Messiah: The Little-Known Story of Handel's Beloved Oratorio [With CD]

Messiah is no scholarly version of how Handel's oratorio came to be. Slover writes in such an intimate style that one feels as if one is actually in the concert hall, anticipating the first London performance of the famous composer's mysteriously titled work, ""A New Sacred Oratorio". Slover presents us at the outset with a number of mysteries. Why the "veiled" title? Why does the librettist, Charles Jennens, look displeased as he waits for the concert to start? Why does the tenor soloist look ill, and the contralto "stricken"? And will the king attend the performance, after snubbing Handel's music for the last four years? After drawing so vivid a picture for the reader, Slover deftly backtracks to lay the groundwork for revealing the answers to each of these questions. The story that follows is as riveting as it is entertaining. And, in the end, touching, as well. For Handel's Messiah is not only a great work of art (okay, that may be a bit of an understatement), but invoked a healing spirit upon many of his age, as it continues to touch and heal many hearts today. Messiah is replete with drawings and artwork, many from Handel's lifetime, that bring the age even more fully to life for the reader. The art designer for Messiah, Amy Orton, is to be applauded. (Art designers are too often overlooked in books like this.) I cannot recommend Messiah: The Little-known Story of Handel's Beloved Oratorio highly enough. If you are a music lover, do yourself a favor. Read this book!

CD with the oratorio and book with a short story of how it came to be. In about 80 pages the author situates the context of the story, the main characters and the circumstances in which the oratorio was created. The language could have been a little down-to-earth to make it sound more intimate or familiar, more appropriate with the story. However, it's worth the price; and the CD is great.

This is a short but fun read for those who might be interested in Handel the composer, and the human background behind the creation of "Messiah."

Really well done! This book is so nice I am going to purchase more for gifts.