George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) probably wouldn’t have appreciated another composer thinking that he or she could improve on his work. But that’s exactly what Mozart (1756-1791) did. And because it’s Mozart’s 250th anniversary, Handel will just have to forgive him. At least this year.
According to Mark Russell Smith, music director of the Richmond Symphony who has conducted the Messiah over twenty times in his career, Mozart wasn’t being disrespectful to Handel in changing his work, rather he was showing his reverence. “Mozart was a practical man of the theater. He was commissioned to rewrite the Messiah and he wanted to put on a show and make it the best it could be,” Smith says.
In Mozart’s time, composers, performers, and audiences weren’t worried about authenticity. In fact works were updated all the time because there was no musical history as we know it today. Audiences and players looked to play contemporary music every day. Thus, old works were often updated to fit the modern performance practice and the Messiah was no exception.
For Mozart, a contemporary Messiah meant transforming Handel’s cleaner, lighter Baroque texture to a fuller classical sound. Handel’s scoring includes strings, two oboes, one bassoon, two trumpets, harpsichord, and timpani. Mozart added two flutes, one piccolo, two clarinets, different music for the bassoon, two French horns, and three trombones.
“Think of it as two geniuses working together,” says Smith of Mozart’s addition of flutes, clarinets, and trombones to Handel’s much smaller orchestra. Mozart also added his unique flourishes and embellishments. And unlike the original Messiah, which Handel wrote for the public, Mozart’s version was intended for quite exclusive audiences.
“The colors of the Mozart version are just fantastic,” says Smith. “At one point there’s even a waltz. It’s totally not Handel.”
Essentially Mozart added and changed instrumental parts to affect the texture and color of the orchestra. So what difference does this have for singers in performing Mozart’s version of the Messiah? According to Smith, plenty.
First off, a bigger orchestra and thicker classical texture requires a larger operatic sound for a more Italianate effect. For example, in many of the mezzo solos in particular, Mozart has added a lot to the orchestra. The notes for the mezzo already sit very low, so a voice that can project above Handel’s orchestra may not be heard above the Mozart orchestration.
Second, to perform Mozart’s version exactly as he had written, would require singing the text in German. Many conductors like Smith feel that because music is meant to communicate, one should sing in the language of the audience. “If a great English version exists, I use it,” says Smith. Other conductors, like Dr. Jeffrey Riehl, associate professor of music at the University of Richmond, feel that remaining faithful to Mozart’s score is important, so singers should to be able to communicate effectively in the German version as well.
Thirdly, soloists lose their freedom for vocal display at the end of arias. Unaccompanied vocal cadenzas are absent from Mozart’s version because they had fallen out of favor during the Classical era. Instead, Mozart wrote accompaniments for these moments that are played in steady meter.
The bass soloist in particular should be aware that in “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” Mozart has replaced Handel’s trumpets with French horns. “While only 10 percent of an audience will really notice differences between Mozart and Handel’s versions, most of them will pick up on the French horn,” says Smith.
Another thing that affects singers are Mozart’s cuts. As with all oratorios, the Messiah is divided into three parts, which represent Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. And the orchestra, choir, and vocal soloists take the listener through this story. But in Mozart’s version we get through the story faster. “He essentially cut ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’ in half,” says Smith. And throughout the work, Mozart cut many different sections including “Let All the Angels of God” and “Thou Art Gone Up on High” in order to make the piece come alive more theatrically for classical audiences.
For the chorus, the beginning of Part II is very difficult, as Handel turned two instrumental duets into a choral piece and Mozart did nothing to change it. It’s very virtuosic, and conductors need to be sensitive to the tempo. “When I was the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Singers, they performed this section lightning fast,” says Smith.
When auditioning soloists for the Messiah, Smith and Riehl look for similar attributes:
1. A singer who’s a communicator. For a piece like the Messiah, where every audience member knows the words, it’s important that singers be able to tell the story effectively and with confidence.
2. Voice type. As mentioned previously, more operatic voices may be necessary for the Mozart version, but the Messiah would never use a Wagnerian type voice. Generally the voices used for Handel’s version are lighter.
3. Agility and versatility. The singer must be very good technically because many of the arias for each voice type include different styles—from high coloratura passages to more sustained low notes.
In general, Smith never hires singers without hearing them live. “Tapes can be…well, I don’t know what singers do to them,” laughs Smith. After hiring a horrible mezzo based on a tape, Smith says he has learned his lesson.
While Handel’s version is still more often performed than Mozart’s, no matter what the adaptation, the Messiah has maintained its popularity year after year and has become something singers can count on.
Not only is the piece well crafted, but it’s been performed almost continuously since its premiere. In our era, audiences like to listen to things they know. “The United States has few traditions when it comes to classical music. Maybe two to be exact. The Messiah at Christmas and the 1812 Overture on the Fourth of July. You take advantage of what you can,” says Smith.
While many people around the world include the tradition of attending the Messiah into their Christmas plans, the piece was originally part of an entirely different holiday—Easter. In fact, its first performance was April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland. Although it is not clear when the transition from Easter to Christmas took place, Smith feels it has something to do with Christmas becoming such a big holiday.
The Messiah—by Mozart or in its original form—is one of the most popular concerts given by many musical organizations during any given year. According to Smith it’s because people need it. “People look for spiritual experiences. People feel that. The combination of words and music in the Messiah is uniquely powerful.”
