Messiah (Oratorio, 1741): Complete Vocal Score Satb

At Christmas, one of my favorite things to do is sit down with a good recording of Handel's beautiful Messiah, follow along with the music, singing when I can. One town where I lived invited anyone who wanted to do so to come to the final rehearsal of the Messiah to be performed by the Community Choral Society and to sing along with them. You need a copy of the Messiah Music Book.

There's nothing like joining others in singing the Messiah. This score is well-edited, and the print is easy to read. The introductory section which explains markings and gives some historical background helps. And the pages of original text add to the enjoyment.

Our Chancle Choir preformed excerpts with guest soloist I wanted my own score. The quickness in receiving this was of utmost importance. I was delighted to receive a copy just like the ones purchased by our church. A beautiful score to own.

Handel's Messiah is one of my favorite works of all time. And nothing goes with a great recording of this exquisite music like a fantastic score - exactly what Dover has provided for us here. Dover sews their books (they don't glue), so you can count on this score's durability, and the print is legible (which can't be said for all music) so you don't have to search out the magnifying glass to read the notes. Masterful music in a high quality book and at a more-than-reasonable price. Do not delay in acquiring this score.

After many readings and performances from other editions, the Watkins Shaw edition stands out as being the most authoritative and being the closest to the original score with most, if not all, of Handel's original markings. Having studied both Schirmer and Oxford editions, this edition has the most to offer the true musical purist, especially from an accompanimental standpoint. The six page preface is extremely helpful in pinpointing performance notes to exacting ornamentation to accurate rhythmic interpretations. A must have for your choral music library!