What is it that makes Handel's Messiah so incomparably popular? The favourite of old favourites, it once again dominates Christmas musical festivities in its home country, with literally dozens of performances around the country, from a baroque Messiah in Limerick to a Messiah For All at the National Concert Hall.
It's not hard to see the appeal. In its own day, the Messiah was conceived for a mass audience, leaning away from both the learned contrapuntal style of Bach and the aristocratic fancy of Italian opera towards music aimed at the emerging middle class. Strong on melody and harmony, written in English and containing memorable and exhilarating choruses, it is a musical event that moved Haydn to tears when he first heard it. Handel's use of Old Testament texts, describing how God's chosen people prospered, also appealed to the English at a time of imperialist expansion. Today, while the social and political circumstances may have changed, the Messiah remains astoundingly popular. That many musicians have played a couple of Messiahs every year for the last 20 years is a testament to its enduring appeal. But why it should be so much more popular than, say, Bach's Christmas Oratorio or Haydn's Creation, or Handel's 25 other oratorios is a moot point. Good it may be, but it is also too long and in places (such as the tenor recitative, He Was Despised) slightly preposterous. It would also be interesting to hear it performed in Mozart's orchestration, just for a change.
Nevertheless, the straightlaced version provides well known excitement for all. Besides, without the Messiah, musicians' families would get much smaller Christmas presents. For those looking for something a bit more involving, there are a couple of Messiah For Alls in Dublin. These mass sing-ins tend to be a bit contrived, but those who fancy a bash through the most popular Christmas musical of them all can choose between one at the National Concert Hall or one at Monkstown Parish Church, both tomorrow.