Handel fact sheet

‘And the Glory of the Lord’ - G. F. Handel FACT SHEET

GCSE Music: AoS1 Western Classical Music

Baroque A period of music from 1600 – 1750.

A time of exploration.

FEATURES -

-

Use of ornamentation in the melodic lines Establishment of major/minor keys Diatonic chords using mainly I, IV, V, II, VI Basso Continuo Using different textures (Homophonic, Polyphonic) Use of Baroque orchestra (String, harpsichord, trumpets, horns, timpani drums and possibly flute, oboe and bassoon) Little variation in the mood/affection throughout a piece Only contrasting between loud and quiet dynamics– terraced dynamics

Oratorio -

‘And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’

The Chorus is the first main chorus in the Messiah and simply sums up the positivity of the mood – looking forward to the coming of the Lord.

Tonality of A major (F, C, G sharps)

-

A large scale musical work.

Set for chorus, soloists and orchestra.

Based on words and stories from the bible.

Messiah is one of the most famous examples of an oratorio that tells the story of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ.

Four main themes

In the middle, modulates to the dominant – E major The whole pieces is built on 4 main themes, each line separating a line of the Also, modulates to the dominant text. Handel states the themes as a single line and then throughout the rest of the dominant – B major of the piece, develops the themes in different ways.

You need to be able to recognise these themes and be able to describe how they have been developed

‘And the Glory of the Lord’ - G. F. Handel Affection

The mood of the piece is joyful because of the following; Sprightly triple time signature (3/4) Allegro tempo marking In a major key (minor keys avoided)

Key Words

Choral styles Are you able to recognise the different singing styles and describe them?

Single line – Monophonic – Eg bars 11-13 (vocal) Four part choir – Homophonic – Eg bars 34 - 38 Simple imitation – Eg bars 17 - 20 2 main themes together – Eg bars 111 - 113 Doubling of parts - Eg bars 51 - 55

SATB – Describing the choir (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) Soprano – High pitched female voice Alto – Low pitched female voice Tenor – High pitched male voice Bass – Low pitched male voice Chorus – A group of singers with several performers per part. The set work is a chorus.

Basso Continuo – A bass instrument playing a solo bass line AND a chordal instrument (harpsichord/ organ NOT piano) playing chords.

Triple metre – 3 beats in a bar (often used for lively pieces) Affection – The overall mood of a piece, mainly stays the same in Baroque pieces.

Cadence – 2 chords that mark the end of a phrase or section. Refer to cadence theory sheet for more detail.

Hemiola – Changing the rhythmic feel from 2 groups of 3 to 3 groups of 2. Often used when approaching the end of a phrase.

Doubling – When an instrument or instruments play the same thing as the voice.

Monophonic – A single melodic line.

Homophonic – All parts moving together singing in harmony. Melody and accompaniment.

Polyphonic – A musical texture featuring 2 or more melodic lines.

Terraced dynamics – Heard in Baroque music. Going from loud to soft with little variation between the two.

Harmonic Rhythm – How often the chords move per bar.

Imitation/imitative – A musical device when an idea is presented and then immediately imitated/copied in another part. It can be an exact copy or can be changed slightly.

Modulating - Moving from one key to another key. In this piece it moves to the dominant and the dominant of the dominant.

Counterpoint – The same as polyphonic, 2 or more different melodies being sung simultaneously.

Sequence – An idea repeated but moved up or down in pitch.

Pedal – A low pitched note that is sustained or continuously played beneath changing harmonies.

Inverted pedal – The same as a pedal but played high in pitch.

Libretto – The words/text of a musical work.

Aria – A solo sung piece reflecting on a mood or emotion. Used in Oratorios.

Recitative – The main idea is to narrate through singing the story. Used in Oratorios.

Tonic – The first note of the key, for example, in the key of A, A is the tonic.

Dominant - The fifth note of the key, for example, in the key of A, E is the dominant.

Allegro – A tempo marking that means lively or cheerful. It is a fast tempo.

Syllabic – Singing one note per syllable, heardin the first main theme.

Melismatic - singing more than one note per syllable, heard in the second main theme.

Interval – the distance from one note to another, for example, theme 3 has three statements of a descending fourth.