This chorus begins what is sometimes referred to as the "Christmas section" of Messiah. From Glory to God through His Yoke Is Easy, this section is one of the most popular parts of Messiah, and is sometimes extracted as a unit during the Christmas season. Indeed, because one third of Messiah deals with the prophecy and birth of Christ, the work as a whole has become most associated with and performed during the Christmas season. Although understandable, Messiah applies equally well to any month of the year, and was in fact first performed in April, just after Easter.
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Glory to God follows closely on the heals of four very short soprano recitatives taken from Luke 2:8-14 in which the soprano, playing the role of an unnamed angel, appears to shepherds at night and tells them that a savior has just been born. Following the angel's announcement, an entire multitude of angels appears and says, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The chorus plays the role of the "multitude of angels." In the video above, extracted from a performance of the Choir of King's College Cambridge, Lynne Dawson, soprano, begins with the four recitatives, and the choir picks up with the chorus Glory to God at about 1:19.
Audio Practice Files
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Soprano Prominent:
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Alto Prominent:
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Tenor Prominent:
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Bass Prominent:
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Take it to the next level! See if you can sing your part without it played prominently! All parts played equally:
Finale Practice Files
Must have Finale NotePad installed to use the practice files below. NotePad is available for PC or Mac and allows you to see the music as it plays, plus control the speed of the playback. (Notepad is not available for mobile devices at this time.)
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