Page 120 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

Although Messiah possesses many beautiful arias, including “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted” and “He shall feed His flock,” the power of this oratorio is to be found in its nineteen choruses. Handel is arguably the finest composer for chorus who ever lived. As a world traveler with an unsurpassed ear, he absorbed a variety of musical styles from throughout Europe: In Germany, he acquired knowledge of the fugue and the Lutheran chorale; in Italy, he immersed himself in the styles of the oratorio and the chamber cantata; and during his years in England, he became familiar with the idioms of the English church anthem (a sacred song for chorus sung in English). Most important, having spent a lifetime in the opera theater, Handel had a flair for the dramatic.
Nowhere is Handel’s dramatic mastery more evident than in the justly fa- mous “Hallelujah” chorus that concludes Part II of Messiah (see Listening Cue). We have moved from the peaceful adoration of the lamb (“He shall feed His flock”) to a triumphant resurrection, and now a variety of choral styles are dis- played in quick succession: chordal, unison, fugal, and fugal and chordal to- gether (Examples 6.5). The opening word “Hallelujah” recurs throughout as a powerful refrain, yet each new phrase of text generates its own distinct musical idea. Among them are the following:
Example 6.5A > chordal (homophonic) texture
Hal - le-lu-jah, Hal - le-lu-jah,
Example 6.5B >#unison (monophonic) texture &#˙œœœœœœœœ˙œ
For the Lord God om- ni - po- tent reign- eth,
Example 6.5C > fugaœl suœbject (pœolyphoœnic) texture ?##Jœ œœœ˙œ and he shall reign for ev- er and ev - er,
The vivid phrases speak directly to the listener, making the audience feel like a participant in the drama. So moved was King George II when he first heard the great opening chords, the story goes, that he rose to his feet in admiration,
98 chapter six late baroque music: bach and handel
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