Editing Messiah (Handel) (section)

==Synopsis==
{{Main|Structure of Handel's Messiah}}
In [[Christian theology]], the [[Messiah#Christianity|Messiah]] is the [[Salvation in Christianity|saviour]] of humankind. The Messiah (''Māšîaḥ'') is an Old Testament [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] word meaning "the Anointed One", which in [[New Testament]] [[Koine Greek|Greek]] is [[Christ (title)|Christ]], a title given to [[Jesus of Nazareth]], known by his followers as "Jesus Christ". Handel's ''Messiah'' has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as "a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension", beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven.<ref name= L76>Luckett, pp. 76–77</ref> In contrast with most of Handel's oratorios, the singers in ''Messiah'' do not assume dramatic roles; there is no single, dominant narrative voice; and very little use is made of [[direct speech|quoted speech]]. In his libretto, Jennens's intention was not to dramatise the life and teachings of Jesus, but to acclaim the "[[Sacred mysteries#Christianity|Mystery]] of Godliness",<ref name= B57/> using a compilation of extracts from the [[Authorized King James Version|Authorized (King James) Version]] of the Bible, and from the [[Psalms]] included in the 1662 [[Book of Common Prayer]].<ref>Luckett, p. 73</ref>

The three-part structure of the work approximates to that of Handel's three-act operas, with the "parts" subdivided by Jennens into "[[Messiah structure#Scenes|scenes]]". Each scene is a collection of individual numbers or "[[movement (music)|movements]]" which take the form of [[recitative]]s, [[aria]]s and choruses.<ref name= B57>Burrows (1991), pp. 55–57</ref> There are two instrumental numbers, the opening ''Sinfony''{{refn|The description "Sinfony" is taken from Handel's autograph score.<ref>Burrows (1991), p. 84</ref>|group= n}} in the style of a [[French overture]], and the [[pastorale|pastoral]] ''Pifa'', often called the "pastoral symphony", at the mid-point of Part I.<ref>Burrows (1991), pp. 73–74</ref>

In Part I, the Messiah's coming and the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|virgin birth]] are predicted by the Old Testament prophets. The [[annunciation to the shepherds]] of the [[Nativity of Jesus|birth of the Christ]] is represented in the words of [[Gospel of Luke|Luke's gospel]]. Part II covers [[Passion of Jesus|Christ's passion and his death]], his [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]] and [[Ascension of Jesus|ascension]], the first spreading of the [[gospel]] through the world, and a definitive statement of God's glory summarised in the ''Hallelujah''. Part III begins with the promise of redemption, followed by a prediction of the [[Last Judgment|day of judgment]] and the "[[Resurrection of the dead|general resurrection]]", ending with the final victory over sin and death and the acclamation of Christ.<ref name= L79>Luckett, pp. 79–80</ref> According to the musicologist [[Donald Burrows (musicologist)|Donald Burrows]], much of the text is so allusive as to be largely incomprehensible to those ignorant of the biblical accounts.<ref name= B57/> For the benefit of his audiences Jennens printed and issued a pamphlet explaining the reasons for his choices of scriptural selections.<ref name="Vickers">{{cite web|author=Vickers, David |url=http://www.gfhandel.org/messiah.html |title=''Messiah'', A Sacred Oratorio |publisher=GFHandel.org |access-date=5 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908030611/http://gfhandel.org/messiah.html |archive-date=8 September 2012 }}</ref>