Georg Friedrich Haendel's oratorio The Messiah is based upon a compilation of Bible verses made by Haendel's friend Charles Jennens. Jennens also formerly had arranged texts by J. Milton to be set into music by Haendel. When writing the textbook of the Messiah, he obviously orientated himself for another time on the thematic range of Milton's poetry. Now he took as athematic (not formal) paradigm Milton's most famous texts, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. This epos overlooks history of mankind between creation and the end of the world. It emphasizes on the fall of the first human couple and the restitution of the fallen humanity by the work of Christ. In addition Jennens had obviously several looks on the poetry of Alexander Pope (who earlier also had worked for Haendel). Jennens was especially interested in Pope's poem The Messiah. According to Pope the world is ruled by a natural law given by God. This differs from Jennens' emphasis on the personal participation of God on the history of mankind. Although its literary qualities cannot be compared with Milton or Pope the textbook of the Messiah transforms influences by these greater poets into amore personal interpretation of God's acting in history.

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Personen: Heesch, Matthias

Schlagwörter: Kirchenmusik Theologie Wirkungsgeschichte Literaturgeschichte

Interessenkreis: Referat