Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Judas Maccabaeus, Handel’s victory oratorio of 1747, and its development in London performances until 1744 Thesis How to cite: Channon, Merlin George Charles (1995). Judas Maccabaeus, Handel’s victory oratorio of 1747, and its development in London performances until 1744. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 1994 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000e059 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk -jX i 8.3 u-$q ONr-ESTRICTED MERLIN GEORGE CHARLES CHANNON B. Mus. (London), M. A. (Birmingham), Hon. FTCL. JUDAS MACCABAEUS, HANDEL'S VICTORY ORATORIO OF 1747, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN LONDON PERFORMANCES UNTIL 1774. THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the MUSIC DEPARTMENT, FACULTY OF ARTS of THE OPEN UNIVERSITY Awkt's nu 4PW ;M 10 2.3 290 Jakt I Suýbmisswa ; lb ýhZetwb-t. t' Iqߺf IM c7aYt ommrd, ; 2d Febt. *n DECEMBER, 1994. BEST COPY AVAILABLE Variable print quality -ii- ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Judas By the time of Handel. 's death in 1759, Maccabaeus it had become the composer's second most popular oratorio: received thirty-three London performances during the composer's lifetime, and continued to receive regular 1774. performances in London from 1760 until This thesis begins with a review of the historical and Judas social, events which led to the composition of Maccabaeus in 1746. Then the evolution of the libretto and 1 April 1747 is music up to the first performance on traced. The form of Handel's first performing version is reconstructed, involving the interpretation of early sources found in and the correction of errors available published editions of the work. Chapters 4-6 trace the subsequent versions of the work, his immediate in as presented by Handel and successors London. Evidence from the conducting score used by Handel from and J. C. Smith the younger, and early manuscript copies is linked of the score and contemporary word-books, with information about successive casts of solo singers. Newly- be found material has enabled a revision to made of previous during assumptions concerning Handel's performing versions 1747-1750. The content of Judas Maccabaeus from 1751 until the composer's death in 1759 is charted season by season, and the continued development of Judas Maccabaeus from 1760 until. 1774, previously ignored by commentators, is dealt with comprehensively. Finally the critical reception of the oratorio between 1747 and 1774 is reviewed. for future This study clarifies many details relevant Judas Maccabaeus, performances and new editions of and development in presents a history of the work's performance, comparable to the published studies of Messiah. -iii- ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I thank the library authorities and staff of the following libraries for their assistance: The British Library, Manchester Public Library, Birmingham Central Library, National Library of Scotland, the Fitzwiiliam Museum and King's College, Cambridge, the Royal College of Music, the Institute of Historical Research, and the Universities of London, Birmingham and East Anglia. During visits abroad I have received considerable help at the Staats-und Universitätsbib]. iotek Hamburg (Germany), the Huntington Library and the Princeton University Library (USA), and the Sydney University Library (Australia). My correspondence with other libraries mentioned in this thesis has been most courteously dealt with. The late Gerald Coke and the late Sir Gilbert Inglefield kindly allowed me access to their libraries on a number of occasions. Chapter 4 of this thesis contains material. used in my article 'Handel's Early Performances of Judas Maccabaeus. Some New Evidence and Interpretations', which has been accepted for publication in Music and Letters. I am indebted to Donald Burrows for his help and guidance with my Handel. studies and in the preparation of this thesis, and to Anthony Hicks for reading and commenting on the first draft of material. for Chapter 4. My thanks are due to Ruth Smith for interesting discussions about literary matters connected with Handel's oratorios, and to Colin Timms first drew who my attention to the collection of word- books of Handel's oratorios he had discovered in Birmingham Central. Library. -iv- PREFACE SYSTEM OF REFERENCES USED: 1. Abbreviations: a. Primary Sources connected with Judas Maccabaeus are referred to by the following initials: A (Autograph Score; Lbl, RM 20. e. 12) B (Conducting Score; D-HS MA/1026) P (Published word-book; Watts' first edition, 1747, Issue No. 1) L (Manuscript Libretto: US-Sm LA 65) W (First edition of the music, Walsh, 1747) b. Each movement in this oratorio is identified by three sets of figures. My own numbering, encompassing all items used in this oratorio from 1747-1774, provides the first figure. The second figure is that used in the current Novello vocal score (ed. J. E. West). The third is the HWV numbering, as used in H'a'ndel- Handbuch, vol. 2, pp. 296-307. The sign '-' is used where no number has been allocated (e. g. the Ouverture is numbered 1/1/-). Standard books c. and editions are referred to either by the author and an abbreviated title (e. g. Deutsch, Handel; Winton Dean, HDOM; Chrysander, HG), or by a shortened version of the (e. title g. The New Grove, and The London Stage; or HHB for Händel-Handbuch. Full titles and other details are given in the Bibliography. d. Libraries are referred to by the sigla used in The New Grove: all German library sigia are ýV- prefixed by 'D-' (without '(ddr)' or '(brd)'). e. The Theatres Royal and other London theatres are 'Covent sometimes referred to simply as Garden', 'Drury Lane' etc., as in The London Stage. 'Haymarket' implies the New or Little Theatre in the Haymarket, not The King's Theatre. ' f. Pages and folios are indicated by 'p. ', 'pp. ', 'f. and 'ff. '. 2. Dates: Dates prior to 3/14 September 1752, when Britain changed from the Julian calendar and adopted the Gregorian calendar, can be assumed to be Old Style (OS).. After that date they are New Style (NS). The calendar year has been treated as beginning on 1 January, unless stated otherwise. Dates in the Julian calendar were 11 days behind that of the Gregorian calendar, which was in contemporary use throughout most of Europe. 3. Coinage and Currency Amounts of money are expressed in the style used in the eighteenth century. Then the pound sterling (£) was represented by a gold coin, the sovereign. The pound was divided into 20 shillings (s) and the shilling into twelve pence (d). The half-sovereign, (10s, crown and half-crown 5s, and 2s 6d) were coins as well as values. The guinea was a gold coin which was used from 1717 until 1813 and was valued at 21 " shillings. It was used for professional fees and subscriptions. Under modern decimal coinage (introduced into Great Britain on 15 February 1971) -vi- the pound was subdivided into 100 pence (p). So a guinea nominally became £1.05, a half-guinea (10s 6d) became 522p, 5s became 25p, and 3s 6d became 17ýp. 4. Major Sections of the Oratorio: In general I have used 'Part' (as used in B and P), rather than 'Act' (as in A and Q. 5. Soloists Conjectures about a specific team of soloists are preceded by a question mark in square brackets thus: [? ]. A conjecture about one soloist is shown by a question mark after his or her name as, for example: John Beard ?. The voice of a soloist has been decided (indicated on the basis of the clef by s, a, t, b) used for that soloist's music in A or B. First soprano, second soprano, alto, tenor and bass solo voices are indicated, respectively, as: [S], [S2], [A], [T], or [B]. In the Appendix the additional. soprano soloists have subdivisions within these symbols (e. g. S1 and Sla). These are explained at the beginning of the relevant charts. The singer's role in Judas Maccabaeus that I have designated [S2] was written by Handel using the soprano clef, except for the Israelite Messenger and in two choruses. In subsequent performances the [S2] music was often allocated to a singer for whom Handel more frequently wrote in the alto clef. 6. Chorus The four voices are indicated, respectively, as S, A, T, B in the Appendix Charts. -vii- TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME ONE ABSTRACT OF TUE THESIS page ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii PREFACE: SYSTEM OF REFERENCES'USED iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xii CHAPTER 1. JUDAS MACCABAEUS: THE BACKGROUND The Act of Settlement of 1701 1 The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 2 The Whigs and Contemporary Religious Philosophy 4 Handel. in 1745-1746 6 Thomas More]. ]. (1703-1784), Librettist of Judas Maccabaeus 13 The Early Stages in the Composition of Judas Maccabaeus 17 Notes and References 19 CHAPTER 2. THE LIBRETTO: ITS CONSTRUCTION AND EVOLUTION UNTIL THE FIRST PERFORMANCE Introduction 25 The Choice of the Subject Matter 25 Judas Maccabaeus; the Historical Background 26 Sources of the Libretto 28 Synopsis of the Story in More]. l's libretto 30 The Larpent Manuscript of the Libretto 32 The First Edition of the Word-book 34 -viii- Variants in the Libretto, and the Relationships of the Sources 36 Collation of Textual Variants 39 The Evolution of the Libretto 63 Notes and References 65 CHAPTER 3.