Handel Flashcards
When did handel die?
1759
Where and when was handel born?
Halle, saxony 1685
When was water music composed?
1717
Who was water music composed for?
For King George 1 at a royal procession
What was the purpose of water music?
To be regal and opulent, reflecting the majesty and position of the king and it had to please King George personally
Who made up the upper group of the orchestra?
1st and 2nd violins, violas, oboes and trumpets
Who made up the lower group of the orchestra?
Horns, cellos, double basses and bassoon (s)
What do the trumpets do to start the first movement?
Stride up the tonic chord followed by a flourish of semi-quavers on the dominant
What do the strings and oboes do in b1-5 of the 1st movement?
Move in unison down a d major scale
Who copys the scale played by the strings and oboes from b1-5 in b5-9?
The lower group, accompanied by bassoons and cello
Who is there antiphonal exchange between in b5-9?
Trumpets and horns
What happens at b37?
2 groups combine in a grand tutti
What ends the first movement?
Repeated perfect cadences
What links to the 2nd movement?
Oboe cadenza
What does the 1st movement end on?
A phyrigian cadence in b minor
What is an alla hornpipe?
Lively english countrydance, often heavily syncopated
What time signature is alla hornpipe in?
3/2
What is the structure of alla hornpipe?
Ternary form
What is the key in the a section of alla hornpipe?
D - A - D
What is the key in the b section of alla hornpipe?
Bm - Fsharp - Bm
What is the instrumentation on the A section of alla hornpipe?
Melody - trumpets, horns, violin 1/2, oboes
Harmonies - viola, violin 3
Bass line - cello, double bass and bassoon
What is the instrumentation in the B section of alla hornpipe?
Melody- oboes 1&2, violin 2
Countermelodies - violin 1
Harmonies - viola and violin 3
Bass line - cello, double bass and bassoon
Who doubles violin 1 and oboe 1 in alla hornpipe?
Violin 2 and oboe 2
What happens in the last 9 bars of alla hornpipe?
No woodwind
Who are silent in the opening of alla hornpipe?
Brass
Who opens alla hornpipe?
Strings and woodwind
Who joins at b11 of alla hornpipe?
Trumpets
When are there perfect cadences in alla hornpipe?
B10-11 in d major
B26-27 in the dominant, a major
B38-39 in d major
ALL HAVE A HEMIOLA
What key is the b section in?
B minor (relative minor) with modulation to the dominant (f sharp major) at b57
What does violin 1 play in the b section of alla hornpipe?
An elaborate part which oboe 1 cannot always double
what is added in the b section to thicken the harmony?
violin 3
what instruments are silent throughout the b section?
trumpets and horns
what happens from b66 onwards?
full scored until then, instruments gradually drop out from b66
what happens at the end of the b section?
players return to the beginning (da capo) and repeat the 1st half of the piece and finishing at b39
what is a minuet/menuet?
popular court dance in 3/4 time
what is the structure or the minuet?
binary A (repeated) B (repeated) x2
what is the key of minuet?
d major (diatonic)
what was the texture of minuet?
homophonic
what is the instrumentation of minuet?
melody: tpts 1, vln 1&2, oboe 1 & horn 1
harmony: in 3rds - violin 3, tpt 2, horn 2, oboe 2
harmonic filling: viola
bass line: cello, double bass and bassoon
what instrument sounds an octave lower than written in minuet?
horns
what do the brass play in the higher and lower registers?
higher register - stepwise
lower register - arpegios
what happens in b1 of minuet?
all the instruments repeat the tonic chord except the bass line
what is the whole piece punctuated by in minuet?
the drum-like rhythm in b7,11,15 &23
what does b17-18 and b19-20 invite a contrast of in minuet?
dynamics - f and p
what does lentement mean?
french term for ‘slowly’
what is the lentement movement?
dance movement - dotted rhythm
SLOW GIGUE CALLED A LOURE
what is the structure of lentement?
ABA - ternary form
what is the key/keys of lentement?
A -D major
B - B minor > E minor
A -D major
what is the structure of bouree?
binary (played thrice)
what is the key of bouree?
D major - no modulation
who plays the bouree the 1st time its played?
just strings
who plays the bouree the 2nd time it is played?
brass + bassoon
who plays the bouree the 3rd and final time it is played?
tutti + timpani
what are the key characteristics of a bouree?
in 2, fast, anacrusis upbeat
what instruments don’t play in the b section of lentement?
no brass - reduced texture of just oboes, strings and bassoon
