Handel - And the Glory of the Lord Flashcards
Full name of Handel
George Frideric Handel
Date of birth/death of Handel
(1685-1759)
Nationality of Handel
German, later becoming a British citizen
‘And the Glory of the Lord’ isn’t an opera, instead an…
oratorio
what is an oratorio?
similar to an opera (play that is sung), usually with words from the Bible
The words of an oratorio are called?
the libretto
mood of a piece is called…
the affect
What part of Messiah is ‘And the Glory of the Lord’ in?
The chorus
affect of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
optimistic and joyful
How many motifs are there in ‘And the Glory of the Lord’?
4
Describe ‘And the glory, the glory of the Lord’ motif
First 3 notes outline tonic triad (A major)
ends with scalic ascent
syllabic
Describe ‘Shall be revealed’ motif
descending sequence
melisma on ‘revealed
Describe ‘And all flesh shall see it together’ motif
repetitions of scalic descending 4th
makes expression of certainty
Describe ‘For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it’ motif
features long notes
pedal note (mostly on one note)
God’s powerful voice
syllabic
metre/rhythm of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
lively triple time metre (3/4)
quick (allegro) tempo
helps make music sound joyful / dance
hemiola
In ‘And the Glory of the Lord’, what is featured in bars 9-10
hemiola
what is hemiola?
a kind of syncopation
Harmony of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
mostly diatonic
ends with a plagal cadence
Tonality of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
tonic key is A major
modulates to dominant key (E major)
and modulates to dominant of the dominant (B major)
Dynamics of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
number of performers at one point determined whether music was loud or quiet
no crescendos/diminuendos
terraced dynamics
terraced dynamics -
sudden dynamic changes with no gradual transition
Texture of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
homophonic
polyphonic
monophonic
Structure of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
does not fit into a standard form
each section end with a cadence
piece ends with slow coda (adagio)
Vocal force of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
Four part - soprano, alto, tenor & bass
all male choir
boys sing soprano
falsetto
Instrumentation of ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
1st & 2nd set of violins, cellos, violas & double basses
cellos & double basses play basso continuo
in short - strings and basso contiuno
Baroque period
1600 - 1750
key features of Baroque music
basso contiuno
terraced dynamics
affect
ornamentation
where was Messiah first performed?
Dublin, Ireland
Where/When was Messiah performed?
In theatres during lent
Where is Messiah performed today?
churches, concert halls and schools
