657. Whose “Messiah” Is It Anyway?

What It Covers

Freakonomics explores Handel's Messiah legacy through conductor Jane Glover, examining how Mozart, Bernstein, and others adapted the work while addressing its controversial anti-Semitic interpretations.

Key Questions Answered

• •Historical Performance Practice: Baroque pitch at 415 hertz versus modern 440 hertz creates warmer, more transparent sound using gut strings instead of metal strings for authentic eighteenth-century experience.
• •Handel's Business Acumen: Handel invested wisely in South Sea Company shares, sold before the crash, charged optimal ticket prices, and left Messiah to Foundling Hospital worth millions today.
• •Anti-Semitic Interpretation: Scholar Michael Marissen argues Messiah's libretto promotes supersessionist theology, suggesting Christianity purifies and replaces Judaism through carefully selected biblical passages favoring Christian interpretations.
• •Adaptive Legacy: Mozart added clarinets and horns in 1789, Bernstein restructured it into Christmas/Easter sections with integrated casting, proving great works survive through creative reinterpretation across centuries.