Freakonomics Radio

“The Greatest Piece of Participatory Art Ever Created”

December 5, 2025

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  • George Frideric Handel's *Messiah* is argued to be the greatest piece of participatory art ever created because its core message resonates deeply with themes of hope and agency across diverse audiences. 
  • The first performance of *Messiah* in Dublin in 1742 was a significant charitable event that raised substantial funds, including money to release imprisoned debtors. 
  • The Baroque era, exemplified by *Messiah*, was a period of intense musical experimentation and rule-breaking, akin to modern jazz, where improvisation was expected in performances. 

Segments

Introduction to Messiah’s Comfort
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(00:01:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The host found profound hope in Handel’s Messiah during the isolation and uncertainty of the COVID pandemic.
  • Summary: The host fell in love with Handel’s Messiah during the COVID pandemic, finding it a source of hope amidst isolation and fear. He notes that fear of the future is a default human condition, making art that offers hope particularly valuable. The piece is identified as an 18th-century Christian oratorio by George Frideric Handel.
Fishamble Street Premiere Site
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(00:04:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The original 1742 premiere of Messiah occurred on Fishamble Street in Dublin, a site now marked by a plaque and local landmarks.
  • Summary: The location of the first performance of Messiah was the music hall on Fishamble Street, Dublin, which no longer substantially exists. The premiere took place on April 13th, 1742, and was originally linked to Easter, not Christmas as is common today. The area still commemorates the event with local businesses and a modern statue of Handel.
Conductor’s Role and Tradition
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(00:07:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Renowned Irish conductor Prancius O’Din views his role as ‘recreating’ the music for the audience, emphasizing musician well-being over strict adherence to rehearsal schedules.
  • Summary: Prancius O’Din, who organizes an annual outdoor performance of Messiah on Fishamble Street, conducts the work about six times a year. He focuses on recreating the composer’s vision rather than merely performing the notes, ensuring musicians remain engaged and not overly comfortable. The outdoor tradition began in 1992 for the 250th anniversary, initiated by a choir member who used to play recordings from his window.
Meeting Henrietta Street Residents
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(00:10:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The wealthy residents of 18th-century Henrietta Street, where aristocrats lived, would have been the original audience for Messiah’s charity fundraisers.
  • Summary: The production team visited Henrietta Street, once Dublin’s fanciest street, to commune with the ghosts of the 18th-century elite who attended the early charity performances. The Caseys, residents of the oldest surviving house on Fishamble Street, were unexpectedly met and invited the crew inside their home. Michael Casey confirmed he was the person who used to play Messiah choruses out of his window for years.
Michael Casey’s Musical Introduction
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(00:15:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Michael Casey’s primary introduction to Messiah came at age 13 (around 1963) by playing a recording from his window, learning the scripture entirely from the score sleeves.
  • Summary: Michael Casey’s family home on Fishamble Street contains a bust of Handel, suggesting the composer is a sort of patron saint to the family. He began playing the music from his window in 1963 when he was 13, using a portable record player and singing along from the score sleeves. He believes the enduring popularity of Messiah is due to its exquisitely crafted music and satisfying challenges for amateur choirs.
Hallelujah Chorus Context
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(00:19:49)
  • Key Takeaway: While the Hallelujah Chorus is the most recognizable movement, hearing it in the full context of the oratorio is crucial to appreciating its impact, as many first-time listeners mistakenly believe the piece ends there.
  • Summary: The Hallelujah Chorus is widely known from pop culture, including films and advertisements, leading some audiences to gather their coats prematurely after hearing it. Mark Risinger, a musicologist, emphasizes that the thrill of the chorus is amplified when experienced in the proper liturgical context of the full work. The oratorio’s text is a meditation on prophecies from the Old Testament leading into the New Testament accounts of Jesus’s birth.
Baroque as Musical Punk
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(00:35:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The Baroque musical period was characterized by rule-breaking experimentation, similar to punk rock, with performances often involving significant improvisation akin to jazz.
  • Summary: Charles King describes the Baroque period as a time of great experimentation, where composers were breaking established rules with new instruments and construction techniques. Performances were often improvised, making each event unique, which contrasts with the more fixed nature of later symphonic music. This spirit of innovation was thrilling for young artists like Handel, who were on the cutting edge.
Handel and Collaborator Jennons
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(00:40:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Charles Jennons, the wealthy, deeply religious librettist of Messiah, has been largely forgotten because he was a non-musician patron who held opposing political views (supporting the ousted Stuarts) to Handel, the court composer.
  • Summary: Jennons compiled the libretto from private manuscripts, and Handel set it to music without further input, leading Jennons to complain about Handel’s perceived laziness. The collaboration was politically charged, as Handel served the Hanoverian regime while Jennons was a ’non-juror’ loyal to the Stuarts. Jennons’s text emphasizes human agency, suggesting people must actively comfort others in an unjust world.
Pain, Hope, and Agency
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(00:43:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Messiah was created during an era of intense suffering (war, disease, high mortality) and served as a musical monument to hope by encouraging listeners to reason against their painful experience and envision a just world.
  • Summary: The 1740s were marked by global war and high childhood mortality, forcing people to confront catastrophe with reason, a key theme of the Enlightenment. The structure of Messiah moves from the promise of comfort (‘Comfort ye’) through darkness to a vision of the world to come. This structure asks the audience to imagine a just world and then act to help create it, providing a powerful antidote to contemporary despair.
Dublin Choristers and Charity
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(00:48:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The lay vicars from St. Patrick’s Cathedral sang in the Messiah premiere only after initial resistance from Dean Jonathan Swift, who disapproved of church personnel performing in secular venues.
  • Summary: The choir members for the premiere came from Christchurch Cathedral, though Dean Swift initially forbade his vicars from participating in the secular performance hall. Swift’s eventual agreement was likely influenced by Handel’s fame and the event’s purpose as a fundraiser for local charities. The 1742 premiere raised over 1,200 pounds, which was used for good works, including freeing 142 imprisoned debtors.