Messiah: No. 3 Ev'ry valley shall be exalted

The text is from Isaiah 40:4:  "'Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.'"

There are some interesting musical figures to which "crooked," "straight," "rough," and "plain" are set.  Generally, "crooked" and "rough" are set over a multitude of notes and notes of various intervals, and "straight" and "plain" are set over fewer notes that are closer together.  So "crooked" and "rough" sound crooked and rough when sung, and "straight" and "plain" sound straight and plain.