For Unto Us

Question 1

What is a melisma?

Answer 1

A group of notes sung to one syllable or text (born)

Question 2

Who composed it and when?

Answer 2

George Handel. He wrote it in 1741 and performed it in Dublin in 1742

Question 3

Which era is it from?

Answer 3

Baroque

Question 4

What singing arrangement is it?

Answer 4

SATB

Question 5

What speed is it ?

Answer 5

Andante allegro

Question 6

What does con rip mean?

Answer 6

With orchestra

Question 7

Orchestra ritonello

Answer 7

Little return

Question 8

From what type of work is this chorus taken?

Answer 8

Oratorio

Question 9

Give three reasons why this music is typical of the baroque period

Answer 9

• Long melodies are based on triads, scales and arpeggios.
• Sequences are used to repeat melodic and rhythmic patterns
• Use or continuo where the organ provides harmonic support by filling out mid-range register

Question 10

Describe the opening orchestral part (4)

Answer 10

• Orchestral ritornello in G major
• Violin 1 introduces theme (a) which is imitated by violin 2.
• The rising sequential semiquaver movement in parallel sixths anticipates theme (c)
• the concluding perfect cadence is preceded by syncopation and a trill.

Question 11

Describe theme A (5)

Answer 11

• Stated by sopranos “For Unto us a child is born.”
• Begins in the tonic key G Major followed the perfect cadence in the previous bar from D Major
• Repeated pitches
• Mainly syllabic
• Falling fifth and rising fourth

Question 12

Describe theme B (5)

Answer 12

• Text is “Unto us a son is given”
• stated by sopranos with ascending sequence (Typical of baroque)
• The sopranos melismatic extension of “born” is combined contrapuntally with theme (b1) in the tenors.
• Transposed to the dominant (D major)
• The altos lead followed by the basses and the final “unto us” is set to a new descending triadic phrase

Question 13

Describe theme C (5)

Answer 13

• First stated by sopranos “Born”
• Continuous semiquavers in a melismatic phrase
• Used in an ascending sequence
• Towards the end of the piece the theme (c) semiquavers on “born” return
• which are now in parallel thirds in sopranos and altos, are also accompanied by the lower voice

Question 14

Describe theme D (5)

Answer 14

• First stated by tenors “And the government shall be upon his shoulders”
• Sent to a rising dotted motif in an ascending sequence
• Falling scale on ‘shoulder’
• this line is also syllabic And melismatic And imitated by the sopranos
• Basses take up the line doubled in thirds by altos
• “And his name shall be called” becomes homophonic and leads to imperfect cadence in D major

Question 15

Describe theme E (7)

Answer 15

• “Wonderful, counsellor, the mighty god, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”
• Dotted rhythm
• major tonality of tonic key
• homophonic texture of the full choir based on primary triads
• Repetition of phrases with different words
• Repeated semiquaver patterns in the violins combine to convey the majesty implied by the text
• This presentation of theme (e) ends with an emphatic perfect cadence in D major.

Question 16

Larger work it is taken from?

Answer 16

Messiah

Question 17

Key ?

Answer 17

G Major

Question 18

Instruments used in baroque era (6)

Answer 18

• The organ and the harpsichord and the main keyboard instruments.
  • New instrumental techniques developed in the strings – pizzicato (plucking) and tremolo (tiny strokes back and forth played very quickly, trembling effect)
  • Flute, recorder, oboe and bassoon.
  • The percussion section occasional uses timpani.
  • The brass section occasionally uses the trumpet.
• Prominent String section

Question 19

Typical baroque features (4)

Answer 19

• Ornamentation: trills are often found at cadences.
  • Harmony is based on major and minor keys, with simple modulations.
  • Terraced dynamics help add contrast to the piece
• Basso continuo (harpsichord, Organ and bassoon etc)

Question 20

Instrumentation (3)

Answer 20

• The Baroque orchestra features instruments such as strings, flutes, oboe, bassoon and harpsichord and is used as continuo and states theme A in orchestral ritornello
• Apart from the short ritornello interjections, the orchestra provides chords on the beat, with some semi quaver violin patterns in the homophonic SATB sections of ‘Wonderful counsellor’
• The choir is SATB and each theme is imitated and repeated between parts.

Question 21

Melody

Answer 21

• There are 5 themes that often derive from each other in For Unto Us. Theme A is first stated by the sopranos, theme B again stated by sopranos in ascending sequence, Theme C makes use of continuous semiquavers in a melismatic phrase, Theme D is first stated by the tenors in a rising dotted motif and Theme E is the homophonic dotted rhythm stated by full choir
• Theme A is first presented in the orchestral ritornello before the sopranos state it and is then developed by sequence and repetition from the tenors
• The text of ‘and the government shall be upon his shoulder’ is introduced on a new idea consisting of dotted ascending thirds ending with a descending melismatic scale. It is also heard in inversion before the final G major (wonderful counsellor)

Question 22

Harmony

Answer 22

• Handel makes use of cadences at the ends of phrases such as the perfect cadence at the end of the orchestral ritornello In D major to G major
  and imperfect cadence before theme E
• Handel makes use harmonic features of parallel thirds to harmonise the restatement of theme C accompanied by lower voices and use of inversions and tonic pedals on Theme E
• The chorus is in G major and largely uses primary and secondary chords, a key idea of Baroque music

Question 23

Texture

Answer 23

• Handel employs two types of texture in this chorus, Homophonic (Theme E) and Polyphonic to combine different melodic ideas in counterpoint (Themes B and C)
• Many different rhythms employed such as descending triadic phrases in the basses and rising dotted motifs on ‘and the government’
• The most noticeable feature is the use of imitation in the opening parts, an almost fugal like texture, with imitation by the tenors and a continuing countermelody.