George Fredric Handel's timeless English-language oratorio, Messiah, has enchanted listeners with its musical retelling of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ since its first performance in 1741. Though the oratorio's Hallelujah chorus remains its most recognizable section, Handel's masterpiece as a whole has grown to become a mainstay of the classical choral repertoire and has been performed countless times by choirs and orchestras throughout the world.
