CHAPTER 20
Textures of Worship: Handel and the English Oratorio
OVERVIEW
Like Chapter 19, Chapter 20 treats the subject of late Baroque sacred music. Here the focus is on
the English oratorio tradition established by George Frideric Handel. The chapter introduces
students to the musical and textual components of the oratorio through an exploration of
Handel’s Messiah
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the historical context of the oratorio before Handel
2. To understand the English oratorio tradition established by Handel in the early to mid-
eighteenth century
3. To understand Handel’s Messiah as an exemplary model of the late Baroque English
oratorio
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. To introduce the oratorio as a musical genre before Handel’s day, play selections from
Carissimi’s Jephthe, one of the best-known Italian oratorios of the earlier seventeenth-
century tradition. Choose an aria, recitative, and chorus to illustrate the connection of
oratorio to opera. The most famous excerpt from Jephthe is the final lament chorus, “Plorate
filii Israel” (“Weep, sons of Israel”). Ask to students to consider the ways in which
Carissimi’s music conveys a strong sense of drama without the help of staging or scenery,
costumes, and acting. Connect their responses to the idea of an oratorio as an unstaged
dramatic work.
2. Before playing the two choruses from Messiah (“Glory to God in the Highest” and the
“Hallelujah Chorus”) ask student to focus their attention on the shifting texture of the
pieces. When and where do these textural shifts occur? Connect these shifts to the text; what
about the text and its meaning invites a shifting musical texture, and what do these shifts
add to the dramatic effect of the words?
3. Break students into pairs and have them outline the da capo form of “Rejoice greatly” from
Messiah. Display the text and have students use As and Bs to identify the structural
moments in reference to the text. Ask students to recognize any repeating internal phrases or
sections (vocal and instrumental) as well as phrases and sections that sound similar but are
slightly varied on subsequent hearings.
ASSIGNMENT SUGGESTIONS
1. How do opera, cantata, and oratorio differ? How are they related? Think about their texts and
performing contexts. How does each genre provide meaning and/or entertainment for the
intended audience? Does this change when they are performed in different contexts—say, for
example, in a concert hall or as part of a film score?
2. Listen again to the “Hallelujah Chorus” and “Rejoice greatly” from Handel’s Messiah. Does
Handel give special musical attention to certain words or phrases? Describe their musical
treatment. Do you see any connections between their musical treatment and their importance
within the message of the text as whole? How do the instruments contribute to the commentary
of the text?
TEACHING CHALLENGES
Although the “Hallelujah Chorus” is famous today, listening for the dazzling array of textural
shifts not only will be new for some students but also is likely to be overwhelming. If this
happens in class, remind your students about the qualities of Baroque style, as covered in the
Prelude to Part 3. This challenge will also create the opportunity for a nice review of this
material.
SUPPLEMENTAL REPERTORY
Carissimi: Jephthe
J. S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium (Christmas Oratorio), BWV 248
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63
SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLI OGRAPHY
Burrows, Donald. Handel: Messiah. Reprint ed. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1997. From the Cambridge Music Handbooks series, Burrows’s treatment
of the Messiah covers its composition and first performances, reception, and revision.
Burrows also provides a full commentary on individual numbers and text settings.
Smither, Howard E. A History of the Oratorio. Vol. 2, The Oratorio in the Baroque Era:
Protestant Germany and England. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1977. A
general history of the oratorio during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in
Germany and England. Part III examines Handel and the English oratorio.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Textures of Worship: Handel and the English Oratorio (Chapter 20)
I. The Oratorio
A. Oratorio: sacred vocal form
1. large-scale dramatic genre: solo voices, chorus, orchestra
2. performed in concert setting without scenery or costumes
3. similarities to opera: recitatives, arias, duets, trios, choruses
4. sacred text: biblical story, libretto by religious leaders
5. early oratorios sponsored by Catholic Church
a. public meeting places
b. messages of faith to wide audience
c. moral alternative to opera
B. George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
1. German composer, director, producer
2. worked in Italy, Germany, England
3. wrote, directed, and produced Italian operas
4. founder of Royal Academy of Music
5. revered by English: buried at Westminster Abbey
6. style: rhythmic drive, rich melodies, dramatic expression
7. output: over 40 Italian operas, English oratorios, orchestral suites, concertos,
keyboard and chamber music
C. Handel and the English oratorio
1. invented new genre
a. elements of Italian opera, Catholic oratorio, and English grand choral style
b. libretto by poets rather than religious leaders
2. not sponsored by church; entrepreneurial venture
3. success fits national mood
a. religious stories about a “chosen people” appealing
b. increased interest in choral singing
D. Messiah
1. composed in 24 days, premiered in Dublin
2. performed continuously since its premiere
3. libretto: biblical verses, Old and New Testaments
a. Christmas section: prophecy of coming of Christ
b. Easter section: suffering, death, spread of his doctrine
c. Redemption section: redemption of the world through faith
E. Listening Guide 9: Handel, Messiah, Nos. 18 and 44 (1742)
1. Part I, No. 18: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion”
a. da capo soprano aria, (A-B-A1)
b. melismatic passages: “rejoice”
c. instrumental ritornellos, exchanges with voice
d. A1 section: varied considerably
2. Part II, No. 44: “Hallelujah Chorus” closes Easter section
a. 4-part chorus and orchestra
b. shifting textures: homorhythmic, imitative polyphony
c. varied dynamics, dramatic effect