The words and music to The Messiah were put together in a remarkably brief period in 1741. Charles Jennens (1700-1773) drew from texts in the King James Bible to create the libretto in late spring and early summer of that year. George Friederich Handel (1685-1759) began work on the music on August 22; he finished his original draft of Part I on August 28, Part II on September 6, and Part III on September 12. In the next two days he did some revision and filling in of detail, and completed the score on September 14.

The Hallelujah Chorus is often considered not to be Christmas music. Its location within the overall structure of The Messiah is not in Part I, with the birth of Jesus and the annunciation to the shepherds. Instead, it is at the end of Part II, after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension; it serves as the bridge to Part III, with the promise of eternal life, the warning regarding Judgment Day, and the sureness of the final victory when sin will be no more.

That is certainly the logical place for the Hallelujah Chorus within the Messiah, since its words come directly from three verses from the Book of Revelation (mid-to-late first century):

“Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Revelation 19:6).

“The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

“King of kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16).

Yet that points us, surely, to the Christian’s longing for the second advent, the triumphant return of Christ to reign forever and ever: making this perhaps more strictly an Advent song than a Christmas song, yet still part of the overall music of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.

The Royal Choral Society, in Royal Albert Hall:
https://youtu.be/IUZEtVbJT5c