Name: Katerina Kakantoussis

Essay: “Messiah” by George Friedrich Handel

Class: The Oratorio

Professor: Michele Cabrini

George Friedrich Handel was born on February 23rd 1685 and died on April 14th 1759.

He was a German composer who accomplished great success in England. Handel composed

various different forms of orchestral works, operas, organ concertos, anthems and oratorios.1

Born in Halle, in a family with no musical roots, Handel realized his passion for music at a very

young age. His father prohibited him to have access to musical instruments, because he wanted

him to study law, and therefore Handel secretly practiced on the clavichord in his attic. He gave

his first performance at the court of Duke Johann Adolf, and showed exquisite talent in organ

playing, starting a precocious musical training in harmony, counterpoint and the organ.

Despite his talent, Handel’s father insisted and persuaded him to study law in Halle in 1702.

Simultaneously he became organist at the Calvinist cathedral of Halle and composed his first two

operas: “ Almira” and “ Nero”. 2

In 1706 Handel left Halle to pursue his musical career, and moved to Italy. There he met the

librettist Antonio Salvi with whom he would collaborate in compositions at a later time. Due to

the restrictions of Papal law, prohibiting the production of opera, as it was considered a

1 Anthony Hicks. "George Friedrich Handel."Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, . http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060 (accessed May 10, 2014).2 Gretchen Simmons Brown . Handel's Messiah. : Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC, 2010.

blasphemy, Handel then began to compose sacred works such as cantatas and oratorios. His first

two oratorios to be composed were “ La Resurrezione” and “ Il trionfo di tempo”.3

Already a successful musician, Handel moved around Europe and created new works at

each country that he visited. In 1710 he moved to England and became Kapellmeister of King

George I. He settled there in 1712, as his salary was satisfactory and composed works such as

“Amadigi di Gaula” based on the tragedy by Antoine Houdar de la Motte, and Water Music. 4

During the period of 1717-1718 Handel became House Composer at Cannons in Middlesex and

composed some of his notorious choral works such as the “Twelve Chadons Anthems” and “Acis

and Galatea”.5

In 1719, Handel and a division of aristocrats founded the Royal Academy of Music, in

order to assure the production of Baroque Operas and Opera Seria. From 1725-1724 he

composed some of his most outstanding operas such as “Giulio Cesare”, “Rodalinda” and

“Tamerlano”.6 Furthermore he founded and managed two new opera houses, which were called

the Queen’s Theatre, in 1729, and Convent Garden Theatre in 1732. He became one of the most

active composers and managers of opera and opera theaters of his times.

In 1741 he stopped composing operas, with his last work of this genre being Deidamia, and

focused on the composition of oratorios.

The oratorio is a sacred musical work, which employs the use of singers and orchestra.

Much like an opera in vocal form, it differs in the text, which is mainly religious, and its

3 Anthony Hicks . "George Friedrich Handel."Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, . http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg3. (accessed May 10, 2014)4 Anthony Hicks . "George Friedrich Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg4 (accessed May 10, 2014)5 Anthony Hicks. " George Frideric Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, ,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg5 (accessed May 10, 2014)6Anthony Hicks. " George Frideric Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, ,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg6 (accessed May 10, 2014)

presentation as it is not staged. The roots of the oratorio reach back to Rome, to the

Congregazione dell’oratorio and the spiritual exercises established by Phillipo Neri. 7

Handel began composing oratorios from 1707-1752. Some of his most prominent works in this

music form are “La Resurrezione” (1708), “Hercules” (1745), “Theodora” (1750), “Jeptha”

(1752) and “ The Messiah” (1741).

The Messiah, his most famous work, is an English oratorio in three parts with text based

on the King James Bible and the Psalms within the Book of Common Prayer assembled by

Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on April 13th 1742. This oratorio was intended

to be performed during the Easter and Lent season. Jennens presented the work quite like an

opera in order for the audience to have a deeper comprehension of the work. The Messiah is

divided in the following sections:8

“I (i) The prophecy of Salvation; (ii) the prophecy of the coming of Messiah and the question,

despite (i), of what this may portend for the World; (iii) the prophecy of the Virgin Birth; (iv) the

appearance of the Angels to the Shepherds; (v) Christ's redemptive miracles on earth.

II (i) The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross; (ii) His sacrificial

death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection; (iii) His Ascension; (iv) God discloses his

identity in Heaven; (v) Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism; (vi) the world

and its rulers reject the Gospel; (vii) God's triumph.

III (i) The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall; (ii) the Day of

Judgement and general Resurrection; (iii) the victory over death and sin; (iv) the glorification of

the Messianic victim.” 9

7 Howard E. Smither. "Oratorio." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed May 14, 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/203978 Daniel I.Block, "Handel’s Messiah: Biblical and Theological Perspectives." Lecture, John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Louisville, Kentucky,9 David Vickers. "Messiah " A Sacred Oratorio"." . http://gfhandel.org/messiah.html (accessed May 10, 2014).

Part I recounts the prophecy of the Virgin Birth and the welcoming of Jesus Christ, the

Messiah, according to the prophets of the Old Testament and the Holy Ghost annunciation. Part

II describes the Passion of Christ, his death, resurrection and ascension and the communication

of the Gospel throughout the world. Part III commences with the assurance of Redemption and

the prognosis of the Day of Judgment. It ends with the praise to Christ and the triumph over sin

and death.10

The music of the Messiah is extremely powerful. It was written for a small number of

instrumentalists such as oboes, strings (including violoncello and violone), basso continuo,

harpsichord, bassoon, trumpets and singers. There were several adaptations of the score, to meet

the needs of the singers of the time. 11

The Messiah begins with a subtle instrumental passage with emphasis on the trumpets,

and a choral passage that is in the low alto register. The composer employs the French overture

style in his opening of the Symphony in E minor.12 The tenor shifts the key to E major with his

recitative “Comfort ye” and his proclamation of the first prophecy. In addition, the key shifts

once the chorus sings “ For unto us a child is born” leading to G major, following the “Pifa”

pastoral interlude. The soprano soloist then enters with four recitatives, succeeding with the

chorus singing “Glory to God” in D major. A sense of steadiness is created with the soprano

completing Part I in B flat.13

Part II is introduced with a fugal part “Behold the Lamb of God” in G major. The alto

soloist follows with the aria “ He was despised” in E flat major which is the longest aria in the

10 "Handel' Messiah." The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular Vol. 1: pg.65-66+71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3370446 (accessed May 9, 2014)11 Gretchen Simmons Brown . Handel's Messiah. : Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC, 2010.12 "Handel' Messiah." The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular Vol. 1: pg.65-66+71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3370446 (accessed May 9, 2014)13 Gretchen Simmons Brown . Handel's Messiah. : Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC, 2010.

oratorio, a resource he uses to emphasize the suffering of Christ. The Passion, Crucifixion, Death

and Resurrection of Christ are depicted with brief choral passages in “All we like sheep” both in

F minor and F major.14 The sense of bleakness returns in B flat minor with the tenor recitative

“All that they see him”. Finally the chorus is separated into two parts in order to complete the

Ascension as they sing “Lift up your hands” proceeding with “Let all the angels of God worship

him” in D major in order to praise Christ going to heaven. The ending climax is reached with the

famous “Hallelujah” sung by the choir.15

Part III opens with the soprano singing in E flat major “I know that my Redeemer Liveth”

accompanied by violin. The bass continues in D major “The trumpet shall sound” with the

instructions of not going extremely fast. The tenor and alto proceed by singing the duet “O death,

where is thy sting?” and lead into the choral part “But thanks be to God”. Luther’s choral is

quoted by the soprano solo in “If God be for us” (Aus tiefer Not). The trumpets in the “Amen”

depict the uproar of heaven.16

We can observe that Handel did not compose a narrative drama about the life, death and

resurrection of Christ, but instead elaborated on the idea of Christ as the Messiah. Unlike the rest

14 "Handel' Messiah." The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular Vol. 1: pg.65-66+71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3370446 (accessed May 9, 2014)15 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 199216 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992

of his oratorios, it did not have defined characters and a clear narrative. The soloists are only

used to epitomize the relationships, quarrels within the oratorio, as well as to display the virtues

of their own vocal qualities.

Although it is difficult to identify the predominant key of the composition, the main

tendency is towards D major, giving a sense of harmony and universal order, which would

correspond to the idea of a world created by the Jewish Christian God in which the New

Testament is a logical and direct consequence of the Old Testament. He was able to emphasize

the divine atmosphere marking in the score “da lontano e un poco piano” (quietly from afar), and

having the trumpets perform off stage. The triumph of God is exalted with the entrance of the

trumpets, which sends positive notions throughout the oratorio and concludes in the victorious

finale. 17

Handel uses many tools to create a sense of unity between the music and the text. One of

them is called text painting, where the musical notes emphasize the lines of the text. An example

of that can be identified in the tenor aria “Every valley shall be exalted”.

17 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992

Example 1a: “ Every valley shall be exalted”: 18

Example 1b: “Every Valley shall be Exalted” 19

18 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992 pg.7-819 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992, pg.8

Here each word depicts a certain feeling: the word “valley” arrives on a low note and “exalted”

gives an uplifting representation. The word “mountain” creates a climax in the melody whereas

the

word “hill” is on a low note. Four different notes support the word “crooked” as they move in a

fast figure, while one single note sustains the word “straight”. Finally, “the rough places” are

sung over short notes and the word “plain” is spread throughout various measures.20

Another illustration of text painting can be located in “Thus Saith the Lord” where on the

word “shake” there are marcato melismas and on the words “heav’n” and “earth” there is a drop

of an octave in the melodic line. 21

Continuing, in “For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth” and “The People that

Walked in Darkness” he uses descending notes as if one was to sink into darkness or the

underworld. In the phrase “Lord shall arise” the melodic line is created by a long melisma of

20 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992 pg.6-1021 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992, pg. 19-20

sixteenth notes; the word “glory” gives a triumphant effect as it is sung at the top range of the

melisma and recitative. When the Handel wished to depict “light” the singers are singing in the

top part of the register and are in a major mode, whereas when he wanted to depict “darkness”

the singers sing in the lower part of the register and are in a minor mode.

Example 2: “The People That walked in darkness” 22

Furthermore, more text painting is observed in the phrase “Surely He Hath Borne our

Griefs”. The word “griefs” is emphasized with a diminished 7th chord and the suffering is

depicted with a 9-1 suspension on the word “wounded”, “bruised” and “chastisement”. When the

singer sings two descending tritones in the phrase “Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart”, it

creates an effect of despair. 23

In the phrase “Their Sound is Gone out” the melodic line begins from the lowest note in

the scale to the “end” of it, emphasizing “and their words unto the ends of the world”. Finally in

22 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992, pg.5223 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992, pg.98-101+122

the Rage Aria - “Why do the Nations so furiously rage together”, the bass breaks out in a furious

state with ascending and descending notes. 24

Example 3: “Why do the Nations so Furiously Rage Together” 25

Although the premiere of this opera in 1742 was a failure due to the public finding it

tedious soon it gained a great reputation, generating the curiosity of the most notable music

lovers of its era, among them illustrious personalities such as King George II of England. Today

it is one of the most performed oratorios and emblematic compositions of the classical music

repertoire. In many parts of the world it became a tradition to perform “The Messiah” near the

Christmas Day.

24 Simmons Brown, Gretchen . Handel's Messiah. : Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC, 2010.25 Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992, pg. 155

Handel exhibited grand inspiration in the composition of this work, not only because he

was ahead of his time in demonstrating both the contrapuntal and vocal compositional abilities

he had, but because he incorporated techniques, such as text painting, that were mostly

associated with composers of earlier periods. The melodic lines present throughout this work are

among the most popular in the classical repertoire of all times. The choral parts throughout the

Messiah are genius, giving special significance to the final “Hallelujah”, where he makes use of

the cantus firmus, intensifying the presence of God and his sanctity. He incorporated fugues and

fugal moments throughout the oratorio, thus creating many harmonic textures. The text in

combination with the music creates a mystical and metaphysical atmosphere, and an entrancing

journey.

Handel achieved immortality before composing The Messiah, but The Messiah gave him

a place in the hall of fame of the classical music, where compositions such as Beethoven’s Ninth

Symphony, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Traviata and Wagner’s Valkyrie will live for the

rest of times.

Bibliography:

Daniel I.Block, "Handel’s Messiah: Biblical and Theological Perspectives." Lecture, John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Louisville, Kentucky,

Gretchen Simmons Brown . Handel's Messiah. : Fruitbearer Publishing, LLC, 2010

Anthony Hicks. "George Friedrich Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press,. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060 (accessed May 10, 2014).

Anthony Hicks . "George Friedrich Handel."Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, . http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg3. (accessed May 10, 2014)

Anthony Hicks. " George Frideric Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, ,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg5 (accessed May 10, 2014)

Anthony Hicks. " George Frideric Handel." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, ,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40060pg6 (accessed May 10, 2014)

"Handel' Messiah." The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular Vol. 1: pg.65-66+71. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3370446 (accessed May 9, 2014)

Watkins Shaw, “Messiah”. Vocal Score .London: Novello Publishing Limited, 1992

Howard E. Smither. "Oratorio." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed May 14, 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/20397

David Vickers. "Messiah " A Sacred Oratorio"." . http://gfhandel.org/messiah.html (accessed May 10, 2014)