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Making Messiah
How Handel Got His Mojo Back and Created a Masterpiece
Author: Stephen J. Dubner, Zack Lapinski
Narrator: Stephen J. Dubner
Unabridged: 2 hr 48 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Originals
Published: 03/24/2026
Categories: Nonfiction, Music, Classical Music, History, European History
Synopsis
From Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner comes an immersive, insightful audio documentary tracing the creation and enduring legacy of George Frideric Handel's Messiah, which has been called the greatest piece of participatory music ever created.
In 2020, Stephen Dubner fell madly in love with a piece of music. During the COVID-19 pandemic, struggling with the uncertainty and isolation of the moment, he attended a Christmas concert and really heard Handel's Messiah for the very first time.
Making Messiah takes listeners on an epic journey through the life of composer George Frideric Handel and the creation of his iconic oratorio. Dubner travels to Fishamble Street in Dublin, where the very first performance of Messiah took place in 1742; to London, where Handel composed operas commissioned by the royal family; and to many modern institutions that commemorate and celebrate Handel’s work. Interviewing authors, scholars, and musicians, he explores Handel's influences and finds out how Messiah grapples with the ideas of its era while continuing to have a deep impact on modern culture. Why does an 18th-century Christian oratorio lend such comfort to our own turbulent times? Ultimately, Dubner argues, Messiah is about hope — the piece is a doorway to a world of possibility, and we can't help but make it our own.
Please note: Making Messiah was first released as a podcast series on Freakonomics Radio.
In 2020, Stephen Dubner fell madly in love with a piece of music. During the COVID-19 pandemic, struggling with the uncertainty and isolation of the moment, he attended a Christmas concert and really heard Handel's Messiah for the very first time.
Making Messiah takes listeners on an epic journey through the life of composer George Frideric Handel and the creation of his iconic oratorio. Dubner travels to Fishamble Street in Dublin, where the very first performance of Messiah took place in 1742; to London, where Handel composed operas commissioned by the royal family; and to many modern institutions that commemorate and celebrate Handel’s work. Interviewing authors, scholars, and musicians, he explores Handel's influences and finds out how Messiah grapples with the ideas of its era while continuing to have a deep impact on modern culture. Why does an 18th-century Christian oratorio lend such comfort to our own turbulent times? Ultimately, Dubner argues, Messiah is about hope — the piece is a doorway to a world of possibility, and we can't help but make it our own.
Please note: Making Messiah was first released as a podcast series on Freakonomics Radio.