As we prepare for Christmas and the holidays, one major choral work that we will learn is "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah by Handel. This piece has various layers of musical writing to it--homophony, polyphony, accompanied music, etc. Listen to three different recordings of the work by three different choirs. As you listen, note the following: how the tempo changes from performance to performance, the sound of the various choirs, whether there is an orchestra or a piano, and any other musical element present. The following questions/responses need to be addressed in your two paragraph written response: 1) Does the performance sound better or worse when it is a full orchestra? Piano alone? 2) Is the choirs diction clear? (In other words, are the words clearly understood in each voice part?) If not, how can it be made better? 3) What is one thing that will make the performances better? Be specific and list one thing for each of the three videos you watch. 4) You must listen to at least one (1) video that that has piano accompaniment and no orchestra. You must also listen to a total of three (3) videos and include the YouTube link in order to receive credit for your listening. All listening is due by Friday, November 14, 2014, 11:59 pm. Below is a video example. This video cannot be used as one of your listening examples for this assignment.