In this joyous chorus, Lift Up Your Heads, both the music and message (taken from Psalm 24:7-10) informs us that Christ has risen from the dead.  Some may find the lack of attention to the subject of Jesus' resurrection in Messiah somewhat baffling.  After all, the resurrection is the very foundation of the redemption story.  You would think that an event so key would find a bigger place in the libretto.  Christopher Hogwood explains this omission in his book "Handel," where he writes, "...the drama [of Messiah] is revealed obliquely, by inference and report, almost never by narrative." And thus, though

Messiah does not address the resurrection directly, we can infer through the tenor aria just prior to this chorus (rarely sung) But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell taken from Psalm 16:10, and Lift Up Your Heads, that at this point in the narrative Christ has risen from the dead. Thus it should be sung with the greatest of joy!

One might wonder about the words to this chorus, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates...and the King of glory shall come in."  What gates is it speaking of?  And why should they be lifted up?  Isa 26:1-2 helps us understand. It says “...salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.” God himself has built a strong spiritual city where the walls and bulwarks are literally made of salvation!  When Christ arose from the dead, God commanded these spiritual gates to be opened so that the King of Glory could come in.  But even more exciting, someday, those same gates will be opened for us, the 'righteous nation which keepeth the truth!'

Audio Practice Files

Soprano 1 Prominent:

Soprano 2 Prominent:

Alto Prominent:

Tenor Prominent:

Bass Prominent:

All parts played equally: