Even if you aren’t a classical music aficionado, you all know at least a piece of Handel’s “Messiah”. Ever heard the “Hallelujah Chorus”? Then you know “Messiah”!

As a long-time choral singer, this piece is as familiar to me as the back of my own hand. Along with a few other select pieces (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem), this is a piece I could pretty much sing in my sleep. It wears well and every year brings with it the joy of the holidays. Ironically, the piece was first performed around Easter, and the third part of “Messiah” is all about Christ’s resurrection. So not entirely “Christmassy” after all.

I first sang “Messiah” as a teenager in a university-affiliated choir. While there were many young university students in the choir, there was a good representation of “older folks” – who, in fact, would be about my age today. A full performance of “Messiah” takes well over two hours and in that choir we were not afforded the opportunity to sit during the performances by the soloists. It was a long stand and my feet, legs and back hurt A LOT by the end of the performance. I have no idea how the older folks felt, but already as a teenager I learned the power of this piece to exhaust – physically, vocally and spiritually.

I have owned my own personal copy of the “Messiah” score for decades now. The tattered cover is so worn that the dog ears have dog ears! Once during a rehearsal, I was contemplating my beloved old score when I found a handwritten rehearsal schedule from 1982 inside the front cover. On impulse, I pointed it out to the young woman sitting beside me. Her reply? “I wasn’t even born in 1982!”. Nothing like that to make me feel old – ouch!!

Anyway, having performed this beautiful piece countless times and having listened to it many times more, here are five things I have learned from “Messiah”:

1. In case you weren’t already aware, the Bible makes for griping source material. There is fortune-telling in the form of prophesy (Isiah, you rock!), an unplanned pregnancy, lots and lots of sheep, paranormal activity in the form of angels (or maybe the shepherds were smoking Canadian weed?), and a mob of mean people. Did I mention the sheep? Yup, lots of them!
2. If you repeat the same words and lines over and over again, it will add to the length of the piece. If you repeat the same words and lines over and over and over and over again, it will add to the length, add to the length, of the piece.
3. As an audience member, be grateful that King George II purportedly stood up during the performance of the “Hallelujah Chorus”, causing everyone else present to rise. The thought is that he stood up due to the majesty of the music. In reality, I think he stood up because after two hours of sitting, everyone needs a seventh inning stretch. Especially if you can’t step out to get a hotdog and a beer.
4. When the trumpets sound in the bass air “The Trumpet Shall Sound”, you want to make sure you are not standing and singing in front of those trumpets. And since the arrival of the trumpets heralds that you are getting close to the end of the performance, you also don’t want to be standing near the timpani (which are featured LOUDLY in the final chorus).
5. When you finally hit the word “Amen”, don’t get too excited. And pace yourself. There are five more pages of “Amen” before the piece is well and truly over.

In the end, I deeply love this old friend, one of my constant holiday companions. But I have also come to realize that as I age, singing the music to the standard that I (and, come to think of it, the conductor) expect is becoming increasingly challenging. Aging is not kind to voices. I now liken singing “Messiah” to putting on a favourite old sweater, strapping on high heels and running a marathon.

Think about all that the next time you stand to listen to the “Hallelujah Chorus”. Amen!

NOTE: An edited version of this essay was published in the December 2021 edition of Neighbours of Windfields magazine. Click here to read it.