Messiah Sing-Along

Tonight we gather again, the wavering sopranos, the alto who has a little sinus drainage and is wondering if she can hit the high notes, the tenor who hasn't sung in public since high school, the baritone who does this every year and secretly wishes he could have a solo.

Tonight we gather to sing Handel's great masterpiece, a most forgiving work, full of runs and other acrobatics but at heart a piece for the people— an egalitarian oratorio that welcomes all pilgrims.

I'm making educated guesses on the other singers, but I can vouch for this alto. I'll take out my score tonight with joy and trepidation. "And He Shall Purify" is not for the faint of heart. Nor is the "Hallelujah Chorus" with its pause right before the end, a trap that has embarrassed more than one singer.  In fact, challenges lurk in every recitative, aria and chorus of this piece.

But I can also predict the joy and gladness that will flood our hearts at the finish — that we, a group of strangers at 7 p.m. will by 8:30 have sung a great masterwork together. Yes, there will be botched runs and missed entrances. But the "hallelujahs" will ring out loud and clear.

(No, we were not singing in National Cathedral ... I wish!)