Handel's Messiah
Fun fact—Handel’s Messiah was actually originally written for Easter! So how did it become such a Christmas season staple?
Okay so I have a confession. I tricked you! I’m not actually here to talk about Handel’s Messiah—but if you’re curious the Messiah was moved to Christmas because there were already so many compositions written for Easter (yawn)—I’m here to talk about Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration.
Written/produced in the 1990s by Norman Miller, Gail Hamilton, and Mervyn Warren, this Grammy award winning album reinvents the famous oratorio into a celebration of the diverse genres of African-American music. Over 80 iconic musicians were involved in the recording of this, including Stevie Wonder, Take 6, and Patti Austin.
It’s a BLAST to listen to—especially if you are already familiar with the original Messiah. But either way I highly recommend checking it out.