The Messiah Der Mesias Le Mesde

The Scholars Baroque Ensemble George Frideric Handel The Messiah (An Oratorio: first performed in Dublin on 13th April 1742) George Frideric Handel was born in Halle in 1685. His elderly father, barber-surgeon to the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, entertained natural prejudices against the choice of music as a profession for his young son, the second child of his second wife, and Handel enjoyed an education that led him, after his father's death, to a brief period of study at the University of Halle in 1702. The following year he moved to Hamburg, joining the opera there, at first as a strina-olaver.-8 , . then as harpsichordistand comooser. Success in ltalian opera in Hamburg coupled with the doubtful musical p;ospects the city offered, oersuaded Handel to trv his fortune in Italv, where he soent the vears between i706 and 1710, confirAng his generally lfalianate style'of compositionin works for the theatre, the church and private entertainment. In 1710, rejecting an offer from the ruler of Innsbruck, Handel accepted the position of Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover, the future King George I of England, and immediatelytook leave of absence for the staging of his opera Rinaldo in London, where ltalian opera was gradually gaining a place. Two years later he was back in London for good, concerned in particular with the composition, management and presentation of ltalian opera. During the following thirty years he wrote nearly forty ltalian operas for the London stage, to which he devoted a considerable part of his working life. Early oratorio may be seen as a by-product of opera as it developed at the turn of the 16th century in Italy. England was late in its grudging acceptance of opera and had shown little interest in oratorio, as it had developed in other countries durina the 17th century. Handel had written ltalian oratorio in Rome. is first attempfat the new form of English oratorio came in 1732 with his setting of an adaptation of Racine's biblical drama Esther, described by one hostile critic as a "~eligiousFarce",. and certainly a very profitable one to fis composer. English oratorio combined the musical delights of ltalian opera, with a text in English and a religious subject that might appeal to the Protestant conscience. Since oratorio was not staged, there was also a considerable saving in the cost of production. Of all English oratorios Handel's Messiah has always been the most overwhelmingly popular. It is the least theatrical of all his oratorios and the most purely sacred in its choice of subject, the Messiah, acompendiousversion of the coming of Christ, His death and resurrection. The text, by Charles Jennens, drew extensively on the Authorized Version of the Bible, and an additional attraction has always been the large number of choruses included, a larger number than in any other of Handel's oratorios. Messiah was written with Handel's usual speed in 1741 for performance in Dublin, some of it rehearsed briefly by inadequate singers in Chester, as he made his way to Holyhead to embark for the voyage. The first performance was given at the New Music Hall in Fish-amble Street, Dublin, on 13th April, 1742, in aid of charity. The first London performance took place in Lent 1743 at Covent Garden, but the work failed to please, in part because of reservations that some held about the suitability of such a sacred subject for a theatre. Messiah only achieved its lasting success after performances in 1750 in aid of the Foundling Hospital, established ten years earlier by Captain Thomas Coram. At his death in 1759 Handel left a fair copy of the score and all parts to the Hospital, an institution that continued to benefit from annual performances of the work. Keith Anderson Handel's Messiah: The First Performance Handel's Messiah, first performed 250 years ago, is undoubtedly one of the great musical masterpieces of all time. Composed in only 24 days, it is the work of a genius which holds an extraordinary place both among the composer's works and in the history of music. No other work of its time has seen a continuous sequence of performances from 1742 to the present day. In the course of these 250 years the Messiah has been performed in many different ways. The wish to adhere closely to the composer's own practice was followed by gestures of conscious departure, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the availability of piano scores spawned the practice of performing the work with large (usually amateur) choirs accompanied by a single instrument, an organ or even a piano, resulting in versions which not only distorted the Handelian score, but also ignored the composer's intentions. Recently, however, there has been a general awareness of the argument of authenticity in modern performances. Much research has been done and many articles and books have been published, particularly in 1985, the Handel anniversary year, all of which have led up to a greater understanding of the work. Nevertheless, despite the frequent use of original instruments, large scale performances are still very much the norm. It is therefore perhaps surprising to many to discover that Handel, when composing the work, was guided by an unusual wish for economy. Uncertain of what forces he would find in Dublin, he had written for a small string ensemble with trumpets and timpani. Nor was there a complete distinction between soloists and choristers. Some of the soloists were drawn from the Dublin Cathedral choirs used by Handel and the other soloists also sang in the chorus. The modern practice of performing the work with four soloists and a separate choir was not Handel's intention. In fact, he rarely used less than six soloists and they almost always sang in the choruses as well. The Scholars Baroque Ensemble's version of the Messiah is an attempt to be faithful to Handel's original intentions and provides an opportunity to hearthe work as first performed on 13th April 1742. Handel himself made several changes during the seventeen years of performances before he died, so The Scholars Baroque Ensemble make no claim that their version to celebrate 250 years since the first performance is the definitive one. The following notes will be of interest to those who are familiar with the work: Instrumentation: There were no oboes or bassoons in the first performance, only a small string band with 2 trumpets and timpani. (There are, for example, no con or senza ripieno marks in the original score, these being added later for larger-scale performances in London.) Oboes were also added for later performances, but only sewed to double the voices. Although there are no separate parts for a double bass, there are clear indications in the score of its use by changes of clef in the part. Singers: Handel had sixteen singers including both female and boy sopranos. The soloists formed part of the choir and Handel used both contralto and counter tenor soloists as well as more than one soprano, tenor and bass. For later performances in London he also revised two bass arias for a castrato soloist. "But who may abide", known nowadays as an aria for alto, was originally written for bass and entirely in 318. The version for alto was probably re-written by Handel in 1750, some eight years after the first performance, and often was performed by a castrato. Pifa suggests by its title shepherds' music played traditionally at Christmas by the Italian pifferari (pipers, shepherds). The familiar middle section was added later by Handel but eventually rejected. "Rejoice greatly" The original shows Handel's notation in two different time signatures. The bass continuo part is in 414 whereas the violin and solo soprano part, both containing triplet patterns throughout, are marked 1218. The final version, with the entire score in 414, probably did not appear until 1749. The aria in its original version was written for the only Italian opera soloist amongst Handel's singers. "He shall feed his flock. The Recitative and entire aria were originally written for soprano. "Thou art gone up on high" was originally written for bass. The commonly-heard versions for alto date from 1750 and were written for a castrato. "How beautiful are the feet" The now famous aria for soprano was marked as "A Song ommitted in the performance" and was probably reinstated in 1749 to precede immediately the chorus "Their sound is gone out", which was written in 1749 and therefore not part of the earlier performances (this chorus is the only one with separate oboe parts which gives added support to the fact that oboes were not used until about 1749). The original version was for alto duet leading straight into the chorus "Break forth into joy". "If God be for us" The aria (these days normally sung by a soprano soloist accompanied by solo violin) was sung in the first performance by the famous contralto Mrs Cibber who sang it transposed down to C minor accompanied by tutti violins. David van Asch The Scholars Baroque Ensemble Sopranos: KYM AMPS*, Helen Parker*, Diane Atherton, Jan Coxwell Altos: ANGUS DAVIDSON*, Frances Jellard*, David Gould Tenors: ROBIN DOVETON*, John Bowen*, James Oxley, Gerald O'Beirne Basses: DAVID VAN ASCH*, Adrian Peacock*, Charles Gibbs Violins: Pauline Nobes (leader), William Thorp, Richard Ireland, Marie Knight, Lucy Howard, Frances Turner, Maurice Whitaker Violas: Susan Bicknall, Martin Kelly Cello: Pal Banda Violone: Jan Spencer Trumpets: Crispian Steele-Perkins*, David Blackadder Timpani: Robert Howes OrganoIHarpsichord: Terence Charlston Artistic Director: David van Asch " = soloist Organ made by Bernhardt Junghanel Harpsichord made by Alan Gotto The Scholars Baroque Ensemble The Scholars Baroque Ensemble was founded in 1987 by David van Asch with the idea of complementing the "a capella" work of the vocal quartet The Scholars. This group, consisting also of Robin Doveton (tenor), Angus Davidson (counter tenor) and Kym Amps (soprano), has had an extraordinary success throughout the world in the last twenty years. The members of The Scholars Baroque Ensemble are all specialists in the field of Baroque music and play original instruments (or copies), using contemporary techniques. Singers and players work together without a director to produce their own versions of great baroque masterworks such as the St. John Passion by Bach, the 1610 Vespers by Monteverdi, The Fairy Queen by Purcell, and The Messiah and Acis and Galatea by Handel, all of which are being released by Naxos.

Performances by The Scholars Baroque Ensemble have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, perhaps because "authenticity" is not their only purpose. More important is the clarity and vitality obtained by the use of a minimum number of players and singers to a part (often only one), common practice in the 18th century. Georg Friedrich Handel: Der Messias Die ldee zu einem groOen Oratorium uber den "Messias" stammt von dem Textdichter Charles Jennens (1700 - 1773). Am 10. Juli 1741 schreibt dieser in einem Brief: "Handel sagt, er wolle im nachsten Winter nichts tun, doch ich hoffe, ihn uberreden zu konnen, daO er eine weitere Zusammenstellung von Texten der Heiligen Schrift, die ich fur ihn gemacht, vertone und es zu seinem eigenen Besten in der Karwoche auffuhre. Ich hoffe, daO er sein ganzes Genie und Konnen werde darein legen, und daO die Komposition all seine fruheren Kompositionen iibertreffe, wie das Thema jedes andere Thema ubertrifft. Das Thema aber ist: der Messias." Nun ist "Textdichter" in diesem Falle nicht ganz das richtige Wort. Jennens' Leistuna bestand vielmehr in der Auswahl verschiedener alt- und neutestgrnentarischer Passagen, die er in eine solche Reihenfolgebrachte, da8 ein aroOer Boaen entsteht: von der Hoffnuna auf den "Messias". den Erloser. ubeFdie ~eb&tChristi, sein Leben, seinen'iod bis hin zur ~uferstehun~de; Toten und zur Verklarung. Georg Friedrich Handel hat inzwischen genug von der Gattung der italienischen Oper, der er seinen sensationellen Aufstieg zur fuhrenden Musikerpersonlichkeit auf der britischen Insel verdankt. Der Geschmack des Publikums hat sich aewandelt, die Kom~ositionenalischs~rachiaer Oratorien verspricht weit grijO%re Erfolge (und dement~~rechkndg;oOerei Profit), und der ebensovielseitiae wie aeschaftstuchtiae Handel findet hier das ideale Mittel. seine durch die 0~ernunt6rnehmun~argiebeutelten Finanzen in Ordnung z; bringen. Nun hatte er nach Jennens' Worten zwar beschlossen, im Winter eine kreative Pause einzulegen. Doch als ihn eine Einladung aus Dublin erreicht, kornmen ihm die Textvorschlage gerade recht: In drei Wochen -vom 22. August bis zum 15. September - komponiert er den "Messias, anderthalb Monate spater ist auch ein zweites gro~esOratorium ("Samson") abgeschlossen. Dann reist er in die irische Hauptstadt. Von Anfana an steht der Aufenthalt unter einem guten Stern. Die ersten Konzerte, die er zur Weihnachtszeit gibt, sind

8.550667-668 ein so enormer Erfolg, daO sie wiederholt werden mussen. Und am 13. April 1742 schlieOlich wird in dem neuen Dubliner Konzertsaal der "Messias" vor einem illustren Kreis uraufgefuhrt. In England erklingt der "Messias" erstmals wahrend der Fastenzeitdes Jahres 1743. Nach der triumphalen Premiere des "Samson" ereifern sich die puritanischen Londoner Geister ijber die Tatsache, daO das Leben des Heilands in einem Konzertsaal zur Schau gestellt werden sollte: "Wie sol1 das der Nachwelt erscheinen, wenn sie in den Geschichtsbijchern liest, daO in einern solchen Zeitalter das englische Volk auf einer solchen Hohe der Unfrijmrniakeit und Weltlichkeit gekommen war; daO die heiligsten Dinge darunter l$den muBten, daO man sie zu offentlicher Zerstreuung verwendete?" fragt darnals ein erzijrnter Leserbrief-Schreiber. Der Widerstand lieB bald nach, zumal, seit Georg Friedrich Handel den "Messias" zum Wohle eines Londoner Heirns fSr Findelkinder regelmanig auffiihren lie8. lnsgesamt brachten diese Benefiz-Veranstaltungen (die irn kirchlichen Rahmen stattfanden) uber die Jahre eine Sumrne von rund einer Million Mark nach heutigem Wert. Und es dauerte nicht lange, bis die Querelen ganzlich aufhorten. Gegen die Qualitaten des Werkes konnte sich die Engstirnigkeit der religiosen Eiferer nicht behaupten. THE MESSIAH CD 1. Part the First Sinfony (3:09) Recitative (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (3:08) Comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplish'd, that her iniquity is pardon'd. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isiah XL, 1-3) Aria (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (3:33) Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough places plain. (Isiah XL, 4) Chorus (2:37) And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isiah XL, 5) Recitative (David van Asch, Bass) (1 :24) Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts: Yet once a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come. (Haggai 11, 6-7) The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple; ev'n the messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 111,l) Aria (David van Asch, Bass) (3:06) But who may abide the day of His coming, and whoshall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire. (Malachi 111,2) Chorus (2:29) And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 111, 3) Recitative (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor) (0:25) Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Ernmanuel, "God with us". (lsiah VII, 14) Aria (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor and Chorus) (5:31) 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah: Behold your God! (Isiah XL, 9) 0 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion. Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isiah LX, I) Recitative (Adrian Peacock, Bass) (2:41) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isiah LX, 2-3) Aria (Adrian Peacock, Bass) (4:25) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isiah IX, 1) Chorus (4:02) For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called: Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peacel (Isiah IX, 6) ~ifa (0:56) Recitative (Kym Amps, Soprano) (1 :21) There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heav'nly host, praising God, and saying: (Luke 11, 8- 13) Chorus (1 :53) Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men! (Luke 11, 14) Aria (Kym Amps, Soprano) (4:04) Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion, shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy King corneth unto thee. He is the righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen. (Zechariah IX, 9- 10) Recitative (Helen Parker, Soprano) (0:20) Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as an heart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sina.- Aria (Helen Parker, Soprano) (5:12) He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, and He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (lsiah XL, 11) Come unto Him all ye that labour, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. -(Matthew XI, 28-29) Chorus His yoke is easy, His burthen is light. (Matthew X1,30) Part the Second Chorus (2:51) Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. (John I, 29) Aria (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor) (11 :11) He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. (Isiah LIII, 3) He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, He hid not His face from shame and spitting. (Isiah L, 6) Chorus (2:06) Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (lsiah LIII, 4-5) Chorus (1:54) And with His stripes we are healed. (Isiah LIIl, 5) Chorus (3:52) All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned ev'ry one to his own way. (Isiah LIII, 6) Recitative (John Bowen, Tenor) (0:42) All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn; they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying: (Psalm XXII, 8) Chorus (2:22) He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him! (Psalm XXII, 9) Recitative (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (1 :49) Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him. (Psalm LXIX, 20) Arioso (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (1 :34) Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow! (Lamentations of Jeremiah 1, 12) Recitative (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (0:18) He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of Thy people was He stricken. (Isiah LIII, 8) Aria (Robin Doveton, Tenor) (2:42) But thou didst not leave His soul in Hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm XVI, 10) Chorus (3:05) Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in! Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye ever lasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. (Psalm XXIV, 7-10) Recitative (John Bowen, Tenor) (0:14) Unto which of the angels said He at any time: Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten thee? (Epistle to the Hebrews 1,5) Chorus Let all the angels of God worship Him. (Epistle to the Hebrews 1, 6) Aria (David van Asch, Bass) (3:16) Thou art gone up high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea, even for Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them. (Psalm LXVIII, 19) Iii] Chorus (1 :lo) The Lord gave the word; great was the company of the preachers. (Psalm LXVIII, 12) Duet (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor (3:22) and Frances Jellard, Contralto and Chorus) How beautiful are the feet of Him that bringeth glad tidings of salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reignethl Break forth into joy, glad tidings, Thy God reigneth! (Psalm X, 15) a Aria (Adrian Peacock, Bass) (3:08) why do the nations so furiosly rage together, why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed. [psalm 11, 7-21 Chorus (1 50) Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us. [psalm 11, 3) Recitative (John Bowen, Tenor) (032) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them toscorn, the Lord shall have them in derision. (psalm Aria (John Bowen, Tenor) (299) ~houshalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shaltdash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. [psalm 11, 9) Chorus (3:38) ~~llelujah!For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Hallelujah! (Apocalypse XIX, 6) The Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of ~jsChrist, and He shall reign for ever and ever. (Apocalypse XI, 75) King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Apocalypse XIX, 16) Part the Third Aria (Kym Amps, Soprano) (6:07) I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And tho' worms destroy ttiis body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. (Job XIX, 25-26) For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep. (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 20) Chorus (1 :51) Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 21-22) Recitative (David van Asch, Bass) (0:33) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, and we shall all be chang'd, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 51-52) Aria (David van Asch, Bass) (9:05) The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, incorruptible, and we shall be chang'd. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 52-53) Recitative (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor) (0:18) Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallow'd up in victory. (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 54) Duet (Angus Davidson, Counter Tenor (3:32) and Robin Doveton, Tenor and Chorus) 0 Death, where is thy sting, 0 grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (First Epistle to the Corinthians XV, 55-57) Aria (Frances Jellard, Contralto) (4:56) If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us. (Epistle to the Romans V111, 33-34) Chorus (7:16) Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and pow'r be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen. HANDEL The Messiah Time : Der Messiad Le Messie 141'27' The Scholars Baroque Ensemble I E Compact Disc m 1 C, 3 - Part The First (Nos. 1-22) (52:40) o, - Part The Second (Nos. 23-27) (2154) e F 1 'l 0 9 Compact Disc 2 2 - Part The Second (Nos. 28-44) (33:Ol) g - Part The Third (Nos. 45-52) (33:31) F Recorded at the Rosslyn Hill Chapel in London - from 6th to 9th July, 1992. 00 in Producer: Murray Khouri 3 Engineer: Mike Skeet 2 Cover Painting: The Adoration of the Shepherds ? 0\ by Louis Le Nab 730099 OI I 566728 00