Sample Essay on:
The Enduring Popularity of Handel’s “Messiah”

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Essay / Research Paper Abstract

This is a 5 page paper that provides an overview of Handel's "Messiah". Reasons for the popularity of the work are discussed, including its oratorio structure. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

Page Count:

5 pages (~225 words per page)

File: KW60_KFhandel.doc

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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:

That said, even while the criticism and appraisal of art always entails some subjective interpretation on the part of the critic, there is a certain sense of objectivity that arises from consensus, especially a consensus sustained over a period of time. For example, Handels Messiah was composed roughly 250 years ago, a quarter of a century in the past, and yet it remains one of the most popular and enduring pieces of music ever written. Clearly, there is something special about the composition that qualifies it as a "classic" and enables it to be enjoyed by fans of music in the 21st century just as well as it was during its 18th century debut. However, to truly understand a work of art, it is not enough to simply declare a work a classic because of its enduring popularity. Rather, one must endeavor to understand why a particular work is capable of surviving the "test of time", as well as what particular qualities of the text make it so universally appealing. This paper will present an argument for Messiahs enduring popularity, namely centered on its populist use of the oratorio form, as well as its integration into an annual tradition that helps to perpetuate the compositions legacy. This paragraph helps the student provide some basic background information on Handels composition. When Handel first composed Messiah, he was in his 50s, and already had immense compositional experience under his belt (Dorn, 2007). This is why he was approached by the literary critic Charles Jennings to pen a musical accompaniment to a libretto Jennings had written, based on Old Testament conceptions of Christ (Dorn, 2007). The work was composed in just 24 days, from September 29 to October 29, 1741, but did not find its immense popularity until the next decade when it ...

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