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Handel - And the Glory of the Lord (Background/ Context (Oratorios…
Handel - And the Glory of the Lord
Instrumentation and Voices
Chorus is made up of Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses (SATB)
Originally accompanied by strings (Violins and Violas)
Originally accompanied by Basso Continuo (Cello and Harpsichord or Organ) to provide chordal support
Trumpets and Timpani are used for an ‘uplifting’ effect
Later on, Handel added the Oboe and Bassoon which either doubles the strings or the vocals
Background/ Context
The piece comes from Handel’s ‘Messiah’
This piece is Classical music
Messiah was written in 24 days (in 1741)
Messiah is about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ using text from the Bible
Full name is; George Frideric Handel
Born in 1685, Germany
Handel lived and worked in London, England
Handel was appointed ‘Kapellmeister’ (designated ‘music maker’ or director of music for a monarch), for King George I of England
He composed operas, oratorios and instrumental music
Handel died in 1759 and is buried in Westminster Abbey
Oratorios
Oratorios are religious orchestral, choir and solo singer musical compositions, similar to operas, but without acting, more of a concert style. They contain Arias (solo songs), Recitative (solo songs sung in speech rhythms) and Choruses (just like opera). They also use Libretto that is based off words and stories from the Bible.
Rhythm and Metre
Time signature is ¾
Triple time
Allegro - Lively. A Brisk walking pace. Fast tempo (to suit the joyous mood)
Stately feel (Regal), driving, regular on-beats
Use of Hemiola - 2 bars of ¾ sound like 3 bars of 2/4
Melody
Made up of 4 motifs
Motif 1: Syllabic, A major triad ‘And the Glory, the Glory of the Lord’
Motif 2: Melismatic, Descending sequence ‘Shall be revealed’
Motif 3: repetition for emphasis ‘And all flesh shall see it together’
Motif 4: Syllabic ‘For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it’
Texture and Choral Styles
Monophonic/ single line writing (Bars 11-13)
Homophonic/ Four-part choir (Bars 33-38)
Simple imitation (Bars 17 onwards)
Polyphonic/ two ideas together (Bars 110-113)
Doubling of parts (Bars 51 onwards)
Structure
Introduction Motifs 1 and 2
Motifs 1 and 2
Motif 2
Motif 3 and 4
Motif 1
Motifs 1 and 3
ALL Motifs
Motifs 1, 2 and 3
Motifs 3 (with words from 4) and 4
Harmony and Tonality
The key is in A Major throughout the piece which adds to the joyous mood of the piece (although it does change key)
The key is in A Major throughout the piece which adds to the joyous mood of the piece (although it does change key)
Dominant note is E (5th degree of the scale E Major)
The dominant of the dominant (5th degree of E Major, B Major)
The relative minor key is F Sharp minor (Go down a minor 3rd from A or 3 semitones from A)
Pedal note are used, where a bass note is repeated while the chords change in other parts
It has one set mood throughout the piece (set mood is called ‘affection’ NOT THE MOOD)
Keys and Cadences
Cadences
Perfect in E (Bars 21-22, 42-43 and 93-94)
Perfect in A (Bars 46-47)
Perfect in B (Bars 67-68 and 72-73)
Imperfect in B (Bars 82-83)
Imperfect in A (123-124)
Ends with a ‘triumphant’ Plagal Cadence
At the end of sections, there are; Perfect, Imperfect and Plagal Cadences
Keys
A Major (Bars 1-22)
E Major (Bars 22-43)
A Major (Bars 43-66)
E Major (Bars 66-67)
B Major (Bars 67-94)
E Major (Bars 94-102)
A Major (Bars 103-138)