Authors: Donald Burrows, Julian Rushton
ISBN-13: 9780521376204, ISBN-10: 0521376203
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: June 1991
Edition: 1st Edition
Donald Burrows brings many new insights to this fascinating account of one of the favorite works of the concert hall. He traces the course of Messiah from Handel's initial musical response to the libretto, through the oratorio's turbulent first years to its eventual popularity with the Foundling Hospital performances. The book addresses such questions as the position of Messiah within the oratorio genre, Handel's treatment of structural design, tonal relationships in the work and problems of English wordsetting, as well as contemporary issues such as Handel's relationship with his librettist, Charles Jennens, and with his performers and audience.
Preface | ||
References to "Messiah" editions | ||
1 | The historical background | 1 |
Handel in Germany and Italy: passion and oratorio | 2 | |
Esther, Handel's first English oratorio | 4 | |
1732-1741: from Esther to Messiah | 5 | |
2 | From composition to first performance | 8 |
The librettist | 9 | |
The collaboration | 10 | |
August-November 1741: from London to Dublin | 12 | |
The Dublin performances | 15 | |
The music and soloists in Handel's Dublin performances | 22 | |
3 | The first London performances | 23 |
The music of Handel's 1743 performances | 30 | |
4 | Revival and revision, 1743-1759 | 32 |
The 1745 revival | 34 | |
1749-1753: Covent Garden and the Foundling Hospital | 36 | |
1754-1759: Handel's last years | 39 | |
Handel's revisions: aesthetic choice or practical necessity? | 40 | |
The early revisions | 41 | |
Handel's later revisions and the 1750 version | 42 | |
Versions for modern performances | 44 | |
5 | Messiah in other hands | 47 |
The nineteenth century | 48 | |
Additional accompaniments | 49 | |
To the present day | 51 | |
6 | Design | 55 |
Messiah within the oratorio genre | 55 | |
The libretto: structure and content | 57 | |
Musical forms in Messiah: some general considerations | 60 | |
Part Two "scene" I | 63 | |
7 | Individual movements | 68 |
Recitatives | 68 | |
Arias | 69 | |
Choruses | 71 | |
The orchestra's contribution | 73 | |
8 | Handel's word-setting | 75 |
Appendix 1: The libretto of Messiah | 83 | |
Appendix 2: Messiah sources | 103 | |
Notes | 109 | |
Bibliography | 121 | |
Index | 123 |