Three representative English choral works of George Frederic Handel: A study of their literary backgrounds and significance

95 Pages·04.051 MB·English

by  Riley, Robert S

THREE REPRESENTATIVE ENGLISH CHORAL WORKS
OP GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL:
A STUDY OF THEIR LITERARY BACKGROUNDS AND SIGNIFICANCE
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the Graduate School
University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
by
Robert S. Riley
June 1950
UMI Number: EP61867
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J'/zij thesis, written by
...........ROBERT^ S_.__RILEy.........
under the guidance of h..%®.. Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
ment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts
Date.
Faculty Committee
man
TABLE OP CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE SCOPE, PURPOSE, AND ORGANIZATION OP THE STUDY 1
The scope and purpose of the study ........... 1
Summary of sources relative to the study • • • • Ij.
Organization of the s t u d y ..................... 5
Definition of terms • • • .................. . 5
II. A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE THEATER DURING HANDEL»S TIME
IN ENGLAND .................................. 11
Audiences in the late seventeenth century • • • 11
Some eighteenth century developments • • • • * • 12
Pantomime................... 13
Pastorals......................... lif
III. ACIS AND GALATEA.............. . . . 18
The masque.............. 18
The masque before the eighteenth century • • • 18
The masque in the eighteenth century........ 22
Literary backgrounds of Handel1s Acis and
Galatea .......... . 2if.
A history of the music..................... 27
Terminology applied to the form of Acis and
Galatea • ............................... 32
The character of the music................... 33
IV. ALEXANDER1S F E A S T ......................... . . . 35
The o d e ........................................ 35
The ode in the eighteenth century........... 35
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
Types of the ode dominant in the neo-classi­
cal period • • • • ................ . . 36
The St. Cecilia1 s Day Ode ............. 37
The text of Alexander1 s F e a s t ...... .... 44
A history of the music................... 49
V. HAMAN AND MORDECAI AND ESTHER . . . . . . . . . 54
French origins ................................ 54
Racine!s Esther and other French drama in Eng­
land ..................... 56
Earlier English plays based on the story of
Esther.................................... .. 56
Ham an and Mordecai....................... 56
Es ther • • • • • .................... 62
The beginnings of Esther................... 62
Organization of the music of Esther • • • • 64
Critical opinion of E s t h e r ................. 65
VI. SOME ENGLISH INFLUENCES ON HANDEL *S MUSIC AND
HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENGLISH MUSICAL STYLE . . 68
The Bible in English dramatic and non-dramatic
literature . ................... 69
Hymn-singing in England as a relative influ­
ence ............................ . . . . . . 70
Handel1 s use of the chorus .......... 71
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Handel1s setting of English words . . . . . . 73
Conclusions • • . . ........................... 80
BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................... 83
LIST OP TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. St. Cecilia’s Day Odes written between 1683
and 1800 ................................. . Ip.
II. Other of Handel’s Works included in Esther . • 66
III. A Brief Survey of the Choruses in Six of
Handel’s Italian Operas ............... 7^4-
IV. Choruses in Hainan and Mordecai • • • • . • • • 75
CHAPTER I
THE SCOPE, PURPOSE, AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
Ostensibly a thesis is supposed to pose a "problem"
and solve it, or at least a portion of it. In the case of
George Frederic Handel there exists probably less of a
problem to be attacked than there is some value in the task
of re-examining certain aspects of his work.
Considering the extensive creative output of Handel,
and the very high quality of much of it, this master receives
little attention today that is really commensurate with his
greatness. Outside of the Messiah, arias from certain
operas and oratorios, and instrumental works such as the
Concerti Grossl and the Water Music to name some of the
more popular examples-— performances of other worthwhile com­
positions are negligible. This is unfortunate, for as one
examines certain of the lesser known pieces one encounters a
freshness, spontaneity, and grandeur about them that surely
entitles Handel to an even wider recognition as a towering
figure of the Baroque period in general and the neo-classical
period in England than he already has. At any rate, his
stature should rest not upon a small representation of hisr
work alone.
The scope and purpose of the study. The present
study was originally undertaken with a view toward examining
more works than are here included; this plan was gradually
made less extensive in scope, and eventually became limited
to three characteristic English choral works, Acis and
Galatea, Alexander1s Feast, Haman and Mordecai and Esther*
(The latter two compositions are grouped together since
Esther is the revised version of Haman*) The emphasis in the
study will be upon the literary backgrounds of these works—
more specifically their English backgrounds, although the
inclusion of information relevant to those English roots
will be made when necessary. The music will be discussed
from a historical standpoint, its technical aspects receiv­
ing no emphasis since such an emphasis really constitutes
material for a separate study in itself.
The purpose of the study is to attempt to show, in
regard to the three works mentioned, (1) English influences
on Handel, and (2) Handel*s influence on England, especially
in Esther since that work is historically the most important
of the three due to its being considered as Handel*s first
English oratorio. Because Esther retains characteristics
of the other two typically English compositions although
indeed it possesses characteristics from other sources such
as Handel!s Italian operas too— -a discussion of them in re­
lation to Esther is of value even though the chronology of
all of them is of not too great importance. Acis and
Galatea actually had four Versions: 1708, 1720, 1732 and
3
17^0• Alexander1 s Feast was written in 1 7 Hainan and
Mordecai in 1720, and Esther in 1732* Since the latter was
subsequently more important than the other two pieces, an
attempt will be made to show some of the reasons why it pos­
sibly made the impression on England that it did*
England obviously exerted itself on Handel, but it
is probably safe to assert that Handel had more of an influ­
ence on England in the long run one which even made it
difficult for native English composers to flourish both
during and after his lifetime* Handel1s oratorio style
was a strong force in the nineteenth century, and remains
popular today. Dryden in the latter part of the seventeenth
century, and such other writers of the eighteenth century as
Pope, Swift, Addison, Johnson to name the more important
of them were great representatives of their times, but
they were certainly not more outstanding in their spheres of
creative activity than Handel was in his* Fundamentally,
Handel*s message is more universal than theirs---especially
as a force which continues to endure* Handel*s relations
with such men as Pope, Gay, Arbuthnot, and indirectly with
Dryden provide an interesting if rather elusive sidepath to
Handel*s life as a composer* Much has to be guessed at
since facts are either difficult or impossible to obtain.
The present study makes no pretense at being conclusive
about this phase of Handel*s^ work, but the search for what