I love the Messiah!

Its that time of year when choral groups all round the world are brushing up on their now familiar versions of Handel's Messiah.



I sing in one of the longest-running community choirs in Australia and I was struck by the instruction of my musical director last week to "engage with the text".

I have sung some of the choruses from this work before, but have never sung the whole work, and so it is taking a lot of concentration to keep my voice on the notes that belong to my part and not the sopranos.

But today, I turned on a DVD I have of the 250th Anniversary performance of this work. It was a great reminder of what it looks like when the choir's bodies as well as voices are engaged with the text. Vocal dynamic is one thing, but the face and body have to reflect it as well.



It is very easy for choristers to know the notes and get the musical dynamics right but when the recognise the significance of the texts they are singing it really does come to life in wonderful ways. It is not just good music - which it is. It is indeed the greatest story ever told.

I love the Messiah!

I love the music and I love my life which is centred on my relationship with the man about whom the music speaks.

How about you?