Alexander's Feast (Handel)
Alexander's Feast (
Alexander's Feast, or the Power of Music (1697) which had been written to celebrate Saint Cecilia's Day. Jeremiah Clarke
(whose score is now lost) set the original ode to music.
Handel composed the music in January 1736, and the work received its premiere at the
Handel organ concertos Op.4. Handel revised the music for performances in 1739, 1742 and 1751. Donald Burrows has discussed Handel's revisions to the score.[1][2]
The work describes a banquet held by
Persian city of Persepolis, during which the musician Timotheus
sings and plays his lyre, arousing various moods in Alexander until he is finally incited to burn the city down in revenge for his dead Greek soldiers.
The piece was a great success and it encouraged Handel to make the transition from writing Italian operas to English choral works. The soloists at the premiere were the
bass
called Erard (first name unknown).
Structure of the work
- Part one:
- Overture
- Recitative (tenor): 'Twas at the royal feast
- Aria and chorus (tenor): Happy, happy pair
- Recitative: Timotheus plac'd on high
- Recitative (Soprano): The song began from Jove
- Recitative: The song began from Jove
- Chorus: The list'ning crowd
- Aria (soprano): With ravish'd ears
- Recitative: The praise of Bacchus
- Aria and chorus: Bacchus ever fair and young
- Recitative: Sooth'd with the sound
- Recitative: He chose a mournful muse
- Aria (soprano): He sung Darius, great and good
- Recitative: With downcast looks
- Chorus: Behold Darius great and good
- Recitative: The mighty master smil'd
- Arioso (soprano): Softly sweet in Lydian measures
- Aria (tenor): War, he sung, is toil and trouble
- Chorus: The many rend the skies with loud applause
- Aria (soprano): The prince, unable to conceal his pain
- Chorus: The many rend the skies with loud applause
- Part two:
- Recitative and chorus: Now strike the golden lyre again
- Aria (bass): Revenge, Timotheus cries
- Recitative: Give vengeance the due
- Aria (tenor): The princes applaud with a furious joy
- Aria and chorus (soprano): Thais led the way
- Recitative (tenor): Thus long ago
- Chorus: At last divine Cecilia came
- Recitative (soloists + chorus): Let old Timotheus yield the prize
- Chorus: Let old Timotheus yield the prize
- Organ concerto, Opus 4 Number 1
- Chorus: Your voices tune
Recordings
- Alexander's Feast or The Power of Musick, HWV 75: Honor Sheppard, soprano; Max Worthley, tenor; Maurice Bevan, bass; Oriana Concert Choir & Orchestra, conducted by Alfred Deller; Recorded 1964 (Authentic Instruments) — 2 LP Bach Guild BG-666—BG-667
- Alexander's Feast or The Power of Music, HWV 75: Felicity Palmer, soprano; Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor; Stephen Roberts, bass; Stockholm Bach Choir & Concentus Musicus Wien, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt; Recorded 1977 (Authentic Instruments) — 2 LP Teldec 6.35440 [1978] — 2 CD Teldec 6 3984-26796-2 6 [2000]
- Alexander's Feast or The Power of Music,: Helen Donath, soprano-1; Sally Burgess, soprano-2; Robert Tear, tenor; Thomas Allen, baritone; Choir of King's College, Cambridge & English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Philip Ledger; Recorded 1978 (Modern Instruments) at King's College Chapel – 2 LP EMI 1C 157 03 404/5 [1979] — 2 CD Virgin Classics, (as part of 5-CD boxset:) Virgin Classics 5 62118 2 [2003])
- Alexander's Feast: Donna Brown, soprano; Carolyn Watkinson, contralto; Ashley Stafford, countertenor; Nigel Robson, tenor; Stephen Varcoe, bass; Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner; Recorded live in 1987 (Authentic Instruments) at the Stadthalle Göttingen – 2 CD Philips 422 053-2 [1988], Philips 00289 475 777–4 [2006]
- Alexander's Feast: Nancy Argenta, soprano; Ian Partridge, tenor; Michael George, bass; The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers; Recorded 1990 (Authentic Instruments) – 2 CD Collins Classics 70 162 [1991], Musical Society Heritage 525259X [1998], Coro COR16028 [2004]
Alexander's Feast today: performances and recordings
The soprano aria War, he sung, is toil and trouble was featured in Alfonso Cuaron's film Children of Men.
References
External links
- Alexander's Feast, HWV 75 (Handel, George Frideric): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Full-text libretto hosted by Stanford University.
- Score of Alexander's Feast (ed. Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig 1861)
- Handel's Alexander's Feast adapted by W.A. Mozart, K. 591, ed. Andreas Holschneider: Score and critical report (in German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe