This wordbook is one of only a handful that survive from the very first performance of Handel’s Messiah, given in Dublin in 1742. The libretto was compiled from Biblical texts by Charles Jennens, whose name is not mentioned here. The wordbook, still in its original paper wrappers, would have been sold at the concert venue, the Music Hall in Fishamble Street, so that audience members could follow the text during the performance. The price, a ‘British sixpence’, reflects the political position of Dublin at that time, under British rule, with both British and Irish currencies in circulation.
Messiah Libretto
