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George Frideric Handel, and Reflects on the Story of Christ’S Birth, Life and Death

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George Frideric Handel, and Reflects on the Story of Christ’S Birth, Life and Death Teaching & resource #01 Messiah: Pifa Use these buttons, or the arrows keys on your keyboard, to navigate. Full1/37 screen mode Thinking point: What do you already know about Handel and his most ? famous work ‘Messiah’? 2/37 ‘Messiah’ is an oratorio, composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, and reflects on the story of Christ’s birth, life and death. A complete performance of ‘Messiah’ can last up to three hours! But we’ll be focusing on just one particular section (or ‘movement’)… An Oratorio is a dramatic work for soloists, chorus and orchestra divided into acts like an opera. However, an George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was oratorio is a sacred work and a German-born Baroque composer who is not performed on stage moved to London where he found success in with costumes and décor, composing music for the church, for the stage but generally in a concert and for the Royal court. His music for the setting in a hall or church. coronation of King George II in 1729 has been performed at every coronation since, and even inspired the UEFA Champions’ League anthem! 3/37 Can you spot the title of the movement we are going to study? ? clue: look in the top-left corner! 4/37 Well spotted! We are going to listen to the ‘Pifa’ which is sometimes known as the ‘Pastoral Symphony’. This movement appears in ‘Part the First’ of Messiah, which is Jesus’ birth. Look at this index. What do you notice about how 11. Air (Bass solo): The people that walked in darkness the ‘Pifa’ fits in? 12. Chorus: For unto us a child is born What goes before and 13. Pifa after, and why do you 14a. Secco Recitative (Soprano solo): think Handel inserted the There were shepherds abiding in the fields ‘Pifa’ at this point? 14b. Accompanied Recitative (Soprano solo): Top tip! Use the score And lo, the angel of the Lord extracts on the next page 15. Chorus: Glory to God in the highest to help you! 5/37 extract from No.12 – For unto us a child is born What are your ? observations? (Write them down before continuing) extract from No.13 – Pifa extract from No.14 – Recitative 6/37 ANSWER Handel is composing a dramatic work and he knows how to maintain the audience’s attention by varying the moods. He does this by carefully organising the structure of his story-telling in music to include short and long sections, movements for solo and a small group of instruments, full chorus and orchestra or, as in the ‘Pifa’, just spotlighting the strings of the orchestra. 7/37 Look carefully at this painting by Domenichino. Remember that ‘Messiah’ is about the life of Christ. Which characters ? can you see? 8/37 The painting is called the ‘Adoration of the Shepherds’. The shepherds are surrounding Mary and Jesus, framing the central scene. The shepherd on the left is playing a musical instrument. Can you identify this instrument? ? Do you know what it’s called, how it works or even what it might sound like? What is characteristic about music for bagpipes? 9/37 The ‘Pifa’ takes its name from the shepherd-bapgipers (called ‘pifferari’). In the 17th century, they would play their instruments in the streets of Rome – and sometimes London – especially at Christmas. ‘Piffero’ can be used to describe various woodwind instruments (from the ‘fife’ of flute, to a double reed instrument similar to the shawm or oboe). Here in the painting see a set of bagpipes with a reservoir made of sheepskin… bringing us back to the idea of shepherds! 10/37 We mentioned before that the Pastoral? Pifa is sometimes called the ‘Pastoral S y m p h o n y ’. What do these two words mean? Symphony? 11/37 What have we learned so far? • The ‘Pifa’ is an instrumental movement (or ‘symphony’) to be found in the first part of Messiah, where we meet the shepherds around the cradle in a stable. • Handel’s music tries to capture the sound of music played on traditional Italian instruments by shepherds, especially the sound of wind instruments such as the flute, oboe and bagpipes. Remember that bagpipes have a reservoir of air that is squeezed through pipes to create a constant pitch, called a ‘drone’. 12/37 Listen again to the ‘Pifa’. Can you spot these features, imitated by the string orchestra? Spot the ‘drone’ sound in the held bass note Click above or visit bit.ly/3fi4nVy 13/37 DID YOU KNOW? In all of Messiah, only two movements are wholly instrumental! They are both in the first part of the oratorio. Apart from Pifa, the other one is the opening overture or ‘Sinfony’, which features both strings and wind instruments to make a grand opening to the work. Can you remember the What other genres of music need ? definition of ORATORIO? ? an overture or ‘curtain raiser’? 14/37 Messiah, HWV 56 (1741) Composer’s choice - What would HandelNr. 1: do?Overture George Frideric Händel (1685-1759) Sinfony Grave a 2 ° # j Ÿ™ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ ™ œ œ™ œ ™ j j ™ So, Handel wants to 2 Oboi œ œ™ œ# œ# œ œ œ# J œ ™ j œ œ & c œ™ J œ J J J J œ œ œ œ™ œ J [f] imitate the sound of a 2 ™ œ# ™ œ œ™ œ™ œ 2 Fagotti ?#c ˙ Ó ™ œ œ œ œ j ™ j ˙ ™ J the shepherds’ wind ¢ œ J J J J œ œ œ ˙ œ# œ œ [f] instruments, especially [con rip.] ° # j Ÿ™ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ™ ™ œ œ™ œ ™ j j ™ Violino I œ ™ œ# œ# J œ œ# J œ ™ j œ œ woodwind… in his & c œ™ J œ œ œ J J J œ œ œ œ™ œ J [f] orchestra for Messiah, # j ™ j Violino II c ™ j ™ j œ œ œ# ™ œ œ™ ™ j j j ™ j & ™ œ œ œ œ œ J J œ# œ œ# ™ œn ˙ œ ™ œ œ œ he has chosen to include [ ]œ œ œ# œ f ™ ™ j œ œ œ ™ ™ œ# œ œ œ ˙ oboes and bassoons. Viola B# j ™ ™ J œ œ œ J J œ™ œ ˙ œ™ œ c œ™ œ œ œ œ J J J œ J [f] ™ ™ ™ œ™ œ Basso ?# ˙ Ó ™ œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ j ™ j ™ J Continuo ¢ c œ J J J J œ œ œ ˙ œ# œ ˙ œ [f] Why do you think he chose not What compositional decision did he make when to write for oboes in the ‘Pifa’ choosing to write this movement for strings only? when he had the opportunity?7 Remember this for your own composition1. choices!2. ? ° ™ ? ™ Ÿ™ œ™ ™ Ÿ # ™ ™ ™ œ œ œ ™ Ob. I œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ™ œ ˙ Ó™ w & J J J œ œ J J œ Ÿœ™ j œ Fag. ?# ˙# œ œ# ™ j œ œn œ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ ™ ™ j ™ œ œ ™ ¢ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ J w J [p] ™ 15/37 ° # ™ ™ ™ ™ ™ œ Ÿœ œ œ™ ™ Ÿ ™ ™ Vln. I œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ J œ j œ œ œ ™ œ ˙ œ ™ w & J J œ œ J œ J ™ œ# [p] œ œ# Ÿ Vln. II # ™ ™ ™ j j ™ & œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ™ œ ™ j Ó ™ J œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ# ˙# w# ™ ™ œ ™ ™ Vla. # ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j ™ œ ˙ ™ w B œ# œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ J Ó ™ B. C. ?# ˙# œ œ ™ j œ œ œ œ œ™ œ ™ ™ j ™ j ™ œ œ œ ™ ¢ œ# œ œn œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J w J [p] Allegro moderato 14 Ÿ < > ° # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ ˙ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ# Ob. I & Œ œ [f] Ÿ Ob. II # œ œ œ# œ# œ œ# œ ˙ œ œ<n>œ œ œ# œ œ œ ¢& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ Œ œ œ œ [f] œ Ÿ œ< > œ œ ˙ œ ˙ ° # œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ ˙ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ# Vln. I & Œ œ [f] Ÿ Vln. II # œ œ œ# œ ˙ œ œ<n>œ œ œ œ œ ¢& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ Œ œ# œ œ# œ œ œ œ# [f] Ritter von Schleyer Verlag, 2014 Edited by Paul-Gustav Feller Music Analysis Conventions in music 16/37 Listen to the ‘Pifa’ again, and look closely at the score as you do. Now complete the table on your worksheets (as shown below) to identify and understand the musical elements seen and heard. 17/37 4 12 &4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 8 4 12 &4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 8 ™ ™ ™ ™ 12 & 8 œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ 12 & 8 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Did You Know? This time signature is an example of COMPOUND QUADRUPLE METRE: • There are 4 beats in every bar (quadruple) • Each beat is a dotted crotchet • Each beat is made up of 3 quavers (compound) Try exploring compound metres in your own music! 18/37 Handel wrote this movement for three violins, viola and bass.
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