Handel: Messiah

Donald Burrows brings many new insights to this fascinating account of one of the favorite works of the concert hall. He traces the course of Messiah from Handel´s initial musical response to the libretto, through the oratorio´s turbulent first years to its eventual popularity with the Foundling Hospital performances. The book addresses such questions as the position of Messiah within the oratorio genre, Handel´s treatment of structural design, tonal relationships in the work and problems of English wordsetting, as well as contemporary issues such as Handel´s relationship with his librettist, Charles Jennens, and with his performers and audience.