Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah HWV 56

About this work

The “Hallelujah” is not the grand finale of Messiah. It closes the second of the oratorio's three parts, after the account of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. This position changes the way we hear it: the chorus is not decorating Christmas, but proclaiming a victory. Handel still reserves an entire third part — and a famous Amen — for what follows.

The movement's force comes from its changes of perspective. “Hallelujah” is first heard in luminous blocks, then the voices answer one another on “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth”. Later, “And he shall reign” grows through successive entries while “King of Kings” rises on long sustained notes. Trumpets and timpani crown the ensemble without replacing the motion of the voices.

In rehearsal, begin with the imitative passages, voice by voice, using the same rhythmic shape and consonants. In the vertical proclamations, align the words before adding full power. The trap is to sing loudly too soon: if every “Hallelujah” is already at the ceiling, Handel has few floors left to climb. Keep something in reserve and carry the long phrases forward.


What the document contains

One 21-page full score and one 25-page choral score.
The four separate voices, strings, bassoon, trumpets and timpani.
18 PDFs in total in the archive, plus one separate MIDI file.

Some documents combine several sections. Check their titles before printing. The historical notice associates the edition with the Mutopia project.