Greetings from newCDnews.com, asociate of Amazon.com with Classical 101
by Editor, Ted Libbey.
With Classical 101, Amazon.com's expert editors introduce
music fans to key composers and performers, important
stylistic movements, and milestone recordings in the history
of classical music. In this mailing, contributor Ted Libbey
introduces the music of Baroque genius George Frideric
Handel (1685- 1759), with a special focus on his beloved
"Messiah."
Hear an audio tour and essay guide to "Messiah" at
"Alcina" with Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, et al.;
conducted by William Christie
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"Ariodante" with Anne Sophie von Otter et al.; conducted by
Marc Minkowski
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ITALIAN SOJOURN
***************
In his youth, Handel absorbed all the elements of the
German, French, and Italian styles of the mid-Baroque. His
knowledge of Italian music was gained firsthand, during a
three-year sojourn in Italy (1707-1710) that amounted to a
masterclass in composition. During several stays in Rome,
Handel saw his Italian colleagues evade the papal ban on
opera by composing oratorios and cantatas in the theatrical
style. Originally a sacred form, the oratorio had, by that
time, grown into something rather far removed from the
church--a hybrid that clothed texts drawn from the Bible,
classical literature, epic poetry, and other sources in
magnificent operatic trappings, intended not for
edification--the original purpose of the genre--but purely
as entertainment. The oratorio had flourished in Italy since
the middle of the 17th century, thanks to the efforts of
Giovanni Legrenzi, Alessandro Stradella, Antonio Caldara,
and Alessandro Scarlatti, among others. Not needing to be
told that when in Rome do as the Romans do, the young
northerner mastered the art of writing oratorios then and
there, joining the ranks of its leading practitioners with
two works: "The Triumph of Time" and "La Resurrezione."
During his first year in Italy, Handel also composed a
number of exceptionally fine sacred works, including a
splendid setting of Psalm 110, the "Dixit Dominus."
"The Triumph of Time and Truth" conducted by Daniel Stepner
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"La Resurrezione" conducted by Nicoals McKegan
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"Dixit Dominus" conducted by Marc Minkowski
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COMPOSER FOR KINGS
******************
Handel would never forget his Italian "roots." He took up
permanent residence in London in 1712, and during the next
two and a half decades pumped out a steady stream of serious
Italian operas, establishing himself as one of the greatest
masters of that genre ever, while securing his reputation as
England's top "establishment" composer (with the help of
such ceremonial hits as the "Water Music," "Royal Fireworks,"
and the anthems written for the coronation of George II in
1727).
"Water Music" conducted by Jeanne Lamon
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"Water Music" conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
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"Royal Fireworks and Coronation Anthems" conducted by Robert King
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CHANGING FASHIONS
*****************
As time went by, fashion in opera began to change. By the
1730s, with comic opera gaining favor, the public was
growing indifferent to the monumental style of Handel's
serious creations. Facing bankruptcy, Handel had to move
fast. Fortunately, people still loved good singing, and
Handel realized that he could give them what they wanted...
in the guise of oratorios. Since there was no need for
costumes, sets, or stage action, he could even save the
money it would cost to mount lavish productions in the
theater.
Thus, out of the jaws of financial ruin and artistic defeat, the middle-aged genius snatched a remarkable victory. From the mid-1730s, when he shifted his attention to the oratorio genre, until 1750, when he composed his final essay in it, "Theodora," Handel enjoyed a string of mostly dazzling successes. One of the greatest of these came with "Messiah," which premiered in Dublin in 1742 and is still going strong today. Whether it is Handel's greatest oratorio is debatable, however. Some prefer the symmetry and majestic pageantry of "Solomon" (1749), a later but still very potent score that boasts fine writing for the solo singers, many magnificently composed pages for a large orchestra, and some of the biggest and greatest of Handelian choruses. Others admire the nobility and imaginative pictorialism of "Israel in Egypt" (1739), although with its comparative dearth of solo numbers it was a flop at its first performance.
"Messiah" conducted by Christopher Hogwood
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"Solomon" with Andreas Scholl et al.; conducted by Paul McCreesh
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"Israel in Egypt" conducted by Harry Christophers
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HIS GREATEST HIT
****************
What is not debatable is that "Messiah" has become the most
beloved "sacred" choral work in the English language.
Something in "Messiah" commands the affection of English-
speaking peoples in a way no other choral music does.
Perhaps it is the fact that so much of the oratorio's best
music is in its choruses, which are so wonderfully pointed
in their depictions of innocence, joy, grief, and
celebration. Perhaps it is the way Handel taps into the
feeling of his great story by keeping recitative to a
minimum and emphasizing the direct, openly theatrical
expression of arias, in which the full persuasiveness of
Baroque vocal art is brought to bear. Whatever the reason
may be, Handel's deeply felt setting conveys the emotional
tide of its story with almost miraculous insight, and has
acquired a universality that is unique in the history of
music.
STRUCTURE OF "MESSIAH"
**********************
The first act (Handel preferred "act" to "part") of "Messiah"
establishes God's plan to redeem the world through a Savior
and presents the story of the Nativity. It includes the
exultant chorus "For unto us a Child is born" and ends with
the consoling strains of "His yoke is easy." Christ's
ministry and His rejection by the multitude, His death,
resurrection, and ascension, are all alluded to in the
oratorio's second act, whose basic theme is the victory of
Christ over sin and the perpetuation of His kingdom on
Earth. This part of the score concludes with the famed
"Hallelujah!" chorus; its text, from Revelation, projects a
vision of Christ's triumphant reign over creation, which
Handel sets as a joyous, buoyant processional. The final act
of the oratorio turns to humankind itself, and concerns the
promise of redemption, resurrection, and eternal life. One
of Handel's most inspired creations, the air "I know that my
Redeemer liveth," opens the act. In the celestial key of E
major (which for Handel had a "fatalistic" quality, according
to Christopher Hogwood), this gracious sarabande leaves one
feeling absolutely certain that its words are true. Not for
nothing is the opening phrase inscribed on Handel's memorial
in Westminster Abbey. The oratorio's conclusion is a
glorious triple choral treatment of "Worthy is the Lamb,"
"Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r" and "Amen," the last
treated as a fugue.
MORE THAN ONE VERSION
*********************
There is no such thing as an "authoritative" score to
"Messiah," since Handel made numerous changes to the piece
in revivals during his lifetime to accommodate different
situations and different singers. Even the music of the
Dublin premiere departed in several places from the original
manuscript. Some interpreters have sought to re-create a
specific performance of the oratorio, based on a study of
the performing forces that were utilized on that occasion.
Others have created an amalgam from several sources in an
attempt to offer an "idealized" version of the score, or, as
Handel did, chosen that which suited their singers best.
Here are some suggestions for further exploration.
"Messiah" conducted by Thomas Beecham
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"Messiah" conducted by John Eliot Gardiner
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"Messiah" conducted by William Christie
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"Messiah" conducted by Nicholas McGegan
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"Messiah" conducted by Andrew Parrott
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"Messiah" conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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