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Baroque sacred music - part one - Oratorio and the Messiah
Baroque era is known for its several grand forms of church music, including the passion, the oratorio, or the cantata. They were all based on texts refering to the sacred religious book (Bible), although the setting was different between these three music forms. The passion was based on Jesus' suffering and was based on the Gospel texts, the Oratorio was more poetic and could be about any other Biblical story, while cantatas were based on Biblical texts. It is quite remarkable that in the midst of separation between the sacred and the secular, composers wrote for both of the worlds. They didn't necessarily fought on either side of the schism. And that's understandable since they wanted to get famous, or saw it as a way to get jobs or get paid by different employers (even the Protestant J.S. Bach wrote a Catholic Mass!).
A standard device that was used to accompany the singers in the church music, but that was borrowed from the opera, was basso continuo. It was simply seen as such a good method to use to back up the singers'. What is the Oratorio, the so famous and maybe the primal form of Baroque church music? In it, basso continuo was used as it was for opera. The connection? Oratorio is sort of an opera, but the act is not set on stage, although there are recitatives and arias, and it's all sacred music. A cantata is a part of religious service, is not set on stage, and covers biblical texts. The passion is also sort of opera, but it's - once again - not staged, and it was mostly performed during the major religious events of the year (since it was about the suffering of Christ). Other baroque sacred music included masses, magnificats, or chorals, but let us talk about the oratorio since it is such an innovative form of music.
Oratorio contained a biblical story, or a life of a saint, all described in an opera form (!) although it was not staged. So even if many elements of the opera were used to compose oratorios, they were modified for the need and restrictions (if one may still say so) of sacred music. The most famous oratorio is probably the Messiah by G.F. Handel. In it, the narrators use recitatives that describe the life and story of Christ, and in-between there are arias that exalt the Christ or his works. The arias are not using many words, but the words use a lot of music, so to speak. Simply, many variations and lots of feelings behind the words accompanied by genially composed music are the key to success in Handel's oratorio. The most famous part of the Messiah is the Halleluiah - beginning with a simple homophony singing, and then developing into a more extravagant polyphonic texture. The Messiah is a real fine work of art.
The extraordinary about this 2 hour oratorio, written in three different parts, is that Handel wrote it in just over 20 days. Of course, music can be written quickly if one just follows some predictable formulas, but the Messiah is still exceptional. It is a work that all classical music lovers should have in their CD collection. It is a real milestone in the history of music. And a gem of the Baroque era sacred music. Don't miss it.
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