Messiah, HWV 56 [Mozart's arrangement, K. 572; complete]: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) composed Messiah, HWV 56 in 1741, but nearly half a century later Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) prepared a new arrangement at the request of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, whose Sunday gatherings in Vienna introduced contemporary audiences to the music of Handel and J. S. Bach. Completed in 1789 and catalogued as K. 572, Mozart's version received its premiere on March 6, 1789, at the palace of Count Johann Esterhv°zy in Vienna under the auspices of van Swieten's musical society. Rather than altering Handel's structure or musical substance, Mozart adapted the score to late eighteenth-century Viennese taste by translating the text into German (Der Messias), enriching the orchestration with pairs of flutes, clarinets, horns, trombones, and revised wind writing, occasionally redistributing vocal lines and adding harmonic support while preserving Handel's melodies, contrapuntal craftsmanship, and overall architecture. The arrangement reflects the Classical era's profound admiration for Baroque masterpieces and helped spark renewed interest in Handel's music long before the modern period-instrument revival. Today, Messiah in Mozart's arrangement occupies a respected place alongside Handel's original version, performed less frequently but valued for its elegant Classical orchestral colors and as an important historical document illustrating Mozart's reverence for one of his greatest predecessors. Instrumentation: 2(1st dPicc).2.2.2: 2,2,3,0: Timp: Org: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Soli SATB: Mix Chorus. Reprint of the edition by Salomon Jadassohn.