On Sunday, December 16th at 2 p.m. I had the wonderful privilege of going to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra to hear Handel's Messiah. I've never heard it all the way through before and I learned things I didn't know. For example, Handel wrote the Messiah in 22 days. It is so complex so this is an amazing feat. I've never heard of Handel's Solomon, which is said to be larger and grander than the Messiah and he wrote Solomon in 20 days. The Messiah was composed in 1741. Handel was born in 1685 and died in 1759. When people think of Handel's Messiah, the Hallelujah Chorus comes to mind which is at the end of the Part The Second. There are three parts called Part The First, Part The Second, and Part The Third. I didn't know this either. At the end of Part the Second, when the orchestra played and the chorus sang the Hallelujah Chorus, everyone stood. It was beautiful and glorious. I love it that the conductor, played the harpsichord. The harpsichord is one of my favorite instruments, if not my very favorite. I love Vivaldi and the baroque period of music when harpsichords were played. Part The First is about the Old Testament and prophecy of the coming of the messiah. Part The Second focuses on the personal suffering of Christ and Part The Third is the redemptive theme that finishes this symphony. It's lovely, complex, and I'm glad I went. I learned a lot.
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