| A | B |
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| The Italian Oratorio | Was essentially an opera on a sacred subject, presented in concert, usually in a religious building, rather than on stage= Handel had written such works, "LA RESURREZIONE" (The REsurrection, 1708) |
| The English Oratorio | Was new genre invented by Handel in the 1730s= In Handel's English oratorios, he continued aspects of the italian tradition by setting dialogue in recitative and lyrical verses as arias= The latter resemble his opera arias in form, style, the nature of musical ideas, techniques for expressing the affections, etc.= But Handel and his librettists brought into their oratorios elements foreign to Italian opera, taken from French classical drama, ancient Greek tragedy, the German Passion, and especially the Enlgish masque and full anthem |
| Handel's Oratorio: Use of Chorus | Handel's most important innovation in the oratorios was his use of the chorus= Italian oratorios had at most a few ensembles= Handel's training led him to give the chorus much more prominence (was familiar with Lutheran choral music and with south German combo. of chorus with orchestra and soloists= Was also influenced by the ENGLISH CHORAL TRADITION)= Thus, in his oratorios, the chorus plays a variety of IMPORTANT roles, participating in the action, narrating the story, or commenting on events like the chorus in Greek drama |
| Handel's Oratorio: Character | The grand character of his choral style, drawn from the Enlgish tradition, fits the oratorio's emphasis on communal rather than individual expression |
| Handel's Oratorio: Choruses | In his choruses, Handel was a dramatist, a master of effects= Wrote for chorus in a simpler style and less consistently contrapuntal than Bach's= Alternated passages in open fugal texture with solid blocks of harmony and often set a melodic line in sustained notes against one in quicker rhythm= Everything lies well for the voices, and the orchestra often reinforces vocal parts, making his choral music a pleasure to sing |
| Esther | Handel's first oratorio in English= Like his operas but unlike oratorios in Italy, Handel's oratorios were often performed in theaters= Esther was the first in a series of oratorios Handel put on in almost every Lenten season as a way to extend his earnings from opera |
| Saul | (Composed by Handel) Handel's composing of this oratorio piece marked the decisive move from opera to oratorio= The switch began when subscriptions to the operas were insufficient, so instead of a new opera, he composed this piece |
| pg. 461-462 | pg. 461-462 |
| Handel: Opera vs. Oratorio | Only fully committed himslef to the new genre after huge success during winter of 1741-42 with a series of oratorios |
| Messiah | (1741; Handel) Became Handel's most famous work= Its libretto is unusual: instead of telling a story, unfolds as a series of contemplations on the Christian idea of redemption using texts drawn from the Bible= However, music of this piece is typical of Handel, full of characteristic charm, immediate appeal, and mixture of traditions (from the French overture to the Italianate recitatives and da capo arias, the Germanic choral fuges, and the English choral anthem style) |
| Performing Oratorios | Handel and collaborator leased a theater in London to present oratorios every year during lent= The performances had a chorus and orchestra each numbering about 20= Oratorios needed no staging or costumes and could use English singers, who were a good deal less expensive than italian ones, so it was much easier to turn a profit= Oratorios also appealed to a potentially large middle-class public that had never felt good with the aristocratic entertainment of opera in Italian |
| Oratorios: Type of music?? | Oratorios were not church music; were intended for concert hall and were much closer to theatrical performances than to church services= However, stories form the Hebrew Bible and Apocryphal books were well known to middle-class Protestant listeners (much more than the historical or mythological plots of Italian opera) so most of Handel's oratorios were based on the Jewish Scriptures |
| Oratorios: Musical Subjects? | Most of Handel's oratorios were based on the jewish Scriptures= Just as well, such musical subjects (e.g. Saul, Israel in Egypt, Judas Maccabaeus, Joshua) had an appeal based on something beyond familiarity with the ancient sacred narratives: in an era of prosperity and expanding empire, English audiences felt a connection with what they saw as the chosen people whose heroes triumphed with the special blessing of God |
| Borrowing and reworking | Handel borrowed music from other composers (as well as his own past work) more than most= When instances of borrowing were discovered in the 19th century, Handel was charged with plagiarism (because audiences and critics of that time valued originality and demanded original themes)= In Handel's time, simply presenting another's work as his own was bad, but adapting/transcribing/etc. the work was universal and accepted practices (when he borrowed, often repaid with interest)= Handel only really borrowed (or reused his own work) when the material was well suited for its new role |
| pg. 464 | pg. 464 (example of borrowing) |
