Handel’s Messiah Trivia

1. What holiday was Handel’s messiah initially intended for?

• Halloween
• Christmas
• Valentine’s day
• Easter

* The piece was first performed on the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742.

2. How long did it take Handel to compose Messiah?

• between three and four weeks in August and September 1741
• 3 years from 1738-1741
• 3 months in 1741
• One week in summer of 1741

3. Who prepared the text for Messiah?

• librettist, Charles Jennens
• F. Handel
• Lorenzo da Ponte
• Oscar Hammerstein II

4. What is the narrative of Messiah?

• The first part is the prophesy the birth of Jesus Christ; the second exalts his sacrifice for humankind; and the final section heralds his Resurrection
• The first part is resurrection, the second is prophesy of the Christ, and the third is his sacrifice for humankind
• The Christmas holiday and Easter
• Birth of Jesus Christ

5. Where and when was Handel’s Messiah premiered?

• Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1742
• Musick Hall in Dublin on April 13, 1745
• London, on April 10^th, 1742
• London, on April 13^th, 1742

6. What Charity did Handel choose for annual performances of Messiah?

• American Heart Association
• John’s Hospital
• London’s Foundling Hospital
• The Scot’s Charitable Society

7. In what language is Handel’s Messiah sung?

• German
• French
• Italian
• English

8. How many movements does Handel’s Messiah have?

• 11
• 22
• 33
• 44

9. Which of the following composers has been an enlisted investor at the Royal African Company, one of Britain’s two official slave trading companies?

• A. Mozart
• V. Beethoven
• F. Handel
• Sergei Prokofiev

**In early 2013 historians discovered a printed list of the investors in the Royal African Company, one of Britain’s two official slave trading companies. The list named composer Handel. It is now believed Handel benefited from his investments which allowed him to compose Messiah.

10. What are topics included in the book titled “The Lives of G.F. Handel” written by Dr. David Hunter and his research about Handel?

• That Handel’s name was in a printed list of investors in one of Britain’s official slave trading companies.
• The broad relationship between slavery and the history of classical music.
• How profits from the brutality and the horror of the Middle Passage benefitted Handel’s career.
• All of the above

11. What was the first year that the Christian church in Rome observed the Feast of the Nativity on December 25 and what other celebrations did Christmas coincide with at the time?

• 336, the winter solstice and the Roman Festival of Saturnalia.
• 356, the winter solstice and the Roman Festival of Saturnalia.
• 406, the Persian Empire’s establishment
• 305, the winter solstice and the Roman Festival of Saturnalia

12. What is the musical genre of Handel’s Messiah?

• Oratorio
• Opera
• Musical Theatre
• Mass