“All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray” (Messiah, Part II, Chorus)
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned ev’ry one to his own way;
And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
(Text from Isaiah 53:6, KJV)
The chorus opens with the lively, almost playful setting of “All we like sheep have gone astray.”
Handel uses fugato-style entries with overlapping voices, each section (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) entering in turn.
The word “astray” is set with long melismas (long, wandering vocal runs), musically painting the idea of straying and losing direction. The singers literally “wander” through twisting melodic lines.
The texture builds into a rich polyphony, emphasizing collective movement—everyone is going astray together.
The rhythm here is light, dance-like, and almost joyful. This is paradoxical: Handel sets a tragic text with almost comical brightness.
This choice highlights the human blindness to sin—we stray without realizing the gravity. The buoyant rhythm portrays our careless wandering away from God.
After this playful wandering, the mood shifts dramatically at “And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
The tempo slows.
The harmony darkens, moving into a heavy, homophonic style.
Instead of independent voices scampering around, all singers move together in block chords, underscoring the seriousness of the suffering servant’s burden.
This juxtaposition is one of Handel’s most striking contrasts in Messiah: human frivolity versus Christ’s solemn sacrifice.
The light polyphony shows human sin as almost thoughtless and natural—“everyone to his own way.”
The weighty conclusion shows divine justice and mercy converging: sin, though lightly committed, is costly, laid on Christ.
This musical sermon is typical of Handel’s genius—he does not just set words but interprets them dramatically.