Hallelujah Chorus

Name: _________________

George Frederic Handel was the greatest composer An oratorio is a large work
of oratorios in the Baroque Period. Handel’s oratorio based on a religious theme
Messiah (1741) is in three parts. written for choir, solo singers
The first part deals with biblical prophecies of the and orchestra. Unlike an
birth of Jesus; the second part deals with Jesus’s opera, it is not acted or
sufferings, death and resurrection; and the third part performed with costumes and
refers to the second coming of Christ and sets, but is sung in a church
redemption through faith. or a concert hall.

The Hallelujah Chorus, the most famous of all

oratorio choruses, occurs at the end of Part II. It is a triumphant song of praise for Christ’s
resurrection. At the first London performance in 1743, King George II was so moved by
the chorus that he stood up, prompting the audience to stand also. This established the
tradition of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus.

The music features the use of monophonic, polyphonic and homophonic textures for
dramatic expression. It has a recurring motive on the word ‘Hallelujah’, which helps to
unify the piece (that is, tie the sections together).

Listen to the Hallelujah Chorus, following the vocal score and pay attention to the
composer’s use of texture for dramatic purposes.

(Note that the music for the tenor voices is written on the treble staff in an octave higher than it
sounds to avoid ledger lines, and that the orchestral music has been reduced to a piano score.)

Listen again and answer the following questions:

1. What are the four voice types that are used in this chorus? Write them in order from
the highest to the lowest and state whether they are male or female voices.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Which voices use the treble staff? ________________________________________

3. Which voices use the bass staff? _________________________________________

4. What is the key of the music? ___________________________________________

5. Write out the scale below:

6. What texture is the following bars:
a. Bars 1-16? ________________________________

b. Bars 17-19? _______________________________

c. Bars 22-32? _______________________________

d. Bars 34-41? _______________________________

7. Which voices sing the melody in bars 41-43? _______________________________

8. What happens to the melody in bars 44-51? ________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

9. What texture is heard here (bars 44-51)? __________________________________

10.What is the basic texture of the final section, bars 51-95? _____________________

___________________________________________________________________

11.What is the key of the music in bars 61-63 and bars 64-66? ___________________

12.Write the scale below:

13.How is this related to the first key? _______________________________________

14.For what reason does Handel use monophonic and homophonic texture in the
Hallelujah Chorus?
i. To create tension
ii. To emphasise the words
iii. To create a feeling of movement

15.For what reason does Handel use polyphonic texture in the Hallelujah Chorus?
i. To make the words clearer
ii. To create a calm and peaceful mood
iii. To create a feeling of excitement