BaroqueEra

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Baroque Era
Handel’s “Messiah” is a typical example of a musical composition from the Baroque era. The Baroque era is a musical age spanning the years between 1600 to 1750 AD. Musical scholars of the nineteenth century regarded the music as unnecessarily ornamented and exaggerated. It is probably for this reason that the era was so named since the name’s origin is the word “Barocco” which means “oddly shaped pearl.” These musical scholar’s distaste stemmed from their comparison to music from earlier eras, which had a more even tone, and followed a specific composition structure throughout.
My preference of this particular piece by Handel, here performed by the Royal Choral Society, stems from a couple of reasons. The first is the thematic presence of the composition. It alludes to a religious origin, with the title, “Hallelujah” meaning “Praise the Lord,” and “Messiah” refers to Jesus Christ. Being a religious person, I easily relate and appreciate the work, since not many composers explored religion in their work. Music was deemed to be a contradiction of faith. Today, however, music is a centerpiece of religion. Handel’s work is a testament to his liberal nature, despite living in an age in which such contradictions were not always appreciated.
The second musical element that results in my preference is the melody in the composition. The various voices interact harmoniously to prov…