Kempenkoor

Who is Handel, the composer of Messiah?
Georg Friedrich Handel is one of the most famous composers of the Baroque, a period (1600-1800) in which opulent decorations and intense emotions characterize art. He was born in 1685 as the son of a doctor. His father wants him to study law. He even forbids little Georg to play music. He in turn smuggles a harpsichord to the attic, where he secretly practices.
One day a nobleman hears the eleven-year-old child playing the organ and sees his great talent;After that, things move quickly for this child prodigy.

What is Messiah?
Messiah is an oratorio, a biblical drama set to music. The art form takes its name from the prayer room that the Italian priest Filippo Neri started in the mid-sixteenth century in the Roman church of San Girolamo della Carità. The group is even given a separate status by the Pope: the order of Oratorians. During the meetings, long Biblical texts are set to music, in Latin or Italian.  Music can evoke that rapture: it gives words more meaning and allows them to penetrate more deeply into people. 

Some oratorios have one clear Bible story as their subject, such as the famous St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach about the crucifixion of Jesus. Others deal with allegorical characters, for example Handel's Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, in which Time, Insight and Pleasure compete for the heart of Beauty. Messiah is unique, because the composition does not belong to either category: the piece is a collection of biblical texts about the coming, suffering and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Students
Students of Social Care from the Summa College in Eindhoven have, at the invitation of Kempenkoor, created works of art in the theme "Return of the Light".

A nice addition, fitting for the concert performed by Kempenkoor on December 20 in the Schalm. About 30 works can be seen before, during and after the concert.

The  students were able to give a symbolic, emotional or seasonal response to the theme and started working on it enthusiastically. You can read their principles in the paintings. Nice if you take a look! Some students provide explanations.