How to Handel: A Thesis on the Translation of Messiah and The Young Messiah

Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to determine a strategy for the translation of G.F. Handel's Messiah and Tom Parker’s arrangement The Young Messiah. On the basis of Peter Low’s “Pentathlon Approach to Translating Songs” and Ritva Leppihalme’s strategies for the translation of proper names and key-phrase allusions, three useful strategies were defined in order to translate these works. These strategies were: 1) producing a personal translation of the ST; 2) usage of parallel biblical passages; and 3) a combination of a new translation and the existing Bible quotations. In the translation process different criteria were taken into account, such as singability, sense, naturalness, rhythm and rhyme of the existing Biblical phrases as well as of a personal translation, in order to create a singable Dutch translation of both works. The actual translation can also be found in this thesis.