GeorgeFridericHandel:Messiah,Ev'ryValleyShallbeExalted

GeorgeFridericHandel(16851759)beganhiscareerinhisnativeGermanyasa
musicianasanorganistandviolinist.Aftercomposinghisfirstoperasintheearly1700s,hewent
toItaly,spendingthreeyearscomposingandstudyingoperainFlorence,Rome,Naplesand
Venice.Inthe1710s,herelocatedpermanentlyinLondonwherehebecameasuccessful
composerandpresenterofItalianstyleoperas.Hebegancomposingoratoriosinthe1730sasan
alternativetoopera,whichcouldnotbeproducedduringtheseasonofLent.Besidesbeingbased
onasacredstory,oratoriosdidnotinvolvestageactingbutwereratherpresentedinconcert,a
moreaustereperformancestyleappropriatefortheseasonofabstinence.Afterthepremiereof
Messiah in1742inDublin,Handelabandonedopera,whichhadbecomeunprofitable,andfor
mostoftheremainderofhislifecomposedandpresentedoratorios.Attheseperformanceshe
usuallyplayedaconcertoontheorganduringtheintermission.
HandelcomposedMessiahinalittleoverthreeweeksin1741,declaringuponits
completion,IdobelieveIhaveseenallofHeavenbeforeme,andthegreatGodHimself.In
ordertofitalargerthannormalaudienceatthepremiere,ladieswereadvisedtonotwearhoops
andgentlementoleavetheirswordsathome.Theworkwasanimmediatesuccessdespite
controversiessurroundinghisuseoftheatricalsingerstopresentaworkwithasacredtext.

ListeningTips:

Likeopera,oratoriosconsistofarias(expressivesongs),recitatives(sectionsofsung
dialog),andchoruses.Exceptforthesubjectmatter,themusicalstyleofariasandrecitatives
fromHandelsoratoriosisvirtuallyindistinguishablefromthestyleofhisoperas.Hisoratorio
chorusesareunlikeanythinginhisperas.Asinmanybaroquearias,Ev'ryValleyShallBe
Exaltedopensandcloseswithaninstrumentalsection.Throughoutthepiece,theorchestraboth
accompaniesandalternatessectionswiththevoice.Thisariaisstrikinginitsvividword
painting,arenaissancetechniquestillusedbycertainbaroquecomposersinHandelstime.In
addition,theornamentalstyleofsinging,prominentonthetextexalted,isamusical
counterpartoftheornatestyleinthevisualandarchitecturalartsofthisperiod.Thevirtuosic
abilitiesofthesinger,bothinthetechnicalaspectsandexpressiveaspectsofvocalproduction,
areamplydemonstratedinthefinalsungsection,labeledcadenza.

ListeningGuide:

00:00 InstrumentalIntroduction Orchestralsection.Phrasesarerepeatedat

differingdynamiclevels.
00:21 Ev'ryvalleyshallbeexalted. Wordpainting:Ascendingrapidnoteson
exalted
00:55 Andev'rymountainandhillmade Wordpainting:Hightoneonmountain;
low, Lowtoneonlow
01:01 Thecrookedstraight,andtherough Wordpainting:Wavymelodyon
placesplain. crooked;smoothmelodyonplain
01:41 Ev'ryvalleyshallbeexalted,and Wordpaintingonexalted,mountain,
ev'rymountainandhillmadelow, low,crooked,andplain
thecrookedstraight,andtherough
placesplain.
02:50 Cadenza:Thecrookedstraight,and Slow,ornamentedvocalsection
theroughplacesplain.
03:08 Instrumentalintroductionrepeated

03:30 End