G.F. Handel: Text and Music Relationship in Zadoc The Priest
In 1710, George Fredrick Handel was appointed Kapellmeister to Georg Ludwig, the Elector of Saxony. Georg was very fond of the opera, although Hanover had no opera company. So, Handel took an immediate leave of absence from Hanover to London and was well received by Queen Anne. Over the next few years, Handel traveled back and forth between London and Hanover until he finally freed himself from his obligations in Germany. Ironically, upon Queen Anne's death, Georg Ludwig became King George I of England and Handel was reunited with his former superior. Handel continued to serve George I writing many operatic, instrumental, and ceremonial pieces until the king's death in 1727. Handel was in charge of music for the coronation of King George II. The ceremony required almost two hours of music, so Handel used some traditional and original pieces. One of his original works, which took place during the ano
intment right after the prayer, was Zadok The Priest. This demonstrates the contrast between the king's earthly life and his spiritual life. This prayer for the king is followed by, "Alleluia, Amen," which is traditional. The rest of the piece simply repeats this text. There are several virtuostic passages for each voice including a soprano harmony beginning in m. 84 and an alto and tenor duet in m. 92. Soprano m. 84 Alto and Tenor m. 92 Now that the new king has been selected by God and anointed, it is time for celebration. The meter changes to a faster three in m. 31. "And the people rejoiced" is repeated throughout the middle section. A dotted 8th and 16th rhythm is repeated to create a feeling of bouncing or possibly dancing. The piece begins with an instrumental introduction from mm. 1-22. The initial tempo is rather slow, although constant 8ths in the bass and 16ths in the string
Some common words found in the essay are:
God God's, Zadok Priest, George II, Alleluia Amen, England Handel, Kingdom Heaven, Alto Tenor, Saxony Georg, Coronation Anthems, Solomon King, king george, zadok priest, 84 alto tenor, 8th 16th rhythm, georg ludwig, king live, 16th rhythm, george ii, 8th 16th, people rejoiced, king george ii, dotted 8th 16th, dotted 8th, alto tenor,
Approximate Word count = 615
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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