Handel composed *Messiah* in just 24 days during August and September 1741, setting Charles Jennens’s biblical libretto to music amid financial struggles and declining opera audiences in London. The work premiered in Dublin on April 13, 1742, as a charity concert, not during the Christmas season. Jennens structured the oratorio around the entire church year—Part I covers Advent and Christmas, Part II focuses on Easter and Pentecost, and Part III addresses the end of time. The full story reveals how personal hardship, charitable purpose, and liturgical design shaped this enduring masterpiece.
How does a composer create one of the world’s most enduring sacred works in just twenty-four days? George Frideric Handel accomplished this feat between August 22 and September 14, 1741, working from morning and night in a burst of creative inspiration. He received Charles Jennens’s libretto sometime after July 10, then proceeded to compose Messiah with remarkable speed, completing Part I in outline by August 28, Part II by September 6, and Part III by September 12. Two additional days were devoted to refinement, producing the finished work on September 14.
The circumstances surrounding this composition reveal much about Handel’s situation. He was struggling with financial difficulties as Italian opera’s popularity waned in London during the early 1740s. His father had died, leaving him with debts and no funds to pay them. London audiences had responded apathetically to his previous opera season, and the Bishop of London had forbidden performances with religious overtones on London stages, necessitating a concert format instead. Contemporary listeners would also have been acquainted with biblical teachings warning against drunkenness.
Despite modern associations, Messiah was never intended exclusively for Christmas. Jennens compiled the text from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter, selecting passages from the Prayer Book, the Book of Isaiah, and the Gospels. He prepared the libretto in July 1741 with an Easter performance in mind for the following year.
The work’s structure corresponds to the liturgical year: Part I addresses Advent, Christmas, and Jesus’s life, Part II covers Lent, Easter, the Ascension, and Pentecost, and Part III deals with the end of the church year and the end of time.
The Duke of Devonshire invited Handel to present a concert season in Dublin during winter 1741-1742, and Messiah received its first performance there on April 13, 1742, at the Great Music Hall. Though the venue held 600, more than 700 people attended. The charity performance raised about £400 for hospitals and prisoners.
The work’s popularity led to additional scheduled performances, and it received its London premiere approximately one year later in 1743. The London debut initially failed, but by 1750 Messiah gained success through charity performances. Handel continued revising individual movements between 1742 and 1754, adapting the work to suit available singers and forces.
