Messiah Hardcover – December 31, 1998

In my lifetime, I have had three or four copies of the choral music of the Messiah. Some of them were on loan from church or school and I even bought a copy at a used bookstore once (and lost it). I love this as a choral piece of music. But this copy is the best I've owned for one simple reason - the book and the type are larger than I have ever seen.Anyone who has performed Messiah and is not required to memorize it will appreciate how much larger this version is. All lines are easier to read. None of the measures get lost into the fold of the book. All parts are easy to follow, so no matter if you're a spoiled soprano like me, or a bass enjoying those low notes, you'd actually be able to read this while performing.Yes, it is a sort of scholarly version of the work, but Messiah is not a casual piece of music. It was written to be performed in front of royalty, and while I doubt King George I (the first) would have had Handel killed if he didn't like it, he certainly could have ruined his career. It was written in a time that is very different from ours (she typed into a strange machine to post her words and express her opinion for all to see), and therefore, to include the full variations in the work is to incorporate everything that Handel wanted with it. It is his best known work and really, his masterpiece. The editors treat it as such.Thoroughly enjoyable for a casual musician and huge fan of the work and composer.

Real white pages, easy to read the music, it came in a great condition. Paper could be a little thiner to make the page turn easier.

Great price! Ended up getting mine spiral bound, for ease of use, but I love it!

Exactly what we needed for our community Messiah performance.

Easy to read layout. The font is a bit small for me, but I am 70ish. Stll, it's readable for me. A bigger font would make the book too cumbersome to be able to stand and hold. The Table of Contents is well laid out and makes finding your selection easy. On the first page of each chorus, aria, or recit. is listed the Bible verses which pertain to the movement you are on. I wish I could find a spiral bound copy so it will sit on the piano music holder better. Let me know if you know where I can get a spiral bound copy. Thank you.

This version of the Messiah is the one used by most. The print is big and very readable. It fits well in the hand and is perfect.

It was time to replace my sister's copy from the 60's.I have used her copy since 1970. Nice to use.

A local choral ensemble has used this edition for decades. I finally decided to buy a brand new copy for myself so I can see my own pencil markings without erasing decades of old markings each year. :-) This is a nicely bound edition, where the spine stays separate from the pages so even if you do bend it back to break the spine, it won't crease the outer binding.But, the pages are laid out and the whole thing is heavy enough that you won't need to break the spine to read the music if you are just holding it.I love having my fresh clean music to read from! And knowing my page numbers and measure numbers are the same as everyone else's, this purchase was well worth it.