Handel - And The Glory Of The Lord

Front 1

Background

Back 1

From the oratorio 'Messiah', from the first section of the work.
It is written for chorus (i.e. a SATB choir) and string orchestra with basso continuo.
It was written in 1741 and first performed in Dublin in Ireland in 1742.

Front 2

Texture

Back 2

The texture is at times monophonic [one melody line only] and homophonic [chordal] with some short contrapuntal [polyphonic] sections.
The counterpoint [two or more melodies overlapping] is often imitative [a second part which enters later will imitate the first] and sometimes Handel combines 2 different melodic ideas contrapuntally.
The number of voice parts singing at the same time varies from 1 to 4.
The vocal textures contrast with each other e.g. lower 2 parts [bass and tenor] with top parts [soprano and alto] and middle parts [tenor and alto]. This provides interest and happens throughout the movement.
The instruments often double the voices

Front 3

Melody

Back 3

There are four contrasting melodic ideas:
1 ‘And the glory of the Lord’. The first 3 notes outlining an A major triad are followed by a stepwise scale ending.
2 ‘Shall be revealed’. Two one bar descending sequences.
3 ‘And all flesh shall see it together’. A repetitive motif with 3 statements of a descending 4th idea. [a rising leap of a 4th followed by a scalic descent of a 4th ].
4 ‘For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it’. Long dotted minim repeated notes.
These four melodies are sung in all voices at different times, and often combined in the texture.

Front 4

Metre and Rhythm

Back 4

Triple metre 3/4 time throughout, sometimes varied at cadences by the use of hemiola [using tied notes to give a feeling of 3 bars of 2-in-a-bar rather than 3-in-a-bar].
Regular on-beat crotchet or quaver movement in the bass keeps the rhythm moving forward without pausing at cadences.
Dotted rhythms, crotchet syncopation are used (...the hemiola also sounds like syncopation).
Longer note values are used to highlight ‘For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it’.
Dramatic use of rests at the end emphasize that the Lord ‘hath spoken it’.
The ending, which includes a total silence followed by a sustained cadence, is a typical feature of Handel’s choral style in fast movements.

Front 5

Tonality

Back 5

It is in the key of A major : Joyful.
Modulates to the dominant key of E major and the dominant of the dominant, B major.
Major keys throughout, helping to maintain the joyful mood.
Begins and ends in A major

Front 6

Structure

Back 6

The instrumental introduction in this piece is a ritornello [a ‘little return’] because some of this opening returns several times.
The vocal sections are through composed; no one section repeats.

Front 7

Timbre

Back 7

Violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass, harpsichord
Some short sections are accompanied only by the continuo instruments [cello, and harpsichord or organ], such as the first vocal entry.
Harpsichord & Organ players were expected to improvise based on the figured bass part.
Double basses play the same part as the cellos, but sound an octave lower.
Handel later added parts for oboes and bassoon.
Voice parts: Soprano, alto, tenor, bass

Front 8

Harmony

Back 8

The harmony is diatonic [i.e. using only notes belonging to the key; no chromatic notes].
The chords mostly use root- position and first inversion triads.
The harmonic rhythm [the number of chord changes in a bar] changes quickly.
Dissonances are created by suspensions [tied notes] and melodic decoration.
Most of the cadences are perfect, with a few imperfect cadences, and a there is a dramatic plagal cadence at the end.

Front 9

Musical Devices

Back 9

Sequences [the same tune repeated at a higher or lower pitch - melody idea 2 ('Shall be revealed') is a descending sequence]
Melisma [several notes sung to one vowel sound] e.g. whenever we hear the word ‘revealed’
Hemiola [2 bars of 3/4 time played as if they were in 2/4 time e.g. bars 9-10]
Suspensions [a chord containing a dissonant note which then resolves into a harmony note e.g. bars 9-10]
Imitation
Dramatic use of rests

Front 10

Word setting

Back 10

Mostly syllabic [one note per syllable], but melismatic [several notes to one syllable] on the words ‘revealed’ and ‘flesh’ [using melisma].
The tenor and bass voice parts are doubled to emphasize ‘For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’
There is a dramatic use of silence at the end to emphasize ‘hath spoken it.’

Front 11

Features of Baroque Music

Back 11

Use of Basso Continuo in the orchestra
Melodic lines are ornamented
Lots of polyphonic texture in the music (but also monophonic and homophonic textures)
Orchestras as we recognize them were formed (strings / woodwind / brass together)
Dynamics are simple contrasts between louds and softs, often achieved through the number of people playing (called terraced dynamics)
Baroque music stays in one ‘affection’ for a whole movement (i.e., the general mood of the music was maintained throughout a movement with no dramatic contrasts)