Time To Put "The Messiah" On Hiatus?

[gh]

Critic says after a couple of hundred years, time for a break....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 01&sc=1000

[tafnut]

I'd keep that one, but can we PLEASE get rid of Jingle Bells, and Frosty, and the dogs barking one and ESPECIALLY - Gramma got run over by a reindeer!! Bah hmbug!

The only that gets to me every year (besides the obvious church ones like Adeste Fideles, etc., is The Little Drummer Boy. I don't know why, but it always gets me verklempt!

[DrJay]

They used to have this deal in Louisville where anyone with a flute or violin or oboe could show up at this big arena for a "Messiah" jam, hundreds or more amateur musicians all playing the "Messiah".

[gh]

The easy solution of course, is to move The Messiah back to where ole George Friedrich wrote it for in the first place, Easter!

[mike renfro]

The easy solution of course, is to move The Messiah back to where ole George Friedrich wrote it for in the first place, Easter!

Not quite. The 1st performance was around Easter (in Dublin), but the 1st part is nativity, 2nd crusifixtion and 3rd resurection. There are nice bits in all the parts, the most famous ends part 2.

We saw/heard the Mozart orchestrated version a couple weeks ago. Here in SD. I hadn't heard that version before. Our recoding (and all the performances at which we have been) are with the smaller baroque orchestra. Not to say the orchestra was huge, just classical in size. SDS is pretty good, and acoustics are fine. Not SFS tho.

We tend to do a Messiah about every 5 years, but usually listen to it around Saturnalia. As Josh says, it really is a power piece of music

[Pego]

I am with Tafnut. Keep Händel, get rid of Rudolph the red nose reindeer and grandma.

[JRM]

Songs that need to go:

"My Grown-Up Christmas List" -- Kelly Clarkson is a fake star, and so is this song. Make it stop!

"From a Distance" (Bette Midler) -- Not a Christmas song! What's with the "let's make an unrelated song a Christmas classic" mentality?

"Same Old Lang Syne" (Dan Fogelberg) -- Nothing says Christmas to me like drinking a six-pack of cheap beer in the backseat of my car, as the snow turns into rain...

"The Christmas Shoes" -- nuff said!

"Christmas Canon Rock" (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) -- there are no lyrics to that music. It should remain that way.

Songs that ironically stay:

"Coventry Carol" -- Actually, this is my favorite Christmas song, best sung by John Denver! Ironically, it's about King Herod's decree to kill all the children, yet it remains a holiday classic.

[gh]

The easy solution of course, is to move The Messiah back to where ole George Friedrich wrote it for in the first place, Easter!

Not quite. The 1st performance was around Easter (in Dublin), but the 1st part is nativity, 2nd crusifixtion and 3rd resurection. ...c

Point is that not only was it first performed as an Easter piece, it was also conceived as such (trivia I picked up from dj--who can do more than Penn Relays!--a couple of decades back).

[tandfman]

The easy solution of course, is to move The Messiah back to where ole George Friedrich wrote it for in the first place, Easter!

I hate to be a nit picker, but the name of the piece is Messiah, not The Messiah.

(OK, I lied about hating to be a nit picker. :roll: )

[paulthefan]

Im sure we could find something by Mendleson or Beethoven that is just as inspired and inspiring to use for the next 200 years, plenty of time so that a fresh look at Messiah will be well deserved.

[tandfman]

I usually play Bach's Christmas Oratorio at this time of year. Messiah, too, if I have time. When I was a kid, the staple was Bing Crosby's album of Christmas carols. One of these day's I've got to get that on CD (assuming it's available--I haven't looked).

[Pego]

I love Mahalia Jackson's rendition of Christmas carols.

[MJD]

Keep:

2000 Miles-The Pretenders

I Believe In Father Christmas-Emerson, Lake & Palmer

[SQUACKEE]

Nat King Cole, "Christmas song" for me is a keeper. Nobody has ever sang better.

[Cooter Brown]

Santa Claus & His Old Lady by Cheech & Chong is our family's favorite.