The Use of the Book of Isaiah in Handel’s Messiah

Topic

The Use of the Book of Isaiah in Handel’s Messiah

Instructions

Choose one composition from the repertoire list below and create an annotated bibliography (a
bibliography that includes brief summaries of the main ideas/arguments in each text) based on the eight
research sources listed below. Find a recording of the composition and include a citation of that
recording in your bibliography.

Answer preview

The article articulates the importance of the Messiah as a musical work that is instrumental in the study of the Bible. The article documents how Handel and his librettist used the text of the book of Isaiah in the words of the oratorio. The paper looks at the Messiah and the bible and compares the two works. In the oratorio, prophecy takes the center and dominance. The book of Isaiah has been used as the single source of the readings on Messianic prophesies. Out of the entire work, the book of Isaiah has been quoted twenty-five verses.

Word count: 1732