Messiah at Christmas

Clockwise from top-left: Handel, Westminster Abbey, Messiah Manuscript, The Foundling Museum. Credit: Wikipedia

Choir of the Earth

presents

MESSIAH AT CHRISTMAS

Conducted by Ben England BEM with Choir of the Earth’s recording and a Baroque Orchestra

with video excerpts from The Foundling Museum in London and Westminster Abbey

on Thursday 9th December 2021 at 19:00 GMT

The Concert will be feature choruses conducted from The Foundling Museum by Ben England BEM to the music recorded by Choir of the Earth in May 2021.

The Foundling Museum is built on the spot where the Foundling Hospital once stood for “the reception, maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children”.

Handel was asked to become a Trustee of the Hospital and the first Messiah performed there on 1st May 1750 attracted “an infinite crowd of coaches carrying a very numerous audience, who expressed the greatest satisfaction”.

It was repeated on 15th May 1750 and raised £1,000 for the Hospital.

Thus began the annual Messiah at the Foundling Hospital which continued until Handel’s death in 1759.

Our streamed concert is the first LIVE streamed performance from the Foundling Museum and we are hopeful that we may follow Handel’s example and broadcast MESSIAH from there every Christmas.

Manuscript of Messiah

The score bequeathed by Handel to the Foundling Hospital remains unique: it is the only complete set (apart from the missing first soprano part) not just of MESSIAH, but of any Handel oratorio.

We have arranged with the Curator of the Foundling Museum for this manuscript to be shown to us during our visit

Westminster Abbey

The Choir of the Earth team recently visited Westminster Abbey in London where Handel is buried.

We have recorded a special introduction to the Concert at Handel’s grave in the Abbey.

We are deeply grateful to The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE, the Dean of Westminster Abbey, and his staff for giving us access to this unique place.

Score & Music

You will be sent a link to our digital score (PROUT Edition) with more information about this Concert when you purchase your ticket.
We shall use the Choir of the Earth Messiah, which was recorded in May 2021 and features a Baroque Orchestra.
You may either watch the concert or sing along with us. It’s entirely up to you.

Tickets

Tickets to this event are now available at £15 per person to include the Score.

More About Handel

We recently published a course on Messiah with Ben England BEM in our AROUND SOUND series.

This is now available for a special price of £20

These six lectures cover:

1 - Handel’s orchestra and the Baroque Era

Delve into the world of the baroque orchestra and Handel’s mastery of composing for this ensemble. 
What does authentic performance mean? Why is there no conductor?

2 - Figured Bass and The Continuo

The continuo part in baroque music leads everyone else, and consists of a team of musicians all working together. We’ll explore the makeup of a typical continuo section, discuss how their part is created and even look at figured bass - a style of musical shorthand that combines strict structure with improvisation.

3 - All about Handel

Handel’s life was extraordinary, from the son of a barber in Halle to a burial in Westminster Abbey and a reputation to last the ages. We will walk with Handel through his life and look at his influences, his journey and his legacy.

4 - Word painting and story telling in Messiah

A fascinating dive into the best examples of Handel’s compositional genius, how the work is structured and how the movements propel the drama forwards.

5 - Anatomy of a masterpiece - Hallelujah

By taking advantage of Choir of the Earth’s unique recording and mixing methods, we can explore and illuminate music in ways that others just can’t. We shall lift the bonnet on this immortal movement and through a mixture of analysis and technical wizardry, marvel at its construction from the basso continuo through to the soaring sopranos.

6 - Messiah around the World

The creation of a lockdown classic and a new way of thinking about choirs. Join Ben, Mark and the team as we revisit the creation of The Self-Isolation Choir, Messiah and the birth of a new art form with behind the scenes discussions and the real story behind the incredible accomplishment that was Messiah at Home.

These lectures are available now for you to watch at your convenience and you may purchase the complete series here for £20.

Donations to Westminster Abbey &
The Foundling Museum

Any sums donated here will be divided equally between them.

Westminster Abbey is open daily for services and to the public - find out more here: www.westminster-abbey.org

The Foundling Museum is open for visitors and can be hired for private functions. To find our more please visit: www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk