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A Music City holiday tradition returns this weekend, as the Nashville Symphony and Chorus are joined by four world-class vocal soloists to perform Handel’s beloved Messiah. Full of passion, drama and stunning beauty, Messiah is tailor-made for the intimacy and crystalline acoustics of Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which will bring this Baroque masterpiece vividly to life.
Performances take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. To purchase tickets visit NashvilleSymphony.org/Messiah or call 615-687-6400.
You know Messiah and its resounding Hallelujah Chorus. But do you know why audiences typically stand during the Hallelujah Chorus? Or that, if not for one tiny metal button, this holiday favorite may never have come to be at all? Here is some fascinating history and fun facts about this legendary work.
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Messiah has a long history in Music City.
Messiah has long been a regular part of the Nashville Symphony’s programming each holiday season. The Nashville Symphony Chorus was formed in 1963 for the orchestra’s first-ever performance of the piece, and many Chorus members consider it their favorite piece to perform and a major reason why they joined the ensemble.
It was originally written for Easter, not Christmas.
Though usually associated with Christmas, Messiah was actually created for an Easter celebration. The text of the piece is based on biblical stories of Jesus, but only the first part of Messiah deals with Jesus’ birth. The second and third acts cover the death and resurrection of Christ, respectively, and the work premiered in Dublin in the spring of 1742, during Lent. Messiah’s evolution as a Christmastime piece has been attributed to the lack of fine sacred music written for this time of year.
So why do people stand during the Hallelujah Chorus?
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Legend has it that King George II of England stood at the start of the Hallelujah Chorus during the 1743 London premiere, prompting the rest of the crowd to follow suit in accordance with the royal etiquette of the day. There is no hard evidence to support the anecdote, however, and there is ample speculation as to whether King George was even in attendance at the premiere. Today, there is no “correct” practice when it comes to the Hallelujah Chorus: some people prefer to remain seated, while others rise to their feet.
Messiah was written in about three weeks.
Scholars believe Handel completed the original version of Messiah in about 24 days, which is even more remarkable considering its sheer size: the original score is nearly 260 pages and contains upwards of a quarter of a million notes! One music historian estimated that if Handel worked on the piece for roughly 10 hours each day over the course of those three-and-a-half weeks, he was writing at a continuous pace of 15 notes per minute.
Handel wasn’t afraid to throw down.
In 1704, Handel was assisting in a performance of Johann Mattheson’s opera Cleopatra, for which the latter was both conducting and singing. When Mattheson returned to the harpsichord to resume his conducting duties after finishing one of his vocal parts, Handel refused to vacate the keyboard. An onstage argument escalated into an altercation that spilled out onto the street, where both men drew their swords. Mattheson lunged and struck his colleague, but amazingly broke his blade on a tiny button on Handel’s coat. The two men eventually reconciled, and the small piece of metal has been called “the button that saved Messiah.”