Download HALLELUJAH CHORUS - From The Messiah by George F. Handel

HALLELUJAH CHORUS - From The Messiah by George F. Handel
Edited by T. Tertius Novle and Max Spicker
Born - February 23, 1685, in Halle, Saxony
Died - April 14, 1759, in London
Work composed - 1741
World premiere - April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Handel conducting
The year 1741 did not bode well for Handel. Two operatic flops in a row reduced the composer to near
indigence. Given the fickle taste of London’s mid-18th century concert habitués, Handel’s sudden
hardship was neither new nor entirely unexpected. More than once he had seen his fortunes rise and
fall in response to changes in English operatic taste. This time seemed worse, since the financial loss
was accompanied by a dramatic decline in his health. Yet strengthened by experience, his unstoppable
will enabled him to survive life’s inevitable crises. The writing of Messiah was an example of his
Phoenix-like rise from misery to triumph.
By summer, Handel was physically and emotionally restored. He threw himself into a new oratorio
with a text from his frequent collaborator Charles Jennings (1700-1773), a literary figure of generally
modest accomplishment. With Messiah, however, Jennings skillfully arranged Biblical material into a
cohesive libretto, rewriting sacred texts to suit musical elaboration. Handel—a man of strong opinion in
such matters—was pleased with the text and made virtually no changes to Jenning’s handiwork.
On August 22 Handel secreted himself in his apartment for the next three weeks, refusing all
visitors and almost all food brought to him by his worried valet. Thoroughly disheveled and several
pounds lighter, he finally emerged on September 12, clutching the completed manuscript of what would
become the most beloved choral work in the English-speaking world.
Handel wrote Messiah as a man possessed, though it must be pointed out that he frequently
composed in dazzling streaks of boundless and focused energy. Solomon—larger and grander than
Messiah—was born in but 20 days of feverish creativity. Clearly Handel was a fast worker, even when
we consider that in Messiah (as elsewhere) he cribbed from previous works and jottings whenever he
could, always fine-tuning and subtly altering material to increase dramatic and musical effect (unlike
Bach, who also self-borrowed but with far less re-composition).
Though the subject of this wondrous work is obviously central to the Western Christian tradition,
Messiah (along with virtually all of Handel’s “religious” oratorios) was written for the concert hall, not
for the church. It was conceived musically as an alternative to opera, not to the liturgy. With no scenery
or costumes, oratorio was much cheaper to put on. Relying more heavily on choral participation than
did opera, it appropriated many of the structural conventions of the musical/dramatic tradition. In its
three-part layout, Messiah can be “parsed” as a three act opera without visuals.
Having explored and expressed the gamut of human agony, Handel ends Part II with the much-loved
“Hallelujah!” chorus, as exhilarating and uplifting a sound as has been uttered by the human voice.
Resplendent in gleaming D major—a key used by composers before and since Handel to convey triumph
and glory—the “Hallelujah!” chorus brings the “act” to a brilliant and optimistic close.
In many parts of the world, it is the accepted practice for the audience to stand for this section of the
performance. Tradition has it that King George II rose to his feet at this point. As the first notes of the
triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king rose. Royal protocol has always demanded that
whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch’s presence. Thus, the entire audience
stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact
reason why the King stood at that point, but the most popular explanations include:
As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect. The Hallelujah
chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings. In standing, King George II accepts that he too is
subject to Lord of Lords.
*He was so moved by the performance that he rose to his feet.
*He arrived late to the performance, and the crowd rose when he finally made an appearance.
*His gout acted up at that precise moment and he rose to relieve the discomfort.
*After an hour of musical performance, he needed to stretch his legs.
There is a story told (perhaps apocryphally) that Handel’s assistant walked in to Handel’s room after
shouting to him for several minutes with no response. The assistant reportedly found Handel in tears,
and when asked what was wrong, Handel held up the score to this movement and said, “I thought I saw
the face of God”.
Terms & Musical Considerations:
allegro - (Italian m., German n., from Latin alacer, 'lively') quick, not as fast as presto but
faster than allegretto. As with many marks we now take to indicate tempo, allegro was
originally an expression mark indicating the mood of a piece of music, in this case, 'bright',
'cheerful' or 'lively', as opposed to 'pathetic', 'sad' or 'mournful'
oratorio - (Italian m., French m., English, Spanish m., Latin, literally 'oratory', a building
for prayer (a chapel), from the Latin, oratio, 'prayer') originally the name given to the
building itself where such works were performed, the term was, from about 1640, applied
exclusively to a musical work, performed without costume or stage settings, using a religious
text, employing an orchestra, choir and solo singers, although from the nineteenth-century
nonreligious narrative might be used
Baroque - Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music
which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 to 1750. This era is said to begin
in music after the Renaissance and to be followed by the Classical music era. The original
meaning of "baroque" is "irregularly shaped pearl", a strikingly fitting characterization of the
architecture and design of this period; later, the name came to be applied also to its music.
Baroque music forms a major portion of the classical music canon. It is widely performed,
studied and listened to. It is associated with composers and their works such as J.S. Bach's
Fugues, George Friedrich Händel's Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah, Antonio Vivaldi's Four
Seasons, and Claudio Monteverdi. During the period, music theory, diatonic tonality, and
imitative counterpoint developed. More elaborate musical ornamentation, as well as changes
in musical notation and advances in the way instruments were played also appeared.
Baroque music would see an expansion in the size, range and complexity of performance, as
well as the establishment of opera as a type of musical performance. Many musical terms
and concepts from this era are still currently in use.
basso continuo - (English, Italian, Dutch, German m.) 'continuous bass' or 'thorough bass',
which appeared at the very beginning of the seventeenth century. The term is used also to
refer to 'figured bass' from which seventeenth- and eighteenth-century keyboard players
realised accompaniments
rondo form - rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in
music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also in reference to
a character-type that is distinct from the form. In rondo form, a principal theme (sometimes
called the 'refrain') alternates with one or more contrasting themes, variously called
'digressions', 'couplets', 'episodes', or 'subordinate themes'. The overall form can be
represented as ABACADA.... The number of themes can vary from piece to piece, and the
recurring element is sometimes embellished or shortened in order to provide for variation
Key of D Major – 2 #’s
4/4 Time Signature – 4 beats per measure, the quarter note equals one beat
(♩=
72
) – the tempo suggesting that there are 72 beats per minute.