From George Frideric Handel's 'The Messiah' the chorus Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and Amen. Despite its length the entire Messiah was written by Handel in just 24 days straight! Score from cpdl.org
Magnificent. A choral trilogy. "Whorty is the Lamb", a majestic prelude, "Blessing and honor", a triumphant fugue and "Amen", a sublime fugue ... the subject is divided, subdivided, inverted, enriched with counter-subjects and subordinated to many ingenious and latent purposes of harmony, melody and imitation.
I am happy ...excited...humbled. This soothes.and heals....eve of my 50th birthday....I can't thank the Lord enough for how far he has brought me. Forever grateful for His love .. mercies and His abundant blessings on me.I will continue to exalt His name forever and ever....Amen
And to think Hallelujah from the same oratorio gets more concert performances. THIS IS THE GRANDEST of the choruses from Messiah. Such an emotional experience for me everytime I hear it!! As far as theme goes it is the resolution of all that has come before it from the prophecies to the fullfillment in scripture. There is no way to leave a performance of this piece in or out of context with the oratorio and not feel uplifted and moved in spirit.
This is the "Show Piece"of all Baroque choral fugues ever written. To me, the most "magical" moment occurs when the chorus begins Descending while the trumpets Ascend.
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I love the trumpets in this version, so clear and brilliant... Few composers before or since Handel used the trumpets anywhere near as effectively as he did in Messiah
As a composer, I listen to this masterpiece closing of the Messiah in utter awe. I follow this excerpted score and fathom how such heavenly vibration could manifest in a human mind. Those who would doubt the existence of a higher power are welcomed to allow their own excellence the ample space and freedom that Handel did in the blessed moments he was led to give birth to this creation.
@@shadowjuan2 Candid, excellent question. By "higher power" I mean the Divine, the All that Is, the Infinite Awareness, the One of which we all are one, and known in every tongue as God. It has taken me a long time -- too long, indeed -- to begin to comprehend this power. While I knew it existed, for too many years of my life I believed it to be a more remote deity. Until I was literally gifted to create a number of compositions that simply wrote themselves. It was then, as I felt a warmth inside that I simply cannot explain, that I realized that God truly is within us, and we within God. We are one with the Oneness. It was a riveting, life-changing moment. While I will never say my work is in the league of Handel's masterpiece, I accept my personal creations -- when they come that way -- as "gifts." I do hope to get some of these put up on RU-vid. God bless you, C, for asking. With your question, you open the door to everything that is.
@@dojocho1894 DJ, I believe through music we get to "hear" Heaven in bits and pieces. When the high vibrations of Universal harmony - i.e., the kind heard in the forest when, besides yourself, no one and nothing else is around - are the "sound" of Heaven made manifest on Earth. Your point is so well taken. As in Nature, the sounds of Heaven are perfect, including the silence. As a composer, I "hear" most when in deep meditation. And it is beautiful beyond words.
@@carlorachel I totally agree with you because all your words flow from your heart and feelings towards our God and Eternal Father, brother in Christ. Cordial greetings from Lima Peru 🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪
Sublime music.The first time i heard it, it was like the very heavens were open, and i could see God right through them. Dear God, thank you for giving George Handel the gift of expressing heavenly music in human language.....!!!
when I was a boy I asked my dad how come there was so much art back then around Christianity? He stated matter of factly, When you do something for the glory of God he is so flattered he gives you super human skills.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever. Amen.
beakt To think that such beautiful music is accompanied by grotesque words. Some bizarre creature with twenty fingers show their appreciation for life by killing an ungulate creature. Why not say instead “the lamb was contemplated in utter awe, the magnificence of God creative power”, No! The lamb had to be “slain” which is such a pathetic euphemism for killing. No, it was not killed, it was slain, which means it was a tribute for God. Fucking bullshit. When did God say he wanted that?. It’s disturbing to the know that in the human mind killing is synonymous of appreciation and gratitude.
@@shadowjuan2 What you call grotesque, I call beautiful. God took on a human body and had to die because every single one of us are filthy, disgusting, and sinful creatures. That's why Handel composed this piece. Jesus died so that we could go to heaven. That's what makes the piece so beautiful.
Am I the only one who imagines, when they listen to this piece (and the Messiah as a whole), that this piece was not actually written? As if it has always existed? I remember attending a live performance of this, and I thinking that the Messiah was among the closest things to perfection that anyone has ever produced.
You are not alone, my friend, in receiving this masterpiece as a timeless gift from God. These closing minutes suggest a divine glory that has no beginning or end.
+Lastzestyperson Your lovely conversation with ThaSchwab reminds me of an incident many years ago; the late Stuart Hamblin attended a concert where his well-known song "It is no secret what God can do" was sung, and he was asked to give his testimony on how it was written and composed one night , in the spate of (if I remember correctly) something like 24 minutes. Afterwards a lady came to him and said: "Mr Hamblin, You didn't write this song - you just got hold of it!".
I was transfixed - as if time stood still - when the organ (with full principal choruses from divisions coupled to the Great and to the Pedal organ with 32' Principal under-girding the downbeat on LOW D. Again, during the last long phrase of Blessing and Honor the feeling washed over me - a profound sense of The Eternal Christ - living from before time began - and living still at the right hand of the Father. Also - I had never before (or since) experienced such a vast sense of God's love in offering Jesus as a ransom to cover ALL the sins of the world, for ever and ever.
During the 1870's and beyond this piece was used a ' set piece ' in brass band competitions in places such as Belle Vue in Manchester transcribed by Charles Godfrey of the Household Guards Band . ( Amongst other arrangements of his ). Legend has it anything up to 50,000 people would attend the outdoor contests and the audience would save up for months to go and support their own village or works band . Thank you for sharing , best wishes , Mark .
Show me the way I should go, Lord, because I offer my life up to you. Jesus, our companion, when we are driven to despair, help us, through the friends and strangers we encounter on our path, to know you as our refuge, our way, our truth and our life. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.
I agree. I’ve performed it countless times now with a very fine choir and orchestra in the NW, and I find it almost impossible to get through that final climax without becoming overcome with emotion.
I am grateful today for what Jesus (the Lamb of God) has done and is doing for me today. He is worthy of honor and glory. This song sums it up very well. Thanks for posting.
I was almost homeless and penniless after a divorce....I begged the lord to take my life for I was at my end. Today I have abundant wealth health and hope...I have had so many instances of the Holy spirit at work for my un worthy soul Glory to Christ the lord.
With the grace of God, I had the opportunity to sing The Messiah An Oratorio - For Four - Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass Solo And Piano by G.F. Handel, with the UPeU Polyphonic Choir and when singing this song "Worthy Is the lamb" I felt a lump in my throat and wanted to cry, listening to the lyrics and the chords of the instruments of the symphony orchestra. How beautiful it is to worship God.
The Greatest Choir Masterpiece of ALL time, in my opinion! I was a part of a choir that performed the full Libretto of Handel's Messiah (minus a few soloist pieces) for a few years in a row. My most fondest singing memories. Love the richness and complexity of the parts! Melts my heart every time!
The first time I head the Messiah performed professionally was in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music. I will never forget when they came to this last piece and did Amen. It was as if the place exploded with a sound of music and song that I never heard before or since. I will always remember the total silence before the last Amen. I have since gone to other presentations even in Philadelphia but nothing compares to that last Amen I heard years ago.
nahhh... then you'll heare the b minor, then the deutsches then the Mathews then messiah a Potpourri of great aspects of an incoherent humongous human humanity
@@seanmarshall7529 This piece is one of the most beautiful choruses ever composed and Händel was a free composer, his music is very dramatic and descriptive. Bach was a subordinate religious fanatic of the church and his music is very mechanical because he did not have the sense of drama, for that reason he never wrote an opera. Händel composed almost 50 operas.
@@Musica-xo3uv i di not know where to start.. For one, the making of a constructive criticism is made of other things ... denigrating the bad and singing praise for the good brings you nothing. Takes guts to describe JSB in those terms. He was known for his excellence.. what did Friedrich der große habe ,JSB do? Just a little example.. Händel was also great, an Italian composer, in style! Compare JSB b with Schütz.. hardly possible. But say least it's German to German. Operas vs cantatas or passions.. good luck... Apples Android pears. Erbarmedich vs se pietà di me non senti .. how to compare... Free composers, non of these were free, you'll need to wait for Beethoven... Sorry, i disagree with you premises, your development and conclusions, i do love Händel.,
Worthy is the Lamb is so special to me the Lamb that was slain and who arose from his death is so near to my heart. If I listen to Bach's Mattew passion and Heinrich Schützes. ' Die Historia von der Auferstehung ' With Bach it is different he is not only an onlooker but who identified emotional for e.g when Christ is scorched. He brings this passion to the struggle of Christ in my living room it is so vivid that is I am in the Garden of Gethsemane and I am there where he is brought before the High Priest scorned man handled hit by fists and it is as if so vivid Pilate with all his confusion and indecisiveness is before me I share his ordeal. I suffer from Christ when he was scourged and had to take his cross and when he is crucified and nailed to the cross I share his pain and I very win my heart when he in his prayer of desolation Hee prayers. My God! My God Why has Thou forsaken me. I experience terrible bouts of anxiety and depression I also prayed. ' My Go9d why have tHou forsaken me I with great relief. It is finished I am with Joseph of Arimathea when he takes the body of Christ and with great carry buries him. When I hear this Worthy is the Lamb that is slain I see the scenario of t his passion, I am over overwhelmed when I hear that the Lamb which was slain was worthy of praise, glory, and honor and that forever and forever, ye forever! Amen! Amen Amen This much God bless Sincerely yours R. Louis Engelbrecht
A genius, Handel was, and a godly man, he must've been. To the best of his ability, utilizing the talent given him by God, he composed the chorus from the book of Revelation, where the saints sing praises of adoration to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And to think, this masterpiece won't even compare to the actual music in our Father's kingdom on that day. Worthy is the Lamb!
I read a story where it said that Handel was not a Christian before he wrote the Messiah. He was a producer of secular musicals for London theatres. According to the story he became a born again Christian when he wrote the Messiah.
This is the power of IQ and reason, God has nothing to do with it. You are god idiot. We all are. We invented god, We hold the power of imortality in the form of AI and science not in your stupid religion.
This music is as inspired as the Word itself. And to think that it was written entirely within a month is almost beyond belief. Truly nothing is impossible with God.
prolong4291 I firmly believe each one of us, every single soul, is endowed to create masterpieces. To do so is to give up ourselves and allow God to do the work. In that room, candle burning, ink well full, Handel offered himself to the task. Today, we listen to his gift, knowing it "came" through the passageway of the soul. God bless you, prolong4291.
Thank you for your blessing. I have had a truly blessed year since this post, and feel closer to God more now than ever. I am full of thanksgiving. To God the glory.
I can't help singing aloud robustly, with my fellow basses. I can remember singing in the dormitory while I listened to LP's, and this one really got to the people around me ;)
At Ohlange High School KZN South Africa this song was beautifully sung either by the Ralph Khumalo-conducted school choir or the visiting Amazwi KaZulu-Dubazana conducted choir and this was during the reign of principal Mr. S.D. Ngcobo.
how can mortal man write something this beautiful? my mom used to take me to ft. worth to see this when i was 3. i am 51 now and it still gives me goosebumps every time i hear it.
I go to see a live performance of the Messiah every year at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI. It is a fabulous performance that gives me chills many times throughout, especially the amen.
I will need to contact them for suggestions. We are doing part of the Messiah as part of the Flint Ward Christmas Pageant on December 9th t 7 PM. God Bless, Kyle
Love this and especially the Amen. Extraordinary when near the end the tenors hit that high A and they are singing at pitch above the alto line which is above the soprano line.
Handel never made a farthing on Messiah during his life time, (not that he needed to) aside from the Dublin premier, all later performances were for the benefit of the Foundling Hospital, his favorite charity. Unlike Bach, Handel achieved great fame in his lifetime, and his fame outlived him. When Franz Joseph Haydn visited London, he attended a performance of Messiah at Westminster Abbey. At the Hallelujah Chorus, Haydn broke out in tears and said, "He is the master of us all."
My schools choir does The Messiah with the alumni every year before christmastime, and this was my last year singing it because I am dropping out of choir (Its a horrible program at my school) But this and "And the Glory of the Lord" are my favorites
Oh yes, one of the finest pieces of choral music from the Baroque era. Taken as a whole it is essentially a fugue but the fugue is not complete in the voices alone. Essentially a canon between the parts. The strength of this must be the way Handel reverses the run on the tonic - dominant theme in bar 141 from the sop's top A - what a climax - and then he answers it following the same idea but from a top G to conclude with a dom 7th chord in the 3rd inversion (what genius) and finally D major..
God is the same today as he was yesterday and shall be forever, Glory be to our God Most High who has seated us with Christ on the throne of all authority in heaven and earth if we beleive in Him. Unending praise belongs to Him
The Choir of St. Benedict's College Colombo is probably the only school in Sri Lanka who has performed "Worthy is the Lamb" and the "Amen" chorus. Performed for the first time by them in 1999. Repeated in 2012 at St. Andrew's Scots Kirk on the 01st of July.
Wonderful. I love seeing the music there and being able to join in. I would prefer the next page to come up slightly sooner - I obviously look ahead somehow when I sight sing but it was certainly not spoilt by that. Handle is my favourite composer, more even than Bach.
24 days while fasting continuously. That is why this work has such power. I was told it should have taken six months to just copy it. Don't forget they didn't have computer paper yet. It was very controversial. It was "hard rock" for its day when music was totally structured and considered a branch of mathematics. . The first time it was played he was in the audience. He saw some being flying toward him during the performance and claimed it was an angel, and caused quite a stir. When you honour God, he honours you.
***** I looked at the last 50 messages or so on here and you were the only one cussing. Considering who this song is glorifying, have you ever considered getting a mind vacuuming?
William Stephens It was said by his contemporaries that her hardly ate while he wrote the work. Most nights he didn't go to bed, he was found slumped over the work unconscious in the morning. All that said, this for him must have been typical as he wrote the Messiah in 24 days. The next week he started Samson, a work of similar complexity and length, and finished it in thirty days.
Outstanding recording of the Amen--probably my favorite piece from Messiah. Thank you SO much for posting the sheet music! Brought me right back to singing it in choir and how exhiliarating an experience it was. =)
Actually, after the first fugal entrances are concluded, the expansions of the text is not a fugue, but a quadruple canon . The only one I have ever seen. The bass is in canon with the sop. and alto and tenor , while the tenor is in canon with the bass also and sop. while the alto is in canon with the bass tenor and sop. and finally the sop is in canon with bass tenor alto. When Handel simplifies choral parts the missing parts are in the strings. Utterly the height of all choral music.
To those asking why it sounds down a half step: this is actually how it originally sounded back in the Baroque period. This is a Baroque-style ensemble, and they are therefore using the standard tuning of that time, which is A=415, which makes it sound a half step lower than if they used today's standard tuning (A=440). Hope that helps :)
Frank Halcomb Note to my brothers and sisters, and it is serious: That resetting to concert 440 was done deliberately by the global cabal (Rothschild-Illuminati) to disrupt the vibrational powers of awareness that nature gifts to us. Changing this seminal vibration has detached us from our natural state. We are seeing the results of that in our wayward world.
+Arlene Francis Arlene, just a wild guess, here, but did you ever work at AT&T? If you did., we worked together. Or there is another Arlene Francis in the same time-space continuum.
Well certainly it comes not much better than this in 1741, LadyLeeL3! Listen to bar 58 to 61 especially the altos (from 3.07 to 3.13) finest baroque counterpoint you will find with magnificent effect! Don't start me on Amen!...
