Composer: George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Genre: Oratorio chorus
Meter: Quadruple
Timbre: Four-part chorus, accompanied by orchestra and continuo
Key: D major
0:00 Introduction: Strings and continuo emphatically state the joyful “Hallelujah” motive.
. . . . Note the strong, rhythmic bass line.
0:06 “Hallelulah . . .”: Chordal (homophonic) texture. The chorus, accompanied by strings and
. . . . continuo, sings the first two phrases, the second phrase slightly higher in pitch than . . . . the first (melodic sequence).
0:24 “For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth”: Three textures alternate throughout this section.
. . . . First, the chorus and instruments perform in unison (monophony). Trumpets and drums . . . . join the resounding “Hallelujah” response (chordal texture). “For the Lord God . . .” . . . . sounds again, in lower pitches, accompanied by strings and continuo, in unison
. . . . (monophony), and again all voices and instruments respond, “Hallelujah!” (chordal texture).
. . . . 0:46 Next, the voices and instruments toss the melodic motives back and forth in joyful . . . . imitative polyphony.
1:12 “The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.” Chordal
. . . . texture. The passage begins with a sudden hush, then erupts in a stunning forte. 1:30 “And He shall reign for ever and ever.” Imitative polyphony.
1:52 “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Sopranos and altos in unison, answered by tenors and
. . . . basses (“For ever and ever, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!”) (polyphony). Excitement mounts as the . . . . pitches soar ever higher. Trumpets and drums make their own exuberant statement of . . . . faith. Then a stunning pause (3:24)—as dramatic as the preceding sounds—prepares us . . . . for the final, ultimately satisfying, triumphal chordal outburst: “Hallelujah!”
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1 18 3:42Whether the story is true or not, it has become customary for the audience to rise when this chorus is performed.
J. S. Bach(Figure 13.3) was born the same year as Han- del but died nine years before the great composer of Messiah. By that time, many composers already had abandoned the heavy drama and fervent religious expression of the Baroque for the lighter, more graceful, and more secular Rococo and Classical styles, and the year of Bach’s death is generally accepted as the end of the Baroque. Although they were contemporaries, Handel and Bach differed in many per- sonal and professional respects. Both composers wrote religious and secular music, but Bach remained essentially a man of the church and Handel a man of the theater. Handel, a great impresario, won and lost fortunes during his turbu- lent career, while the practical and methodical Bach dutifully composed and performed for the church. Handel never married; Bach was a dedicated family man who married twice and fathered a large number of children. Handel de- manded professional independence; Bach generally served the will of his employers. And whereas Handel produced operas as a form of lavish entertain- ment, Bach wrote much of his music for purely practical purposes—to teach, or to fulfill his obligations as a church musician.
132 P a r t T h re e The Baroque (1600–1750) _ _
JOHANN SEBASTIAN
BACH (1685–1750)
f i g u r e 1 3 . 3Morning hymn: Bach at home with his family. Stock Montage, Inc.
In the style-conscious manner of his period, Bach wrote many kinds of music, each suitable for a particular purpose. He produced quantities of choral music for the churches he served, as well as two large oratorios called Passions, based on the events leading to the crucifixion of Christ. Although a Protestant, Bach also composed a long and very beautiful Mass, hoping thereby to attract the fa- vorable attention of an influential Catholic elector. Though Bach did not receive the position he sought for several years, his B-minor Mass contains some of the most glorious music ever written.
Among Bach’s many compositions are nearly two hun- dred dramatic vocal works, some religious, some secu- lar, called cantatas. (The term cantata originally meant
a piece to be sung, as opposed to an instrumental sonata.) The Baroque religious cantata was specifically a vocal dramatic work, based on a religious story, with recitatives, arias, and choruses sung in the vernacular and accompanied by an organ and usually a small orchestra. Intended for church rather than concert performance, cantatas are considerably shorter than oratorios and often are somewhat restrained.
Cantatas intended for performance in the Lutheran church service, such as Bach’s “Wachet auf” (Listening Example 19, p. 134), were based on chorale tunes, generally familiar to the congregation. The chorale text suggested a story, and the tune provided a musical subject for the work. Recurring in several sections, the chorale also provided a unifying element throughout the composition. Often the congregation joined the choir in singing the familiar chorale tune in the last movement of a cantata.
Monteverdi recognized the values of both the Re- naissance polyphonic and the new homophonic styles of composition, referring to them as the first and
second practices, respectively. Composers of the Baroque period combined these techniques to introduce three new dramatic vocal forms: opera, oratorio, and cantata. Each of these new forms included speech-related recitatives, songlike arias, and elaborate choruses, and each was accompanied by an orchestra.
By the late seventeenth century, Italian opera, dominated by arias in the bel canto style, had achieved wide popularity. However, English audiences eventually tired of foreign operas and responded enthusiastically to ballad op- eras in their own language. Having lost the fortune he had made as a com- poser of Italian operas, Handel turned to the composition of oratorios instead. His Messiah remains the best-known and best-loved oratorio in the world today.
Bach lived at the same time as Handel, but the two composers differed in temperament and experience. Handel served the theater. Bach was a church musician and a teacher, primarily dedicated to the service of his employers. His vocal music includes a large number of cantatas, two long Passions, and the fa- mous Mass in B Minor.
T h i r t e e n Dramatic Music of the Baroque 133
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CANTATA
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