good example : “ Comfort Ye , My People ” is an accompanied recitative and “ Every Valley ” is an aria .
Perhaps the most stunning sequence in Part I is the juxtaposition of the bass soloist ’ s aria “ The people that walked in darkness ” with the beloved chorus “ For unto us a child is born .” In a marvelous example of musical text painting , the bass literally wanders in a chromatically confused maze in the dark key of B minor . The “ great light ” for which he yearns is then joyfully revealed in G major as the chorus salutes Jesus ’ birth .
All the choruses , including the “ Hallelujah ,” demonstrate Handel ’ s exhilarating technique of mixing powerful homophonic or chordal utterances (“ Mighty ! Counselor !”) with a more intricate polyphonic style in which each voice part pursues its own elaborately decorated line (“ For unto us a child is born ”). The origins of the ritual of standing for the “ Hallelujah ” Chorus are rather misty . Scholars believe that the Prince of Wales may have stood up when he attended that historic London performance in 1749 . Certainly by 1780 , everyone in the audience was following King George III ’ s lead in rising for Handel ’ s mighty hymn of praise .
Perhaps even exceeding “ Hallelujah ” in majesty and joy is the magnificent chorus “ Worthy is the Lamb ” that closes Part III , the shortest of the three sections but also the one most densely packed with the oratorio ’ s greatest sequences ( the soprano ’ s serenely beautiful statement of faith “ I Know that my Redeemer Liveth ”; the bass ’ hair-raising proclamation of the Final Judgment , based on First Corinthians , “ The Trumpet Shall Sound ,” with its gloriously realized trumpet accompaniment ). “ Worthy is the Lamb ” itself is capped with an “ Amen ” chorus on an epic scale worthy of the masterpiece it closes — unfurling in grand sweeps some of the finest , most inspired choral counterpoint this Baroque master ever devised .
Instrumentation : Two oboes , bassoon , contrabassoon , two trumpets , timpani , harpsichord , organ and strings .
Notes by Janet E . Bedell , Copyright © 2016
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Jonathan e . silverman
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Dr . Silverman is a fellow with the International College of Oral Implantologists and has been awarded Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry . In his free time , Dr . Silverman participates in the “ Save-A-Limb ” bicycle ride for the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics at Sinai Hospital , as well as charity rides for Cancer and MS research .
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Holiday 2016 | Overture 13