December 8, 1999
Student wondered as he
wandered through 'Messiah'
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___As a first-semester theology student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the early 1980s, Carey Newman got in the habit of evening study sessions in the balcony of Truett Auditorium, primarily because he thought he might meet a potential date.
___A collection of students regularly studied there on certain evenings, while listening to the seminary's Oratorio Chorus practice on the stage below. By mid-semester, however, Newman's focus had changed from dating to music as the choir began to rehearse "Messiah."
THE ORATORIO CHORUS of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in a 1998 performance of Handel's "Messiah." (SWBTS photo)
___"While I am sure I had probably heard and sung parts of 'Messiah' before then, nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced in that chapel--a hundred trained voices made the choruses seem as big as Kansas and as turbulent as a gigantic waterfall cascading down," he said.
___A romance did blossom that fall in the chapel balcony, but it was a romance between a theology student and the music of "Messiah."
___This romance was reinforced later in a New Testament course taught by Curtis Vaughan. "At the end of one class addressing the way in which Romans 8 related to Romans 9-11, Vaughan remarked how sometimes we think we have reached the climax of a work (Romans 8) when in fact we haven't (Romans 9-11). He then made a comment to this effect: 'Many people believe the "Hallelujah" chorus to be the climax of Handel's "Messiah" when it is actually "Worthy is the Lamb."
___"That comment sent me reeling," Newman explained. "Before that moment, I had never given any thought to 'Messiah's' overarching structure."
___Through subsequent years of doctoral study at Baylor University, then of teaching New Testament at two Baptist schools, Newman pondered the impact of Handel's work and ultimately engaged in serious research and analysis of the oratorio. He approached the work not from a musical perspective, but from a theological and textual perspective.
___Now an acquisitions editor for Westminster John Knox Press in Louisville, Ky., Newman has begun making the rounds on the lecture circuit with a series of talks about his analysis of "Messiah." His ultimate goal is to write a book on the subject.
___While much has been written about Handel's life and work as a composer, and even about "Messiah," little has been written about the text of the oratorio, he explained.
___Although Handel is known for his masterful composition of "Messiah's" score, the text was compiled from Scripture by Charles Jennens, a friend of Handel.
___Jennens, probably drawing heavily from the Book of Common Prayer, arranged the libretto of "Messiah" to tell the story of Jesus' birth, death and resurrection.
___Although "Messiah" is most-often performed in America today at Christmas, it was intended to be performed at Easter, Newman said. Placing a greater emphasis on the Christmas portion of the oratorio is an American phenomenon.
___The backbone of "Messiah" follows the cycle of the Christian year: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, Newman explained. "The libretto organizes our experiences as Christians through the seasons of the year --fall, winter, spring, summer--and that of our entire life by pronouncing the words of hope over the eventual onslaught of death."
___Although Jennens drew from 79 verses of Scripture--including both Old Testament and New Testament passages--and co-mingled them in ways that might at first glance appear unlikely, he clearly had an overarching goal in mind, Newman said.
___This must be understood in the context of the day, he added, noting that Jennens used "Messiah" as a means of responding to a raging theological controversy of the 18th century called Deism.
___"Deists had launched a full-scale attack on orthodox belief by denying God's providential care for this world," he explained. "Instead, Deists re-envisioned a god along more rationalistic grounds. While there were many brands of Deists they were bound together by their common rejection of revelation. Specifically, the Deists directly challenged the idea that the Old Testament could prophesy Jesus' divinity, incarnation or Resurrection."
___This explains why in a work about Jesus as Messiah, nearly 60 percent of the verses are drawn from the Old Testament, he said. "The libretto relentlessly beats the refrain that Jesus is divine. The miracles of Jesus' life as well as his equality with God are the very points of Christian belief which the Deists had attacked."
___Many of the verses used in "Messiah" are the very Scripture passages the anti-Deists used to defend the faith, he noted.
___What Americans hearers of "Messiah" at the close of the 20th century cannot comprehend is the political, theological and cultural impact the oratorio had on its first hearers, Newman said. Not only was the project used as a means of refuting Deism, but Handel drew liberally from common tunes of the day in constructing his score.
___Thus "Messiah" has "the politics of a British anthem and the sobriety of a German passion mixed with the exuberance of an Italian opera," he declared. "It would be like having the Beatles play 'Amazing Grace' to the tune of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
___This played into a Christ-against-culture conflict, Newman said--a fact underscored by the immediate debate the oratorio drew after its initial performances. The scandal, in the eyes of many, was that a biblically themed piece was played in a secular opera house rather than in a church.
___This matter drew intense debate in local newspaper columns, but actually demonstrates the genius of the piece, Newman said. "Messiah," from the first until today, has plotted a course of blending the sacred with the profane, but with the ultimate goal of reshaping the profane, he added.
___Handel's own words are cited to further this case. He is reported to have said in response to a question about "Messiah": "My lord, I should be sorry if I only entertained them. I wish to make them better."
___
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