Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People

Handel's oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt -- and also misunderstanding.

This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel's majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence.

Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah's unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel's music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.

For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel's Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read.

(Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People is the newest volume in the flourishing Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series, edited by John D. Witvliet.)

Author: Calvin R. Stapert
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 10/12/2010
Pages: 187
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.62lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.08w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9780802865878

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2011
Christianity Today 12/01/2010 pg. 72
Christian Century 12/28/2010 pg. 42

About the Author
Stapert, Calvin R.: - Calvin R. Stapert is professor emeritus of music at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. His previous books include My Only Comfort: Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach; Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People; and A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church.

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