handel’s oratorios are normally dramatic, with the four solo singers (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) each taking the part of a character from the bible. "messiah" is different. the soloists sing about the story of christ. the great choruses, where the choir sings, praise the lord in the wonderful music. some of the music is homophonic (e.g. the "hallelujah" chorus), some of the choruses are dramatic dialogues (e.g. "lift up your heads"), or they are a fugue ("he trusted in god" and "amen"), or they describe things dramatically ("all we like sheep").