The Tabernacle Choir Blog

Enjoy Handel’s Messiah from Home This Christmas

This is your chance to begin your own Christmas tradition at home this year with Handel’s Messiah, the best known, most beloved, and most frequently performed choral work in all Western music. As a gift for Christians and music lovers everywhere, audiences around the world will be able to stream Handel’s beloved Messiah oratorio performed by The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square from the comfort of their own homes. 

It has been over 278 years since George Frideric Handel’s beloved Messiah oratorio first premiered in Dublin, Ireland during the Easter celebrations of 1742. Today it has become a tradition for Christians and music lovers around the world for both Christmas and Easter celebrations.

The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performed and recorded this Messiah concert with renowned guest soloists Amanda Woodbury, Tamara Mumford, Tyler Nelson, and Tyler Simpson for a special Easter 2018 performance and streamed again at Easter in 2020.

Available for on-demand streaming from our website (tabchoir.org/messiah) and YouTube channel, this Messiah concert will enable individuals and families worldwide to feel closer to the divine, celebrate God’s love for His children, and rejoice at the humble birth of the baby born in Bethlehem. Through George Frederic Handel’s touching music and scriptural text of Messiah, the life of Jesus Christ is recounted from His birth, to His death, and His eventual Resurrection—giving hope to all the world. 
 

Enjoy Handel’s Messiah Resources

There are many resources on the Choir’s Messiah website page to enrich your Messiah experience and add to your understanding of this revered music that has had almost 300 years of performances around the world. (Some resources are also available in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.) Here are just a few of the many resources available:

  • FAQ: Handel’s Messiah

  • Check out the Choir’s 2018 Messiah program pdf which includes copies of the Messiah libretto, information about Handel, soloist biographies, etc.  The program pdf is available in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. (Check for language translations in the blue drop-down on the right side under the page title.). 

  • Dr. Luke Howard’s Messiah commentary which follows the Choir’s 2018 program and stream]

  • Messiah Scores for download or purchase
    Amazon Messiah Score (G. Schirmer) may be purchased online.
    Free Messiah PDF Scores (G. Schirmer) may be downloaded and printed. Scores in additional languages may be accessed by clicking the flag in the top-right corner of this website.
     

Listen to The Choir’s Messiah Recordings

The Mack Wilberg 2016 edition of the Messiah oratorio retains the aesthetics and sound of Handel’s original masterpiece but in a performance by a large chorus and orchestra. The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square were joined on this beautiful recording by acclaimed soloists Sonya Yoncheva, Tamara Mumford, Rolando Villazón, and Bryn Terfel.

Two versions are available for download or purchase: the Complete Oratorio, on two CDs with a bonus DVD, and the Highlights, with selected choruses and solos. The CDs are available for purchase or digital download. The Tabernacle Choir’s Messiah recordings are available to stream on Spotify.

Enjoy making The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square part of your Christmas and Easter traditions!