And the Glory of the LordAn introduction to Set Work Number

1

By the end of this lesson you will be able to……

• Begin to explore the music of Handel and its importance to

Baroque Music.•Discuss how Music Theory is

important when analysing a set work.

•Listen to “And the Glory” and begin listing important aspects of

the piece.

Ok then, who is Handel?

A brief background•Handel was born in Germany in 1685 and from 18, devoted his life to music. He died in 1759.

•His first Opera – Rodrigo was performed in 1707 and by 1710 he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector.

•Part of this role involved him moving to London for a year where he wrote some of his finest works (including overtures and concerti grossi).

•As Royal Composer, he wrote the Water Music (1717)

What’s the Messiah?The best loved

Oratorio of all time •The Messiah is an oratorio (a religious opera). These were popular in the Baroque era.

•It is in three parts and tells the story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

•Part 1 consists of prophesies telling of the coming of Christ with texts from the Old & New Testaments.

•Parts 2 tells of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus set mainly to words from the Old testament.

•Part 3 tells of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Key words

•Oratorio – Religious Opera based on words from the Bible.

•Libretto – the text/words of a musical work such as an opera or oratorio.

The Structure of an Oratorio

•Recitative – The idea is to get the words of the narration across using a minimal amount of words.

•Aria – A solo song which reflect a mood or emotion. The music is more elaborate to display the vocal qualities and expertise of the singer to the full.

•Chorus – The aria leads directly into the first main chorus, “And the Glory of the Lord”. The chorus sums up the action at that point in the drama

Key words

•Aria – a solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment.

•Recitative – a style used in operas, oratorios and cantatas in which the text is told in the rhythm of natural speech

Background to the Messiah

Up until 1741, Handel had written many Italian operas in London but these were now becoming unpopular.

The idea of English Religious Opera was becoming popular instead. Biblical stories were forbidden in theatres so Handel composed for concert performance instead.

He wrote it in only 24 days! First performed in Dublin in 1742.

It was intended for concert halls rather than Churches. The orchestra at this time was fairly small.

Analysing “And the Glory”

This is the first piece in the Edexcel Anthology of Music (p5).

Try following it as we go through it. We will discuss some of it’s features afterwards. Make a list of questions you think of as you listen to it.

Edexcel GCSE Music Student

BookWe will now look through pages 10 & 11 which explore the main features of “And the Glory” then pages 12-15 which give a bar by bar analysis.

This is what we will do with each set work as you will have questions on this in the listening exam.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to……

• Begin to explore the music of Handel and its importance to

Baroque Music.•Discuss how Music Theory is

important when analysing a set work.

•Listen to “And the Glory” and begin listing important aspects of

the piece.