Sheet music
Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, no. 44. “Hallelujah” (Chorus)
Where to get it
One listing per provider. Check the edition and current price before buying. Affiliate partners appear first; we may earn a commission. How this works.
| Provider / edition | Recorded price | Visit provider |
|---|---|---|
Virtual Sheet Music Affiliate partner
Original listing detailsVoice · Other · Instruments · Fake · Book | $3.99 Date unavailable | View |
Sheet Music Plus Retailer
Original listing detailsOrgan | Check price | View |
| Music44 Retailer | Check price | View |
| Encore Music Retailer | Check price | View |
| Alfred Music Retailer | Check price | View |
| Musicnotes Retailer | Check price | View |
| Great Scores Retailer | Check price | View |
Sheet Music Direct Retailer
Original listing detailsMelody Line · Lyrics · Chords | Check price | View |
| MakingMusicFun Free source | Free options | View |
| 8notes Free source | Free options | View |
| Flutetunes Free source | Free options | View |
| Cantorion Free source | Free options | View |
| Sheet Music Archive Free source | Free options | View |
| Music-Scores Free source | Free options | View |
| IMSLP (Petrucci Music Library) Free source | Free options | View |
Try a retailer search
These shops previously listed the piece. A search is a lead, not a confirmed offer.
About this piece
Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, no. 44. “Hallelujah” (Chorus) is a work by George Frideric Handel. Editions in our index are scored for piano, organ, guitar and cello. We track 166 editions for sale priced between $1.90 and $79.95, from Virtual Sheet Music, Sheet Music Plus, Musicnotes and Great Scores. Those figures were recorded in March 2012; check the retailer for what it costs today. 18 public-domain archives publish it free of charge, including Sheet Music Archive, 8notes and MakingMusicFun.
Composed in three weeks, premiered in Dublin
The Hallelujah chorus closes Part II of Messiah, which Handel drafted in about three weeks in the late summer of 1741. It was first performed not in London but in Dublin, at the New Music Hall on Fishamble Street, on 13 April 1742, as a charity benefit — the advertisement asked ladies not to wear hoops so more people could fit in.
The tradition of standing during this chorus is usually explained by George II rising at a London performance. There is no contemporary evidence that he was present, and the earliest account of the story dates from decades afterwards. The custom is real and well-established; the explanation for it is not.
A practical note: Messiah exists in many versions because Handel revised it repeatedly for different singers over some twenty years, and there is no single definitive text. Choral editions vary in which version they follow. If you are singing with a group, buy the edition the group is using rather than the cheapest.
Published in
This piece appears in 43 published collections.
Common questions
- How much does Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, no. 44. “Hallelujah” (Chorus) sheet music cost?
- Prices run from $1.90 to $79.95 across 166 retailers. Prices change; the figures shown are the most recent we recorded.
- Is Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, no. 44. “Hallelujah” (Chorus) available for free?
- Yes. 18 archives in our index publish it at no cost, typically as a public-domain scan or engraving. Free editions vary in quality and edition; a paid edition may be easier to read or better fingered.
- What instruments is Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, no. 44. “Hallelujah” (Chorus) arranged for?
- The editions we track are scored for piano, organ, guitar, cello, violin, voice, tenor, choir, horn, trombone, tuba and percussion. Specific arrangements listed include Voice, Other, Instruments, Fake and Book.
Same composer