George Frederick Handel and the Hallelujah Choir
George Frederick Handel (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German-English Baroque composer who was born in Halle, Germany (Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt). Handel moved to Hamburg in 1703 after being dissatisfied as an organist in the local Protestant cathedral. He got a position as a violinist and harpsichord player in the orchestra at the opera house. In 1706, Handel traveled to Italy at the invitation of Gian Gastone de ‘Medici, whom Handel had met in 1703/1704 in Hamburg. In 1710, Handel moved to Hannover Germany to become Kapellmeister to George, Elector of Hanover, who would become King George I of Great Britain in 1714. In that year, Handel moved back to London and remained there. for 35 years with an annual salary for the rest. of their life.
Handels was influenced by his father and the Duke: Handels’ father wanted him to become a lawyer and have nothing to do with music or playing an instrument, however a harpsichord was smuggled in with damped strings for his father I couldn’t hear him play. His father took him to Weissenfels, where his playing the chapel organ attracted the duke’s attention. The duke was in awe of Handel’s abilities in the chapel that he insisted that Handel be allowed to study music. The duke thought it would be a crime to rob the world of such a genius.
Handel wrote many works, including:
Operas, for example. Araphina, who made him famous in Italy in 1709 and Rinaldo, who made him famous in London in 1711.
Dramatic oratorios, for example, The Messiah in 1741, which is famous throughout the world, and Athalia in 1742, who is famous in Dublin.
100 cantatas and 20 chamber duos
Church music, for example. Gloria Patri (1707), Funeral Hymn (1707)
Orchestra, for example. Water music (1717),
Instrumental and chamber music ~ Includes 9 trio of sonatas, 5 concertos for orchestra.
Vocal music, for example. Ode for Queen Anne’s Birthday (1713)
Oratory:
An oratorio is a musical work based on a biblical story or scripture. It uses choirs, ensembles and solos to tell a story and generally an organ or orchestra accompanies the singers. The oratorios are not represented with costumes or accessories. The Messiah is an oratory. You go and listen to it or sing it around Christmas time. This is because Messiah is about the life of Christ and Christmas is his birthday.
The Messiah:
In 1741, Handel began to put music to Charles Jennens’ biblical libretto, and 24 days later the Messiah was completed (August 22 – September 14). The Messiah was written because Handel was discouraged with his opera writing and after Charles Jennings sent him the libretto, Handel was inspired and immediately began to put music to the work. Legend has it that when Handel finished his work, a servant of his heard him exclaim “Hallelujah Chorus”, “I thought I saw all heaven before me and the great God Himself!”
The Hallelujah Choir:
A choir is a musical ensemble of singers who perform the non-solo parts of an opera or musical theater production (or sometimes an oratorio). Handel was known as a master of the oratorio where no composer before or after has surpassed his abilities to write them. The Hallelujah Choir was typical of his writing because he wrote 27 oratorios in the latter part of his life and wrote many operas, indicating that he liked to compose music consisting of instruments and singing.
The Hallelujah Choir is a typical piece of music written in the Baroque period due to the religious text used and the use of English to please the middle class. The religious text is found throughout the Hallelujah Choir, even in measures 36-51, where the text says that “He will reign forever and ever.” referring to Christ. Another thing that makes the Hallelujah Chorus typical of the baroque period is the way Handel used a mix of homophonic, polyphonic texture, and a small amount of monophonic texture, for example. Measures 33-41 of the Hallelujah Choir are homophonic and measures 41-51 are polyphonic.