BS: Messiah

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Dec 16 - 12:22 PM

maybe it is now time for a Messiah exodus

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Dec 16 - 12:58 PM

I was going to explain the Hallelujah Exodus.

Here's my first-hand description. This concerns concert performances in which the whole of the Messiah, that's Parts The First, The Second, and The Third, are prepared and performed from a concert stage, with the audience seated in some kind of auditorium. As opposed to, say, a church sanctuary, with only excerpts of the music and not the whole oratorio.

If you know your Messiah and your Handel, and can look at a libretto if not a vocal/choral score, then you know that Part The Third opens with the solo soprano singing "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth." But before that, you have to finish Part The Second. And the glorious conclusion of Part The Second is, of course, "Hallelujah! For the LORD God Omnipotent Reigneth."

So the audience sits patiently through Part The Second, which amongst other things gives a Reader's Digest account of the passion of Christ and His resurrection from the dead. Then the orchestra strikes up the Hallelujah Chorus.

Oh, yeah, it's time to stand up! So, while orchestra and chorus go through their paces, the people out there in the auditorium seats wiggle around and, in their own sweet time, shift their body weight from the seat cushion to their feet and legs, and haul themselves upright.

They stay standing through all that
King of Kings and LORD of LORDS Forever Forever Hallelujah Hallelujah! stuff.
Some will hold their peace throughout, while other members of the audience either sing along or do some form of lip-sync and mouthing of the lyrics.

Then the singing and playing comes to a triumphant stop, and everybody applauds. And then comes the Exodus.

Never the entire audience, mind you. At every concert performance of the complete Messiah, there are always people -- sometimes a precious few, sometimes the majority of the attendees -- who know very well that Part The Third is yet to come, and are committed to hearing the performance all the way through that last chorus of countless AMENs.

And these people, the ones who stay, have to watch every time as audience members, having applauded the Hallelujah Chorus, pick up their hats, coats, handbags, and whatnot, and head straight for the parking lots to go home! As if to say, Right, we got what we came for, now the soprano can sing without us.

"The opera's not over until the fat lady sings" may apply to La Forza Del Destino of Verdi (I always thought that quote referenced the aria "Pace! Pace, mio Dio!"), but the Hallelujah Exodus from complete Messiah performances is a different story.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Dec 16 - 02:05 PM

After years of being involved in Messiah chorus rehearsals, it isn't the Hallelujah chorus that freaks me out, because that has a life of its own. But when I went through my initial period of "recovering Messiah chorus rehearsal accompanist," the one that used to make me scuttle, whimpering, for the nearest exit was:

"And the glory, the glory of the LORD..."

probably because it is the first chorus of all, and the chorus rehearses it half to death.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Dec 16 - 02:12 PM

the messiah waking up slowly

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Dec 16 - 01:03 PM

I call it the Hallelujah Exodus. It isn't the chorus music; it's what happens afterwards. If you need an explanation of the Hallelujah Exodus, I will spell it out in a future post. If you know what it is, go ahead and post.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Dec 16 - 12:58 PM

The cover story of MMM 12-17, Messiah Monthly Magazine has Trump as a very naughty goy.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Dec 16 - 10:08 PM

Calm down, Jack, calm down. Mercy's sakes. If you look at the earlier posts and their subject lines, you can see that this thread was begun in the BS section and has always been there. I suppose that's because the earlier contributors were riffing on the words of the Hallelujah Chorus, and Handel was the least of it at that point.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Dec 16 - 09:16 PM

Loopy power-crazed mod strikes again - anybody spot a non-music-related post in this thread?

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Dec 16 - 07:09 PM

I think of December as Messiah month. Unfair, perhaps, but in my experience that is when a lot of Messiah performances happen.

Subject: ADD: King Kong (Dory Previn)
From: robomatic
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 02:27 PM

KING KONG
By Dory Previn

Once i roamed a handsome thing
In my natural place
Here i am repulsive
'cause i'm diff'rent from your race
Who decides who's ugly?
Who decides who's right?
I tell you
In my jungle
You would be a sorry sight
But we have never caged you

King Kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King kong put the fear of jesus
Into every heart

Wait says king
Wait i said i said
Even though i am dead i'm dead
Wait says king
Though i died i died
Hear hear hear hear hear
The other side
The other side

King kong came to our town
That's when we employed
Decent weapons of defense
And king kong was destroyed

Wait says king
You take someone
And put him in a cage
Then you shoot him down 'cause he
Retaliates with rage
With rage

King kong had no feelings
Had no christian thought
For the feelings of the folks
He captured and he caught

I captured those
Who captured me
I didn't want to die
You say i got no feelings
But you know
You know you lie
You know you lie

Once i roamed a handsome thing
In my natural place
Here i am repulsive
'cause i'm diff'rent from your race
Who decides who's ugly?
Who decides who's right?
I tell you
In my jungle
You would be a sorry sight
But we have never caged you
Nor have we put you on display
And when you kill me
With your rifle
Don't you know
Who it is you slay?

King kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King king put the fear of jesus
Into every heart

Fear of god
Ain't what you hear
Pounding in your ear
Christ is dead
I am too
The one you fear fear fear
You fear is...

King kong came to our town
Tore our town apart
King kong pur the fear of jesus
Into every heart

The one you fear is...

Subject: BS: The Dear Old Messiah (Handel)
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 01:21 PM

I was going to start a Dear Old Handel's Messiah thread,
and found an existing one instead.

Whoops, I'm a poet,
and I didn't know it.

Must be Handel. Now, if I could just remember the name of the Englishman who reorganized the King James Version of the scriptures.
In opera, that would be the author of the libretto.

As a music student/graduate assistant years ago, I got mixed up in a number of Messiah performances. Participated, I mean to say.
Things like, accompanying chorus rehearsals,
then, at the performance, turning pages for the poor organist/continuo-player, whose position in the church sanctuary
meant that, from the organ keyboard, there were lousy sightlines to the conductor
who was busy leading the orchestra.

Well, 'tis the season presently... for chorus rehearsals, that is.
And an occasion of gratitude for me, not to be working the keyboard
or turning the pages for whoever else is working the keyboard.

It made me smile to read the earlier post on this thread about Brits in Paris.
I wonder if Brits realize what a deep-rooted existence Handel's Messiah, and the myths around it, have in the US? This nation does cherish its choirs and choruses, and until the mid-1900's, Handel's Messiah was as prominent for its choruses as for the solo arias or the instrumental interludes.

Then, in the previous century, in the post-war era, all this scholarship fired up about the music of the Baroque era, and suddenly there was a lot more to Baroque composers, like Handel, than people outside of musicology departments had ever looked at. And Handel's Messiah has never been quite the same since.

It boggles my lazy-slob mind to think of musicians who conduct the Messiah, in its entirety, every year without fail, and North America does have them....and they can have it. Not knocking the piece, but EVERY YEAR? Better them than me.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 05:32 PM

Bit more of a breathy sound to it than mine Liz

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 04:57 PM

Hallitosis, Hallitosis, hallitosis, hallitosis, halliiitosiiiis!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 04:51 PM

Hallelujah....halleluja...halleluja...halleluja...halleeeeeeeeluuuuja.
Amen.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: mrdux
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 04:13 PM

Snail --

that was very cool.

michael

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 02:40 PM

Chucklesome
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 02:35 PM

"He's not the Messiah, he's a naughty boy!"

Could you go further and say he was a nasty, naughty boy?

:)

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 01:55 PM

The Messiah came, but he was misunderstood, scorned and rejected. He was King of Kings, but they used him like a clown. He was put in the highest place, but they cast him down. He could have freed them all, but they betrayed him for a lousy buck. Only one faithful woman stayed by him at the end.

The Messiah came in 1933. His name was Kong. You ain't gonna see his like again.

- Chongo

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 01:01 PM

So, it this that song by Leonard Cohen, then?

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Cats
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:54 PM

A few years ago I was in Paris at Easter and managed to get tickets to the Consevatoire to hear the Messiah. At the start of the Hallelujah Chorus we stood, as you do, only to discover that it wasn't done in Paris. Nevertheless, all 14 Brits in the audience remained standing until the end. After all, we'd have looked a bit silly if we sat down immediatley!

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: TheSnail
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:29 PM

The definitive version.

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Micca
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:28 PM

and dont forget the Welsh(or insert stereotype of choice here) Anthem contained in the work

" For we like sheep"

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:22 PM

Ah, a favorite extralongplay earworm is revived! I'm running it through my mind now, from the beginning forward.

Thank you for this invitation to go fugue myself. :~) Some of the words and ALL of the tunes are coming back to me! I believe I may dance through the day.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:21 PM

He's not the Messiah, he's a naughty boy!

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:17 PM

Ah... if you want to hear this, the East London Chorus have just started rehearsals for a December 8th performance in London. Better still, if you live near east London, come and join us!

Personally, I've always prefered the Amen bit at the end... all 32 of 'em!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Messiah
From: Amos
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:10 PM

Oh, great. Now you've done it.


A

Subject: BS: Messiah
From: PMB
Date: 06 Sep 07 - 12:08 PM

Haaaalelluja, halleluja, halleluja,
Haaaalelluja, halleluja, halleluja,
Haaaa-aaaa-aaa--aaaa-lelujahhh!


Sorry, just felt like a good burst...