Term 2 Week 1: George Frederick Handel - Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah

This year we are looking at examples of music that meet specific purposes and contexts. One of these is the National Anthem, which we sing at the beginning of assemblies. The National Anthem is also played or sung at events of national importance or when New Zealanders  are officially representing our country overseas - such as sports events and  memorial events, like Anzac Day. 

Last term, we looked at the Maori version of the New Zealand National Anthem, and went through it one line each week. We looked at what the words in Maori meant - it's not a direct translation - and how to pronounce and phrase them correctly. (Phrasing means the way the words are joined together - or separated - when sung so that they make better sense.)

This term we are looking at Verse 1 of the English version and learn what the words really mean.

Here's a version in New Zealand Sign Language, Maori and English.  I'm not sure if you are supposed to mirror this or  reverse it. I will find out.

Georg Friedrich Händel was born in Halle, Germany, on 23rd February 1685 and died on 14 April 1759.   Because  he composed much music when he lived in England,  he is known as George Frederick Handel. 

Handel's father was a barber and surgeon (they did both jobs in the olden days - ouch!) and he was not at all interested in music. Young Handel had to smuggle a clavichord - a very quiet piano-like instrument into the house to practise so that his father wouldn't hear. One day Handel played for a German duke who was so impressed he convinced Handel's father to let him study music. 

Handel particularly liked opera (he wrote over 42 of them!),  so he went to Italy for four years to study. He returned to Germany to be the court composer for a prince - but soon left to go to England to further work on his love of opera.  Interestingly, this German prince ended up becoming the king of England  (George I) and his court composer - Handel - was already in England!

Handel composed music for other special occasions.  Water Music was performed on a boat on the Thames at a royal party. Handel wrote Zadok the Priest for the coronation of King George II and it has been performed at every coronation since then.

Handel is most famous for composing the oratorio Messiah. An oratorio   is a piece of music for orchestra, choir and solo singers. It was first performed in Dublin, Ireland,  to raise funds for charities - including paying off the debts of some  142 people in jail so they could be released from jail. Because the concert hall was going to be so crowded, the men were asked to remove their swords, and women were asked not to wear wide hoops under their skirts.  It was not particularly popular in London to start with, until it was performed to raise funds for a hospital, and he continued to play it every year there as a fundraiser.


There is a famous story about King George II who attended a royal performance of Messiah. When it came to the Hallelujah Chorus he stood up. Whenever the king stood up, everyone in his presence had to stand up, so the whole audience stood. No one is really sure whether the king stood up because he liked the music or for some other reason, but it has become tradition for the audience to stand up when the Hallelujah Chorus is sung.

Handel suffered a stroke when he was 54 which left his right side paralysed for a while. In 1751, he  began to lose his eyesight and he died in 1759 in London. Over 3,000 people attended his funeral.

Here's an orchestra and choir of young people performing the Hallelujah Chorus.

Here's a boys' school singing Halleluiah Chorus. Listen for the changes from loud to soft, and from soft to loud.

Here's the graphic notation of the Hallelujah Chorus (with scrolling bar graph). 

Here's a fun version of this. Can you see how hard it must have been for these students to remember when to do their part? 

And here's a flashmob version of the Hallelujah Chorus. 

Here's a country-rock version. Listen to how low the bass singer can go!

 This is 1992 recording of Quincy Jones doing a soul/gospel version of Hallelujah , conducting a choir of well known singers. It's not a great recording, but you can see him conducting.

Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, conductor, arranger, composer, television producer, film producer, instrumentalist, magazine founder, record company executive, humanitarian, and jazz trumpeter.

Here's a better quality sound recording, but with still images only. 

Here's another soul rock version called "Too Hot to Handel" Start at 6.55 to hear the chorus - or listen  all the way through.

And, as in most weeks' blog - an Andre Rieu version  

Here's one guy who sings every part of the chorus, and plays a timpany and the trumpet.

Here's a really fun Caribbean version with drums and dancers.  It also includes classical Indian dancers. Can you hear and see what makes this specifically Caribbean?  What parts are specifically Indian?

Air guitar time! Or you could try air guitar, air keyboards, or air violin - or just conduct. 

And another really fast and fun version by Reliant K.  It's quite short. 

Handbell version ...


And the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas play in time with the Handel's music. 

Have a go singing it yourself now. 

And, if you have time, here's the full version with an explanation at the beginning. 
And here's a Happy dog version of our much-loved Happy song.