I don't know what kind of people are out there that have never listened to the glory that is Handel's Messiah, but you need to go and listen to it right now. Set aside a good chunk of time, or put it on in the background. It's a beautiful piece of music, and even if you're not religious, you have to appreciate the incredible vocal range of the highest sopranos and the deep bass. It's a fantastic work of art, and I used to go and see it performed every year.

There are so many incredible songs in it, but I'm going to run through my top ten songs of the Messiah. Granted, this is just my top ten, and I will readily admit that most of my favorite songs come from the first half of the performance, but the whole performance really should be listened to. Keep an ear out for these ones!

If you're looking for a good version to listen to, I'd recommend the King's College Choir (which has a boy's choir in the soprano parts and absolutely melts my heart) or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who have been doing fantastic performances of the Messiah for years (I use many of them in this article, because of easy access to individual songs).

Also, for reference, this list goes in order of when they appear in the Messiah, not by personal ranking, so they're easier for you to find when you listen to them.

1. Comfort Ye My People

This is the first vocal part of the Messiah, and it's iconic for the very first lines of the performance for which it's named after "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people." Sung by a tenor voice, it's rich, powerful, beautiful and sets the stage for the rest of the performance. Overall, a very strong piece.

2. And the glory, the glory of the Lord

I was always impressed by how high the sopranos went in this song. They hit some astoundingly high notes. This song is a nice precursor to the rest of the performance. It's short, light, and has some fun staccato thrown in there, and when it's done with a certain amount of power, the notes really stick with you.

3. And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi

This song is delightfully fun. Sung by the whole chorus, the song is part of the section of the Messiah that deals with the coming of the Lord's judgement. It layers the four different voices, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, into multiple lines of staccato notes that just bubble off of one another. When done at a good speed, it's so much fun to listen to!

4. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion

I'm mildly biased because I learned this one in my voice lessons a few years ago, but I love this song. It's a lovely alto piece, with long, held-out notes that warble up and down. The song covers Isaiah 40:9, which is part of Isaiah's prophesy on the coming of Christ. It runs directly into the next song, but I'll always have a soft spot for the song I know.

5. For unto us a Child is born

I will admit that this is probably one of my favorite songs in the Messiah, and it's probably one of the most famous besides the Hallelujah chorus. It talks about the birth of Christ, and his name as "Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The song is full of beautiful rounds and layering of different parts from the four sections of the choir, and it's overall one of the best songs of the entire performance.

6. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd

Another alto/soprano piece (I'm a little biased towards altos as well, oops!), and this one a little slower than most of the other pieces on the list. I tend to like faster pieces, but I always remember this one, for some reason. It goes a little high for an alto, which I think is kind of interesting, but I enjoy listening to it performed. It definitely needs a singer who has very good control of her voice, just because it goes high and slow, and the warbling can get out of hand if not controlled. But that's just me being picky.

7. His yoke is easy

This one comes right after "He shall feed his flock" and continues with the theme of Christ's healing and redemption. It's also the last song of the first section of the performance. The reason I love this section is because the music is, in general, light and layered with many voices. The latter two sections hold more individual arias, which are nice, but I enjoy the chorus pieces for the most part, especially the intricate and bombastic rounds. Overall, though, the piece is fun, and a good end to the first act, so we'll say, and brings in the whole chorus again for a strong piece.

8. All we like sheep

This one always makes me laugh, because every time I hear it, I swear they're saying "Are we like sheep?" and then I face the crisis of, "Am I a sheep??" Either way, the song is very fun to listen to. Despite it being about the passion of Christ, and how we as followers of Christ did not help him in his time of need, it's still a very entertaining song.

9. Hallelujah

Obviously, the Hallelujah chorus was going to make the list. In its first ever performance, King George II was so moved that he stood within the first few notes, and when the King stands, everyone has to stand along with him. So, according to tradition, the entire audience will stand for this song. It's the best known song in the Messiah, and practically every film, especially comedic ones, will use this chorus as a "revelation" moment for a character. So even if you've never heard the Messiah, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's never heard the Halleujah chorus.

10. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

This is the last piece of the entire performance, and possibly the longest on my list, clocking in at just under seven minutes long. It jumps back and forth from slow to bouncing lines on "Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r be unto him" in a fugue style. It's loud and the voices all melt together at different times in an absolutely beautiful way. It's very fun, and a lovely way to end off the performance, and my list.