Each month, ChristianAudio.com gives away one free audiobook from their massive stock. The giveaway books, like most of their offerings, are primarily by modern Reformed and Evangelical Protestants. But every now and then, they’ll release a book appealing to a wider audience.
This month, their giveaway is a copy of Calvin Stapert’s Handel’s Messiah, a book that should pique the interest of Protestants and Catholics, religious and non-religious alike.
If you’re like me, you know very little about music theory or history. I love classical music, but I can’t intelligently discuss composers, musical styles, or elusive meanings behind different songs.
George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is one of the most theologically dense songs ever composed. Usually sung at the highest points during the liturgical year–especially at Christmas and Easter–the masterpiece is as much a theological commentary as it is a work of art.
Recently, music expert Calvin Stapert wrote a book analyzing Handel’s masterwork through the lenses of history and theology. For music novices like me, this is quite welcome. Here is the publisher’s summary of Stapert’s Handel’s Messiah:
Handel’s oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt — and also misunderstanding.
This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel’s majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence.
Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah’s unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handel’s music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text.
For anyone seeking to appreciate Handel’s Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read.
Blogger Tim Challies wrote a glowing review of the paperback edition of this book, but the audiobook should be even better. The audio version includes clips from Handel’s masterpiece, allowing you to hear sections of the song as they are discussed.
If this book sounds interesting to you, click on the picture below to download a free audiobook edition of Handel’s Messiah.
(Note: To download the book, you have to create a free account on ChristianAudio.com, add the audiobook to your ‘cart’, and then ‘checkout’. However, the whole process is free and you don’t have to enter any credit card information.)
