Freakonomics Radio

657. Whose “Messiah” Is It Anyway?

December 19, 2025

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  • Handel's *Messiah* owes its enduring success and continuous performance history, particularly in London, to its adoption by the Foundling Hospital as a major annual charity fundraiser, which provided an economic and cultural anchor for the work. 
  • Performances of *Messiah* have evolved significantly over time, ranging from massive 19th-century 'mega-messiahs' to modern Historically Informed Performances (HIP), which aim for a sound closer to Handel's original 1750 version. 
  • The libretto of *Messiah*, compiled by Charles Jennens, reflects the anti-Jewish theological perspectives common in 18th-century England, using biblical texts to frame the New Testament as a fulfillment that supersedes Judaism, a controversial aspect that listeners must critically engage with today. 

Segments

Jane Glover’s Early Messiah Love
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(00:01:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Jane Glover was profoundly moved by the contemplative sections of Messiah during her first hearing at age nine, specifically the aria “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”
  • Summary: Jane Glover has conducted Messiah over 120 times and first encountered the work at Lincoln Cathedral as a child. The music felt natural and familiar to her, suggesting an innate connection to Handel’s compositions. This early experience solidified her belief that music, and Handel specifically, would be central to her life.
Jewish Composers of Christmas Songs
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(00:02:49)
  • Key Takeaway: Many of the most famous American Christmas songs, including the best-selling single of all time, were written by Jewish composers.
  • Summary: The episode highlights a ‘plot twist’ by noting that famous secular Christmas songs like “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” were written by Jewish composers. This serves as a contrast to the religious focus of Handel’s Messiah discussed in the episode.
Handel’s Financial Acumen
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(00:06:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Unlike Mozart, who was financially hopeless, George Frideric Handel was a shrewd entrepreneur who successfully navigated the South Sea Company bubble, selling his shares before the crash.
  • Summary: Handel was an entrepreneurial producer who knew how to manage money, evidenced by his successful stock market timing. He knew precisely what to charge for his concert series and how to manage his business operations in London.
Foundling Hospital’s Role
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(00:07:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The Foundling Hospital performances, beginning with the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ benefit in 1749, were crucial in establishing Messiah as a continuously performed hit in London after its initial quiet reception.
  • Summary: Handel performed Messiah regularly at the Foundling Hospital for charity fundraisers, using a version known as the Foundling Hospital Messiah. This location is considered the birthplace of Messiah as a continuously performed piece, preventing it from languishing after its initial London failure.
Handel’s Final Bequest
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(00:11:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Handel’s most significant bequest was leaving a fair copy of the score and parts of Messiah to the Foundling Hospital, an economic gift worth millions today that ensured the work’s continued performance.
  • Summary: Handel’s will left 1,054 pages of the score and parts to the hospital three weeks after his death. This bequest was vital because the hospital could not have continued the concerts, which raised significant funds, without possessing the music itself.
Two Strands of Messiah Performance
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(00:13:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Mark Reisinger categorizes Messiah performances into Strand A (Handel’s original practices) and Strand B (adaptations beginning in the 1780s, such as Mozart’s reorchestration).
  • Summary: Strand B adaptations began around the 1780s, exemplified by Mozart’s 1789 reorchestration, which updated the instrumentation for contemporary Viennese tastes. Mozart added clarinets and horns, and notably scored ‘The trumpet shall sound’ for the horn, possibly due to a childhood phobia of trumpets.
HIP Performance Differences
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(00:17:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Historically Informed Performance (HIP) of Messiah uses a lower pitch standard (A=415 Hz vs. modern 440 Hz) and gut strings, resulting in a warmer, more transparent sound compared to the ‘bright’ modern pitch.
  • Summary: The half-step difference in pitch between Baroque and modern tuning significantly affects the feel of arias like ‘The trumpet shall sound.’ Gut strings used in HIP performances create a lightness that contrasts with the projection needed for modern, larger concert halls.
Anti-Semitic Undertones in Libretto
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(00:22:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The Messiah libretto, compiled by Charles Jennens, uses Old Testament verses to support Christian doctrine that frames Judaism negatively, notably in the chorus ‘And they shall purify the sons of Levi,’ interpreted as replacing the synagogue with the church.
  • Summary: Michael Marissen argues that Jennens carefully selected texts to demonstrate the New Testament’s fulfillment of the Hebrew Bible, often using readings favorable to Christian views. The text’s implication of purifying the Levitic system is understood in classical Christian theology as moving worship from the synagogue to the church.
Loving Controversial Art
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(00:31:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Susannah Heschel suggests that important cultural works containing anti-Jewish material, like Messiah or Wagner’s writings, should not be overthrown but read and listened to critically.
  • Summary: Heschel notes that avoiding all anti-Jewish material from the last 2,000 years would leave very little of the Western canon intact, citing The Merchant of Venice as another example. She points to a sense of Jewish ownership over Messiah as a great contribution to the world, which allows for continued appreciation.
Bernstein’s Unique Arrangement
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(00:32:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 New York Philharmonic performance of Messiah was unique for completely rearranging the three-part work into two sections (Christmas and Easter) by cutting and reversing Part Two.
  • Summary: Bernstein’s performance featured significant cuts and a scrambled order, which critics noted but others praised for connecting with the historical Messiah. He also used a counter-tenor soloist, Russell Oberlin, helping to launch the counter-tenor renaissance in America.
Glover’s Conducting Philosophy
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(00:43:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Jane Glover views the conductor’s primary role as communicating the composer’s intent to the audience, often conducting without a score to maintain total engagement with the musicians.
  • Summary: Glover emphasizes that conducting is mainly communication, involving everyone in the music’s larger direction rather than just technical beating. She conducts Messiah without a score to stay completely connected to the orchestra and chorus, which she believes audiences appreciate.
Rehearsal Insights on Frailty
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(00:47:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Jane Glover instructed her musicians to have the courage to be quieter during rehearsal to emphasize ‘real human frailty,’ making the subsequent powerful sections feel more impactful.
  • Summary: This approach aligns with the text of the first vocal movement, ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,’ which demands action rather than passive comfort. The music is seen as a piece of art capable of actively ‘bucking up’ the listener against chaos.