George Frederick Handel

Georg & Dorothea Handel George Frederick Handel February 23, 1685 Halle, Germany On February 23, 1685 Dorothea Handel gave birth in Halle, Germany to a son who she named George Frederick Handel.

First Years Showed deep interest in music Father wouldn’t allow it Forbidden to own instruments Expected to study law . In his early years he showed a deep interest and longing to play music but his father, Georg Handel, wouldn’t allow him to pursue it. In fact, he wouldn’t even let him own a musical instrument. Georg claimed that the income of a musician wouldn’t be suitable, he expected his son to study law instead. Although his father didn’t allow him to play music George’s mother supported his interest as best she could (George Handel Biography, 2012)

Young George Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels Age 7-9 Played chapel organ Heard and recognized by the Duke Father agreed to music lessons Georg had another son who was serving as a valet de chambre at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. Young George, who was between the age of 7-9 years old at the time, was able to accompany his father to visit his half-brother. While there George had the opportunity to play the chapel organ. It just so happened that his talent was heard and immediately recognized by the duke himself. The duke sought the information of the young player and spoke with his father, instructing him to place the boy in proper music lessons (Handel’s Birth and Childhood, 2009). Despite his previous resistance to let his son participate in or create music, Georg allowed his son to receive music lessons.

Instruction Friedrich Zachow Began composing at age 9 set of trios for oboes and harpsichord George Handel began receiving musical instruction from Friedrich Zachow, the organist of the Lutheran Church in Halle. The two made an extraordinary match, as they both had an interest in a wide variety of instruments and types of music. Included in his range of instrumental ability Zachow played the organ and the harpsichord in which he was considered an expert. Around the age of nine Handel composed a few of his own works, including a set of trios for oboes and harpsichord. George held a great amount of respect and admiration for Zachow. In the later years, after Zachow passed, George helped to support his instructor’s widowed wife (Handel’s Birth and Childhood, 2009)

Adolescence Age 12 father died Family faced financial difficulty Continued musical instruction Composed for church audiences until 17 1702- appointed organist for the Cathedral Just days before George’s twelfth birthday his father died. This death in the family caused financial difficulties, but it was made possible that George could continue his musical instuction (Handel’s Birth and Childhood, 2009). As he studied Geogre continued to compose his own works for small church audiences until he was approximately 17. His works didn’t receive much attention and have since been lost (George Handel Biography, 2012). In 1702 George was appointed as the organist for the Cathedral in Halle even though he belonged to the Lutheran Church (Classical-Music-Opera.com, 2005).

Schooling Temporarily enrolled in law classes Love for music won George didn’t ignore his father’s wish of him becoming a lawyer. He enrolled in law classes but didn’t remain in them for long (George Handel Biography, 2012). His love for music was too rich.

Hamburg 1702 Hamburg Opera’s Goosemarket Theater Second Violinist 1704- Almira Nero, Der Beglükte Florindo and Die Verwandelte Daphne all lost 1702 brought George to Hamburg where he accepted the position of second violinist at the Hamburg Opera’s Goosemarket Theater. The composer and producer of the opera house was away which opened many opportunities for new composers to practice. In 1704 he wrote his first and a very successful opera titled Almira. George had other operas that were performed shortly after which included Nero, Der Beglükte Florindo and Die Verwandelte Daphne. Unfortunately none of these works survived (Handel’s Birth and Childhood, 2009).

Italy 1706 Home of opera Wrote his first Italian operas Rodrigo- October 1707 Agrippina- December 1709 In 1706 George relocated to Italy, the home of opera. George was successful from the beginning of his time in this new area. His II Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Dixit Dominus, Nisi Dominus and Laudate Pueri were all performed by July of 1707. In October of that same year George’s first Italian opera, Rodrigo, was performed. He followed with many other pieces of work including La Resurrezione, Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, and ended in Italy with his second Italian opera, Agrippina, in December of 1709 (Handel’s Birth and Childhood, 2009).

London Rinaldo Entertained English royalty 1726 became British Citizen Moved to oratorios The Messiah- 1742 George had developed an interest in moving his music career to London. While there he met with the manager of the King’s Theater who agreed to let George write an opera to be performed at that theater. Just two weeks later he had finished composing Rinaldo which was performed that next season and was considered his major breakthrough (George Handel Biography, 2012). It was this piece that began the recognition that he would receive throughout the remainder of his life. After releasing Rinaldo George spent the next few years working to entertain the English royalty. In 1726 George made the decision to become a British Citizen, noticing that this was where his career was the most successful. He spent the next several years producing two operas each year. Italian operas started to lose their popularity and as a result George decided to move his focus to oratorios or “large-scale concert pieces” (George Handel Biography, 2012). These new oratorios were well liked and were considerably cheaper to produce considering that they didn’t require costumes and sets. After constructing several of these pieces, in 1741 Dublin’s Lord Lieutenant requested in that George create an oratorio based on biblical events. This was what became the famous The Messiah which was performed in Dublin in April of 1742. George continued writing oratorios throughout the remainder of his life. Just a few of these works included Semele, Judas Maccabeus, Solomon, and The Triumph of Time and Truth (George Handel Biography, 2012).

The Messiah Completed in 24 days Based on biblical events Intended as an Easter offering Performed April 13, 1742 Audience of 700 2 hours to perform Now performed at Christmas In September of 1741 George Handel began composing what would become the famous oratorio based on biblical scripture passages, The Messiah. During this time of his life George was greatly depressed and in debt. But he dedicated all of his time to his movement and completed The Messiah in just 24 days. This piece was created to present in Dublin and was performed on April 13, 1742 with approximately 700 audience members in attendance. The Messiah was intended to be an Easter offering but has since become part of Christmas season. This famous oratorio takes just over 2 hours to perform (Kandell, 2009).

For Unto Us a Child is Born Isaiah 9:6 approximately 4 minutes & 10 seconds Orchestra & choir For Unto Us a Child is Born comes from a scripture in the Old Testament, Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (King James Version , 1987). It is performed by both an orchestra and choir and is approximately 4 minutes and 10 seconds in length.

For Unto Us a Child is Born Listening Guide Quick tempo Energetic Repeated phrases 4 vocal parts vary in timing For Unto Us a Child is Born   0:00: Introduction: Strings start on a high pitched note and play a steady rhythm at mf. The strings increase to a fast pace and the dynamics change to f. The introduction ends with the strings returning to the original beat and lowering back to mf. 0:15 Choir joins with the sopranos singing “for unto us a child is born” with a staccato rhythm but giving the last word, “born” a full beat. The orchestra has dropped to p while the choir is singing but fills in the vocal silence between phrases with 4 steady mf notes. The woman continue by singing the phrase “unto us, a son is given” twice. 0:28 Texture occurs when the men join and repeat the lines that the women just sang remaining in mf. The women overlap the men with a vocal run of short, quick notes. The orchestra lightly supports the choir. 0:43: Parts are exchanged again as the women sing the melody “for unto us a child is born” while the men sing the staccato run of notes and crescendo to f. The orchestra is piano so the vocal parts are heard well. 0:57 The women echo the men in singing “unto us, a son is given”. The orchestra provides an undertone for the choir to build on. 1:02 With a dynamic build the men sing “and the government shall be upon His shoulder” with “His” being the highest pitch. Women repeat while the men sustain their last note and then they reverse parts. The orchestra plays the melody with the vocal parts. 1:15 The men and women sing “and His name shall be called” in harmony. The volume increases slightly. 1:19 The orchestras tempo increases to a fast rhythm different than the vocal line and is f. The choir sings with a slight retard, “Wonderful, Counselor, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” f in unison. There is a slight vocal silence between each name forcing the listener’s attention. 1:32 The dynamic changes to p as the women sing the melody with the men singing a vocal run. 1:41 1:46 Women sing, “and the government shall be upon his shoulder” and sustain the last note while the men repeat the melody. The two sections repeat each other again singing, “and His name” while applying a crescendo 1:58 “Shall be called” is sung in unison at f. The names are repeated, “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” remaining f. The orchestra plays f as well with a contrasting tune to the melody. 2:12 The Orchestra stops its fast paced notes. The men drop to p singing the melody “for unto us a child is born”. The women repeat the melody and then the altos sing a fast paced run of staccato notes while the men continue the phrase “unto us a son is given” with a strong, even rhythm. The phrase is repeated once more in harmonized parts while slightly increasing in volume. 2:31 The men start singing “and the government shall be upon His shoulder” and the women repeat the melody. The choir then sings it again with a crescendo of the phrase in unison, the word “shoulder” is dramatic with a sudden decrease of volume on the last note. 2:45 In sudden f the men sing the melody while the women harmonize “and His name shall be called”. The orchestra supports the vocal parts. 2:47 The orchestra contrasts the voices, The notes are upbeat high and majestic. The pace increases and the choir repeats the names of Christ. The notes of the melody change on “Everlasting Father” from the previous high notes to lower ones. The voices harmonize. 3:00 The men start with “For unto us a child is born” at f as the women sing a run. The men’s voices “Unto us a son is given” crescendos the orchestra is f and allegro! 3:14 Men and women sing in harmony and f “Unto us a son is given”. 3:18 And the government shall be upon his shoulder” The women sing f first and then the men repeat for texture. In unison they repeat the phrase with the orchestra f supporting the voices. In f and harmony “And his name shall be called”. 3:28 The orchestra increases in rhythm and volume in quick, short or staccato notes. The choir sings in harmony the names of Christ, “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. ff Repeating the words, “The Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace” slightly slower and mf. 3:48 Orchestra has melody and the strings play quick short notes f with no voice. 4:01 A slight decree of tempo and mf. 4:05 There is a significant slowing or retard and the last note is held for several counts. 4:10 The song ends.

Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion Zechariah 9:9 Approximately 5 minutes Orchestra and a soprano soloist Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion comes from Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (King James Version , 1987). This movement is performed by an orchestra and a soprano soloist and lasts just over 5 minutes.

Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion Listening Guide Many staccato runs Orchestra and vocal exchange melody Tempo slows in middle of piece Joyful at beginning & end but solemn in middle Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion   0:00 The piece opens with a moderate and light orchestra strings that is mf. 0:14 The dynamics change from mf to p then crescendos to mf. 0:19 A soprano solo in f “Rejoice! Rejoice”! This is followed by an ascending run and “Rejoice greatly”! 0:26 “Rejoice”! is sung in descending notes that are staccato and f. This is echoed by an orchestra interlude. The orchestra is p when she is singing then the dynamics change to f between words. 0:34 “Oh daughter of Zion, Rejoice”! There are 3 short staccato runs while singing the words “Rejoice”! The orchestra is p and supporting the voice. 0:52 There is no vocal as the orchestra plays an interlude of the repeating melody f. 0:57 “Oh daughter of Zion, rejoice greatly”! In a moderate tempo and mf. The orchestra drops to p and crescendos to f as she sings “rejoice greatly” 1:06 Orchestra interlude in mf and there is a brief vocal pause. 1:09 “Behold thy King cometh unto thee” in mf vocal and p orchestra. 1:13 Orchestra has small interlude f and an allegro in tempo. 1:16 “Behold thy King cometh unto thee” sung mf in a descending pitch. The orchestra is mf during the vocal part. 1:20 “Cometh unto thee”! 1:22 Orchestra interlude crescendos to f and allegro. The dynamics alternate mf to p retarding at the end of the phrase. 1:42 Vocal “He is the righteous Savior” with a slowing beat and dissonance sound that quickly resolves. The notes are fluid and flow smoothly. The orchestra interludes in unison at mf. The tempo slows and dynamics decrease to p. 2:00 The vocal part is mf “He shall speak peace unto the heathen” It then slows in tempo for the phrase “He shall speak peace, He shall speak peace, He shall speak peace unto the heathen” ending mp. 2:10 The orchestra begins to play the melody with the voice then crescendos to mf. There is harmony with the orchestra and voice. 2:36 The music clams and the dynamics increase and then decrease on the word “Heathen” It seems to create a swelling effect. 2:40 “He is the righteous Savior” the orchestra harmonizes the melody with the voice. The vocal notes flow smoothly. “and He shall speak, He shall speak peace, peace” as the pace slows the voice decrescendos to p but the orchestra remains at mp. 3:14 “He shall speak peace”. This time the pitch starts higher and the orchestra slows the tempo. It is a mellow sound and p. 3:33 An orchestra interlude and repeat of the opening tune in mf at a moderate or andante pace. The vocal “Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice, Greatly”! is a bright happy sound in f and a quick pace. 3:47 The orchestra is p while the voice sings a long staccato ascending run allegro, “Rejoice”! 3:56 The orchestra increases to mf. The voice and orchestra alternate short quick phrases of “Oh daughter of Zion, shout! Oh daughter of Jerusalem, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee”. The vocal is mf. 4:12 “Rejoice! Rejoice”! A mf vocal scale runs as the orchestra mimics the vocal notes twice. The dynamics rise and fall from p to mf back to p with a quick or allegro tempo. 4:35 “Rejoice greatly on daughter of Zion! There is a slight crescendo both in the orchestra and voice. The voice has a rise and fall in pitch throughout the phrase. 4:40 The voice sustains the note on the word “Shout”! And crescendos. “Oh daughters of Jerusalem, behold thy King cometh unto thee”! the tempo is moderate and the dynamics are f in both the orchestra and voice. 4:50 The tempo slows “Behold thy King cometh to thee” with the orchestra at p and the voice is mf. 5:03 The orchestra is allegro in tempo and mf as it repeats the notes from the beginning of the piece. It is energetic with a slight retard at the end and a decrescendo. Music ending crescendo

Hallelujah Chorus Revelation 19:6 Revelation 19:16 Revelation 11:15 King stood when performed Today audience still rises A well known movement from The Messiah is what we now know as the Hallelujah Chorus. The lyrics for this movement come from 3 different scriptures in the New Testament: Revelation 19:6, Revelation 19:16, and Revelation 11:15. When King George II heard the Hallelujah Chorus for the first time he stood. When this part of The Messiah is performed today audiences are typically expected to rise for the movement (George Frederic Handel and the Story of the Hallelujah Chorus, 2012).

Hallelujah Chorus Listening Guide Harmony and unison 4 vocal parts exchange melody Phrases repeated Fluctuating dynamics The Hallelujah Chorus 0:00 Introduction: The strings start mp in a light uplifting beat. 0:08 Voices are mf. “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah”! These words create the melody sung in unison. The orchestra is still light, energetic and on a different line than voice creating texture in the music. 0:18 The cords increase a step and the choir and orchestra repeat the same Hallelujah phrase. 0:29 Orchestra supporting voice and voice and orchestra are in unison. Choir sings “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth !” They are mf. The choir then repeats the 5 word phrase “Hallelujah”! In the orchestra music the trumpet breaks off from the beat with the voice and plays increased paced notes in between the choir vocals. 0:56 The women sing in unison mf in a higher octave in long sustained notes while the men’s voices first support with words of “Hallelujah” in mp. They start with short quick notes moving to sustained longer notes. The women reduce volume to mp while the men then sing the melody in mf. The women continue to sing “Hallelujahs” while the men repeat the phrase a step higher. Overtones of brass instruments heard though out this segment in mf. 1:25 Interlude of orchestra music and tempo decreases. 1:28 “The kingdom of this world, is become. The kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ”. The choir starts this phrase p with a flowing rhythm. They move to f, with strong emphasis on the words. 1:39 The phrase is repeated and crescendos to f on the word “The”. On the words “And of His Christ” the tempos retards slightly. 1:49 Men voices sing “And He shall reign forever and ever”. The bass and tenor split and sing separate lines then the alto and soprano enter and each part echoes the lyrics and melody “And He shall reign forever and ever”. The orchestra supports the voice playing their parts. 2:16 The women sing in unison remaining on one note f “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords”, while the men sing mf “Forever and ever, Hallelujah, Hallelujah”! Orchestra has strong supportive role with strings playing the women’s parts and the brass playing the men’s part. 2:59 The men continue their part and the women join in harmony “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”! f 3:05 “And He shall reign” lyrics are sung alternately in parts, bass, tenor, soprano and alto. The orchestra also alternates the melody. All parts are mf. 3:17 Men’s voices sing “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” followed by the women’s voice “forever and ever, Hallelujah, Hallelujah”! This is a repeat of music and words sung in 2.16 but the men and women have switched parts. Brass instruments still support men’s music and strings support women. 3:28 The Orchestra plays a quick scale of notes, under the choir at mf. There is a lot of texture with varying parts in voice and instrument. They are all echoing the previous parts of the music. 3:35 “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” is sung and played all in unison. The orchestra increases to f. 3:46 Men start the phrase “And He shall reign”! and on the word “Shall” the women join and repeat the phrase ending with a unison choir and voice “forever and ever’. There are bight sounding notes played on the off beats. 3:53 The women sing f words “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” all on one pitch while the men sing “Forever and ever, Hallelujah Hallelujah”! in alternating phrases mf. The brass plays triplet notes on the choir’s last note of “Hallelujah”! 4:03 There is complete silence for a full 3 beats. This sets a dramatic effect for the last word. 4:10 “Hallelujah”! The choir and orchestra are in unison with harmony parts. The end of the work retards and the harmonized notes are sustained.

Death Sickness struck during The Messiah Died April 14, 1759 Age 74 3,000 attended funeral On April 6, 1759 George was directing a performance of The Messiah when he became ill. On April 14, 1759 George Handel died in his London home at the age of 74. Approximately 3,000 people were in attendance at his funeral (Classical-Music-Opera.com, 2005). The last 20 years of George’s life consisted of several health problems including depression and anxiety. In 1737 he had a stroke that affected his right hand for about 6 weeks. He had a surprising recovery and was able to continue composing and returned to playing the organ. Just 6 years later he had a second stroke with a similar speedy recovery. George also had progressive degeneration and lost the sight in his left eye in 1750. Just two years later he lost the sight in his right eye and was left blind (George Handel Biography, 2012). But his love for music kept him going. He continued to perform and with assistance continued composing music. Music remained the center of George Handel’s life until the day he died.

Bibliography Classical-Music-Opera.com. (2005). George Frederic Handel. Retrieved from Classical-Music-Opera.com: http://classical-music-opera.com/george-frederic-handel/life-biography.html George Handel Biography. (2012). Retrieved from Bio: http://www.biography.com/people/george-handel-9327378?page=1 Handel’s Birth and Childhood. (2009). Retrieved from Handel Music: http://www.handel-music.com/england.html#lifeofhandel George Frederic Handel and the Story of the Hallelujah Chorus. (2012). Retrieved from Piano Chords & Progressions: http://www.playpiano.com/wordpress/composers/george-frideric-handel-and-the-story-of-the-hallelujah-chorus .  

Bibliography Continued Kandell, J. (2009, December). The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah . Retrieved from Smithsonian.com: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Glorious-History-of-Handels-Messiah.html?c=y&page=1 King James Version . (1987). The Holy Bible . Salt Lake City : The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints.