The biblical texts of Handel's Messiah were selected by Charles Jennen, a literary scholar who worked with Shakespeare. He selected texts from the King James Version of the Old and New Testaments that Handel would eventually put to music.
We are still in part one, where the prophecies about Jesus are being sung.
In "Thus saith the Lord" the audience is introduced to the bass voice and in "But Who May Abide" we hear the alto (and sorry to say men, but this part has been done by a man as well - called a counter-tenor)
Finally we have the chorus in "And He Shall Purify". In this particular version the conductor has chosen to use some instruments that are more characteristic of the time of Handel. You can here the strings in the beginning...and a bassoon-like instrument throughout the bass. Here how it mimics the bass singers. You can also hear the harpsichord - which was either 1) a harp laid horizontally or b) an early piano - depending on how you look at it.
NOW: the actually story - short alto solo - then stay on the same page and listen to the next song.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive
AND a piece that you probably have heard before but did not know it was part of the Messiah:
"For unto us a child is born" - and just listen to how the strings and the melody create the joy of the message being given.
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