Handel – And the Glory of the Lord (Messiah)
The essay question - Texture
 The texture in most of the piece is?
homophonic
(all parts moving together)
 Some bits are
polyphonic (parts weaving in and out of each other)
 Handel also uses
imitation and canon
 The texture for the final cadence is
Homophonic
The essay question - Tempo
 The piece is marked
‘Allegro’ (quick and lively) giving it a joyful mood.
 It’s in
3/4 time but in places it feels like it’s in 2/4 because Handel
uses hemiolas (a rhythmic device).
The essay question - Dynamics
 The dynamics are…
Terraced
 The dynamics get louder when…
More voices and instruments are playing
 The piece starts…
Quietly with an orchestral introduction
 The piece ends with…
a dramatic rest, followed by a loud cadence
The essay question - Melody
 There are 4 main melodies in this piece:
 ‘And the Glory of the Lord’
(which is syllabic)
 ‘Shall be revealed’
(which is melismatic and uses a sequence)
 ‘And all Flesh’
 ‘for the mouth’
(which is syllabic and is made up of repeated As)
The essay question - Instruments
 Four voice parts
 Soprano
 Alto
 Tenor
 Bass
 Baroque orchestra
 Violins, violas, cellos, basses, oboes, bassoons, tumpets and
timpani.
 Basso continuo – chamber organ and cello
Essay question - Harmony
 Most of this piece is in which key?
A Major (which gives it a joyful feel)
 It modulates to
E Major twice and B Major once (all major keys – joyful)
 Handel uses prefect cadences at the end of each section
 At the end, Handel uses a
plagal cadence
General background…
 Handel was a composer from which era?
(baroque 1600 -1750)
 Handel was Born in?
Germany, in the year…
1685
 Moved to England and became friendly with the Royal Family
 Wrote the Messiah in…
1741
General background…
 And the Glory of the Lord is taken from the ‘Messiah’
 Which is???
 An oratorio!
 A religious version of an opera
 Bible story
 No acting, scenery or costumes
 Sung in churches or concert halls
General background…
 The Messiah has three main sections
 And the Glory of the Lord…
is a chorus taken from the first section