Excellent

As a choir student who just learned Messiah for the first time, I found this edition a wonderful work. It is not only a pleasure for Messiah purists (see above review) but also for those newly introduced to Handel's work. I loved using the Watkins Shaw Edition so much!

Shaw edition stands out!

After many readings and performances from other editions, the Watkins Shaw edition stands out as being the most authoritative and being the closest to the original score with most, if not all, of Handel's original markings. Having studied both Schirmer and Oxford editions, this edition has the most to offer the true musical purist, especially from an accompanimental standpoint. The six page preface is extremely helpful in pinpointing performance notes to exacting ornamentation to accurate rhythmic interpretations. A must have for your choral music library!