: Handel’s Messiah: A New View of Its Musical and Spiritual Architecture—Study Guide for Listeners and Performers (Cascade Companions)
• Author: Gregory S. Athnos
• Series: Cascade Companions
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Pages: 156
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• ISBNs: 9781666739046, 9781666739053, 9781666739060, 1666739049, 1666739057, 1666739065
• Resource ID: LLS:CASCADEHANDEL
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-12-26T23:01:42Z