Messiah HWV 56
G.F. Handel
PART ONE
Sinfonia (Overture)
Recit Comfort ye, comfort ye my
people, saith your God. Speak ye
comfortably to Jerusalem, and
cry unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned. The voice of him that
crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye
the way of the Lord; make straight in
the desert a highway for our God.
Air Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and
ev’ry mountain and hill made low;
the crooked straight and the rough
places plain.
Chorus And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it.
Recit Thus saith the Lord, the Lord
of hosts: Yet once a little while and I
will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land. And I will
shake all nations; and the desire of
all nations shall come. The Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come
to His temple, even the messenger of
the Covenant, whom you delight in;
behold, He shall come, saith the Lord
of hosts.
Air But who may abide the day of
His coming, and who shall stand
when He appeareth? For He is like a
refiner’s fire.
Chorus And He shall purify the sons
of Levi, that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering in righteousness.
Recit Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and shall call His
name Emmanuel, God with us.
Air and Chorus O thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion, get thee up
into the high mountain. O thou that
tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift
up thy voice with strength; lift it up,
be not afraid; say unto the cities of
Judah, behold your God! Arise, shine,
for thy light is come, and the glory of
the Lord is risen upon thee.
Recit For behold, darkness shall cover
the earth, and gross darkness the
people; but the Lord shall arise upon
thee, and His glory shall be seen
upon thee. And the Gentiles shall
come to thy light, and kings to the
brightness of thy rising.
Recit For behold, darkness shall cover
the earth, and gross darkness the
people; but the Lord shall arise upon
thee, and His glory shall be seen
upon thee. And the Gentiles shall
come to thy light, and kings to the
brightness of thy rising.
Air The people that walked in
darkness have seen a great light;
and they that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined.
Chorus For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon His
shoulder; and His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.
Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
Recit There were shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their
flocks by night. And lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid.
Recit And the angel said unto them:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.”
Recit And suddenly there was with
the angel, a multitude of the heavenly
host, praising God, and saying:
Chorus “Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth, good will towards
men.”
Air Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh
unto thee; He is the righteous
Saviour, and He shall speak peace
unto the heathen.
Recit Then shall the eyes of the blind
be opened, and the ears of the deaf
unstopped. Then shall the lame man
leap as an hart, and the tongue of the
dumb shall sing.
Duet He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd; and He shall gather the
lambs with His arm, and carry them
in His bosom, and gently lead those
that are with young. Come unto Him,
all ye that labour, come unto Him
that are heavy laden, and He will give
you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and
learn of Him, for He is meek and
lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
Chorus His yoke is easy, and His
burthen is light.
Interval
A Sunday afternoon
performance
of Messiah in
Matamata; afternoon
tea was included, to
be served at the end of
the performance. The
Zip hot water heater
goes off fortissimo
during ‘He was
despised’!
brian miller, bass