The Hallelujah Chorus, Praising God & Discovering Freedom

Among the most beloved traditions in America in December is the performance of George Friedrich Handel’s famous oratorio, Messiah. Through this work, which Handel’s biographer Ellen T. Harris speculates “may be the best-known piece of classical music ever written,” covers not only the birth but the death and resurrection of Christ, it became early on a staple of Christmas music, especially in America. That is perfectly appropriate theologically, for Christians believe that every moment of Christ’s life was lived for mankind—and his birth itself was the first glorious public appearance of the light that would shine in the darkness and ultimately bring liberation from sin, misery, and death. For Luis Haza, a great Cuban-American musician and conductor, that glorious liberation from sin and death that he hears in Messiah is not merely a promise for the future but also a reminder of God’s help in his own life. Read Full Article »