Messiah - Revision history

Craig: /* Bibliography and Weblinks */

2025-04-13T06:05:21Z

Bibliography and Weblinks

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:05, 13 April 2025
Line 293:		Line 293:
	The complete <i>Händel-Gesellschaft</i> edition is available in PDF format from the Munich Digitization Center’s website:		The complete <i>Händel-Gesellschaft</i> edition is available in PDF format from the Munich Digitization Center’s website:
	[http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/ausgaben/uni_ausgabe.html?projekt=1193214396&recherche=ja&ordnung=sig <i>Messiah</i>, 1902].		[http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/ausgaben/uni_ausgabe.html?projekt=1193214396&recherche=ja&ordnung=sig <i>Messiah</i>, 1902].

			==Link==

			Shortcut to this page: https://messiah.ccarh.org

	==Credits==		==Credits==

Esfield: /* Downloadable Scores and Parts */

2021-09-27T22:21:30Z

Downloadable Scores and Parts

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:21, 27 September 2021
Line 232:		Line 232:

	==Downloadable Scores and Parts ==		==Downloadable Scores and Parts ==
	We provide two largely overlapping editions of <i>Messiah</i>. The first (1990) attempted to combine all the materials required to recreate a number of the earliest performances. It was largely based on the Chrysander version, with revisions reflecting more recent discoveries by Nicholas McGegan, John Roberts, and Eleanor Selfridge-Field. A few practical changes were suggested by performers. Although a total of eleven versions are partly or wholly discoverable, they are subsumed in a collection of five paths (A, B, C, D, E). (Most numbers remain the same from one version to the next.) The 2003 materials take advantage of improvements in typography and enhanced continuo figuration ~~(based on the Arnold edition)~~.		We provide two largely overlapping editions of <i>Messiah</i>. The first (1990) attempted to combine all the materials required to recreate a number of the earliest performances. It was largely based on the Chrysander version, with revisions reflecting more recent discoveries by Nicholas McGegan, John Roberts, and Eleanor Selfridge-Field. A few practical changes were suggested by performers. Although a total of eleven versions are partly or wholly discoverable, they are subsumed in a collection of five paths (A, B, C, D, E). (Most numbers remain the same from one version to the next.) The 2003 materials were re-edited by Walter Hewlett and take advantage of improvements in typography and enhanced continuo figuration.
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>

Esfield: /* The MuseData Edition of Messiah */

2021-09-27T22:20:03Z

The MuseData Edition of Messiah

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:20, 27 September 2021
Line 147:		Line 147:
	The current effort to publish all known music by Handel resides with the edition managed in Halle, Germany. It was initiated in 1952 with the intention of supplementing HG, but discoveries continue to be made, and in 1958 it was launched as a new edition. New editions are organized (mainly by musical genre) into series. Particulars can be found at the edition's website (http://www.haendelgesellschaft.haendelhaus.de/de/hall._haendelausgabe/). The edition is distinguished from others by the abbreviation HHA. For work citations in general HWV ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4ndel-Werke-Verzeichnis <i>Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis</i>]) indications are now preferred.		The current effort to publish all known music by Handel resides with the edition managed in Halle, Germany. It was initiated in 1952 with the intention of supplementing HG, but discoveries continue to be made, and in 1958 it was launched as a new edition. New editions are organized (mainly by musical genre) into series. Particulars can be found at the edition's website (http://www.haendelgesellschaft.haendelhaus.de/de/hall._haendelausgabe/). The edition is distinguished from others by the abbreviation HHA. For work citations in general HWV ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4ndel-Werke-Verzeichnis <i>Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis</i>]) indications are now preferred.

	==The <i>MuseData ~~Edition~~</i> of <i>Messiah</i>==		==The <i>MuseData Editions</i> of <i>Messiah</i>==
	Multitudes of stand-alone editions of <i>Messiah</i> exist. The <i>MuseData</i> edition, undertaken by the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities in cooperation with [http://www.philharmonia.org/learn-and-listen/baroque-composers/george-frideric-handel/ Philharmonia Baroque] in 1989, was intended to produce a collection of performing materials that represented all versions of the work known through the time Handel died in 1759.		Multitudes of stand-alone editions of <i>Messiah</i> exist. The first <i>MuseData</i> edition, undertaken by the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities in cooperation with [http://www.philharmonia.org/learn-and-listen/baroque-composers/george-frideric-handel/ Philharmonia Baroque] in 1989, was intended to produce a collection of performing materials that represented all versions of the work known through the time Handel died in 1759.

	===Identifiable Versions (1741-1761)===		The second <i>MuseData</i> edition appeared in 2003. It integrates many details (especially enriched figuration for the basso continuo) from the Samuel Arnold edition (1788) and was produced using an upgraded printing system. The scores and parts for both editions appear at the bottom of this page.

			===Identifiable Early Versions (1741-1761)===
	Eighteen manuscript sources are regarded as pertinent to early performances, but surviving source material and documented performances do not match on a 1:1 basis. Numerous eye-witness accounts of individual performances suggest that we will never know every detail of any one of them. Some known performances are survived by no sources. Multiple performances with differences between them may need to be traced through the complex fabric of a single, many-times-altered source. Otherwise valuable early materials postdate Handel’s death and may reflect the opinions and preferences of the transcriber. A best-guess effort to define Handel's last thoughts on preferred versions of individual pieces within the work was hypothesized by Jens Peter Larsen.		Eighteen manuscript sources are regarded as pertinent to early performances, but surviving source material and documented performances do not match on a 1:1 basis. Numerous eye-witness accounts of individual performances suggest that we will never know every detail of any one of them. Some known performances are survived by no sources. Multiple performances with differences between them may need to be traced through the complex fabric of a single, many-times-altered source. Otherwise valuable early materials postdate Handel’s death and may reflect the opinions and preferences of the transcriber. A best-guess effort to define Handel's last thoughts on preferred versions of individual pieces within the work was hypothesized by Jens Peter Larsen.

Esfield: /* Downloadable Scores and Parts */

2017-12-28T00:13:47Z

Downloadable Scores and Parts

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:13, 28 December 2017
Line 233:		Line 233:
	<br>		<br>
	<br>		<br>
	[[File:Messiah-sinfonia-incipit.jpg\|~~750px~~\|\|center]]		[[File:Messiah-sinfonia-incipit.jpg\|680px\|\|center]]
	<br>		<br>
	* [http://scores.ccarh.org/handel/messiah/messiah-fullscore.pdf Full Score] (2003 version), 280 pages.		* [http://scores.ccarh.org/handel/messiah/messiah-fullscore.pdf Full Score] (2003 version), 280 pages.

Esfield: /* Credits */

2012-01-13T03:03:19Z

Credits

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:03, 13 January 2012
Line 293:		Line 293:

	==Credits==		==Credits==
	Over the course of 22 years, the <i>MuseData</i> <i>Messiah</i> project has benefitted from the contributions of many people. The original edition was by Nicholas McGegan, John Roberts, and Eleanor Selfridge-Field, with encoding by Frances Bennion and Edmund Correia Jr. The introduction of the Arnold continuo figuration and preparation of the short scores (2003) are the contributions of Walter B. Hewlett, who also developed the software used for preparation and management of the score and parts. This wiki site has been developed by Craig Stuart Sapp and Eleanor Selfridge-Field. Valuable insights and advice have been given in recent years by Don Anthony~~, Graydon Beeks~~, Ilias Chrissochoidis, John Phillips, and several others.		Over the course of 22 years, the <i>MuseData</i> <i>Messiah</i> project has benefitted from the contributions of many people. The original edition was by Nicholas McGegan, John Roberts, and Eleanor Selfridge-Field, with encoding by Frances Bennion and Edmund Correia Jr. The introduction of the Arnold continuo figuration and preparation of the short scores (2003) are the contributions of Walter B. Hewlett, who also developed the software used for preparation and management of the score and parts. This wiki site has been developed by Craig Stuart Sapp and Eleanor Selfridge-Field. Valuable insights and advice have been given in recent years by Don Anthony, Ilias Chrissochoidis, John Phillips, and several others.

	Published on December 21, 2011 by the Center for [http://www.ccarh.org Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities] at Stanford University. Comments may be sent to esfield \|\|at\|\| stanford.edu.		Published on December 21, 2011 by the Center for [http://www.ccarh.org Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities] at Stanford University. Comments may be sent to esfield \|\|at\|\| stanford.edu.

Esfield: /* Bibliography and Weblinks */

2012-01-13T03:02:32Z

Bibliography and Weblinks

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:02, 13 January 2012
Line 260:		Line 260:

	Burrows, Donald. "Handel and the Foundling Hospital," <i>Music & Letters</i> 58/3 (July 1985), 201-219.		Burrows, Donald. "Handel and the Foundling Hospital," <i>Music & Letters</i> 58/3 (July 1985), 201-219.

			Burrows, Donald. <i>Handel: Messiah</i>. Cambridge, UK, 1991.

	Burrows, Donald. “'Mr. Harris's score': A new look at the 'Mathews' manuscript of Handel's <i>Messiah</i>,” <i>Music & Letters</i> 86/4 (Nov. 2005), 560-572.		Burrows, Donald. “'Mr. Harris's score': A new look at the 'Mathews' manuscript of Handel's <i>Messiah</i>,” <i>Music & Letters</i> 86/4 (Nov. 2005), 560-572.

Esfield: /* Content */

2012-01-05T02:14:21Z

Content

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:14, 5 January 2012
Line 16:		Line 16:
	Handel's <i>Messiah</i> has always been suspended between the sacred and secular spheres. The title <i>Messiah</i>, used for its first performances in Dublin, suggests a sacred work, although it was initially performed as a concert piece. It was simply called a <i>Sacred Oratorio</i> in the libretto for its London premiere (1743), but objections were consequently raised to its performance in the theater. Not until performances began in the chapel of London's Foundling Hospital (1750) was the ambiguous nature of the work matched by a similar ambiguity of performing space. Eighteenth-century classicism appropriated for the secular world much material from Biblical studies.<ref>Peter Gay's phrase "pagan Christianity" (1966: Vol. 1[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gay]).</ref> <i>Messiah</i>'s chameleon ability to transcend social and cultural boundaries, which continues to expand up to the present day, was an important instance of this phenomenon.		Handel's <i>Messiah</i> has always been suspended between the sacred and secular spheres. The title <i>Messiah</i>, used for its first performances in Dublin, suggests a sacred work, although it was initially performed as a concert piece. It was simply called a <i>Sacred Oratorio</i> in the libretto for its London premiere (1743), but objections were consequently raised to its performance in the theater. Not until performances began in the chapel of London's Foundling Hospital (1750) was the ambiguous nature of the work matched by a similar ambiguity of performing space. Eighteenth-century classicism appropriated for the secular world much material from Biblical studies.<ref>Peter Gay's phrase "pagan Christianity" (1966: Vol. 1[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gay]).</ref> <i>Messiah</i>'s chameleon ability to transcend social and cultural boundaries, which continues to expand up to the present day, was an important instance of this phenomenon.

	All of Handel's oratorios reflected to one degree or another his cultural immersion in an Anglo-Protestant society. When <i>Messiah</i> was first performed Dublin, the city had a substantial Anglo-Irish nobility and maintained strong cultural ties to London. <i>Messiah</i> can be differentiated from most earlier oratorios by Handel in the degree to which the ideas of Charles Jennens, Handel's collaborator, drove the work. In fact it was initially regarded as "Jennens's' <i>Messiah</i>," because it is Jennens's theological views that it projects. (Jennens had recently provided texts for his oratorio <i>Saul</i> and the serenata <i>L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato</i>.)		All of Handel's oratorios reflected to one degree or another his cultural immersion in an Anglo-Protestant society. When <i>Messiah</i> was first performed Dublin, the city had a substantial Anglo-Irish nobility and maintained strong cultural ties to London. <i>Messiah</i> can be differentiated from most earlier oratorios by Handel in the degree to which the ideas of [http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/BiographyRecord.php?action=GET&bioid=33840 Charles Jennens], Handel's collaborator, drove the work. In fact it was initially regarded as "Jennens's' <i>Messiah</i>," because it is Jennens's theological views that it projects. (Jennens had recently provided texts for his oratorio <i>Saul</i> and the serenata <i>L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato</i>.)

	===The Choruses of <i>Messiah</i>===		===The Choruses of <i>Messiah</i>===

Esfield: /* Downloadable Scores and Parts */

2012-01-05T02:04:43Z

Downloadable Scores and Parts

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:04, 5 January 2012
Line 245:		Line 245:
	[[Media:Handel_Table_B.pdf\|Table B. Roadmap to <i>MuseData</i> editions of <i>Messiah</i>.]]		[[Media:Handel_Table_B.pdf\|Table B. Roadmap to <i>MuseData</i> editions of <i>Messiah</i>.]]
	<br>		<br>

			Raw data for <i>Messiah</i> in the <i>kern</i> and <i>MuseData</i> formats is available from the [http://www.musedata.org/encodings/handel/chry/messiah/ MuseData website].

	==Footnotes==		==Footnotes==

Esfield: /* The MuseData Edition of Messiah */

2012-01-05T01:03:39Z

The MuseData Edition of Messiah

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:03, 5 January 2012
Line 148:		Line 148:

	==The <i>MuseData Edition</i> of <i>Messiah</i>==		==The <i>MuseData Edition</i> of <i>Messiah</i>==
	Multitudes of stand-alone editions of <i>Messiah</i> exist. The <i>MuseData</i> edition, undertaken by the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities in cooperation with Philharmonia Baroque in 1989, was intended to produce a collection of performing materials that represented all versions of the work known through the time Handel died in 1759.		Multitudes of stand-alone editions of <i>Messiah</i> exist. The <i>MuseData</i> edition, undertaken by the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities in cooperation with [http://www.philharmonia.org/learn-and-listen/baroque-composers/george-frideric-handel/ Philharmonia Baroque] in 1989, was intended to produce a collection of performing materials that represented all versions of the work known through the time Handel died in 1759.

	===Identifiable Versions (1741-1761)===		===Identifiable Versions (1741-1761)===

Esfield: /* The Arnold Edition of Handel's Works */

2012-01-05T01:00:20Z

The Arnold Edition of Handel's Works

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:00, 5 January 2012
Line 131:		Line 131:
	[[File:arnold_s.jpg\|100px\|thumb\|left\|Samuel Arnold, whose edition of <i>Messiah</i> was published in 1790.]]		[[File:arnold_s.jpg\|100px\|thumb\|left\|Samuel Arnold, whose edition of <i>Messiah</i> was published in 1790.]]

	Samuel Arnold was the first person to collect all of Handel’s then-known music and publish it. By the time he did, performance practice had evolved in general ways that he applied to his edition.		[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Arnold_(composer) Samuel Arnold] was the first person to collect all of Handel’s then-known music and publish it. By the time he did, performance practice had evolved in general ways that he applied to his edition.

	His edition of <i>Messiah</i> appeared in 1790. It contains much richer figuration of the <i>basso continuo</i> than earlier manuscript versions. This is likely to reflect the reduced training that accompanists were receiving in the “realization” of the sketch of an accompaniment that a continuo player was expected to provide. A more detailed prescription was required. The skills that he brought to the task from long experience as a harpsichordist at Covent Garden suggest that his figuration represented the highest standards of the time.		His edition of <i>Messiah</i> appeared in 1790. It contains much richer figuration of the <i>basso continuo</i> than earlier manuscript versions. This is likely to reflect the reduced training that accompanists were receiving in the “realization” of the sketch of an accompaniment that a continuo player was expected to provide. A more detailed prescription was required. The skills that he brought to the task from long experience as a harpsichordist at Covent Garden suggest that his figuration represented the highest standards of the time.