Hey, Deirdre:

I turned on the tv last night and caught Handel's Messiah, with a choir conducted by Jose Iturbi in one of the countless movies he appeared in during the '40s. I was swept away as I always am. It would be breathtaking to sing that as written. The Men's Chorus I sing in does the black version of Handel's Messiah every Christmas.
It is very powerful in its own way. Instead of a symphony orchestra lifting us, we have a single piano which is drowned out for major portions of the piece. It is one of the few that we sing from sheet music, but when we are swept away you might as well throw the music out the window. It's in our hearts.

Jerry